Good Morning,
I hope you enjoy today’s Trench Lincs which contains mention of both my late father and grandfather, as November 10th was my father’s birthday, and as hostilities came to a close in the west on November 11th 1918, so my grandfather was one of some 2,000,000 disabled British veterans who had to battle the authorities for some element of a war pension. A battle that he would fight for the rest of his life, such was the disdain in which the disabled veterans were held through the 1920s and onwards.
One example of the post-war hardship suffered by veterans is that of Sergeant James Clarke of the Lancashire Fusiliers. Between 2nd and 4th November 1918, Clarke single handedly captured four machine guns, killing the crews with the bayonet, he led his platoon in the attack on further machine gun posts, and led a tank on foot under heavy fire to capture further enemy positions, before bringing a machine gun into action at the crossing of the Sambre-Oise canal on the 4th, which silenced the enemy and allowed his company to reach their objective.
For these actions Clarke was awarded the Victoria Cross. His war service left him in poor health and he constantly found difficulty in finding regular work. Exasperated by the never ending struggle, Clarke staged a one man demonstration against unemployment by pulling his barrel organ from Manchester to London in 1933. Clarke had eked out a living by busking with his barrel organ for donations from the public in Manchester, but on arrival in London, he was promptly arrested for playing in the street.
All he wanted was a secure future, but ill health and life's struggles took their toll on James Clarke, and he died at the age of just 54 in 1947.
James Clarke, wearing his VC, pulled his barrel organ from Manchester to London in demonstration against the treatment of veterans in the post war years. His placard notes the award of the VC and that he was an original 'Pal'.
In recent times, James Clarke has received a new headstone in recognition of his struggles in life.
NEWS & EVENTS
Next Meeting – Spalding & South Lincolnshire Branch, WFA – Thursday, November 28th – Spalding Baptist Church, Swan Street, Spalding, PE11 1BT – 7.00 for 7.30 pm.
Alex Keyes presents: “England’s Difficulty is Ireland’s Opportunity; Sir Roger Casement and the German-Irish Brigade.”
Alex Keyes is a serving Prison Officer; formerly at Lincoln he is currently at HMP Berwyn in Wrexham. Alongside his career as a Prison Officer, he is a historian of modern Ireland. Next year he will be starting a PhD course researching the lives of Irish POW’s held by the British and Irish Governments from 1916 to 1924.
In this evening’s talk, he describes how in October 1914 a strange figure, travelling in disguise, took ship from New York bound for Germany. Only a decade before Sir Roger Casement had been heralded as one of the greatest diplomats and humanitarians of his age, knighted by King George V for his service to the British Empire. Now he was on a mission to defeat the very Empire to which he had once sworn allegiance. Casement's task, undertaken on behalf of the Irish Republican Brotherhood - and its American sister organisation: Clan Na Gael - was to raise and train a brigade of Irish prisoners of war who would form the backbone of a German invasion of Ireland, which, combined with a local rising, would establish an independent Irish Republic. Sir Roger's journey from Knight of the realm to public enemy number one was a globe spanning adventure taking him from the Congo to the Amazon via New York, Belfast, Dublin and Berlin, ending with humiliation and death at Pentonville Prison, condemned by his former friends and enemies alike. Why did Casement fail and what were Germany’s plans for Ireland following the Great War?
Discover the answers in ‘England’s Difficulty is Irelands Opportunity; Roger Casement and the German-Irish Brigade’ on the 28th November at Spalding Baptist Church, Swan Street, Spalding, PE11 1BT. Doors open 7.00pm for 7.30pm start (please ring the door-bell for entry). There is ample on-street parking outside the Church, and free refreshments will be served at the end of the event.
Those who attended Lincoln Branch will know this talk was presented there in September when we suffered an IT failure. You will be pleased to hear we have taken steps to ensure we don’t suffer a repeat of this at Spalding. So, if you missed this excellent talk at Lincoln, or would like to experience it in its full glory – Alex says he has some excellent visuals supporting the talk – please come along to Spalding where you will be made very welcome.
Sir Roger Casement
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Next Meeting – Lincoln & North Lincolnshire Branch, WFA – Monday, November 25th – Royal Naval Association Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG – 6.30 for 7.00pm start.
Steve Warburton presents “First in – Last Out, Brig-Gen C H T Lucas (87th Brigade, 29th Division) at Gallipoli”.
Steve Warburton hails from Peterborough and is a history teacher and experienced public speaker who has undertaken extensive research of the career of Brig-Gen C H T Lucas, which forms the basis of a number of talks. He is also a former Chairman of the Cambridgeshire Branch of the WFA.
In this evenings talk Steve uses excerpts from CHTL’s diaries and letters home as well as photographs he took on the Gallipoli Peninsula, all in the context of a survey of the Campaign. CHTL was one of the 12 officers from the 29th Division who survived to experience the full Campaign from landing (April 1915) to evacuation (January 1916). CHTL went on to command the 87th Brigade until early 918 when he was promoted to command the Machine Gun Training School, briefly returning to the 87th before being given a division in Autumn1918. In 1919 whilst commanding the Fermoy Brigade in Ireland he was captured by the IRA but escaped after several weeks in captivity.
