Trench Lincs 21st December 2025
- trenchlincs
- 6 hours ago
- 14 min read
To become a subscriber, email me at trenchlincs@gmail.com
Good Morning,
Please find a shorter Trench Lincs this week, as I don’t want to keep you from your seasonal festivities, suffice to say, I wish all of you a Very Happy Christmas and a healthy and peaceful 2026. I also want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your continuing support. I receive so many emails and face to face comments from the readership telling me how much they look forward to TL arriving each Sunday.
What started off as a simple email during the ridiculous days of Covid restrictions, has become a much enjoyed weekly epistle, and therefore, I aim to continue each week throughout the New Year. Your ongoing support and enjoyment means a lot to me.
I also hope that readers who have not contributed before, will see the New Year as an opportunity to let me have their stories and questions, and especially photos of memorials from the UK and around the world.
Please excuse me signing off now until next Sunday, as Jill and I have 40 family and friends arriving at lunchtime for pre-Christmas drinks and nibbles!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
FORTHCOMING EVENTS.
Next event - Lincoln & North Lincolnshire Branch, WFA - Monday, January 12th 2026 - Doors open 7.00pm for 7.30pm start - Royal Naval Association Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG.
The 2026 season of talks kicks off at Lincoln Branch on Monday, January 12th, when our old friend John Chester will be presenting a brand new talk entitled "Honour and Tradition".
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Next Meeting - Spalding & South Lincolnshire Branch, WFA - Thursday, January 22nd 2026 - Doors open 7.00pm for 7.30 pm start - Spalding Baptist Church, Swan Street, Spalding, PE11 1BT
Spalding Branch will kick off their 2026 season on Thursday, January 22nd, when Jonathan D'Hooghe, will be presenting his new talk entitled "General Horace Smith-Dorrien; his two defining battles - Isandlwana 1879 and Le Cateau 1914." More details nearer the time.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
The East Midlands (Nottingham) WFA branch will hold their next speaker event on Friday 9th January 2026 at 7.30pm. The branch meets at St. Peter’s Church Hall, Church Street, Ruddington, NG11 6HA.
The speaker on this night is Dr. Scott Lindgren who will give his talk – “The Fog of Naval Warfare, The Battle of Jutland May 1916.”
If you click on this link, you will see the entire 2026 programme of events organised by John Beech.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Leadenham Military History Group’s next meeting will be on Tuesday 27th January 2026 at 7.30pm at Leadenham village hall.
This event will be an inter-active workshop which will look at the infamous Battle of Isandlwana which took place on 22nd January 1879 at the start of the Anglo-Zulu War.
All contributions on the night are welcome, or you can just sit, listen and hopefully learn.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Please click on this link to read the latest edition of Last Post.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
My article last week about the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich went down well and I received a number of responses. First was from Tony Nutkins, who really hit the nail on the head with his comments about Heydrich and the Nazis more generally, and his follow up tale about his uncle made me laugh out loud, as they say.
Tony writes; ‘Thanks once more for a very interesting and wide ranging edition of Trench Lincs. The contributions this week are well researched and interesting, and your account of your trip to the Czech Republic with the description of Heydrch's career and assassination, and the repercussions, makes harrowing reading. The Nazi regime was truly an evil, malicious and vindictive collection of psychopaths, collectively responsible for the most reprehensible crimes against humanity. That all of the horrors perpetrated were meticulously planned in such finite detail and extensively recorded beggars belief.
Just as an aside, there were also operations against German forces, some small and organised groups, with sweeps to capture those on the run in Austria based from Trieste.
My uncle was involved in that operation after fighting in Italy before being demobbed in 1946. He was once asked by one of my cousins friends who was planning a skiing holiday if he had been to Austria..."Yes", was his reply, "I landed at Salerno and fought my way up..."
Tony also wishes all of the Trench Lincs readers a Very Happy Christmas and has sent all of you via TL, the London Irish Rifles Christmas Card. [Thank you Tony - Ed]
[Tony's uncle's story reminds me of the old tale of the elderly gentleman being given a hard time at a French passport control booth. The officious gendarme intimated that the chap’s passport was not pukka in some way. The old chap said, “Well, I didn’t need a passport last time I came to France.” – “When was that?” asked the gendarme, “6th June 1944”, replied the old boy! – Touché – Ed]
You will recall that a Czech resistance member, Karel Curda, was so horrified by the German reprisals against the population, that he handed himself in to the Gestapo and betrayed all of his comrades and the families providing safe houses in Prague, in the vain hope that the reprisals would end.
