Kia Ora from the land of the long white cloud,
I hope you enjoy today’s Trench Lincs which comes to you from Wellington, New Zealand where my wife and I are now watching the second Test Match. [Update - it is now nearly 6pm on Sunday 8th and I have just walked back from the Basin Reserve, Wellington's iconic cricket ground, where England have just demolished the Kiwis within three days play. The upside is that we now have two extra days of sightseeing time! - Ed]
On the way to Wellington, we have visited some more of Christchurch, Lyttleton, Diamond Harbour, Kaikoura - for whale and dolphin watching - Blenheim, the Marlborough wine region including wine tasting and Picton, where we caught the ferry to the north island.
I have written about our travels in more detail below.
NEWS & EVENTS
The Lincoln and North Lincolnshire WFA branch has one last speaker event for 2024.
Next Meeting – Lincoln Branch WFA – Royal Naval Association Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG – Dr Scott Lindgren presents “A Concept Vindicated; the Battle of the Falkland Islands, 1914” – Monday - December 16th – Doors open 6.30pm for 7.00pm start
Dr Scott Lindgren hails from Anlaby in East Yorkshire and specialises in lectures about naval issues and naval battles. In this evenings’ lecture, he will describe the events of December 8th, 1914, when two opposing naval fleets came together off the Falkland Islands, with disastrous consequences for one. In “A Concept Vindicated; the Battle of the Falkland Islands” he examines the engagement, the background to it, and the role of the battlecruisers involved.
Following the loss of Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock’s South Atlantic Squadron of three elderly cruisers, HMS Good Hope, HMS Monmouth and HMS Glasgow along with the armed merchant ship Otranto (Glasgow and Otranto survived the action), to a far superior force of modern armoured cruisers led by Vice-Admiral Graf Maxmilian von Spee in what became known as “The Battle of Coronel” off the west coast of South America on November 1st, 1914, the Admiralty decided to despatch a large Royal Navy force to the South Atlantic with orders to intercept and destroy von Spee's fleet as it returned home to Germany, which von Spee had been ordered to do. However, von Spee decided he would make a last call on the way home by visiting Port Stanley, in the Falkland Islands, where he would put the radio station located there out of action, and take the Governor prisoner in reprisal for the British capture of the German Governor of Samoa.
What von Spee did not know was that, by the time he arrived in the area of the Falklands, Vice-Admiral Frederick Charles Doveton Sturdee was already there with his fleet of two battlecruisers, HMS Invincible and HMS Inflexible, the armoured cruisers HMS Carnarvon, Cornwall and Kent, the light cruiser HMS Bristol, and the armed merchant cruiser HMS Macedonia. Joining Doveton Sturdee’s fleet was the obsolete pre-dreadnought battleship, HMS Canopus, which was resting on a mudbank commanding the entrance to Stanley harbour, where it was acting as a “look-out” ship, hidden from full view of approaching ships by a hill. Canopus should have been with the South Atlantic Squadron, but its captain considered that it was too slow to keep up with Cradock’s much faster ships. Some say if it had been, Coronel might have turned out differently, but, fate had different plans for Canopus, and it was very fortunate for Doveton Sturdee that it was acting as “look-out”. Seeing von Spee’s approaching fleet, which consisted of the armoured cruisers SMS Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, and the light cruisers Leipzig, Nurnberg and Dresden along with the auxiliary Seydlitz, Canopus fired off a warning shot. What happened next is the subject of this evenings lecture.
A surviving relic of the 1914 Battle of the Falklands Islands in the form of the chapel altar from HMS Canopus can be found in St Mary’s church in the village of Wilsford, off the A153 between Sleaford and Grantham. Just how it got there is a complete mystery, no-one seems to know, but, there it is and its well worth visiting the church – which is open to 4.00pm most weekdays - to see it.
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Next Meeting – Spalding Branch WFA – Spalding Baptist Church, Swan Street, Spalding, PE11 1BT – Show n’ Tell Evening – Thursday, December 12th – 7.00 for 7.30pm.
Lincoln Branch having run their annual Show n’ Tell event, it’s now the turn of Spalding Branch to run theirs. The format is much the same as Lincoln's. Supporters are encouraged to take 10 minutes to tell the audience about research they have carried out on a Great War related subject, family histories, objects they own, film or photographs. It’s a great opportunity to get really involved with the Branch and your fellow supports by describing something which is of great value or interest to you. Already booked is a short talk on the subject of “Wilson, Wilson, and Wilson”, which sounds intriguing, and some rare film footage. At the event of the event a free buffet supper will be served, and a winner will be drawn for a signed copy of John Nichols book, The Unknown Warrior. John generously donated a copy to any WFA branch that requested one in order to promote it and his nationwide, interactive tour in which he talks about his personal journey of discovery and remembrance, the subject of commemoration, and the process of selecting an “Unknown Warrior” that the Nation, mothers, fathers, wives and children could identity with as “theirs” to own and mourn.
