Trench Lincs 18th May 2025
- trenchlincs
- May 17
- 21 min read
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Good Morning,
Welcome to another Trench Lincs, and a reminder that today is Woodhall Spa show. Trench Lincs has a stand there today along with Lincoln WFA and Friends of the Lincoln Tank, so I hope you will come along and say hello.
Thank you too for all of the good wishes I received last week for my birthday. Your kind words were greatly appreciated.
Tomorrow, I set off with a small party to the French and American sectors of the Western Front. We will be walking Verdun, the Chemin de Dames and the Meuse-Argonne. I will try to include some initial thoughts next Sunday, and will write a report for TL on 1st June.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS.
Next Meeting - Lincoln & North Lincolnshire Branch WFA - Monday, June 2nd - Doors open 7.00pm for prompt start at 7.30pm - Venue: Royal Naval Association Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG.
The Branch takes its traditional "holiday" from holding lectures this month. Our next lecture will be on Monday, June 2nd, when Joanna Costin will be travelling from her home in Ely to present "Answering the Manpower Question." The story of how the shortage of manpower both in the factories at home, and on the frontline, was answered. Jo was booked at the request of a Branch supporter, and comes highly recommended. More details nearer the time.
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The East Midlands (Nottingham) WFA Branch meets again on Friday 13th June at 7.30pm at St. Peter’s Church Hall, Church Street, Ruddington, Nottingham, NG11 6HA. All welcome.
The speaker is Nigel Atter who will speak about ‘The 8th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment at the Battle of Loos, September 1915.’
This K3 Kitchener battalion was rushed to the front on the opening day, 25th September, and paid a heavy price for the poor planning by Sir John French and his staff. The disappointment of Loos would see French lose his command and be replaced by Haig in December.
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Next Meeting - Spalding & South Lincolnshire Branch, WFA – Thursday 22nd May, - Doors open 7.00pm for prompt start at 7.30pm - Venue: Spalding Baptist Church, Swan Street, Spalding, PE11 1BT.
Grant Cullen presents "1914-1918, the First Air War - People & Planes".
Grant is the Secretary of the Chesterfield Branch, WFA, and Editor of their monthly newsletter, "The Spire". He is a retired chemicals industry executive with wide interests in model making, railways (he has written many magazine articles on railway history, plus the history of World War 1, and has travelled extensively around the world for both business and pleasure visiting many historical battlefields on the way.
His talk this evening will look at WW1 aircraft and pilots (many lesser known) from all the combatant nations. The talk is based around a collection of photographs a friend of his - John Mircum - living in Hazlewood (near St Louis), Missouri, USA, picked up by accident at a yard sale (he thought the box contained carpet slippers!), and was greatly surprised when he got it home to find he had a collection of historic photographs! Grant says that he has seen few (if any?) of these in print or elsewhere, and will bring out some interesting facts that he suspects very few attendees will know much about regarding the individuals pictured in the photos…Sir David Henderson, Tommy Sopwith, Roland Garros, Antony Fokker, Eddie Rickenbacker (subject of a very interesting - and rather moving tale - of how a seagull saved his life)….Piotr Nestorov and others. He will also be showing a short, and very fascinating, animated film showing how the Lewis gun actually operates.
Grant and John met around 20 years ago when they were working together on a project at Granite City Steel across the river in Missouri and have kept in touch ever since. John digitised and e-mailed the photographs to Grant, later mailing the originals. However, the package containing the originals was lost in transit and, despite their best attempts to track it down, remains missing to this day. It is, therefore, very fortunate John digitised them first thus saving them for posterity.
The Branch looks forward to seeing you on the night at this pleasant venue. Doors open 7.00pm for 7.30pm start, but please note you may have to ring the doorbell to gain entry (this because we cannot monitor the doors from our meeting room). On-street car parking. Free refreshments.
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The Leadenham Military History Group’s next meeting will be on Tuesday 27th May, at Leadenham Village Hall with a start time of 6.30/7.30pm.
From 6.30pm there will be a display of Military Vehicles in the village hall car park and surrounds.
At 7.30pm Ian Prince will present “WWII May to September 1945 Asia-Pacific Theatre.”
