March is on the move and after some lovely spring like weather, we have had some cold and wintery weather again in the last week.
I hope you find something to interest you this week, especially the comments I received about the IWM closing the Ashcroft Gallery. It is also exactly a year since Robin Sayer and myself were in South Africa, touring the 1879 Zulu battlefields – where has that year gone?
Robin and I were out and about this last week too, but much nearer to home. You can read all about it below.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS.
Please find details for the next meeting of the Lincoln and North Lincs WFA Branch to be held at 7.30pm on Monday March 31st.
The speaker, Andrew Moody, will present - “The Great War on the Silent Screen”.
The venue as ever will be the Royal Naval Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG.
[pic[
++++++++++++++++++++++
The East Midlands (Nottingham) WFA Branch meets again on Friday 11th April at 7.30pm at St. Peter’s Church Hall, Church Street, Ruddington, Nottingham, NG11 6HA. All welcome.
The April speaker is Shaun Higgins who will present – ‘Strange Meetings’ The life of Wilfred Owen MC, in his own words.
[pic]
+++++++++++++++++++++++
The Spalding and South Lincolnshire WFA Branch will next meet on Thursday 28th March.
The venue is Spalding Baptist Church, Swan Street, Spalding, PE11 1BT with a start time of 7.30pm.
The speaker, Steve Warburton will present - “First In, Last Out: Brig-Gen C H T Lucas (87th Brigade, 29th Division) at Gallipoli”.
,
{pic]
+++++++++++++++++++++++
The Leadenham Military History Group’s next meeting will be on Tuesday 25th March, at Leadenham Village Hall with a start time of 7.30pm.
This evening will be a Navy night with two speakers.
Presentation: Herbert Cheffings, leading seaman – based on the memoirs of this local man who took part in the Battle of Jutland and operations in Somaliland - by Alison Gibson.
Presentation: HMS Hermes and her role in the Fleet Air Arm 1959-1984, by Simon Hudson.
[pic]
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The next meeting in the 2025 series of lectures at the Friends of the Lincoln tank Group will be held on Thursday 24th April when my good friend, David Moore, will present "Taking Refuge – 16th Tank Battalion Graffiti Discovered at Gouy-en-Artois.”
All meetings are on a Thursday night at the Royal Naval Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, with a 7.30pm start time. A warm welcome awaits.
[pic]
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Another group who meet at the Royal Naval Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG are the Lincs Aviation Society, ably led by our friends, Chas Parker and John Lintin.
Therefore, I now have great pleasure in advertising their forthcoming events, which take place on the third Thursday of each month - entry is £2 for members and £3 for visitors.
The next speaker event is on Thursday 20th March at 7.30pm when the speaker will be none other than Mike Credland, whose talk is entitled 'RAF Connections in Lincolnshire in World War II.'
[pic
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The next outing for those in the Lincoln area, although everyone is welcome who wants to make the journey, will be to the Newark Air Museum, Drove Lane, Newark, NG24 2NY. Home Click the link to see the museum website.
The date is Wednesday 26th March at 10.30am. The cost of entry is £11.50 or £10.50 for the over 65’s. There is a café, shop and toilet facilities on site, and for the nimble visitor, there will be the chance to climb inside some of the planes including the Vulcan and Shackleton.
As it is a booked group visit, I have to confirm the numbers prior to the date, so please let me know if you will be attending. Thank you.
I look forward to hearing from you.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
As I mentioned last week, my recent trip to York has elicited a lot of interest for a return visit. Therefore, a date has now been set for Wednesday 30th April. I shall be on the 09.46 train out of Newark Northgate station and returning at 17.33.
If you would like to join the party (already 5 strong) please just book your train ticket and let me know.
We shall visit the Army Museum (The Kohima museum is only open on a Thursday but we are attempting to organise a private visit) and other attractions as takes our fancy.