This is Spalding’s last event of 2024. Doors open 7.00pm for 7.30pm start. Hope to see you there. This friendly little branch deserves your support.
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The next meeting of the Leadenham Military History Society will be held in January 2025. I will update with full details in due course.
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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'
Eagle eyed readers will have noted that I kick off the 2025 season in Nottingham on 10th January.
Full details to follow.
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Here is a link to the very latest Sleaford Aviation Society newsletter.
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Don't forget that your attendance is required at a memorial unveiling ceremony on December 18th 11.00 at Sudbrook Moor Golf Club, Carlton Scroop NG32 3AT. Refreshments will be available.
This marks the 80th anniversary of a tragic mid-air collision of two Barkston Heath based US troop carrier aircraft over Carlton Scroop. This site was chosen to commemorate both crews as it is close to one of the crash sites where it can be maintained and has good public access.
The organiser has been in contact with various airbases without success apart from the lady detailed below who has arranged for two master sergeants to attend in dress uniform. They are hoping to boost the number of US personnel but haven't had any success.
Some detail from local historians: After a period of bad weather, December 18th 1944 found RAF Barkston Heath a hive of activity with over 70 troop carrier C-47s loaded with supplies for Northern France waiting for an 11.00am take off. Meanwhile two very experienced transport crews had been assigned to a local training flight to convert from C-47 transports to modified B-24 Liberators to carry fuel in bulk. Squadron commander Lt Col Frederick with his constant companion Major Jerry a Dalmation dog joined his crew and instructor on the hardstanding next to war weary B-24 Lazy Lou. A second crew joined their instructor for a training flight in a C-109 tanker variant of a Liberator. Lazy Lou took off closely followed by the C-109 heading in a northerly direction towards Carlton Scroop before making their first turn approximately where the communications tower now stands on the edge of the heath. During the turn they came into contact and the C-109 lost its tail controls and crashed immediately into the field adjacent to the Golf course narrowly missing the village school and exploded with the loss of all crew members. Children were at school when the blast caused the doors to fly open and windows rattle, they could see flames and smoke not realising what a narrow escape they had. Lazy Lou lost both port propellers which fell on the railway line close to the A607 railway bridge. With only power on the starboard wing and its tail surface on fire they struggled to maintain altitude and headed for RAF Cranwell but the ground became higher at North Rauceby, their airspeed dropped causing a stall and they crash landed between High Wood and the A17 just short of the runway. There were 2 fatalities and 3 survivors with burns who were taken to nearby RAF Rauceby hospital.
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My piece last Sunday about the church and chapel war memorials in Navenby prompted Steve Williams to write in with an excellent piece of research.
Steve writes; 'In the latest Trench Lincs you mentioned Navenby’s War Memorial.
I know it’s not WW1 but there is a sad story to the last name on the 1939-45 panel on the memorial, Flying Officer Kenneth Stevenett, which I think your readers may be interested in.
If you walk a couple of hundred metres up from the memorial you will come to 25 High Street, Navenby. It is next door to what is now the Old Filling Station Cafe.
At about 1100 on Sunday 16 May 1943 Mrs Stevenett was stood outside the front of number 25, her house, as her son a pilot at RAF Digby was giving a bit of a flying display to his mum in his Spitfire.
Unfortunately Ken Stevenett lost control of the aircraft and crashed in a field just outside Navenby, about 1200 metres from his mum’s house. (South of Green Man Road- the road that links Navenby to the A15).
Ken was only 23 years old and was buried in Navenby Church cemetery with full military honours.'
What a very tragic end to a short life. Thank you for letting us hear about it Steve.
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Also from last week, we noted a third 16 year old soldier who served in the Lincolnshire Regiment and was killed in action, Richard Harvey.
Bill Pinfold took a look at this chap and writes; 'I was delighted by your report from NZ, great pictures from the aircraft! [Thanks Bill - Ed]
Re: Richard Harvey - Sadly, I don't have a picture of him, but see attached, his baptism record, which event happened at Boothby Graffoe on the 14th April 1901. It clearly shows he was born on 3 March 1899, so he was killed on the very last day of his 16th year. Another tragic loss.
The baptism register also shows his family had travelled from Edinburgh for the service, where father Henry was an army sergeant.'
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In a very similar vein, Peter Garland notes; 'After reading of the three under 16’s in the Lincolnshire Regiment who were killed in action, I can report on one who seems to have survived. Private Herbert Cocking, 19355, 8th Lincolns. Born 15th May 1901. Enlisted 15th December 1915. Height: 5ft 5.5 inches. Chest girth: 32.5 inches. Weight: 112lbs. Served in France from 13th April 1916, to 21st June 1916 (70 days). Age 14 and 333 days when he arrived on the Western Front. I cannot find any other details about him, but from the information found it seems he was either found out as being underage, or came forward voluntarily, and was sent home.'