As we celebrate VE Day on 8th May, our very Anglo-Centric view of the Second World War often means that we forget that the war against Japan continued until mid-August 1945 as it was primarily an American theatre of war.
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The next presentation in the Friends of Lincoln Tank 2025 season of talks will be held on Thursday 12th June. Please note that there is no branch meeting in May.
The next FoLT talk will be held on the 12th June when we will welcome Andy Burn who will speak to us on how the story of Fray Bentos is brought to the movie screen!
Andy comments:
“It is my intention to talk for around an hour about the process of bringing the Fray Bentos story to screen and the challenges involved in such an undertaking. I am also happy to take questions as we go along. I want to keep the evening quite informal.
The action itself will of course be covered to some extent. However, I hasten to add that I’m a film maker and not a historian. I’m also aware that many of the details surrounding the exploits of F41’s crew have become muddled over the years. Even Donald Major Richardson’s memoir from the early ‘30’s has what I would describe as some ‘misremembered anomalies”
I believe this will be a talk that will be something of a move from our normal format bringing a different viewpoint to the topic of WW1 and the way we enjoy our hobby. As you know Andy Burn is the Producer and Writer for “Tin Hat Productions”, a Lincolnshire based film production company. Past productions have included “Spitfire over Berlin”, “Lancaster Skies” and “Battle over Britain” to name but a few.
As ever, we shall meet at The Royal Naval Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln with doors opening at 7.00pm for a 7.30pm start. An entrance fee of £5.00 will be payable on the door. There is ample parking on site and a fully licensed bar will be open for refreshments. Don’t forget, you do not have to be a member of FoLT to attend. All who come will be afforded a warm welcome whether old or young, male or female. We are a friendly bunch and I hope to see many faces, new and familiar, on the night.
Trapped: The Story of Fray Bentos - The Tank Museum
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Another group who meet at the Royal Naval Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG are the Lincs Aviation Society.
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 will be on Thursday 19th June when Alwyn Killingsworth will talk about ‘The Handley Page Hampden AD874 Accident.’
Please arrive 7pm for a 7.30pm start.
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I should also like to take this opportunity to remind you about the memorial unveiling to Squadron leader Mark Long who was so tragically killed one year ago when his BBMF Spitfire crashed on take-off.
The unveiling commences at 13.00h at Market Stainton next Saturday 24th May.
If any TL readers are attending, perhaps you might send me a photo or two with a short report?
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I have news of an unusual but what I believe will be a very interesting outing for June to Saltfleetby National Nature Reserve on the north Lincolnshire coast.
Meeting at 10am on Friday 20th June, Chris Sanderson will be our host for a gentle three hour walk and talk where we can view the remains of the WWI coastal defences that still exist on the reserve, and believe it or not, Chris tells me that there is an area of land that resembles the Menin Road in Belgium, and Chris gives a talk based on the events of autumn 1917 from the diary of a soldier who fought on the Menin Road with the King’s Liverpool Regiment.
Following the tour and talk, there will be the opportunity for a light pub lunch should you so wish.
So that I can confirm the numbers attending, please will you let me know if you are joining the tour? Thanks. New faces always welcome.
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On the weekend of 7th and 8th June, there will be a WWI themed exhibition at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life, Burton Road, Lincoln, LN1 3NY.
Museum of Lincolnshire Life – About the museum - Lincolnshire County Council
Friends of the Lincoln Tank, Lincoln WFA branch and many others will have stands for you to visit in what will be a most informative weekend.
In the main museum, you can also view a genuine WWI Lincoln built tank and Charles Sharpe’s medals including his Victoria Cross.
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I had a few folk contact me to say they were interested in the online talk on May 22nd at the London Archives regarding the first Zeppelin attacks on London. However, they were struggling to locate a link on the web site to register for the talk.
Bill Pinfold has now kindly provided this link to sign up for this free event.
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Here are details from two VE Day events that took place last week. Firstly, at Leadenham village hall there was a 4.30pm unveiling ceremony of three plaques commemorating the 1916-1919 RFC/RAF Leadenham aerodrome.
The Masters of Ceremony, Tim Sisson and Tim Willbond explained how the whole process had come about and the unveiling of the plaques was carried out by Group Captain Harry Harrison, 2i/c, at RAF Cranwell College.