The Gallipoli Campaign is, of course, very close and of great interest to us here in Lincolnshire. A party of us visited the Peninsula in 2022, travelling extensively over the area of the Campaign under the expert guidance of Dudley Giles and his Turkish colleague Bulant. This talk should, therefore, be of great interest and we would urge you to come along to the Royal Naval Association Club on the 25th to enjoy the convivial atmosphere of our meetings, make new friends and learn something new in the process. Doors open 6.30pm for 7.00pm start (new start time of 7.00 for 7.30 does not come into force until January) and there is ample parking behind the club, and on-street in front.
DATE CHANGE: The Lincoln WFA Show and Tell event will now take place on Monday 2nd December at 7pm. If you are proposing to attend the Show and Tell on 2/12, please can you email me or let one of the committee know, so that they can provide sufficient food and nibbles on the night. Thank you.
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The next meeting of the Leadenham Military History Society will be on Tuesday 19 November 2024.
Show and tell: Marconi R1155 and T1154 Combination, By Steve Locking
Presentation: 61st Troop Carriers Mid-Air Collision, by Dave Bristow. A brief history of the USAAF 61st Troop Carrier Group based at RAF Barkston Heath in 1944.
The meeting will be held at Leadenham Village Hall with a start time of 7.30pm.
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The next meeting of the Friends of the Lincoln Tank Group will be the last one for 2024. On Thursday 14th November at 7.30pm, it will be the annual Show and Tell evening.
This will be an early Christmas event where any attendee can take the floor for ten minutes and talk about a Great War related artefact – it may be a set of medals, a letter, post cards, uniform items or anything that you would like to share with the group.
The event will be held at the Royal Naval Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln LN6 7BG and everyone is welcome.
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Tomorrow, Monday 11th November at 11am, there will be the annual Armistice Day Service held at Thorpe in the Fallows.
This service is organised annually by the Lincoln and North Lincs WFA branch, and everyone is welcome to attend. Please be at the memorial for 10.45.
Thorpe in the Fallows can be found just off the A1500 Scampton to Sturton By Stow Road.
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On Wednesday 20th November at 11am, there will be the annual Cambrai Day service held at the Tank Memorial on Tritton Way, Lincoln. This event is organised by Friends of the Lincoln Tank and again, everyone is welcome to attend. Please be on site for 10.45.
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To complement the Cambrai Day service listed above, please see the following details of Tank Tour Two which starts on the evening of the 20th November with a dinner at the White Hart Hotel in Lincoln.
Andrew Blow has full details for you and writes; ‘Richard Pullen and I are launching Tank Tour Two – with revised talks, new film, new images, new anecdotes - on the night of Cambrai Day, Wednesday, November 20th, after a gap of six years. (We appeared 18 times in TT1 between 2015 and 2018). (Please see attached poster and flier.)
Our main theme is the internationally important story of the Lincoln tanks and William Foster & Co Ltd, and we will be acknowledging the skill and energy of their leaders, workers and munitionettes.
After months of planning we are trying to ensure a good start so we are beginning with a “Dine with Heritage” launch at the White Hart Hotel, Lincoln, birthplace of the tanks, from 6pm on that day.
The Tank Room (where Tritton and Wilson invented the tank) will open from 6pm (as will the bar!) We will bring exhibition materials and memorabilia too. There’ll be illustrated talks of 45 minutes from each of us, and a two course meal, plus coffee and mints, in the convivial surroundings of the King Richard Room as the evening unfolds from 7p.m.
Address for the online order of tickets (£39.95):
Afterwards we will be heading off to more orthodox venues e.g. libraries, village halls….wherever a host organisation can welcome us. Four venues are booked and other conversations are being held. We are grateful to the newly-renovated White Hart Hotel for sponsorship enabling us to undertake the Tour.
Last time round we heard a priceless 1940s anecdote about Sir William Tritton (still working at Fosters at the time) and also met 95 year old Eva, who was billeted with Sir William and Lady Tritton in WW2 after the nurses accommodation at Lincoln County Hospital suffered bomb damage.
By carrying the story to the people we get feedback and stories which I don’t think we would otherwise get.
Short biographies:
Richard, is well-known to many of your readers, and is a Military Historian, Chairman of the Friends of the Lincoln Tank, and author of “Landships of Lincoln”.
I’m a film-maker involved on and off with the story of the Lincoln tanks since the late 1970s when I found the only known WW1 film of the tanks on Fosters test ground. I’ll be playing this film in TT2. I was working for Yorkshire TV at the time and this discovery led me to a meeting with William Rigby, then aged 89. He was the young Fosters draughtsman who was in the room with Wilson and Tritton doing the engineering drawings as they devised the tank.
I also met Harry Emans of Sheffield who entered the first ever tank battle at Flers-Courcelette during the Battle of the Somme in September 1916. Like many of the machines that set off that morning, his soon broke down in atrocious ground conditions. Both men appeared in a 12 minute film we made for Yorkshire TV’s Calendar programme, a film now unfortunately lost.