I look forward to hearing from you as to enter the Kohima museum, which is on MOD property, I will need to give your details in advance and you will need to bring photographic ID with you on the day.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I am very happy to feature for the first time, the newsletter from the Peterborough Military History Group, which this month, has an interesting short article about Newark and the Boer War – see page 5.
Please click on this link [link]
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I have to start this week with responses received from TL readers with regard to the news from the Imperial War Museum that it is to close the Ashcroft Gallery of Victoria Crosses.
Without exception, the responses have been very negative towards the IWM and whilst editorially, TL does not want to become political or controversial, the idea that the world of WOKE has infected our cherished institutions is one that prevails widely across the country.
Ray Sellers is currently in Nepal, but before he departed he wrote; ‘Sadly, wokery has also affected the RAF museum at Hendon, with many historic aircraft currently up for disposal. It beggars belief how our institutions are slowly but surely being eroded, and dumbed down, all in the name of diversity and inclusivity.’
[I take Ray’s point but what I think he is getting at, is the relentless attack on Britain’s contribution to the world over the centuries, and the push that we should all be guilty of our past, rather than celebrate our achievements. What do you think – Ed]
Matt Colley was succinct and notes; ‘In the “Woke” culture that infects all aspects of what passes as public service, I wonder if the words “Imperial” and “War” are too distasteful to be even mentioned by all the politically correct adherents?
So removing the display of Victoria Crosses may well be just the first step in scaling back our Remembrance.
Obviously, if our dear leader decides to launch an all-out war against the Russians, then the propaganda machine will lurch into action to assure everyone that this is completely different from all previous Wars.’
[I absolve Margaret Thatcher, as ‘her war’ to retake the Falklands was a result of a foreign nation attacking a Dependent UK Territory, but all Prime Ministers from John Major, Tony Blair through now to Keir Starmer, have indulged in regime change, the War on Terror and/or Sabre Rattling over Ukraine, whilst systematically running down our military capacity and overseeing the Woke culture infect the military. I am always reminded of the old song from WWI – “You want to see the Old Battalion?, it’s hanging on the wire. You want to see the politician?, He’s tucked up safely in his bed.” – Ed]
My good friend, Ian Prince, can always be relied upon to hit the nail on the head and Ian writes; ‘The latest changes at the IWM are in line with my extremely low expectations, maximum wokery and subversion of our history whenever possible by our institutions.
It is unfortunate that our main political parties of Government really are two cheeks of the same ‘bum’ otherwise we could defund the pay packets of those leading the institutions until they act in accord with the wishes of those who pay them.’
[The point that Ian makes is extremely sound. No one has voted implicitly for this change of narrative across our institutions, be it the IWM, the National Trust etc., it has been inflicted upon the silent majority despite the fact that the vast majority of British born citizens are extremely proud of our nation’s heritage, culture and history. – Ed]
David Surr has taken the argument one step further with a rundown on the current state of play at the Historic Dockyards in Portsmouth.
David notes; ‘I see you’re prodding the hornet’s nest about the disgraceful news from IWM – I am happy to bite!
If I had any criticisms of the Ashcroft VC gallery, they would be that it is oversized, and that this is one gallery that needs more film-based explanatory material to tell these incomparable stories - but it wouldn’t exist at all without Ashcroft's collection and the donation to create it. It is still billed as one of the permanent galleries on their website!
Just who they think they are puzzles me greatly, though I’m not surprised. One of the first days out I had after the Covid period was to the IWM, only to find that the much-used general reading library next to the research rooms had been boxed up and shipped off, and been replaced by the new Holocaust Learning Centre - essentially empty rooms for presentations, which I observed to have zero visitors on the day.
But don’t get me started on woke museums….
I recently renewed my full ticket for the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard/National Museum of the Royal Navy complex - and have not been too impressed by the changes since I last visited nearly a year ago. Don’t get me wrong, I will always support them and want them to succeed in riding out these austere times - I’m just not sure they are going in the right direction and making the most of their cash.