A piper from RAF Waddington Pipes and Drum band played to the attendees, prayers were said by the Reverend Sara Davies and refreshments were then served.
It was an excellent and most worthwhile event.
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Further north, my old mate Jon Sandison in Lerwick, Shetland, let me have these four photos from what he described as a ‘Norwegian invasion’!
There have always been strong links between Shetland and Norway, and especially so during WWII, when clandestine operations were carried out against the National Socialist Germans from Shetland by sailing agents across the North Sea by using the ‘Shetland Bus.’
You can read more by clicking on the link below.
VE Day: How the secret 'Shetland Bus' helped Norway during WW2 - BBC News
Thank you Jon for sharing these images.
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Staying with a WWII theme, Ray Sellers has just returned from a tour of Germany and Poland, much of which was visiting Prisoner of War Camps including Colditz Castle.
Ray writes; ‘My photo No.1 (below) is the museum and memorial to the inmates of Stalag Luft 111, and Stalag V111-C near Zagan Poland, which prior to 1945 was in the German State of Silesia.
No.2 is the entrance to the tunnel HARRY, located in Hut 104 at Stalag Luft 111. All the huts were pulled down shortly after the war, so only the foundation plinths survive.
No.3 is looking towards the exit of HARRY i.e. the white stone in the distance. With the Guard tower, which is a replica, you can see that the exit of the tunnel, did not quite reach the trees as planned, which hindered their escape.
No.4 is a photo of the memorial to the 50 POW’s murdered by the Germans after their recapture from The Great Escape. The RAF have a memorial service here every year on that anniversary.
No.5 is the forbidding Colditz Castle, near Leipzig Saxony, Germany. I visited it some 50 years ago, when it was a mental asylum. It’s now been fully restored as a museum to its time as a prison camp.
No.6 is the ESCAPE museum within the Castle, and;
No.7 is the famous theatre within the Castle, where yet another tunnel was dug.
No. 8 is of beautiful Dresden. Today, meticulously rebuilt to its former glory, when it was known as THE FLORENCE OF THE ELBE. When I first visited Dresden 50 years ago, most of the historic waterfront was still a pile of bomb damaged rubble. So you have to admire the German work ethic to put this city, and indeed all their other cities back together again. I hope readers will find these of interest?’
Thank you Ray. I am sure we all found them of great interest.
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Mike Credland is always a hive of knowledge and this week is no exception. Mike was taken by snippets in last week’s TL and writes; ‘I was interested Jonathan to read in Sunday's edition of TL that Don Jenkins has recently visited St Martin's church at Blyton where the display of flags is astounding.
I first visited the church some 30 years ago and later included a detailed account in my book, The First World War Memorials of Lincolnshire. What is less known is that during the Second World War it was considered prudent to re-hang the Japanese and Italian flags (our allies in the Great War) out of the way at the rear of the nave where they remain to this day.
Your reference to the War Memorial Hospital at Horncastle (shown in attached photograph) was also of interest. Closed by the Health Authority in 1998 local concern over its future resulted in the building being adopted and refurbished for multi-purpose use. My employers, John Roberts Architects of Lincoln, were awarded the commission and I was appointed project designer and site supervisor. The project was completed and officially opened by Lt Col and Mrs John Dymoke on 3 June 2002.
Similarly, the War Memorial Hospital at Alford (shown in the attached photograph) was closed by the Health Authority in the early 1990's and became a care home.
A local group formed Friends of Alford Hospital and a site purchased in Chauntry Road for constructing a new War Memorial Hall. John Roberts Architects were again appointed and I was given the honour of designing the building as per attached photograph. The project was completed and opened on 7 January 1994.
Because of my interest in war memorials, especially those in Lincolnshire, it was an absolute delight to be involved with the above two projects that very few people are given such opportunity.’
Thank you for the additional news Mike, which I am sure will be greatly appreciated by the TL readers.
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I featured a short piece from Declan Martin-Thompson last week about Private Dales. You will recall that Declan has a superb collection of Great War medals awarded to Lincolnshire men, and Declan was a first time contributor to Trench Lincs last week.
Buoyed by seeing his work in print! Declan has sent me another story this week from his wonderful collection.
