Good Morning,
Ten out of ten to David Burkitt who spotted that I had dated last week's Trench Lincs 8th December 1915 instead of 2024. A jet lagged Freudian slip, I assume!!
I hope you enjoy today’s Trench Lincs which contains news of my time in Wellington, New Zealand, the city’s memorials and the second test match. Next week when I am back in Blighty, will give me time to write a report for the 22nd about the Omaka Aviation Museum.
You can read all about the National War Memorial Park in Wellington, New Zealand by clicking on this link Pukeahu Park guide | Manatū Taonga | Ministry for Culture & Heritage and you can read my thoughts about Wellington and its sights, sites, museums, memorials in my report below.
The Lincoln WFA branch has one more event tomorrow night, details below, and I have also compiled a list of 2025 events for the Lincoln, Spalding, Nottingham WFA branches, Leadenham Military History Group and for Friends of the Lincoln Tank. There should be plenty of interest for your new diaries.
NEWS & EVENTS
The Lincoln and North Lincolnshire WFA branch has one last speaker event tomorrow night to conclude the 2024 programme.
December 16th: Scott Lindgren – A Concept Vindicated; the Battle of the Falkland Islands, 1914.
The start is at 7pm and will be held at the Royal Naval Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG.
Everyone welcome.
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Advance Notice of Winter/Spring 2025 talks at Lincoln & North Lincolnshire Branch, Western Front Association.
The Branch will continue to meet during 2025 on Monday evenings at The Royal Naval Association Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG. However, please note that by popular request we have made a major change to our meeting times. As from January 2025, doors will open at 7.00pm for a 7.30pm start. We hope this will allow more time for those of you who spend the day grafting hard to get home, have a bite to eat, and travel to the venue without rushing. Furthermore, the later time will mean there is less traffic to contend with. Note we do not hold a meeting during the month of May.
January 20th – John Chester presents “German Atrocities in 1914”.
February 24th – Andy Stewart presents “Armistice Day 1918: Where the guns didn’t stop”.
March 31st – Andrew Moody presents “The Great War on the Silent Screen”.
April 28th – Alex Keyes presents “The Easter Uprising – The Irish Perspective”.
June 2nd – Joanna Costin presents “Answering the Manpower Question”.
July 7th – Annual General Meeting followed by The Chairman’s Annual Lecture by Mike Credland. Subject to be advised.
Advance notice of Winter/Spring 2025 talks at Spalding & South Lincolnshire Branch, Western Front Association.
The Branch will continue to meet during 2025 on Thursday evenings at Spalding Baptist Church, Swan Street, Spalding, PE11 1BT. Meetings are held in an ante-room of this pleasant, and modern venue. It’s warm in winter, cool in summer, and we continue to serve free refreshments at the end of the meeting. However, please note that due to the fact we cannot monitor the entrance doors from the ante-room, you will need to ring the doorbell to gain admission as the doors are kept locked in the evenings for security reasons. But, don’t let that put you off attending this small, but friendly branch. If you live within reasonable travelling distance, drag yourself away from the boring old gogglebox and enjoy the convivial atmosphere of our meetings, make new friends, and learn something new.
January 23rd – Jonathan D’Hooghe presents “The 6th Lincolns at Gallipoli, and the Post-War Controversy”.
February 27th – Andy Stewart presents “Armistice Day 1918: Where the guns didn’t stop”.
March 28th – Steve Warburton presents “First In, Last Out: Brig-Gen C H T Lucas (87th Brigade, 29th Division) at Gallipoli”.
April 24th – Andrew Moody presents “The Great War on the Silent Screen”.
May 22nd - Grant Cullen presents “The First Air War”.
June 26th – No talk this month. Instead, the Branch takes advantage of the light evenings for its annual “Out & About Evening”. Details to be advised.
July 24th – Jerry Porter presents “Goodnight Darling – God Bless You – Heaps of Love, Mother”.
A more detailed description of all of these talks will, of course, be published nearer the time. In the meantime, please put these dates in your diaries.
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I am delighted to announce that going forward into 2025, TL will now also be advertising all speaker events for the East Midlands (Nottingham) WFA branch. Branch chairman, John Beech, would be delighted to see any TL readers who live south of Lincoln and may fancy a drive over to St. Peter's church rooms, Church Street, Ruddington, NG11 6HA on a Friday night for a 7.30pm start.
