Trench Lincs 12th July 2026

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Good Morning,

Here we are again as Sunday arrives once more. I cannot believe a week has passed since I had the great good fortune to visit Wimbledon last week for the first time.

Having watched the tennis on tv for many, many years, what a wonderful experience it was to actually sit on Centre Court, and watch the last British player (at the time) Arthur Fery, defeating Grigor Dimitriov.

Fery ended up being a losing semi-finalist, but what a tournament he had. Hopefully we will see more of him in the future. At the risk of being somewhat controversial, I have never believed that female tennis players deserve equal pay with the men! - however, if you watched the ladies final yesterday, wow! what a game that was. Congratulations to Ms Noskova (the winner) and Ms Muchova (the runner-up) for playing the best 3 sets of ladies tennis seen in a long while.

Having now been once to Wimbledon, I hope maybe to go again at some point in the future!

There is a war memorial to the members of Wimbledon Tennis Club, but it is in the main club house and not available to visit during the annual championship.

As usual, we have a selection of topics for you this week. Tony Nutkins and Matt Colley have written to me with their views on the Battle of the Somme – was it worth it? And Matt Colley and his wife, have also been in Guernsey, and so, Matt has sent me a number of snippets of interest from Guernsey, which I will share with you over the next couple of weeks.

The Alderney Artillery, the Jersey Militia and the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry, all served in the 1914-18 war, and yet we rarely hear about their service. Therefore, Matt’s snippets have spurred me on to find out more – see below.

The Royal Guernsey Light Infantry.

I hope you enjoy your TL with a cuppa this week? Let me know.

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS.

Next Meeting - Lincoln & North Lincolnshire Branch, WFA - Monday, July 13th 2026 - Doors open 7.00pm for 7.30pm start - Royal Naval Association Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG.

Following tomorrow’s AGM - which we promise will be despatched as quickly as possible - we will move on to The Chairman's Annual Lecture and, this year, Mike Credland will be taking us on a tour of Lincolnshire by presenting his newly revised, fully updated talk about The Great War Memorials of Lincolnshire.

To quote from the late Martin Middlebrook's foreword to Mike’s book, The First Word War Memorials of Lincolnshire (published in 2014 by The Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology) "In 1914, Lincolnshire was the second largest county in England. To appreciate its size, an inhabitant of Stamford in the south is as near to London as to the river Humber boundary in the north. How could anyone set out to photograph and describe every community war memorial in the county as a labour of love which was so diligently performed that it has been accepted for publication?

But, this is what Mike did, and not only did he turn his research into an excellent record of the county's First World War Memorials - all of them, from Alford to Wroot (bet you've never heard of that place have you?) - he also created a talk on the subject which has not been presented to anyone for some time now. So, this evening, attendees will have the pleasure of hearing the story of the Great War Memorials of Lincolnshire in its new, fully revised and updated form. Please come along; you will be made most welcome.

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The next meeting of the Friends of the Lincoln Tank Group will be held on Thursday July 30th at the Royal Naval Association Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG at 7.30pm.

The speaker on this occasion is Steve Baldwin, whose innovative talk will be ‘A Virtual Tour Around the CWGC Plot at Newport Cemetery, Lincoln.’

"The talk will start with a quick overview of the creation and development of the cemetery itself and its CWGC section, moving on to talk about some of the graves it contains. Some of the “residents” will be mentioned in passing and some others will be covered in more detail. Both World Wars will be covered to some extent but it is impossible to cover everything in the time available. This journey will be one of History, ancient and modern, with a little bit of Geography thrown in."

Everyone welcome, especially new faces. You do not need to be a member of FoLT to attend meetings, but members of FoLT pay just £10 a year and receive £250 of membership benefits from Ancestry and the British Newspaper Archives. It is well worth joining.

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Next Event - Spalding & South Lincs Branch, WFA Thursday 23rd July at 7.30pm.

Spalding & South Lincolnshire Branch WFA continues to meet at the Spalding Baptist Church, Swan Street, Spalding, PE11 1BT. Meetings continue to be held in the evenings of the fourth Thursday in the month, and doors open at 19.00 hours for a 19.30 hours start. Meetings are held in a pleasant main room of the Church and there is ample - unrestricted - on street parking in front of the building. Free refreshments are served at the end of the meeting. Finally, please note that, for security purposes the main double front doors are kept locked as we cannot monitor them from our meeting room, therefore, you may need to ring the doorbell located on the single door to the right of the main double doors in order to gain entry.