Declan writes; ‘50413 Private George Auckland 7th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment. George Auckland was killed in action on the 18th September 1918 aged 20.
George was born in the second quarter of 1898 at Grantham, Lincolnshire. He was the son of Mrs Emma Elmer of 9 Albert Street, Grantham.
Pre-war George was employed as a fitter’s apprentice at Messrs Ruston and Hornsby's Ltd. He was a member of St. Anne's football club and was an organ blower at St. Wulfram's church in Grantham.
Mrs Emma Elmer had 5 sons serving in the Great War. Two of whom fell in action and another two were seriously wounded.
George is commemorated on the Vis en Artois Memorial and on the war memorial in Grantham St. Wulfram's churchyard.’
Thank you for this story Declan. We Will Remember Them.
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Roger Frankish doesn’t do things by half and this week, I have a superb piece of Roger’s research to share with you all.
Roger comments; ‘The Grasby War Memorial is in All Saints Church, Grasby (Grid Ref. TA 087048). It's in the form of a white marble tablet mounted on the south wall of the nave, the work of Mr Wood, stonemason, of Caistor. It was unveiled by the Earl of Yarborough (Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire) accompanied by the Countess of Yarborough, on Sunday 2nd October, 1921, “.. to the Glory of God and to the lasting memory of those who fell in the Great War.” The wording is as follows: In Loving Memory of the men of Grasby, who fell in the Great War 1914 - 1918. • Harry E. Wescott, Age 23. // Edward L. Wescott, “ 22. // Arthur F. Wescott, “ 20. // Herbert J. Foster, “ 20. // • Their Name Liveth for Evermore.
The unveiling and dedication ceremony took place in the afternoon, with the service conducted by the vicar, the Rev. W. J. Price; also present were the Rev. R. Ireland (of South Kelsey) and Canon G. J. Boissier (Rural Dean and Rector of Rothwell) who dedicated the tablet.
After unveiling the memorial, the Earl of Yarborough spoke from the chancel steps, saying he appreciated the compliment as a tribute of love and gratitude to those who, in the Great War, gave their lives for King and country. We could look back with pride to what our small country did when the war broke out, and how we kept command of the seas and transported millions of tons of war material, as well as food and clothing, for ourselves and our Allies, for use in the seven campaigns waged at the same time. Patriotism and self-sacrifice induced our young men to come forward to serve, and, if need be, to die in the cause of their country. We had happily been spared such devastation in our own land as he had seen in Flanders, when, accompanied by Lady Yarborough, he went to visit his son’s grave.
There were shell holes, the awful desolation, the absence of trees, and the graveyards with vast numbers of little crosses showing where thousands of our young men lie, near where they fought and fell. It was also fitting that their self-sacrifice should be recorded in the parish in which they formerly lived, and where they were well known, and so monuments were erected either outside or in a church, as in this case.
Lord Yarborough said he had recently unveiled a memorial in Boston which contained three-hundred names, also one in Frodingham containing seventy names. Grasby was a small village and their memorial contained only four names – three of these from one family – and the eldest of the four was only 23. These young men had, however, achieved much in their short lives, and this should bring some satisfaction to their relatives. None of those present could hope to achieve so much. History told them that their beloved country had been threatened on several previous occasions. Philip the Second of Spain, Louis of France, and in later days, Napoleon had threatened us, but not one of those was so dangerous to our country as the one to oppose which these young men had given their lives. He offered his sincerest sympathy to the relatives of those who had died, and his lordship concluded an eloquent and touching address by saying, “Let our sorrow be mingled with pride; he died the noblest death a man could die, fighting for freedom and liberty, and such a death is immortality.”
The Rev. Canon Bossier, who dedicated the tablet said their thoughts were carried back about seven years when might was looked upon by our enemies as right. This was contrary to our religion, which is the religion of the oppressed. The war had left scars everywhere – there was loss and separation. There was also the shattered health of many who had returned, perhaps with the loss of a limb or disordered nerves, and although their thoughts that day were largely of those who had made the great sacrifice, they must not forget the toil and suffering of those who had returned.