Speaker Programme 2025
Meeting Date: Speaker: Subject:
10 January Jonathan D’Hooghe ‘The 6th Lincolns at Gallipoli and the Post War Controversy.’
14 February Scott Lindgren 'Ocean Greyhounds: the Battle of Dogger Bank, 1915'
14 March Simon Keable-Elliott Robert Keable and the South African Native Labour Corps
11 April Shaun Higgins ‘Strange Meetings’ – The life of Wilfred Owens in his own words.
9 May Grant Cullen Tragedy at Quintinshill - May 1915
13 June Nigel Atter The 8th Lincolns at the Battle of Loos
11 July Chris Johns ' "Dear Billie" - killed on flying duty' - The changing role of Castle Bromwich (Birmingham) airfield in the Great War
8 August Roy Larkin London’s Buses that Stayed at Home
12 September Stephen Barker Nobody’s Heroes – 8th East Lancs in the Great War
10 October Spencer Vignes 'The Life & Death of Leigh Roose, Sportsman & Soldier'
14 November Prof. Jessica Meyer 'From No Man's Land to Auxiliary Hospital: Evacuating the Great War Wounded'
12 December Tim Lynch 'The Enemy Within: Germans in Britain 1914-18'
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The 2025 Season of Talks for the Friends of the Lincoln Tank Group are confirmed as below. All meetings on a Thursday night at the Royal Naval Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, with a 7.30pm start time.
March 13th - Richard Pullen - "The armament of the MKIV tank and its crew.”
April 24th - David Moore - "Taking Refuge - 16th Tank Battalion graffiti at Gouy-en-Artois.”
June 12th - Andy Burn - "Fray Bentos, the action, the crew and the film.”
July 31st - Alwyn Killingsworth - "Lt. Bond and tank 743."
Sept 4th - Andrew Thornton - "The Old Contemptibles Association"
Oct 30th - Peter Jacobs - "For King and Country.”
Dec 4th - "Show and Tell - Xmas buffet.”
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The Leadenham Military History Group has now successfully completed its first year and will meet again in 2025 on a Tuesday night in Leadenham Village Hall at 7.30pm – however, please note that the first meeting in January is on a Thursday.
Thursday 28th January – “Introduction to War Gaming in 2025.” – Ed Sisson; followed by;
“The My Lai Massacre in Vietnam.” – Sean McCabe.
Tuesday 25th February – “The Air Battles in the North of England, 1940. This will be an interactive workshop – participation is encouraged but if you just want to come along and listen, then that’s fine too.”
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We are indebted to Tim Chamberlin for this link to the latest Lochnagar Crater Newsletter
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In the vein of my trip to New Zealand, regular contributor, Tony Nutkins, dropped me a line about his New Zealand connections and ephemera.
Tony writes; ‘I have a couple of connections with New Zealand, first a WW1 War Medal and Victory Medal to an Irishman who attested in New Zealand, served with the Wellington Regiment in Flanders and was seriously wounded in the attack on Poelderhoek Chateau, just off the Menin Road, in late 1917.
He suffered multiple gun-shot wounds, and had his left leg amputated above the knee. He was evacuated to the UK seriously ill and spent a long time in various hospitals before going back to Ireland where he was subsequently ill and hospitalised with 'Flu’ in 1919. Finally, he was medically discharged in 1921.
Some time ago, I also did some research for an elderly lady born in the UK and living in New Zealand with regard to her father, who had served with the Royal Garrison Artillery in France and Flanders, and at one time during the "hundred days", his battery was operating with captured German guns. As a "thank you" for the research she and her husband sent me an original WW1 Wellington Regiment cap badge and pair of collar badges to go with the medals to the Irishman detailed above.’
Spot on Tony. Understanding and sharing what our forefathers did in the Great War is, I believe, one of the most important tasks we can undertake.
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David East wrote in this week to remind us of a terrible Lincolnshire tragedy that we have briefly covered some time before, but I think it is worth repeating for the many new readers of TL.
David notes; ‘This is an old story from my time in Gainsborough involving a tragedy when soldiers were drowned whilst training in 1915.
The water in question was called a Gyme or a deep pool. Local myth was that if you fell in you would sucked under into the nearby River Trent. When I was a child in Morton near Gainsborough it was a mystical place in that we were told if we went near the Gymes we would swept down into the hole and killed by the monsters that lurked below!
In October 1914 over 4,000 Yorkshire Territorials came to Gainsborough to carry out training before being sent to France. On Friday, 19 February 1915, the town was shocked when seven members of “D” Company of the Fourth Battalion, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry were drowned. They had gone to one of the gymes (ponds) in Morton, to practice raft building. Estimates of the number of soldiers on board the raft when it tipped over were disputed, some claimed that it was up to 40.