July 23rd - Grant Cullen presents: "Quintinshill, 22nd May 1915; Britain's worst railway disaster".

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The East Midlands (Nottingham) WFA branch will hold their next speaker event on Friday 14th August 2026 at 7.30pm. The branch meets at St. Peter’s Church Hall, Church Street, Ruddington, NG11 6HA and all visitors will be made very welcome.

The speaker on this occasion is Paul Cobb who will talk about the “Attack at Fromelles 19th/20th July 1916.”

This was a disastrous diversionary attack designed to draw German reserves away from the Somme battlefields. The newly arrived Australian 5th Division and the British 61st (2nd South Midland) Division were tasked with an unsupported assault over ground that had been fought over in May 1915. The result, as in 1915 and the other horrendous diversionary attack at Gommecourt on 1st July 1916, was a very bloody fiasco.

I have Paul’s book on my shelves and have visited Fromelles on many occasions. Now famous for the recent discovery of a mass grave of primarily Australian soldiers buried by the Germans after this attack.

The CWGC constructed a brand new cemetery, Pheasant Wood, at Fromelles to accommodate the remains of the men discovered here.

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The Leadenham Military History Group’s next meeting will be on Tuesday 28th July at 7.30pm at Leadenham village hall.

There will be a two part event on this night, starting with:

Paul Robinson - 'Operation Manna'. The airborne food drop into the Netherlands by the RAF in April and May 1945.

This will be followed by:

Brian Riley - Operations Doomsday and Eclipse'. As Britian celebrated VE Day, British 1st Airborne forces were deployed to Norway and Denmark to oversee the surrender of all German forces and to guard against Soviet intentions in Denmark.

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Another group who meet at the Royal Naval Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG, is the Lincolnshire Aviation Society.

The next meeting of LAS will be held on Thursday 16th July 2026.

The speaker on this occasion is the well-known Tim Willbond who will talk about ‘The Big Wing Part 2 – Fighter Attacks Across The Channel.

Everyone welcome especially new faces.

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The Peterborough Military History Group meets at the Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery in Priestgate, Peterborough, PE1 1LF, on the second Wednesday of every month, 7.30pm to 9.30pm.

Everyone welcome, especially new faces.

August 12th David Lister

'Jerry doesn't like UP!'

Germany is often seen as the leader in Rocket technology during the Second World War. In reality, Britain used rockets far more widely and consistently than the Germans. This has largely been ignored and confused by post-war commentators simply due to naming conventions. Find out more, and Peterborough's links (small that they are) to that story.

Rocket firing Typhoon.

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The Friends of the Tank Memorial Ypres Salient group will hold their next event on 1st August. If you are in Belgium on this date you will be made most welcome. The Secretary, David Williams writes;

“Dear Friends and Supporters of the Friends of the TMYS,

On behalf of our Chairman and all the Friends I would like to invite you to our next FotTMYS Ceremony.

Ceremony Date: Saturday 1 August 2026.

We will be Commemorating 'The Third Battle of Ypres'

The Friends of the Tank Memorial Ypres Salient Ceremony will be held to commemorate the mass use of Mark IV tanks at the opening battle of the ‘Third Ypres’ campaign, more commonly known as the ‘Battle of Passchendaele’ which took place on 31 July 1917.

The Ceremony will take place at the TMYS Memorial in Poelkapelle and the Order of Service will be as follows:

1030hrs - Assemble at the Tank Memorial Ypres Salient, Poelkapelle.

1100hrs - Commencement of the Ceremony in keeping with the program of our prior Remembrance Services.

Those wishing to lay a Wreath please inform our Master of Ceremonies René on the Saturday morning.

Post Ceremony we will give our Toasts to 'The Fallen' and 'Absent Friends' at the Chocolate Nanny in Poelkapelle. You are all most Welcome to join us.

Those who would like to dine with us at the Midday Lunch, please let me know asap in order that a table can be reserved for all of us to dine together.

The afternoon Battlefield visit; all are cordially invited to join us on this interesting and informative talk about the actions that took place on the day.”

Please drop me a line if you would like me to put you in contact with David Williams.

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One hundred and ten years ago this week, the Somme offensive was in full swing, and I noted last week, Was it Worth it?