In my later career at Blow by Blow Productions, I have produced with Richard as Presenter the “Birth of the Tanks” DVD – commended by the Curator of the Bovington Tank Museum - and the “Lincoln Tank Weekend” DVD about the unveiling of the Lincoln Tank Memorial, a ceremony included relatives of Tritton, Wilson and Rigby.’
Thank you very much Andrew, I am sure TT2 will be well supported. Please let me have dates and venues for future events.
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Thanks to Ann Colley's (and friends) eagle eyes, I am pleased to let you know that Andy and Richard's tank tour talk - as above - will be at Newark library on Wednesday 12th March of next year. Tickets are £3 and can be bought here - click the link
Tank Tour Tickets, Wed, Mar 12, 2025 at 2:00 PM | Eventbrite
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Alwyn Killingsworth was pleased to read about Jane Bemrose MM in last week's TL. He writes; 'I was taken this week with the colourised photo of Sister Bemrose MM. Some readers may recall FoLT hosted Chris Hewis from the Saxilby History Society way back in April 2019 when he gave a splendid presentation regarding this remarkable lady. Her relatives lived at Saxilby and that is how Chris learnt of her story. For interest I have attached several photos that may be of interest showing a) her citation for the MM b) a plan of the Etaples hospitals c) damage to the hospital after the May 1918 air raid d) her medals and finally e) a letter of invitation she received from Whitehall. I thought these may be of interest.'
MM Citation
Etaples Base Hospital Plan.
Etaples hospital damage due to the German air raid.
Jane Bemrose's medals.
Invitation to meet the Queen.
Thank you very much Alwyn for this additional information.
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Continuing the theme of tidying up the loose ends from last week, David Moore has kindly written in about Alan Hicks' tale of James Bentley.
David notes; 'Great to receive your weekly message, there’s always something new and fascinating to read or follow, and your dedication to keeping the flame of remembrance burning is very much appreciated. [Thank you for your kind words David - Ed].
As you know, I am a keen researcher of soldier graffiti that I find both above and below ground on the western front.(although there is also plenty to be found here in the UK, especially if you look around the old churchyards.)
Part of your weekly notice led me to sidetrack away from what I was doing and delve deeper into the story…..
I thought you might like to read the snippets I discovered.
* find attached documents of interest.
I read your story about poor old Private James Harry Bentley and couldn’t resist looking at his service record. It stands out as yet another sad but interesting short life, ended prematurely in the fight to preserve our liberty and freedom.
However, I soon picked up on something; he was not the only member of his family to join the colours, and as an ex naval gunner I was quickly drawn to the remarks in the “full blood” section of his service document stating that he had a younger brother that was currently serving in the Royal Marines Artillery - William Tindell Bentley had enlisted in 1913 in Nottingham.
I attach a copy of his naval service record for you; no doubt it will whet your appetite and rekindle your memories of Gallipoli visits (but with a view from the seaman’s lookout point on the bridge-wing, or from behind a gun position on the upper deck!)
I also attach a news cutting from 1996 which demonstrates the sights he may well have witnessed whilst aboard the Bacchante at Gallipoli. Imagine him witnessing those sights knowing that his brother was possibly somewhere amongst them further along the coast !
In brief; his brother William T. Bentley was on HMS Bacchante in 1914 and 1915, this gave him two major involvements of the early war years; The Battle of Heligoland Bight and the support of Anzac landings at Gallipoli.
William left the Bacchante in Feb 1916 and spent the rest of the war in NORE command( home base defence around Chatham, Thames estuary etc.)
Born on 25th Nov 1893, at Penge, Surrey, he had enlisted into the Royal Marines at Nottingham in May 1913, he eventually left the service in May 1925.
He had married in 1921 in Leics. (Wife named Olga Gladys [Bramley] and they had two sons, Ivor b.1925 and John b.1931) after discharge he worked as a Bakers van salesman.
He died in June 1981 and was cremated in Lincs. (His wife had died in Feb 1959 with their address being 57a Lutterworth Rd. Blaby, Leics.)
He was awarded the standard trio of medals for service during the Great War.
So, I remain hopeful that the family name lives on in both Lincs. and Leics. and that they remember their forebears with pride. (According to electoral records his son John is still alive and living in Leicestershire🙏🏻)
*also, notice the mention on the naval record about his pay out from Heligoland Bight in March of 1918, additional Naval Prize Fund payments of £12.10s.00d in May 1920/22/24, and his £23 war gratuity paid in 1923.
The Naval Prize fund was something from another era! The prize of remuneration to all sailors of a share of ‘winnings for capturing/destroying enemy vessels and contraband.
In 1918 the prize law changed and a prize was distributed to all sailors for the period 1914-1918 rather than to each individual ship for their bounty during that period.
It’s just another area of military history that doesn’t often get looked at !
Thanks again for your continued hard work and dedication,'
Thank you David for this addition to the Bentley family and their service.