At the close of the service, the “Last Post” was impressively sounded by Mr. G. Walker and Mr Norman Dixon, of Caistor. Three wreaths were deposited at the foot of the tablet, two by the parents of the men whose names were on the tablet, and one of red, white and blue, from ex-Service men in memory of their fallen comrades. Both before and after the service the bells rang a muffled peal.
After the service both Lord and Lady Yarborough spoke a few words of sympathy to the bereaved relatives, and this kindly action was much appreciated.
(Above) 9828 Corporal Elton Harry Wescott, 6th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment, died of wounds 15/08/1915, aged 23 years; buried in Alexandria (Chatby) Military and War Memorial Cemetery, plot J, grave 44. The son of Elton E. and Leah E. Wescott, of Grasby, Lincolnshire.
(Above) 9580 Serjeant Edward Lawrence Wescott, 8th Bn, Lincolnshire Regiment, died of wounds 11/05/1917, aged 22 years; buried in Étaples Military Cemetery, plot XVIII, row M, grave 6A. The son of Elton Edward and Leah Elizabeth Wescott, of Grasby, Lincolnshire, he was originally attached to the 1st Battalion and went to France with that battalion in August 1914.
Etaples Military Cemetery (Above).
Étaples Military Cemetery, the largest CWGC Cemetery in France (10,816 burials), was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and contains 10,771 burials from WW1, of which 35 are unidentified. Serjeant Wescott’s headstone can be seen in the photo in the second row to the right of centre.
(Above) 99056 Corporal Arthur Frank Wescott, “A” Bty, 152nd Bde, Royal Field Artillery, died of wounds 13/11/1918; buried in Grasby Church burial ground. Son of Elton Edward and Leah Elizabeth Wescott, of Grasby, Lincolnshire.
In November 1918 the funeral took place in Grasby Church of Corporal Arthur Frank Wescott, Royal Field Artillery. Having been wounded in France and subsequently transferred to Shorncliffe Hospital and thence to Cambridge, where he died under an operation on 13th November, his remains being sent to Grasby for interment. The funeral ceremony was conducted by the Rev. W. J. Price (vicar of Grasby). The deceased was previously in the church choir. A firing party of the Manchester's was present from Brocklesby Camp. Deceased was borne to his last resting place by Messrs. Middleton, Baron, G. Urry and H. Spalton. The coffin was covered with a Union Jack (lent by the Earl of Yarborough) and the deceased’s cap, belt and side arms were placed upon it. Appropriate hymns were sung in church. Mr Wilmore presided at the organ. At the cemetery the concluding prayers were read by the Vicar, after which three volleys were fired over the grave. The buglers then sounded the “Last Post,” and the soldier who had faced the enemy for two years and a half was left to his rest in the midst of the village he loved so well.
The mourners included Mr and Mrs E. E. Wescott (father and mother) and Miss F. Wescott (sister), Mr Wescott and Mrs A. Wescott (brother and sister-in-law) Mr Leslie Wescott and S. Wescott (brothers) Mr Clifford Markham and Mrs G. W. Markham, and Mr and Mrs F. Gibson (Limber). Amongst the large number present in church and at the graveside were Mr and Mrs J. E. Benson (Somerby), Mr J. and Miss Joan Spilman (Clixby), Mrs H. and Miss N. Spilman (Clixby), Mrs Price (Grasby), Mr and Mrs J. W. Urry (Grasby), Mrs Philip Markham (Grasby), Mr and Mrs Hasnip and the majority of the villagers, the choir, and school children, as well as many from Caistor, Somerby, Owmby and Searby. The floral tributes were generous, including one from the family “In memory of the Three Soldier Brothers,” a horse-shoe floral token, was very appropriate. Mr J. Frankish was responsible for the funeral arrangements.
The death of Corporal A. F. Wescott is indeed sad, as he is the third son Mr and Mrs Wescott have lost in the war. Corporal H. Wescott was the first to give his life for his country. He was wounded at the Dardanelles, and died at Alexandria. Corporal H. Wescott joined the 6th Lincolns the same week that war was declared. Sergeant E. Wescott was in the 1st Lincolns before the war, and after fighting in all the engagements which the 1st Lincolns were in, including the retreat from Mons, he was wounded in the chest during the attack on Arras in 1917 and was buried at Etaples. (The final sentence is unreadable due to the newspaper being torn.)