Tony Nutkins was the first to respond and comments; ‘Interesting to read the views on The Somme 1st July 1916 and broadly agree with what you say in your piece. Can't say that I agree with Sir John Keegan when he wrote..."the finest army that Britain ever put into the field" (that accolade, IMO, belongs to the original BEF of 1914) as the majority of those who advanced toward the German lines that day were inexperienced, in some cases poorly trained, led by inexperienced officers and NCO's in the main part; there was little of the Regular Army left by then and even the original battalions of the BEF that were there were much the same in composition and "Regular" in name only.

My take on things was that while the planning had attempted to cover all eventualities it could never have done so as no one knew what was on "the other side of the wire" either in the vast defence systems or an appreciation that the German units on the Somme, had in the main, all been there for a very long time and had the time to know their "ground" intimately and arrange a planned and detailed response to any attempt to break through their lines.

With what artillery that was available and the untrained gunners at all rank levels using it, there was no chance of preparing and destroying the battlefield defences for a mass infantry attack. Attrition was the inevitable result of the planning and "readiness" levels of both sides but it did result in the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line which turned out to be just as tough a nut to crack later in the war. I agree with your final paragraph.

While there is, understandably, a need and a wish to remember and commemorate the Battles of The Somme and the battles of Third Ypres (Passchendaele) and the casualties sustained in these, it should also be remembered that the battles of Neuve Chapelle, Aubers Ridge, Festubert, Loos, The battles of the Somme, Arras (which had a higher daily casualty rate than the Somme) and the battles of Third Ypres, each with its own not inconsiderable casualty list, were all fought at times and places in aid of the French and not by John French or Douglas Haig and they should also be remembered and commemorated accordingly. They also were in the crucible that forged the British Armies that won the war in 1918.’

Matt Colley took the thinking to a slightly wider sphere and notes; ‘The question that I would like TL readers to ponder is:

We know that some 60% of all casualties were due to artillery fire but how many more Allied casualties were caused by the misuse of British artillery and could, possibly, have been avoided. Given that Kitchener envisaged a long War of Attrition in 1914, then minimising Allied losses should have been a key consideration.

Firstly, thinking about the Somme: did the British Generals know that the Germans had built bunkers at least 20 feet below ground level. I believe that the British Army had already captured such a bunker before July 1st 1916 and should have understood the implications for the RFA. Additionally, the multiple layers of barbed wire were visible through binoculars prior to any attacks being planned and were still visible just before 7.30 am on that fateful day, and RFC reconnaissance could have also shown the reality.

The 7 day RFA bombardment of the German positions fired more than 1.7 million shells. Of these the majority were Shrapnel shells which had never been shown to destroy barbed wire (at best it would knock the stakes over but leave the wire intact) and would have not caused many physical injuries to the German defenders, although the psychological impact would clearly be very wearing. The remainder of the shells were High Explosive shells. There was both a critical shortage following the 1915 Shell Crisis and a desperate quality issue - with estimates ranging from 30 to 60% being “duds". So when the bombardment lifted for the whistles to be blown, there was insufficient damage inflicted on the defenders and their positions; which meant that more than 57,000 casualties were inevitable. And that was in one day - this Battle lasted nearly five months.

Secondly the Third Battle of Ypres: Haig’s planners were warned about the water holding geography yet nearly 3 million more shells were fired than at the Somme, resulting in a quagmire. This quagmire slowed the infantry and also meant that artillery support for attacking Battalions was not available as it could not physically be dragged into place. British casualties for this Battle approached 300,000 men.

These are just two out of many examples that we could think of and the butcher’s bill was aggravated by Haig’s “one more push” demands which failed to take account of either incoming intelligence or the reports from his Generals.’

Thank you Tony and Matt. You both make very valid arguments. Does anyone have a different viewpoint? Drop me a line.

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Our recent talk of the Spanish Civil War prompted Tim Chamberlin to get in touch about a chap that he knew who fought for the Republican Socialists in the Civil War. Tim writes;’ My late parents were involved in fund raising aid to help families on the Republican side.

The 15th International Brigade were all volunteers from many nations. The Ernst Thalmann Battalion was German (2,000 Killed), the Abraham Lincoln Battalion was American (900 killed), the Wat Tyler Battalion was British (500 killed).

Bernard Winfield was at least one from Nottingham who was killed. A town in Northern Spain called Belchite is worth a visit, as it was wrecked in the conflict and it remains at Franco's dictate as a symbol to the bitter war.

Walter Gregory was a Lincoln man who served as a noble volunteer in the 15th Brigade, I met him several times and he wrote an excellent book called THE SHALLOW GRAVE, a memoir of the Spanish Civil War. He worked for Nottingham Co-operative Society and was a staunch political left winger who died in 1997 aged 87, whilst living in Grantham. During WWII, Walter served in the Royal Navy during the war Dieppe Raid, Russian Convoys and finally submarines in the far east.