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James Bentley's story [Well done Alan Hicks for the original heads up! - Ed], prompted Steve Baldwin to comment thus; 'I read with interest the details in last week’s TL about Private J. H. Bentley supplied by Alan Hicks and yourself. In response to Alan’s comments on Bentley’s headstone, I agree that it’s not in the best of conditions and its position in the shadow of a tree. However, the appearance of the stone is not just down to the above. Unlike a lot of CWGC headstones, this one is actually made from Stancliffe stone. This stone is not as bright as the usual Portland stone, having a greyish/green natural colouring (see photo). Either way, it would benefit from a little TLC and I will inquire to see if it is covered by the CWGC’s “Eyes On Hands On” volunteer programme.' [Thank you Steve - Ed]
Steve then continues; 'I have a question that TL readers may be able to help with, concerning a construction in the same area as St. Helen’s church. In fact it is just across the Boultham Park access road from the church. There is a memorial marking the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Great War. The memorial consists of tiles, individually made, which seem to be mounted on a section of, what appears to be, a derelict building (see photo). Unfortunately, it appears it has not been maintained since its creation in 2014. Can any TL readers supply any details about this memorial?'
If you know the story of this memorial, please let me know.
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CJS colourisation again came up trumps this week with a story of local interest. Arthur Stanley Gould Lee was born in Boston, Lincolnshire, and his story and colourised photo can be found below.
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Melvin Dobbs has regaled us on many occasions with news from his travels, and this week he makes a very good point about the exploration of our village churchyards. Melvin writes; 'It was interesting to read and see the recent photo's sent in by Steve Williams regarding the Trafalgar Cemetery on Gibraltar.
It got me thinking of a photo I took some years ago of a Trafalgar Veteran's headstone. William Brown Wood, which was preserved in the porch of St. Petrock's church in Timberscombe, Somerset.
William Wood a survivor of the battle of Trafalgar.
There is a wealth of history within our parish churchyards and cemeteries if one has time to look.
Some others examples attached:
John Rollings a veteran of the Peninsula Wars 1810 -1815 who survived five major battles, is to be found at St. Mary's church, Syston near Grantham.
Henry Hook VC at St. Andrew's church, Churcham, Gloucestershire. Hook won his VC at the defence of the Mission Station at Rorke's Drift in January 1879, the subject of the film Zulu. In the film, Hook was portrayed as a drunkard and a scrimshanker, a portrayal that caused his family to walk out of the film's Royal Premiere in disgust. In reality, Hook was a good soldier and a teetotaller.
Seth Bond Troop Sergeant Major of the 11th Hussars. One of the Gallant 600 who charged with the Light Brigade at Balaklava during the Crimean War. Today, Bond lies in St. James' church, Southam, Warwickshire.'
Thank you Melvin for a very interesting selection of photos which represent so many eras of British military history.
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The week before last, taking Robin Sayer's advice, I headed off for Lichfield Cathedral and the Staffordshire Regimental Museum, and on the drive down, I also stopped at the Bosworth Field visitor centre to refresh my memory of this 1485 battlefield of the Wars of the Roses, where King Richard III lost his life and his crown to Henry Tudor.
The cathedral, although in need of a good clean, is a magnificent structure and well worth a visit. Robin had previously told me about the replica Zulu shields containing the name of the war dead from the Anglo-Zulu war of 1879 but a good walk around the cathedral revealed a number of plaques and memorials that I think you will find of interest.
The main memorial to the Staffordshire Regiment in the military chapel.
Plaque to the men who lost their lives in South Africa 1900-02.
Regimental Colours are laid up in the cathedral.
Christian Patterson was a conservator with the Indian Forestry Service and a Reserve Officer in the Indian Army. Today he lies in Amara Cemetery, Iraq.
The Honourable Augustus Henry Archibald Anson VC. His family gave the Anson Sword to Sandhurst which is awarded to the outstanding officer cadet each year.
As the Indian Mutiny petered out, a flying column was sent to put down resistance at Bolandshahr and on 28th September 1857 a short sharp action ensued in which seven Victoria Crosses were awarded.
Anson's VC citation reads; 'After the 9th Light Dragoons had charged through Bolandshahr the enemy drew carts across the gateway, blocking the Dragoons' path. Anson dashed out of the gateway and knocked the rebel drivers off their carts. Suffering from an injured left hand and unable to control his horse, he plunged into the midst of the enemy. He was fired upon but though a bullet passed through his coat, he escaped unharmed.'
Anson rose to the rank of Colonel, retired from the army and died in 1877 in Cannes, France, where he is buried.
Augustus Anson VC.
Leaving Lichfield, I headed for the Staffordshire Regimental museum at Whittington. Entry was £7 and although not the biggest museum, it was well worth a visit with exhibits spanning from the 17th Century to the modern day service of the now amalgamated Mercian Regiment in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
When you have finished the inside of the museum, there are a number of displays within the grounds including a section of recreated WWI trenches named the Coltman Trench, after William Coltman VC, arguably the most decorated other rank in WWI with a VC, DCM and Bar and MM and Bar.