The fourth name on the memorial is 241195 Lance Corporal John Herbert Foster, 2nd /5th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment, killed in action 11/04/1017, aged 21 years; commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, pier and face 1C. The son of James and Hannah Foster, of Front Street, Grasby, Lincolnshire.
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This week’s offering from Colour by CJS is of Robert Darling MC.
Lieutenant Robert Darling MC.
Robert was born in 1890 in Hart near Hartlepool, County Durham. He had two sisters and in 1914 the family lived in Yarm and Robert worked on a farm that they owned.
He enlisted shortly after war was declared and deployed to France as a Private in the Northumberland Hussars on 5th October 1914.
He transferred to 9th Battalion The King's Liverpool Regiment and was commissioned in October 1915.
He was awarded a Military Cross for his actions on 28th June 1916. The citation published in the London Gazette read as follows.
“For conspicuous gallantry during a raid on the enemy's trenches. He pushed through the enemy's wire and entered his sap. He was one of the last to leave the enemy's trench, and returned carrying
a severely wounded man. Later he volunteered to attempt the rescue of a missing officer, and, assisted by a private, brought in his body. All this was under heavy shell and rifle fire.”
In 1916, he fought in the Battle of the Somme and in 1917 at the 3rd Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele)
After surviving the German Spring Offensive in early 1918, his unit took part in the 100-day Advance to Victory which started in August 1918.
On 16th September 1918 near Bullecourt in the company of another officer, he went out to reconnoitre the area in front of the Battalion. They came across a German patrol and both men were killed in the encounter.
Their bodies were later retrieved and today, Robert darling is buried in Ecoust-St. Mein British Cemetery.
Robert Darling was 27 years old.
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Last weekend, whilst in Suffolk for my birthday, the weather could not have been better, in fact it was on a par with being in southern Europe. Granddaughter Erin had her first paddle, but was not impressed by what the North Sea had to offer! However, in that sunshine, small village war memorials always look magnificent.
I have covered Southwold’s town memorial in past editions of TL, but this year, whilst meandering through the countryside, I came across the memorials at both Dunwich and Aldeburgh.
Dunwich is a most interesting little village, and I found this description of its demise at www.greatbritishlife.co.uk
‘On the windswept Suffolk coast, beneath the churning waves of the North Sea, lies a medieval powerhouse whose fate has captured imaginations for centuries. Dunwich, once one of England's largest and most prosperous ports, now slumbers beneath the waters – a haunting testament to the raw power of coastal erosion and the ephemeral nature of human achievement.
In its 13th-century heyday, Dunwich rivalled London as a seat of commerce and religious life. The town boasted eight churches, five houses of religious orders, two hospitals and a Guild Hall that bore witness to its civic pride.
Its natural harbour, now long vanished, once welcomed ships from across Europe, carrying wool, grain and fish that fuelled the medieval economy. The customs house collected more in taxes than Newcastle upon Tyne, and the borough even sent two members to Parliament, illustrating the town’s political significance.
Unfortunately, Dunwich's prosperity rested on unstable foundations. Built upon soft glacial cliffs of sand and clay, the town was vulnerable to the relentless assault of wind and waves – a plight of erosion that many still face today along our coastline.
A series of devastating storms in the 13th and 14th centuries marked the beginning of its long decline. The great storm of 1286 swept away the original harbour, while the infamous 1347 tempest destroyed hundreds of buildings and claimed much of the town's farmland. The storm of 1347 tragically coincided with the arrival of the Black Death to Suffolk, dealing Dunwich a double blow from which it would never recover.
The sea's advance proved inexorable. Year by year, century by century, Dunwich's streets, houses and sacred buildings toppled into the waves. All Saints' Church, the last of the medieval churches to survive on land, finally succumbed in 1919, its tower standing like a lonely sentinel before it too joined its congregants beneath the waves.
Today, only the ruins of the Franciscan friary, Greyfriars, remain on solid ground, nearly a mile inland from where the medieval shoreline once stood.
Local folklore tells of church bells ringing beneath the waves during storms, calling phantom congregations to worship in submerged sanctuaries. Fishermen speak of glimpsing shadowy walls and tower tops in the depths during particularly clear days, while divers who have explored the submarine ruins report an eerie landscape of tumbled stones colonised by marine life, where cod and bass now swim through what were once busy streets and market squares.