Exhibit A: the Terence Higgins Memorial Quilt features prominently in the main museum buildings, with related material taken over the linking walkway between the sailing navy and modern navy galleries:
[pic]
Exhibit B: SHE_SEES exhibition inserted into Boathouse No. 4, with some loss of permanent exhibits, most notably the Cockleshell canoes and coastal craft section (in fairness the Explosion site in Gosport is the natural home for this). Temporary till next year, but that’s when I shall look closest - to see if things get replaced. Didn’t see much of a story here… just inclusivity for the sake of it.
[pic]
Exhibit C: Famous Faces Sail art installation. This is actually very interesting and by a much respected local artist - just not the right place for it, and believed to be semi-permanent. Belongs in the cathedral or similar. That magnificent photo of WW1 Dreadnoughts in line ahead is now hidden.
[pic]
The Historic Dockyard is a wonderful facility to have on my doorstep and I visit often, can’t beat sitting on the quarterdeck of HMS Warrior on a sunny Saturday afternoon - but under the new CEO it is quite clear that stories are being changed, or other influences are gaining hold. Wouldn’t be so bad if it was just squeezing in a bit extra, but it’s not, items are being removed, and the story is then not the same. Whenever I visit and look at what’s going on around me I see the greatest interest being shown in the ‘real’ history of the Royal Navy, and quite frankly no interest at all in all this new stuff. I believe ‘Hard Power’ is back in the news again?
I tried to make these comments ‘observations’ rather than opinions that some may take offence at, the obvious point being that a 2025 world view is current affairs, not history, and museums should be concerned more with accurate history than fashionable views and manipulated facts.’
[Thank you David for the Portsmouth update. Does anyone else have any views? Especially a counter view. Please let me know. – Ed]
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tying up other loose ends from recent weeks, I am pleased to report that the rain relented in Belgium for Nadine to take a couple of up to date photos of the location where young Eric Zonneman was killed (murdered) by a retreating German soldier in September 1944, a sad tale that we recently featured.
Nadine writes; ‘I was finally able to take the photos of the house where that little boy lived and was killed on the pavement in front of his house.
The plaque in French reads as follows in English:
‘On the 3 September 1944 on the day of the liberation Eric Zonneman Aged 9 ½, Wearing the rosette in the colours of our national standard in the buttonhole of his jacket Was killed here on the pavement by retreating Germans’
As you can see by the flowers, Eric is still remembered after all those years and every year on 3 September the town of Ronse and the people of the Liberation Front (a society which remembers all victims of WW2) hold a ceremony and put up a wreath.’
[pics]
We know that this story particularly affected David Gray, and as I had put Nadine and David in touch with each other, David replied thus; ‘Thank you so much for sending the photographs. It is very good to see that Eric is being remembered each year and that the memorial is so prominent. He of course, represents the many (millions?) of children killed in the world wars, innocents who had no idea what it was all about.’
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Also from last week was the story of the three Victoria Crosses won by men of L Battery Royal Horse Artillery at Nery in September 1914. One of the winners, was Captain Edward Bradbury who also lost his life in this action.
The story prompted this response from Arthur Wood; ‘I was schooled in Altrincham, Cheshire where Edward Bradbury V.C. was born in September 1881, and he was the town’s first VC winner.
My school was named after him, The Bradbury Secondary Modern, and when the Wellington Road School old boy, Bill Speakman, won a VC in Korea, the town then had two VC winners.
Bill Speakman lived on our estate when I was a youngster, and we then played a football match each year called the VC Cup between the two schools.’
Here are Arthur’s photos from when he went to visit Edward Bradbury’s grave site.
[pics]
Footnote: Bill Speakman, born 1927 joined the army as a 15 year-old in 1942, but won his VC in Korea in 1951 in the reign of George VI. However, following the King’s death, Speakman became the first man to receive a Victoria Cross in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Bill Speakman died in 2018.
You can read his obituary here.