Very nice Tank trench art decorated with the Staffordshire regimental badge.
On the way to Lichfield, I stopped at the Bosworth battlefield visitor centre, which I hadn't been to for probably 30+ years. It was good to call in and take a look at the recent work that has gone on to try and better understand the location of the battlefield and the events of that day in 1485 when King Richard lost his crown.
I found it very easy to fit all three locations into one day and can recommend it to you.
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TRENCH LINCS - FILM REVIEW
The undisputed historiography of the Great War states that in pursuit of the Schlieffen Plan, the German army breached Belgian neutrality in their desire to defeat France within six weeks of war being declared. What they hadn't banked on however, is that the level of Belgian resistance would set their plans back by more than a month.
The undoubted bravery and resistance of the Belgian army, its forts and their garrisons and its civilian population caused the Germans such a major logistical problem that German frustration boiled over into a number of well documented atrocities, which included the shooting of civilians, the burning of property and probably most famously, the destruction of Louvain (Leuven) and the world famous library that was housed there. Click on this link
These photos show the destruction of the Belgian city of Leuven in the aftermath of the German Army reprisal, 1914 - Rare Historical Photos
This then is the backdrop to the film, The Last Front, which I watched last week. The setting is a small town lying in the path of the advancing German army and the main characters are Leonard Lambert, a local farmer, and Maximilian Von Rauch, the German senior officer and his son, Lieutenant Laurentz Von Rauch.
The film opens with Lieutenant Von Rauch ordering the execution of Belgian POW's along with civilians, when a female Franc Tireur takes a pot shot at a German soldier. There is an obvious enmity between German father and son, as the father believes in the chivalry of warfare whilst the son is portrayed as a typical barbarous Hun.
At Lambert's farm, his son, Adrian is courting the doctor's daughter, Louise, and the class distinction that was prevalent in Belgian society at this time is well portrayed. Louise is well educated and a French speaker whilst Adrian is shown as a farmhand and Flemish speaker. Both sets of parents are against the relationship.
When the Germans arrive at the Lambert farm, they want to take the livestock and horses from the farm. Adrian resists and is shot dead by Lieutenant Rauch, who also shoots and wounds his sister Johanna, both shootings take place in front of their father, Leonard.
This of course, sets the motive of resistance and revenge that runs throughout the film.
The portrayal of life in 1914 in the small town is excellent. There are scenes in the pub and the village shops where the worried civilians discuss their hopes and fears. The producers have also gone to great lengths to produce excellent costumes and military uniforms and my only criticism of the first half of the film, is the depiction of the senior officer having no control over his son and the troops. German military discipline was better than that depicted in 1914.
When the Germans enter the town, they commence a house by house search and Louise's mother, the doctor's wife, shoots a German soldier with a hidden pistol. This leads to an all night drunken orgy of violence and murder as the German soldiers run amok in the town - if you think this is far fetched, read Nadine's true story of the Germans arriving in Ronse in August 1914, which follows this film review.
Leonard Lambert, his wounded daughter, Louise, the doctor's daughter, and with the help of one or two others, escape the town and are pursued by Laurentz Von Rauch and other German soldiers. This, in best Hollywood style, ends in a coming together when Lambert and Von Rauch fight to the death. Who kills who? I hear you ask, well you will need to see the film to find out!
All in all, it is a well set and presented depiction of life in Belgium in August 1914. One can be nit picky about one or two historical details and the last scene is a bit over the top for my liking, but do I recommend a visit to the cinema? You bet I do, if only for the general storyline and uniforms on show - for me it gave a a good visual picture with which to better understand Nadine's true diary entries which we featured a couple of years ago and which start again below.
The Last Front (2024) - IMDb Click on this link to watch a trailer.
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Original readers of Trench Lincs will remember how Nadine Dezaeytijd, our very special Belgian correspondent, regaled us with first hand true stories of life under the German occupation of 1914/18 in the Belgian town of Renaix (today in Flemish - Ronse). These stories came from two diaries that are in the hands of the town's history society.
Meeting up with Nadine in France last month, gave us the idea of re-running some of these fascinating stories as I am sure the original subscribers will enjoy them once again, and we now have a large raft of new subscribers who won't have seen the diary entries at all.
I therefore hand you over to Nadine who sets the scene beautifully as to when the Germans first arrived in Ronse in August 1914. Nadine writes; 'These events would mark the start of two diaries which narrate day-to-day life of an occupied small town in Belgium during WW1, giving us an incredible insight on how people coped with a life under occupation.
One diary was written by a man called Emmanuel De Gand, the other diary was kept by an anonymous nun who worked as a nurse in the local hospital.
The first page of Emmanuel De Gand’s diary are these words :
‘Sunday 23 August 1914.
An enormous number of all kinds of German troops (about 10,000 to 12,000 men) entered our town. A vast column of soldiers, coming from the direction of the road leading to Leuze made an end to our freedom. Marching or on horseback, they invaded our quiet and peaceful town while chanting in German and, arrogant as they are, singing even their national anthem whenever they spot a frightened inhabitant. Apparently these troops are part of the First Army of General Von Kluck and are on their way to France.