I half recall a proposal to have a memorial to the local volunteers lost and survivors installed in County Hall but perhaps it was seen as too politically sensitive?

Thank you Tim for that precious memory of Walter.

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Arthur Wood, the doyen of all things VC, has also been in touch once again, but this time with regard to the Beechey family. Amy Beechey, lost five of her sons in the Great War, and when she died, she was buried in Newport Cemetery in Lincoln, and will feature in Steve Baldwin’s talk to the FoLT group on 30th July.

In April 1918, Amy Beechey was presented to Queen Mary, who thanked Amy for her sacrifice. Amy replied; ‘It was no sacrifice Ma’am, I did not give them willingly.’

As well as visiting and recording the gravestones of VC winners, Arthur has also visited the headstones and memorial inscriptions for the Beechey brothers. He writes; ‘I was walking around Newport cemetery and came across the grave of Mrs Beechey and the loss off her sons, so I made it my job to visit them all except Charles, so far, who is in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.’

Two of the brothers have marked graves and two are remembered on the memorial walls at Villers Brettoneux and at Ploegsteert.

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Staying in Lincolnshire, Chas Parker has news from Scothern for us, as the village is re-dedicating its war memorial on 16th July at 10.45am. Following a grant of money, the village has refurbished their memorial, which was unveiled in 1920, turned it around 90 degrees so as to be able to hold better ceremonies at the memorial in the years to come, and have added three additional names. Here is a magazine scan detailing the changes.

If you attend the re-dedication service, please drop me a line with a photo.

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Ray Sellers keeps our Lincolnshire theme going with news from Redbourne, just off the A15 north of Lincoln. Ray notes that he recently visited Redbourne church with the Society of Lincolnshire History and Archaeology and recommends that we should all pay a visit, as they currently have a display of information about all of the men of the village who served in both world wars.

Thank you for the tip off Ray.

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John Pritchard, fresh from his eight-week sojourn in Australia, has been on his travels once again and writes; ‘Shirley and I have been away for "a wedding anniversary weekend" in Ashbourne in the Peak District, where we travelled through the various narrow lanes that tested your driving skills through the rolling countryside, small villages surrounded by wonderful views and scenery.

On Monday morning, we went to St. Oswald's Church, Ashbourne, where I found a few interesting items to photograph, one being the very nice memorial to the personnel lost in the first and second World Wars that was in the corner near the main entrance. Above this was a lovely plaque to the Sherwood Foresters, which I am sure you may have seen previously, Jonathan? And a plaque to the Jelf family.

The large church has some fine stained glass windows and a number of interesting exhibits of the history of the church.’

Thank you John for your photos. I have not been in Ashbourne church before, but have visited in the past and recorded the town’s ‘functional’ war memorial, namely a large town park created in memory of the men of Ashbourne following the 14-18 war. Here is my photo of the town park entrance which contains brass plaques adorned with the names of the fallen.

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As mentioned earlier, Matt Colley and his wife have been holidaying in Guernsey and here are the first instalments that Matt has sent me, and which refers to the stand made against the German counter attack at the Battle of Cambrai.

Matt writes; ‘On 30th November 1917, in a suburb of a small town called Masnieres, in the Region of the Nord in France, the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry stood against a huge German counter attack consisting of both infantry and artillery. Around the Battalion other allied forces withdrew but the Battalion held firm for two long days. Twice they were pushed out of the ruined town and twice they fought back and retook the lost ground.

But from a total strength of 1311 men 40% were dead, wounded or missing. There was hardly a family on the Island that had not lost a loved one.

In recognition of what is now called “Guernsey’s Finest Hour’ memorials have been erected in both St. Peter Port and Masnieres. A tradition has now been established of hanging a Guernsey Flag in the Town Church for 12 months and then on the 30th of November each year the Flag is transferred to the memorial in France, where it is raised. The Flag that has been there is returned to Guernsey and presented to a family of one of the men who served in 1917.

My pictures show the current flag in the Town Church; picture of the memorial in the sunken Gardens, St Peter Port; picture of the RGLI emblem.’

Matt continues; ‘The population of Guernsey in 1914 was less than 42,000 people. So the impact on the small communities of these losses must have been terrible.

My enquiries revealed that the names in the photos are those of extended families so it is likely that the men with the same surname were related but not necessarily brothers.