Can anyone shed any further light on the 14 year old Herbert Cocking? Please let me know.
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Between the Test matches, we spent some time in the town of Blenheim which is in the heart of the Marlborough wine region and also home to the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre, the Peter Jackson inspired collection of historic aircraft.
The collection is so superb, that rather than rush it all this week, I will write a full report about my museum visit in a future Trench Lincs.
As we left Christchurch to visit Lyttleton, I spotted a very traditional village war memorial at Heathcote, and managed to snap a pic through the bus window.
Heathcote
However, on arrival at the small harbour town of Lyttleton, I was very happily surprised by the superb stone cenotaph awaiting my arrival.
From Lyttleton harbour..........
......we took the 15 minute ferry ride to Diamond Harbour, where we found a superb cricket ground with a bar overlooking it, unfortunately no game was taking place, but in the cemetery, there was a veterans memorial plot.
Next day we left Christchurch and first stop was Kaikoura, about two hours drive north. Here a channel in the sea bed provides a natural home for whales - Kaikoura was once a whaling station - but today it is tourism and whale watching that drives the local economy.
Playful Dolphins entertained us for twenty minutes before we headed for deeper water and eventually a sighting of a Sperm Whale. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance for the classic tail out of the water photo, but we did see the whale cruising just below the surface.
It was quite an experience.
I couldn't leave Kaikoura without finding the town's war memorial and here it is.
Next stopover was in Blenheim, where our hotel was directly adjacent to the Seymour Memorial Park which contains an impressive clock and bell tower as a WWI memorial and an ornamental fountain as the WWII memorial. Names from both wars as well as Japan, Malaya, Vietnam, Korea etc. are recorded on brass plaques inside the tower.
Blenheim is in the heart of the Marlborough wine region and is a very picturesque town with umpteen different wineries all advertising tasting sessions and lunch. Some like Cloudy Bay, Oyster Bay and Brancott Estate are well known wines in the UK, and the primary grape variety in the region is Sauvignon Blanc, with Chardonnay/Pinot used to make a very good sparkling wine and Pinot Noir forming the heart of the light red wines on offer.
We visited a family run winery, Allan Scott wines, where the hospitality, wine and lunch on offer really was five star.
The following day, after leaving beautiful Blenheim, we headed for Picton to catch the ferry from the south island, to Wellington on the north island.
Timings gave us an hour to have a walk around the Picton harbour front and not only was the scenery beautiful looking across the Cook Straits, but I found the town's sumptuous war memorial which takes the form of a gate tower which leads down to the waterfront.
The crossing by ferry was a little over three hours and as mentioned, the scenery is amazing. Looking back at one's photos does not really do justice the whole panorama.
We arrived safely in Wellington, which is a much larger city housing the NZ parliament and law courts and having already done my homework, I paid a visit to the national cenotaph and the national war memorial and the tomb of the NZ Unknown Warrior, but I shall tell you more about Wellington and the second cricket test match next week.
However, whilst at the cricket, I had the opportunity to wear a Nottingham Forest T-Shirt which went down well with the English sports fans when Forest beat Manchester United yesterday! and I was also pleased to see that Lincolnshire was well represented among the crowd.
Sleaford and .............
........Grimsby.
IN MEMORIAM – The Lincolnshire Regiment 8th December.
1914
Twelve men, mainly from the 1st Battalion died on this day.
1915
11620 Private N Barker, 8th Battalion, aged 32. Buried in Chapelle d’Armentieres Military Cemetery, France.
10790 Private John Olivant, 8th Battalion, aged 35. – Ditto. –
11615 Private W E Pykett, 8th Battalion, aged 44. – Ditto. –
15197 Private G Walker, 6th Battalion. Buried in Azmak Cemetery, Gallipoli.
2502 Private Thomas Cooper, Depot. Buried in Arnold Cemetery, UK.
10201 Private Charles Sydney Barlow, 6th Battalion. Remembered on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli.
1916
9033 Sergeant Frank Victor Donner, 1st Battalion. Buried in Vermelles British Cemetery, France.
22715 Private James Troop, 2nd Battalion. Buried in Blyborough Churchyard, UK.
1917
260016 Corporal A Hughes, 2/5th Battalion. Buried in Abbeville Cemetery Extension, France.
203711 Private F N Davison, 2/4th Battalion, aged 19. Buried in Rocquigny Equancourt Road British Cemetery, France.
16421 Private Arthur Leeman, 2/4th Battalion, aged 26. Buried in Orival Wood Cemetery, France.
241835 Private Raymond Scott, 2/5th Battalion, aged 19. – Ditto. –
1918
43648 Private William Greenhalgh, 10th Battalion, aged 31. Buried in Stockport Borough Cemetery, UK.
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM
Enjoy your Sunday as I have enjoyed mine already!
Until next week,
Kind regards,
Jonathan
Email me on: trenchlincs@gmail.com
© J C J D’Hooghe.
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