Modern scientific study has revealed the true extent of Dunwich's remains. Using advanced sonar and acoustic imaging techniques, researchers have mapped substantial ruins on the seabed, including the remains of All Saints' Church, St Peter's and sections of the town's defensive walls. These surveys paint a picture of a large medieval town, much of which still exists, preserved by the cold North Sea waters.
Dunwich's story resonates particularly strongly today as the town stands as both warning and metaphor – a reminder of nature's power to reclaim what we humans build, no matter how grand or permanent it may seem.
Visitors to modern Dunwich find a quiet village of about 120 people, a fraction of its medieval population of 3,000. The excellent local museum tells the story of the town's rise and fall, while the beach – reached by a path that would once have run through the heart of the medieval town – offers a contemplative spot to imagine the streets and buildings that once stood where waves now roll.’
Of great interest to me was the third name on the Dunwich memorial, that of Captain Seymour Barne MC who died on 23rd April 1917 noted as serving with the 20th Hussars. This unfashionable cavalry regiment was my grandfather’s regiment and I wonder if they knew each other? Perhaps my grandfather served for a while in Captain Barne’s Squadron?
I therefore turned to my copy of the 20th Hussar’s history and sure enough, Captain Barne’s death is mentioned, but was not what I expected to find.
The book states; ‘On 23rd April, Captain Barne, MC, was shot down and killed while serving with the Royal Flying Corps. By his death the regiment, and indeed the Army, lost one who was indeed an ideal cavalry officer. Seymour Barne might well have been taken as an example of what a cavalry officer should be. He was a consummate horseman, and under all circumstances, in peace and in war, was absolutely fearless. Yet there was none of the traditional ‘Beau Sabreur’ about him. He was one of the most unassuming and modest of men. In action he was cool and collected to a degree, and was possessed of excellent judgement. He was a sportsman to the backbone, he loved the regiment, and was himself beloved alike by officers and men.’
Today, Captain Seymour Barne is buried in Aubigny Communal Cemetery Extension, France.
After reading that splendid epitaph and having noticed a Major Miles Barne DSO on the Dunwich memorial too, I carried out some further research on the two brothers.
Major Barne served with the 1st Suffolk Yeomanry and was attached to the Scots Guards when killed on 17th September 1917 aged 43. He was the son of Lt. Col. St. John Barne and Lady Constance Barne, of Sotterley Hall, Wangford; and husband of Violet E. Barne, of Sotterley Hall, Wangford, Suffolk.
I also found that a book has been written about Major Miles Barne, and I will now need to find a copy!
Memorial tablets for both of the Barne brothers reside in St. James’ church, Dunwich, if you are ever down that way.
The war memorial at Aldeburgh, sits on the sea front overlooking the beach and next to the historic Moot Hall. It contains panels on a hexagonal plinth recording the names of the war dead by service on land, sea and in the air as well as civilians killed. You can read more here about Aldeburgh and the Great War.
Aldeburgh at War 1914-1918 | Aldeburgh Town Council
Aldeburgh, Suffolk.
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Finally for this week, a big thanks to Bill Roffey who reminded me that 16th/17th May was the 82nd anniversary of Operation Chastise - the attack on the Ruhr Dams by Lancaster's of 617 Squadron armed with the Barnes Wallis designed 'Bouncing Bomb' and led by Guy Gibson VC DSO* DFC*.
Click here to read more The Story of the Dambusters: Operation Chastise, May 1943 – The Historic England Blog
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IN MEMORIAM - The Lincolnshire Regiment 18th May.
1915
16104 Private F G Denton, 3rd Battalion, aged 33. Buried in Scartho Road Cemetery, Grimsby, UK.
1916
21514 Private J J Clarricoats, 3rd Battalion. Buried in Bracebridge Churchyard, Lincoln, UK.
1917
241001 Private J Sharp, 5th Battalion. Buried in Loos British Cemetery, France.
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
I look forward to hearing from you and maybe seeing you at Woodhall Spa show later today.
Until next week
All best wishes
Jonathan
© Jonathan D’Hooghe
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