Sergeant William Speakman VC – Obituary and Funeral Arrangements – The King's Own Scottish Borderers
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I was delighted to hear from Roger Frankish this week. Sadly, Roger is unable to attend many meetings currently but still retains a very keen interest in all Great War matters, and last week, Roger noted a name in the ‘In Memoriam’ section of TL.
Roger notes; ‘Ref. Trench Lincs ‘In Memoriam’ of 9th March: Pte W. Blair, 2/4th Lincs.
He was a Barnetby Boy. If you have the book 'The Barnetby Boys', there is a reference to Pte Blair. If not, I can send you the relevant information.’
Roger is of course, the author of the Barnetby Boys, and a copy can be purchased through Amazon or other online sellers.
{pic book]
Roger then kindly followed up his first email with the following tale of Walter Blair.
Roger writes; ‘202866 Pte Walter Blair, 2/4th Battalion. Lincolnshire Regiment.
Walter Blair, born in Brigg in (3)1897, was the son of George and Mary E. Blair of 75, Town Street, Hemsworth, Wakefield; his parents had lived in Barnetby (at Crosskills - 1901 census) for twenty years before moving to Wakefield. (The CWGC refer to the son of Mrs Sharman, formerly Blair, and of the late George Blair of 2, Barnsley Road Estate, Hemsworth, Pontefract). In 1911 Walter was living with his widowed mother and five siblings in the household of Joseph Barnett at Rookery Farm, Barnetby, where he worked as a farm lad.
Walter had enlisted at Brigg in November 1916 joining the 2/4th Lincolns - a Territorial unit. He had been on active service about two weeks when he was killed in action on 9th March 1917, aged 19 years. Captain Harold Ward, an officer with his battalion, wrote to Walter's parents, saying,
‘On behalf of the company I am writing to offer you our deepest sympathy in the loss of your son. He was a good soldier, and having paid the great sacrifice by giving his life for his country he leaves a void in the hearts of his comrades. He was killed by a ‘fish-tail shell’ whilst on duty in the first line and he met his end without pain. We are sorry such a loss has to come to you, but the fact that he died a noble death will take away the sting of loss.'
What is a ‘fish-tail shell’? - the 2/5th Lincolns War Diary also mentions it. The Imperial War Museum's dictionaries of military terms and slang expressions do not refer to it. The term may have been one not in common use. A plausible explanation is that the ‘fish-tail’ was the fins of a low velocity projectile, like a mortar bomb, and that the said projectile was not a ‘shell’ at all.)
[I believe it to be the German Granatenwerfer (trench Mortar) – Ed]
[pic]
At the end of February, the 2/4th Lincolns, 177th Brigade, 59th Division, on arrival in France moved to Bayonvillers, east of Amiens, leaving there on 4th March for Foucaucourt en route for their first spell of front line duty albeit in a fairly quiet sector south of the river Somme.
The 2/4th Lincolns sector was at the bottom of a shallow depression in an almost flat area compared to the British 1916 area north of the river Somme. Although signs of trenches are not apparent on the ground the area where the 2/4th Lincolns were entrenched is easy to find from a map, with a minor road bisecting the 2/5th Lincolns trench line and a couple of farm tracks cutting across the 2/4th Lincolns trench line. The enemy had the higher ground to the east.
At 4.45 p.m. 6th March the 2/4th Lincolns left Foucaucourt to march the five miles to the left sub sector of the old French front line trenches to relieve the 5th York’s and arrived there just before 11 p.m. The 177th Brigade front line sub sector was from map reference N28d.9.4. (just off the Amiens — St Quentin Road) to T4c.8.6. (about 1500 yards ESE from Berny-en-Santerre). There the 2/4th Lincolns took over the right of the line, from N34d.5.5., where the Companies deployed: A right, B centre, D left, with C in support, each less one platoon forming the battalion composite reserve. The relief was duly completed without any casualties being sustained. The following day 2/5th Lincolns took over the left of the line. They had taken over some old French trenches, which were in very poor condition - mainly from mud and water, and here the 2/5th Lincolns record there had been occasion to dig men out of the mud.