The War Memorial stands in the Sunken Gardens, St. Peter Port, while the Roll of Honour is on a wall off the High Street.’

In the main church in St. Peter Port, Matt came across the original wooden grave marker of Second Lieutenant Eric D’Auvergne Collings, of the Queen’s (Royal West Surrey) Regiment who died in August 1916 aged 19. He was a scion of an important Guernsey family.

Thank you Matt, and there will be more from Matt next week.

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Talk of the Channel Isles prompted me to do some research this week and here is a short piece about the regiments of the Channel isles who served in the Great War.

The contribution of the Channel Islands to the First World War is often overshadowed by the histories of the more famous and well known regiments of the British Army, yet the islands of Guernsey, Jersey, and Alderney each possessed long-established military traditions that played an important role during the conflict. Although the Channel Islands were not invaded during the First World War, their local military units provided trained men for Britain’s war effort while continuing to fulfil essential defensive duties at home. Among the most significant formations were the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry, the Jersey Militia, and the Alderney Artillery, all of which adapted to the demands of modern warfare while preserving centuries-old traditions of island defence.

The Royal Guernsey Light Infantry (RGLI) was the principal infantry force raised in Guernsey during the war. Descended from the island’s historic militia system, the regiment underwent considerable expansion after the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914. Initially, many of its members remained on the island to guard coastal fortifications, military installations, and strategic harbours, allowing regular British Army units to deploy overseas. Guernsey occupied an important position in the English Channel, and maintaining its security remained a priority throughout the conflict.

As the war progressed and the need for manpower increased, the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry began recruiting volunteers for overseas service. In 1917, the regiment raised a service battalion for active operations on the Western Front. Following intensive training in England, the battalion crossed to France, where it joined the British Expeditionary Force during the final phases of the war.

The battalion’s most notable action came during the Battle of Cambrai in late 1917. Here, the Guernsey men experienced the harsh realities of trench warfare, including heavy artillery bombardment, machine-gun fire, mud, and determined German resistance. Despite displaying considerable courage, the battalion suffered severe casualties. The losses were particularly significant because Guernsey’s relatively small population meant that almost every family knew someone serving in the regiment. The impact was therefore deeply personal across the island. [As noted above - Ed]

Following Cambrai, the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry continued serving on the Western Front during the German Spring Offensive of 1918 and the subsequent Allied Hundred Days Offensive. The battalion participated in a series of advances as Allied forces gradually pushed the German Army back towards its borders. By the Armistice on 11th November 1918, the regiment had earned a reputation for discipline, determination, and professionalism despite its comparatively short period of front-line service.

IWM (Q9980) The RGLI forming Guard at Haig's HQ at Montreuil September 1918.

Jersey possessed an even older military tradition through the Royal Militia of the Island of Jersey, commonly known as the Jersey Militia. The militia had defended the island against foreign invasion since the seventeenth century and remained an integral component of local defence when war broke out in 1914. Like its Guernsey counterpart, the militia was initially mobilised to protect coastal batteries, ports, communication centres, and other vital infrastructure.

The strategic importance of Jersey lay in its location close to the French coast. Although the German Navy never mounted a serious attempt to attack the Channel Islands during the First World War, military planners considered it prudent to maintain strong local defensive forces. The Jersey Militia therefore ensured that regular British troops could be transferred to the Western Front without leaving the islands undefended.

Many individual members of the Jersey Militia volunteered for service in the British Army beyond their local obligations. Islanders enlisted in a wide range of regiments, including the British infantry, artillery, engineers, medical services, and naval forces. Others received commissions as officers after undergoing military training. Their service extended across numerous theatres, including France, Belgium, Gallipoli, the Middle East, and later Italy.

While the militia itself did not deploy overseas as a complete formation, it served as an important reservoir of trained manpower. Years of peacetime military instruction meant that volunteers already possessed a grounding in drill, discipline, musketry, and field-craft, making them valuable recruits for the expanding wartime army. Throughout the conflict, the militia continued recruiting, training, and supporting the wider war effort while maintaining its home defence responsibilities.

Alderney, the smallest of the principal Channel Islands, also maintained an important military presence through its artillery units. The Alderney Artillery was closely associated with the island’s extensive Victorian fortifications, which had been constructed during the nineteenth century to defend the strategically important Braye Harbour. These fortifications formed part of Britain’s wider coastal defence network and remained operational during the First World War.