Within seconds dozens of men were in the cold, deep water, wearing their heavy uniforms and boots, struggling to survive. Within days of the tragedy the K.O.Y.L.I was removed from Gainsborough and sent to York. By April 1915 they were in the trenches in Northern France. In June Captain Harold Hirst, who had been in charge on the day of the drowning, was shot and killed by a sniper.
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We arrived in Wellington by ferry from Picton on the south island of New Zealand as mentioned last week. My first impressions were very favourable. The city is the seat of government containing the parliament building as well as a very distinctive parliamentary office building known to one and all as the Beehive.
The city has a long and very attractive waterfront and although it is still a working port, many of the original colonial style harbour buildings have now been converted into bars, restaurants, retail and museums. There is also a beach area, swimming areas from the docks and many anglers enjoy fishing from the numerous jetties.
The cricket ground in Wellington is arguably New Zealand’s most famous ground and is known as the Basin Reserve. Although it does have a couple of grandstands, most of the seating is informal and grass banks are popular places to watch from. If I watch a single day’s play at a test match at Trent Bridge it will cost me between £80 and £100 and yet a five day pass at the Basin Reserve was available at $175NZ – about £81. I note that Mound Stand tickets at Lords next summer for the England V India test series are £165 a day! – we really do live in Rip Off Britain!
However, the Wellington test only lasted three days with a resounding England victory and it was a pleasure to see Harry Brook and Joe Root score centuries before the England bowlers made short shrift of the NZ batting line up.
Interestingly, the New Zealand national War Memorial Park, memorial and the NZ Tomb of the Unknown Warrior are very adjacent to the cricket ground. Unfortunately for my photographs, the national memorial is currently covered in scaffolding as it undergoes renovation and repair.
The national war memorial, currently covered in scaffolding, towers over the Basin Reserve.
The National War Memorial.
The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.
The Australian myth of the Gallipoli Donkey Man, Kirkpatrick, who carried wounded soldiers down to the beach by donkey, exists in NZ too, where they have this statue erected by the war memorial.
Standing proudly outside of the Beehive building, mentioned earlier, the city’s cenotaph is also a majestic sight although when it was originally unveiled, it was not dwarfed by today’s large office blocks.
Walking around the city, I came across various other memorial plaques and I include a couple of photos below.
The city boasts a cable car, although it is actually a funicular railway, which climbs from Lambton Quay some 620 metres to the top of a hill overlooking the city. The hillside also contains the City’s botanical gardens and this makes for a very pleasant walk down once the summit has been reached.
View over the city from the top station.
Wellington has its own historical museum which I visited, a Holocaust Museum, an academy of fine arts and dance and most importantly, the country’s national museum, Te Papa.
It is very easy to spend three or four hours in Te Papa such is the size of the museum, but currently, there is a special exhibition on detailing the New Zealanders contribution to the 1915 Gallipoli campaign.
Having visited Gallipoli twice in recent years, I have walked the hallowed ground at Chunuk Bair where the NZ’s attacked in early August so as to draw away Ottoman troops from the Suvla Bay landings. The story of their contribution is well told through personal accounts, letters, post cards and artefacts and is well illustrated by superbly detailed twice life size models.
A good friend of mine of many years, is still out in NZ as he is staying on for the third test match in Hamilton, whilst my wife and I return to the UK in readiness for Christmas. It is therefore, thanks to my mate, that we can share photos today of further NZ war memorials that he has come across on his extended travels.
Boer War memorial at Napier
World War memorial at Napier.
Palmerston North.
IN MEMORIAM – The Lincolnshire Regiment 15th December.
1914
8474 Private Alfred Tobin, 2nd Battalion. Remembered on the Le Touret Memorial, France.
1915
9103 Private T H Clark, 7th Battalion, aged 25. Buried in Menin Road South Military Cemetery, Belgium.
14060 Private William Garrett, 1st Battalion, aged 33. Buried in Houplines Communal Cemetery Extension, France.
12399 Private William Edward Aliwell, 7th Battalion, aged 21. Buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, France.
1917
27694 Corporal George Leary, Depot, aged 41. Buried in Nocton Churchyard, Lincs, UK.
43497 Private James George Smith, 10th Battalion, aged 21. Buried in St. Martin Calvaire British Cemetery, France.
200334 Private Arthur Saunders, 4th Battalion, aged 20. Buried in Cambrin Military Cemetery, France.
201287 Lance Corporal James Wright, 4th Battalion, aged 20. – Ditto. –
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
Jet lag allowing, normal service will resume next Sunday, so please let me have your thoughts or stories.
Until next week,
Kind regards
Jonathan
Email me on: trenchlincs@gmail.com
© J C J D’Hooghe.
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