The battalion War Diary (WO 95/3023) does not record very much at all for that period - I even had to refer to the 2/5th Lincolns and the 177th Brigade War Diaries (WO 95/3024 and 3022 respectively) for the trench position map references - but it did contain one rather unusual entry. The 7th March for the 2/4th Lincolns, in the left sub sector, had been a relatively quiet day apart from one man being injured in a gunshot accident and, between 5-6 p.m., some heavy artillery firing to the north - about eight miles away. The 8th March was likewise a fairly quiet day with essential work being carried out on communication trenches and dugouts and a note made of any wind direction changes (presumably as a check against a possible gas attack). Now follows the unusual entry - normally only officers are named. Two men had been wounded by artillery fire and one of the casualties, Pte 2900 Blair, subsequently died. (The service number is incorrect. The CWGC have checked all service numbers 2900 but none of the seven casualties recorded are called Blair. Were 2nd Line Territorials given new service numbers? - see W. F. Starkey.) Private William Foster Starkey, 2/4th Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment (Hallamshire, T. F.) was given the service number 5258; this service number was changed on 24th April 1916 to 202688.
[Yes, the TF lads were all renumbered, starting in January 1917 when the service numbers became 6 digits. The 4th Lincolns received the numbers 200001 to 240000 and the 5th Lincolns, 240001 to 265000 - Ed
The next day was similarly a quiet day except for the headquarters being shelled at round about 2.30 p.m. and the unit on their left being shelled with gas shell. By contrast 10th March was a day of considerably more enemy artillery activity, including trench mortars, with the inevitable retaliation by their own artillery. Then a change of wind direction from the north west to the south caused a thaw to set in with the result that the trenches were soon in a very bad state again. The day following was also one with a marked amount of enemy artillery activity; later that day the battalion was relieved by the 2/4th Leicesters and moved back into support in trenches at Belloy-en-Santerre some 2km to the NNW.
On 16th March the enemy withdrew from his front line and moved back into the newly prepared defensive system - the Hindenburg Line. In the Regimental History it is recorded that the 2/4th Lincolns had sustained a total of seven casualties by the middle of the month as a result of shell-fire or rifle-grenades.
Pte. Walter Blair has no known grave and is commemorated by name on the Memorial to the Missing at Thiepval, pier 1, face C. I think Walter would have been buried somewhere near to the 2/4th Lincolns position and that his grave was subsequently destroyed or its marker lost, or became illegible, in the very heavy fighting in that region in the spring and summer of 1918.
(Capt (Major) Harold Ward, 2/4th Lincolns attached 2/5th Lincolns, writer of the letter to Walter's parents, was killed just over a year later, on 21st March 1918, age 31. While serving as a Captain he was mentioned in dispatches. Harold, son of the late Mr and Mrs William Ward, of Sycamore Terrace, York, and husband of L Marion Ward, of 24 Gladstone Terrace, Grantham, has no known grave and is commemorated by name on the Arras Memorial to the Missing.)
[2pics
A big thank you to Roger for this tale. WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In keeping with the Trench Lincs ethos of trying to tell as many stories as we can of men and women who served in the Great War, we move from Roger’s tale above, to a story of a local Pinchbeck man below. The story and research come from David Gray at the Peterborough Military History Group. David comments;
‘My good friend Roger Negus, showed me a death plaque recently in his possession, with an accompanying card containing information about the recipient, Private Alfred Harry Wells, 2nd Leicestershire Regiment, who lived in Pinchbeck, Lincolnshire. What was particularly interesting was that the card stated Private Wells was buried at sea, but then went on to give some seriously incorrect information which supposedly came from a newspaper report published shortly after the time of his death.