At about 3:15 p.m., three German soldiers of the cyclist infantry invaded the railway station and stopped the train to Ghent which was about to leave. Mr. George Desmet, on duty at the telegraph office at our station, had just the time to send a telegram to the Oudenaarde and Ghent railway stations, informing them of the invasion, when those three soldiers entered his office and brutally grabbed and dragged Mr. Desmet away from his desk. Not wanting to answer their questions on what he had just sent, he was hit several times with the back of their rifles. Mr. Desmet, who noticed the soldiers were not only furious but also drunk, still had the clarity of mind to distract their attention and could escape his office. He managed to run towards the railway track but when he was about to reach the second platform, he was shot in the back. The bullet entered at the right side of his body to leave at the left front. The Germans grabbed a heavily bleeding Mr. Desmet and dragged him back to his telegraph office where he was put on his chair. One of the Germans hit him again with the back of his bayonet, which wounded his arm. With his last ounce of strength, the brave Mr. Desmet tried to escape once again these atrocious and drunken butchers. Unfortunately, due to his wounds and the huge loss of blood, he collapsed on the pavement in front of his office. A man, unaware of this tragedy, found him and called for a doctor but he was stopped by the three Germans who refused any treatment to be given to Mr. Desmet. It was only at 5:30 p.m., after the intervention of two representatives of the Red Cross, that a doctor was allowed to take care of Mr. Desmet. Mr. Desmet was finally taken to hospital at approximately 7 p.m. and he was operated on immediately. Mr. Desmet unfortunately succumbed the next day.’
Contrary to Emmanuel De Gand, who kept a diary solely on WW1, starting with the invasion and ending with the liberation, a nursing nun at the local hospital already had been keeping a diary for many years. It was a personal account of her life as a nurse and a nun, writing about the people she nursed, the other nuns and her superiors.
On that dreadful day in August, the nursing nun wrote in her diary :
‘Sunday 23 August 1914.
Carried by two stretcher-bearers of the Red Cross and followed by the doctors Ameels, Demares and Goudailier, the unfortunate Mr. Desmet was taken to our hospital. An urgent operation had to be carried out immediately as the sole and last resort to save his life.
It was a sinister evening during this dangerous and laborious operation, we heard heavily loaded chariots passing by on the street cobbles, the German soldiers who drove them, chanting loudly.
At 9 p.m., the patient was taken to his hospital bed. When the doctors left the hospital to return home, the streets were abandoned and in darkness, guarded by a sentinel at each corner. Doctor Goudaillier was arrested and could not return to his home.’
She writes the following day :
‘Monday 24 August.
The brave Mr. Desmet sadly passed away in the early hours. Notwithstanding the operation and our care, the damage caused to the abdomen and the organs by the bullets, was too severe. Doctor Goudaillier was released and returned home to rest. Rumour is spreading that the Germans will arrest all fit men up to the age of 30. People are in panic. We heard a lot of young men already left their homes and families to try to reach the Belgian Army in order to serve our country.’
George Desmet, the unfortunate telegraph operator, is considered a national war hero for his act of bravery to warn the railway stations of the towns of Oudenaarde and Ghent of the invasion. His death certificate mentions the words : ‘Died for Belgium’. His memory lives on as a street in the vicinity of the Ronse railway station is named after him.
Until the next Ronse snippet.'
Wow! Thank you Nadine. I think that is a very powerful account from both diarists.
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To continue the Belgian resistance theme, here is a colourised photo of one of Belgium's heroines - Gabrielle Petit.
Gabrielle Alina Eugenia Maria Petit – Executed by the Germans for Spying. Gabrielle was born on 20th February 1893 in Tournai, Belgium.
She helped her wounded fiancé to escape to Holland in June 1915 and this brought her to the attention of the British Intelligence service.
She was recruited and after training in England returned to Belgium in August 1915. She gathered information about railway activity, troop movements and the location of military facilities. Her work was extremely dangerous, in 1915, 45 Belgians were shot for spying.
As well as her spying activities she was involved in the distribution of an underground resistance magazine and passing mail from Belgian soldiers to their families in occupied areas.
She was betrayed by a “mole” planted by the German Intelligence Service and arrested on 2nd February 1916. Despite weeks of interrogation she did not reveal any information about other agents.
At a trial held behind closed doors she was sentenced to death.
She was led out to her execution on 1st April 1916. She refused a blindfold and as orders were given to the firing squad she cried out “Long live Belgium, long live the …..”.
Gabrielle Petit was 23 years old.
We will have more diary entries for you over the next few weeks.
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Pilot shot down three times in nine days!
Arthur Stanley Gould Lee
Arthur was born in Boston, Lincolnshire in August 1894.
He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in February 1915 and joined the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment.
He subsequently transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in January 1917.
During training he broke a leg which delayed his deployment to the front. This delay enabled him to acquire many more flying hours than most new arrivals in France.