The primary responsibility of the Alderney Artillery was to man the heavy coastal guns that overlooked approaches to the island. These batteries were intended to deter enemy warships and protect shipping routes through the English Channel. Although no hostile fleet attacked Alderney during the conflict, the artillerymen maintained constant readiness through regular training exercises, maintenance of equipment, and observation of surrounding waters.

Like the other Channel Island units, many members of the Alderney Artillery later volunteered for wider military service. Their familiarity with artillery procedures, range finding, signalling, and military discipline proved valuable when transferring to Royal Garrison Artillery or other specialist branches of the British Army. Consequently, the Alderney Artillery contributed both directly to local defence and indirectly to Britain’s overseas campaigns.

The experience of the three island forces reflected the changing nature of warfare during the early twentieth century. Traditional militia organisations, originally intended to repel invasion, increasingly became sources of trained personnel for a modern industrial war fought hundreds of miles from home. Their transition demonstrated the flexibility of Britain’s auxiliary military system and the willingness of small communities to contribute to a global conflict.

The social impact of the war upon the Channel Islands was profound. Casualties sustained by volunteers from Guernsey, Jersey, and Alderney were felt throughout their close-knit communities. Memorial services, fundraising campaigns, hospital support, and charitable organisations became central features of island life. Women played significant roles through voluntary nursing, Red Cross work, fundraising committees, and support for soldiers’ families. Agricultural production and local industries also adapted to wartime conditions despite shortages of labour caused by military service.

Following the Armistice, returning servicemen were welcomed home with public ceremonies and commemorations. War memorials erected across Guernsey, Jersey, and Alderney recorded the names of those who had lost their lives, ensuring that their sacrifice would be remembered by future generations. The Royal Guernsey Light Infantry’s service battalion, despite existing for only a relatively brief period, became a lasting symbol of Guernsey’s wartime contribution. Likewise, the Jersey Militia and Alderney Artillery retained honoured places in the military heritage of their respective islands.

Although small in comparison with many British formations, the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry, the Jersey Militia, and the Alderney Artillery collectively demonstrated remarkable commitment during the First World War. They protected their home islands, supplied trained volunteers to Britain’s armed forces, and upheld long-standing traditions of military service. Their story illustrates how even small communities made meaningful contributions to the Allied victory, reminding us that the success of Britain’s war effort depended not only upon large armies but also upon the dedication and sacrifice of local forces throughout the British Isles.

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We finish as usual with a colourised contribution from Chris at Colour by CJS, and this week, on his site, I have found another man with a Lincolnshire Heritage. You will recall that we covered the story and re-burial of a Lewis Gun team of the 5th Battalion last October. One of these men was William London.

The construction of a new hospital near Lens in 2020 unearthed the remains of many British soldiers who were killed during WWI

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Meticulous work by the The Ministry of Defence's Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre has resulted in the identification of many of these men. All of them, whether identified or not, have been given a military funeral in a CWGC cemetery, mostly at the new Loos British Cemetery extension.

Private William London.

William was born in 1887 in Grimsby, Lincolnshire and had two siblings. Their father worked on the bustling fish docks in the town.

When he left school, William joined his father working on the docks until war broke out when he was deployed to France sometime after December 1915.

He served in “A” company, 1/5th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment as part of a five man Lewis gun team.

William was killed along with three other members of the team on 5th May 1917 during the Arras offensive. The fifth member of the team was severely wounded but survived.

Their bodies were not recovered after the war and they remained missing for over 100 years.

The four comrades, who were found together, now lay side by side in the Loos British Cemetery Extension. Each has a headstone bearing his name. The ceremony took place on 21st October 2025.

The other three men were Private Arthur Cook, Private Robert Cullum and Private John Fraser.

Serving soldiers from the 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment formed the bearer and firing parties, and William's surviving family attended the ceremony.

William London was 29 years old.

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In Memoriam the Lincolnshire Regiment 12th July.

1916

Thirteen men of the regiment are recorded as having died on this day. No Lincolnshire Regiment deaths were recorded on 12th July in other years.

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

STOP PRESS: England's football team are through to a World Cup Semi-Final on Wednesday 8pm. Could this be the year?

I hope you all have a good week, and I look forward to hearing from you or seeing you at the Lincoln WFA meeting tomorrow night, complete with ANZAC biscuits.

Until next week,

All best wishes

Jonathan

E: trenchlincs@gmail.com

www.jonathandhooghe.co.uk

© Jonathan D’Hooghe