The details on the card, state that Private Wells died on board a hospital ship on 31st May 1916. That may well be true, as the CWGC confirm his date of death. There is then a 'typo' as the card says that he was brought on board the ship at Bombay on Monday 38th May (this was actually Monday 29th May, I also discovered which hospital ship he was on, H.M.H.S. VITA, see below). The card goes on to say he then fell into a deep sleep on the Tuesday night (30th), and died and was buried at sea the next day which would have been Wednesday the 31st
[pic DG1
What I don't understand is the reference to the Caribbean Sea? A quick check shows that the route by sea from Bombay (now Mumbai), to Basra, took ships across the Arabian Sea, this must be where the error has occurred, with Caribbean erroneously inserted instead. I am not sure if the newspaper story was wrong or if someone copied it down wrong.
The information below is from H.M.H.S. VITA on the royalnavyresearcharchive.org website.
On her arrival at Bombay on completion of her Quarantine period, [the passenger/troopship] VITA, was chosen for conversion into a Hospital Ship. Her transformation appears to be rudimentary, possibly carried out at the Royal Indian Marine Dockyard at Bombay. She emerged with a capacity to accommodate 405 wounded and sick in patients in 10 wards. Including 32 officers, 16 British and 16 Indian, 9 Warrant Officers, and 364 other ranks in cots and berths.
[pic vita
VITA was an “Indian” Hospital Ship under the military command of the Indian [Army] Medical Service (I.M.S.). The ship continued to be manned by her B.I.S.N. [British India Steam Navigation Company] crew and the hospital was staffed by a mix of army units under Major S. H. Lee Abbott, I.M.S. as senior medical officer also Officer Commanding Troops. She carried a large Indian staff along with the British one. There would have been as many as 100 Indian staff members on board filling a variety of roles such as sub-assistant surgeons, dispensers, Hindu and “Mohammedan” cooks, tailor, sweepers, dhobis, ward orderlies and servants. Doctors and Surgeons were drawn from both the RAMC and I.M.S. In addition to their medical duties, these men also filled administrative duties, for example the roles of Adjutant, Surgical and Medical Stores officer, C.O. RAMC, and C.O. Indian Personnel.
A small Female nursing staff of Ward Sisters, Staff Nurses and probationary Nurses included women from the Australian Army Nursing Service (A.A.N.S.), the Queen Alexandra’s Military Nursing Service, India (Q.A.M.N.S.I.), Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve (Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.), and the South African Military Nursing Service (S.A.M.N.S.); they came under the command of an on-board Matron and a Sister-in-Charge. Her medical personnel joined her at Bombay prior to sailing for Basra, Iraq, at the head of the Persian Gulf to begin operations in May 1916, arriving at Basra on May 21st. At Basra she [embarked] 17 Officers and 341 other ranks for passage to Bombay, arriving back on the 29th. While at Bombay she embarked the personnel of No 33 British General Hospital (BCH) 33 Officers and 187 other ranks for passage to Basra. On arrival there on June 11th No 33 BGH was established ashore in a tented camp at Tanoumah on the right bank of the Shatt-al-Arab River.
The above section tells us all we need to know. VITA arrived in Bombay on the 29th May 1916, she embarked the No. 33 British General Hospital which included 187 other ranks, one of whom had to be Private Wells. She sailed from Bombay to Basra, arriving there on the 11th June. Two days into this voyage, Private Wells died and was buried at sea.
Private Wells is commemorated on the Basra Memorial, Panel 12, in Iraq, which holds the names of 40,500 members of the Commonwealth Forces who died on operations in Mesopotamia from the Autumn of 1914 to the end of August 1921, and whose graves are not known.
Below, map showing route across the Arabian Sea from Bombay (Mumbai), to Basra, Iraq. (This is by air, but you get the idea!)’
[pic map]
Thank you for your work David and as a Footnote, here is the potted war record of the 2nd Battalion Leicestershire Regiment, which ties in perfectly with the story of Private Alfred Wells from pinchbeck.
When war was declared in August 1914 the 2nd Leicester’s were in Ranikhet, India as Part of 20th (Garhwal) Infantry Brigade, 7th (Meerut) Division of the Indian Army.
On 12 October 1914 the Division landed at Marseilles for service in France, but transferred to 28th Indian Brigade in Egypt, 7 November 1915.