He was posted to 46 Squadron on 22nd May 1917 to fly Sopwith Pups. Four days after his arrival and very much a novice he was lucky to survive a surprise attack from an enemy two seater that wounded him in the leg.
On 1st July he was promoted to Lieutenant. He fought throughout the summer and autumn of 1917 during which time he was credited with sending five enemy aircraft down out of control. Two of these victories were shared with other pilots.
The battle of Cambrai started on 20th November 1917 and 46 Squadron who were now flying a mixture of Pups and Sopwith Camels were heavily engaged.
During the battle he flew bombing missions, some at 50 feet in fog, and was brought down by ground fire three times in nine days.
For his actions during this very hectic period Arthur was awarded the Military Cross.
The citation published in the London Gazette read as follows:-
“For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He bombed an enemy battery and fired on their gunners with his machine gun, and then attacked and drove off three enemy machines. While flying in very low clouds he lost his way, and could not steady his compass, and after flying for some distance, in what he believed to be the direction of our lines, he landed in open country, and was at once attacked and fired on by enemy cavalry. He had kept his engine running and succeeded in getting off, and, having fired on the enemy, found his position and returned to our lines. On another occasion he made a flight in a very thick mist, drove down an enemy machine, bombed an enemy position, and assisted the infantry to repel an enemy attack. He showed splendid courage and initiative”
He destroyed two enemy aircraft on 30th November 1917. In total he spent eight months flying at the front during which time he accumulated 222 hours in 118 operational flights and participated in combat 56 times.
He had a long and distinguished career in the RAF eventually retiring in 1946 with the rank of Air Vice Marshal. He wrote about his First World War experiences in two excellent books No Parachute and Open Cockpit.
Arthur Stanley Gould Lee died in 1975 aged 80.
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Ernest Albert Egerton VC
Ernest was born in November 1897 near Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire. He was one of seven siblings.
Before the war he worked as a haulage hand and miner.
He enlisted in November 1915 and joined North Staffordshire Regiment. He embarked for France in October 1916.
He was transferred to 16th Battalion (The Chatsworth Rifles) Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) joining them on 11th November 1916.
He was promoted to Corporal in August 1917.
For his actions on 20th September 1917 near Ypres he was awarded the Victoria Cross.
The citation read as follows:-
“For the most conspicuous bravery, initiative and devotion to duty when during an attack visibility was obscured owing to fog and smoke as a result of which the two leading waves of the attack passed over certain hostile dugouts without clearing them. Enemy rifles assisted by a machine-gun were, from these dug-outs, inflicting severe casualties on the advancing waves. When volunteers were called to assist in clearing up the situation, Corporal Egerton at once jumped up and dashed for the dugouts under heavy fire at short range. He shot in succession a rifleman, a bomber and a gunner, by which time he was supported and 29 of the enemy surrendered. The reckless bravery of the NCO relieved in less than 30 seconds an extremely difficult situation. His gallantry is beyond all praise.”
He received his medal from King George V at Buckingham Palace on 5th December 1917.
He was badly gassed at Heudicourt, France on 21st March 1918, the opening day of the German Spring Offensive. After a lengthy convalescence he was promoted to Sergeant and returned to his regiment. He was offered a commission in August 1918 but declined it.
He married his sweetheart Elsie Gimbert on 1st September 1918. The couple were to be blessed with three daughters. For the rest of his service until leaving the Army in April 1919 he was an Instructor in the UK.
The effects of the Gas on Ernest’s health were severe. He would cough up blood and was diagnosed with tuberculosis. After a year working in the open air as a gamekeeper his health had greatly improved. For the rest of his working like he was a bus conductor for the Potteries Electric Traction Company.
During the Second World War Ernest served in the Home Guard and as a security officer for an aircraft factory.
Ernest Albert Egerton VC died at his home in Blythe Bridge in 1966. He was 68.
Footnote
Ernest’s brother William was killed in action, aged 29, on 17th August 1917.
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To complete the story, here is the final chain of events that led up to the signing of the Armistice on November 11th.
Sir Eric Geddes in a speech at a banquet at the Guildhall, London, noted that news had reached the Allies that the Germany Navy had refused an order to put to sea.
On November 7th, German naval units mutinied at Kiel and Bolshevik style revolution threatened the German nation as the German Home Front collapsed amidst widespread starvation.
November 9th was a tumultuous day for Germany, The Kaiser officially abdicated and left for exile in Holland. The Red revolutionaries seized control of the public offices in Berlin, and United Socialists under Chancellor Ebert, formed a government.
At 5am on 11th November, the German representatives signed the Armistice at Compiegne and word was wired to the front that all hostilities would cease at 11am.
In a remarkable act of symmetry, the British Army occupied the Belgian town of Mons at dawn on the 11th, and thus the war ended for the British army, at the exact location where it had fired its first shots back in August 1914.
As part of the terms of the Armistice, the German U-Boat fleet surrendered off Harwich on 20th November and the German surface fleet surrendered en masse off the Firth of Forth on the 21st.