In early December 1915 the battalion moved to Basra in Mesopotamia, re-joining 7th (Meerut) Division, eventually landing at Suez on 22 January 1918 and taking part in the final stages of the Palestine campaign.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Asgarby and Aswarby, both villages near to Sleaford, and this week we have a tale to tell from both.
First up is Melvin Dobbs, who is making the most of the spring sunshine to rollout his classic car and visit Aswarby. Melvin writes; ‘Taking advantage of the good weather, I took the Stag out and found myself at St. Deny's Church at Aswarby near Sleaford.
Apart from a lot of history relating to George Bass, one of Lincolnshire's famous explorers who was baptised in this church, there was a WWI Roll of Honour on display too.’
[pic3
We have covered George Bass (The Bass Straits are named after him) in TL before, but it is always good to remember the explorer sons of Lincolnshire.
At Asgarby, Richard Godson has sent me two tales, one of which is a tragedy that I can share with you today, and one which I hope we can share in the future, as my research has turned up a tale that I would only share with familial permission!
Richard comments; ‘At the risk of overloading you with "stuff" here are photographs of the grave of Aircraftman Second class George Daniel Hempstead, located close to that of my parents at St Andrew's Church, Asgarby, Sleaford, together with some information about him, which I found inside the church.’
On 29th August 1941 a Defiant flying from Turnhouse to Hibaldstow crashed at Bleaklow in the Peak District. The crew, Pilot Officer James Craig and Aircraftsman George Hempstead both survived the crash but were in no fit state to seek help. They crawled out of the wreckage and sat against the aircraft remains awaiting rescue, but none came.
Despite only being some two miles from a main road, the crash site was not found for a month, and the bodies of Craig and Hempstead were discovered still sitting awaiting help.
George Hempstead’s body was returned to Asgarby where he lies today in the churchyard.
[pics]
Thank you Richard for bringing this tragic story to our attention. WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We have spoken on many occasions about coincidences and another one came to the fore this week. As you are all aware, I follow closely the Colour by CJS site and enjoy reading the stories of men and women of the 14-18 war who have had their black and white photos colourised.
This week, a lovely photo of William Tickle appeared, a young ‘Tommy’ who did his bit and gave his life, but what made his story stand out for me was his death on 3rd July 1916 at Ovillers – exactly the same attack by battalions of 12th (Eastern) Division in which my great uncle Jack died.
[pic]
Private William Cecil Tickle
William was from Hornsey, Middlesex. Aged just 15 and swept up by patriotic fervour he lied about his age and enlisted on 7th September 1914, and was deployed to France on 24th August 1915 with the 9th Battalion, Essex Regiment.
A month after arriving in France he fought in the Battle of Loos, and in July 1916 his Battalion missed the slaughter of the opening day of the Battle of the Somme but their ordeal came two days later.
On 3rd July 1916 they took part in an attack on the fortified village of Ovillers. The assault began at 3.15am but failed to capture its objectives.
The fighting that day cost the 9th Essex 398 casualties, killed, wounded and missing. William was amongst those killed, sadly, he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval memorial.
William Tickle was 17 years old.
Postscript: In 2014, the 100th anniversary of the start of First World War, the Royal Mail issued a set of commemorative stamps. This delightfully informal photograph of William, taken just days before his death, was selected to appear on one of the stamps.
William Tickle, you will have noted, served with the Essex regiment and their fate on 3rd July 1916 was recorded in my great uncle’s battalion War Diary. Lance Corporal Jack D’Hooghe attacked in the first wave with men of his battalion, the 7th Suffolks.
The Adjutant of 7th Suffolks succinctly wrote; ‘The two companies of the Essex Regiment moving up in support were too far behind and were practically annihilated by machine gun fire during their advance across the open.’
This then, was the likely fate of William Tickle.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Finally, for this week, Robin Sayer and myself took a visit last Monday to Gunby Hall, near Spilsby, the ancestral home of the Massingberd family, and until his death in 1947, the home of Field Marshal Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd.
[pic]
We met up initially at Horncastle cemetery, where we located the CWGC headstones. There were a couple that interested me including a Corporal Shaw who died on 12th November 1918 – I wonder if he was aware that the fighting had ceased the day before?, and a Company Quarter Master Sergeant Larder of the Lincolnshire Regiment who was born in Welbourn, the birth village of Sir William Robertson, and today, my home village.
But the one I am sharing with you is this one, which like the photo of two weeks ago from Branston, records a young man who died whilst serving with the Training Reserve. TR6/54008 Private F S Heath served in the 53rd (Young Soldier) Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters and was aged 18.
Frank Stoddard Heath, was born in Lincolnshire, but at the time of his death, his parents, Joseph and Iris were living in London. Frank Stoddard Heath died just one week from the Armistice on 4th November 1918, the same day that Wilfred Owen was killed at the crossing of the Oise-Sambre canal.
[pic]
Leaving one vehicle in Horncastle, we proceeded to Gunby Hall, which today is managed by the National Trust.
The Massingberd family built the house in 1700 and later descendants extended it in the 19th century into the delightful property we see today. Unfortunately, the first floor rooms were out of bounds due to ongoing renovation works but this means I have an excuse for a return visit.
Archibald Montgomery was born in 1871 and became a career soldier, serving as a subaltern in India with the Royal Artillery and as an artillery field officer in the Boer Wars, and after Staff College in 1905/06 he became GSOII to 4th Division at the outbreak of the Great War.
Promoted to GSOI and later Chief of Staff, under Sir Henry Rawlinson at 4th Army HQ, Montgomery served with distinction throughout the war.
In 1896, he married Lady Diana Massingberd who inherited the family estate at Gunby in 1926 on the death of her brother. At this point in time, by Royal Licence, Sir Archibald took the name of Montgomery-Massingberd, therefore, Great War references to him as Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd are technically incorrect!
Between 1933-36 he became Chief of the Imperial General Staff and retired from the army on the death of George V.
At the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, he was responsible for the formation of Lincolnshire’s Home Guard and fought his most important battle in 1943, when the Air Ministry wanted to demolish Gunby Hall to build a new RAF aerodrome. Fortunately for us, this was a battle that Sir Archibald won, after an appeal to the King.
Today, the interior of the hall is exactly as it was on Sir Archibald’s death in 1947, with many paintings of his wife’s ancestors dating back to the 17th century hanging on the walls, but I found a number of Sir Archibald’s war time possessions on display and of course, there may be more still to see in the bedrooms.
Sir Archibald is buried in the estate churchyard of St. Peter’s a short walk from Gunby Hall. I can thoroughly recommend a visit to you all.
Leaving Gunby, Robin and I headed to Spilsby cemetery and church. Here we found a huge amount to interest us in Lincolnshire and British history dating back to the 14th century, and I will share that news with you all next week.
IN MEMORIAM - The Lincolnshire Regiment 16th March.
1915
7692 Drummer Charles Timothy Tracey, 2nd Battalion, aged 37. Buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, France.
8105 Lance Sergeant Charles William Hill, 2nd Battalion, aged 26. – Ditto –
1916
15605 Private H Cook, 8th Battalion. Buried in Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery, France.
9333 Private F Harrison, 8th Battalion, aged 24. – Ditto. –
1917
37727 Private R Wootton, 4th Battalion. Buried in Ruddington St. Peter’s Churchyard, Nottingham, UK
1918
19368 Private John William Tyler, 8th Battalion, aged 21. Buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Belgium.
41402 Private Harry Flowers, 2nd/5th Battalion, aged 19. Buried in Mory Abbey Military Cemetery, France.
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
I look forward to hearing from you with any stories, news or snippets of interest – please don’t be shy, all contributions are eagerly awaited.
Until next week
All best wishes
Jonathan
© Jonathan D’Hooghe
Comments