The CWGC data base records that 910 British soldiers died on the 11th November 1918, of which 4 were from the Lincolnshire Regiment.
Of the five great empires that had commenced the war, only the British Empire had survived. The German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman empires had all disintegrated. Whilst the fighting had ceased on the Western Front, bloody fighting of ethnic, political and religious cleansing would continue in many regions for many years as various groups and factions sought to fill the vacuum left by the collapse of empires.
The War To End All Wars was far from over for millions of people around the world and in the UK, the 1920s would see economic hardship, unemployment and desperate poverty for many of the returning soldiers, sailors and airman, not the least the two million severely wounded veterans, many of them amputees, blind or gassed, including my grandfather, 17964 Private Philip James D’Hooghe, 20th Hussars, who rode off to war aged 17 in May 1915 only to return to the UK in September 1915 missing his right eye.
Jim D'Hooghe at Colchester cavalry barracks prior to arriving in Belgium, May 1915.
Sadly, my grandfather, who I remember well, suffered with his disfigurement and missing eye for another 64 years until his death in 1979 aged 82. The accessibility today of the Great War Pension Records reveals a lifetime of struggle for him to be awarded a decent pension by the bean counters and politicians who, as history shows, expect our military personnel to fight their wars whilst never being fully supported in the aftermath, a situation which sadly continues to this day.
My grandfather seated on the right. The patch over his missing right eye is clearly visible.
Still smiling in hospital
LEST WE FORGET.
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IN MEMORIAM – The Lincolnshire Regiment 10th November.
1914
6892 Private W E Walton, 1st Battalion. Buried in Berlin S/W Cemetery, Germany.
1915
Second Lieutenant Arthur Newsum Battle, 9th (Reserve) Battalion, attached to 6th King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, aged 21. Buried at Green Hill Cemetery, Gallipoli.
1003 Drummer Benjamin Boyall, 5th Battalion, aged 22. Buried in Spilsby Cemetery, UK.
2773 Private George Robert Coulson, 5th Battalion, aged 18. Buried in Etaples Military Cemetery, France.
1916
14406 Private A Heaton, 2nd Battalion. Buried at AIF Burial Ground, France.
40501 Private Roland King, 2nd Battalion. Remembered on the Thiepval Memorial, France.
17083 Private Arthur Finney. – Ditto. –
25240 Private Henry Fletcher. – Ditto. –
17973 Private Charles Edward Eden. – Ditto. –
1917
Second Lieutenant Leonard Charles Williams, 1st Battalion, aged 19. Buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Belgium
1918
27058 Private F Clayton, 6th Battalion. Buried in Tournai Communal Cemetery Allied Extension, Belgium.
42361 Private J Parker, Depot. Buried in Dore Churchyard, UK
14329 Private H Straw, 6th Battalion. Buried in Etaples Military Cemetery, France.
49397 Private John Howarth, 1st Battalion, aged 20. Buried in Poznan Old Garrison Cemetery, Poland.
15883 Private Neville Wilburn Dixon, 7th Battalion. Buried in Avoignt British Cemetery, France.
Regarding the death listed above in 1915 of Arthur Newsum Battle, he was the son of Mr and Mrs F G Battle of Potterhanworth. Commissioned into the Lincolnshire Regiment, Arthur was attached to the KROL Regiment when killed on Gallipoli on November 10th 1915.
The Battle family still live and farm at Potterhanworth to this day.
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Having mentioned my grandfather above, now it is the turn of my father, Philip John D’Hooghe, as November 10th, would have seen him turn 97 today had he still been with us.
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM
As it is the 11th of November tomorrow, many of us will have attended a service today or be at Thorpe in the Fallows tomorrow and I am sure that we will have heard the Exhortation, "They shall grow not old .............."
Therefore, thanks to Peter Garland, I agree with him, that we should reproduce Binyon's prose in full. Peter writes; ' We are all familiar with the words of Lawrence Binyon’s “Exhortation” – indeed, we recite it at the start of every WFA meeting, and it will be recited this Remembrance Sunday up and down the land – but, are you familiar with the full version of his work? When was the last time you heard it read out in full? Have you ever heard it read out in full? The last time I recall this happening was at a special midnight illuminated service at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme that Arthur Wood and myself attended in August 2022 – during which I laid a wreath on behalf of a Leger Battlefield Tours party - when it was read in full during the service by Poppy Read on behalf of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. It occurs to me that, today being Remembrance Sunday, it would be an apt time to read it in its full glory.'
For the Fallen – Lawrence Binyon
With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children, England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit, fallen in the cause of the free.
Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation and a glory that shines upon our tears.
They went with songs to the battle; they were young, straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted; they fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them.
They mingle not with their laughing comrades again; they sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time; they sleep beyond England’s foam.
But where our desires are and our hopes profound, felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known, as the stars are known to the night.
As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust, moving in marches upon the heavenly plain.
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.
Until next week,
Kind regards,
Jonathan
Email me on: trenchlincs@gmail.com
© J C J D’Hooghe.
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