James Handley supplied the following additional information about Karel Curda, James notes; ‘Just as an aside to your tale of Operation Anthropoid, I’m not sure if you’re aware but the resistance member who betrayed the assassins of Heydrich, Karel Curda, was subsequently tracked down and apprehended by the Czech authorities after the war and put on trial for treason. He was executed by hanging in April 1947 at Pankrac Prison near Prague.’
Karel Curda
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I will start the new topics this week with news from Poland, where my daughter Lizzie, son-in-law Steve, granddaughter, Erin, and Steve’s son, Cody, have been enjoying the Christmas market and seasonal offerings of the town of Gdansk.
In recent memory, Gdansk is probably best known as being the home of Solidarnosc (Solidarity), the movement against Communist control of the country’s workforce which began in the shipyards of Gdansk and was led by Lech Walesa, who became the country’s first democratically elected president after the Poles threw off the Communist yoke.
If you don’t remember Lech Walesa and his struggles over many years towards democracy, then click here to read a biography of his life.
Lech Walesa | Biography, Solidarity, Nobel Prize, & Facts | Britannica
Whilst there is a Solidarnosc museum in the Gdansk shipyards, it was the WWII museum that attracted Lizzie and Steve.
They sent me a selection of photos and I asked them if they would pen a few words about their visit. They are a further generation away from WWII and I was interested to hear their views and opinions.
Lizzie wrote; ‘My visit to the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk was incredibly powerful and emotional. The exhibitions were beautifully designed, guiding me through the lives of ordinary people caught in the chaos of war. The immersive displays, personal stories, and original artefacts made the history feel painfully real. Walking through the galleries, I felt a deep sense of reflection and respect for the resilience shown during such dark times. The museum balanced education with emotion, leaving me both informed and moved. It’s a place that stays with you long after you leave, offering a meaningful and unforgettable experience.’
Steve commented; ‘The Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk is an unforgettable place to visit. Its bold architecture draws you in, but it’s the atmosphere inside that truly stays with you. Walking through the exhibitions feels astonishingly real—streets rebuilt from wartime Europe, the sounds of everyday life interrupted by conflict, and personal belongings that once belonged to ordinary people. The immersive displays make you feel as though you’re witnessing history unfold around you. It’s both moving and eye-opening, offering a powerful reminder of the human stories behind World War II. Visiting this museum is not just educational; it’s deeply emotional and impactful.’
Steve is certainly right about the museum’s architecture, what a great design!
Did the architect have one too many beers, or was his drawing board not straight!!
For a generation schooled in the 1990s and early 2000s where traditional history and geography, as my generation knew it, was not taught, I believe that immersive museums like this one in Gdansk, do, as both Lizzie and Steve say, educate. Although there is currently conflict in Ukraine, Europe has not seen major warfare now for 80 years and there are three generations of people, from my generation born in the 1950’s [Just! – Ed] to today’s youngsters born in the 2000’s who have no experience of war, war created hardship and privation, and of course, soldiering.
Here is a selection of photos from the Gdansk WWII museum, including a statue of Witold Pilecki – see below.
The street scenes are very impressive.
Erin and Lizzie thoroughly enjoyed Gdansk.
Polish soldier, Witold Pilecki was imprisoned in Auschwitz on 22nd September 1940. Pilecki undertook the mission to infiltrate the camp in order to create a conspiracy network there, organize communications, send reliable data about German crimes in the camp, and possibly prepare the camp's prisoners for a possible fight. In April 1943, Witold Pilecki escaped with two fellow inmates. He wrote reports in which he described the camp terror and the tragic fate of the prisoners, as well as the progressive development of the extermination of the Jewish people in Auschwitz.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Please find below part four of Ray Sellers’ tour around the Emerald Isle. Ray writes; ‘As promised, some more photos from my recent trip to Ireland. We are now in Newtownards, Ulster where Photo 22 is a memorial to their famous son Paddy Mayne, a leading light in the formation and early operations of the SAS.
Photo 24 is the plaque giving brief details about his life. No doubt, there is more information available online. I seem to remember in recent times, they showed a TV series entitled SAS ROGUE HEROES. I gather his family were very upset about the way he was portrayed in that series!’
[Lt-Col. Robert Blair Mayne DSO *** (3 bars) was an unconventional hero of the Second World War. A rugby international before the war, Mayne was a hard drinking but inspirational leader with a remarkable sense of the ‘right thing to do’ in battle. – Ed]
Please click this link to read about him ‘Paddy’ Mayne: An Irish Lion | National Army Museum
Ray continues; ‘We now move to Belfast. Photos 33, 34, 60 and 61 are items displayed in the Titanic Centre. It’s a huge modern multimedia exhibition that is well worth a visit, and is now the city's No.1 visitor attraction. Close by, in dry dock, is Titanic’s tender named Nomadic, where one can take a self-guided tour.
I felt that both these exhibitions really brought it home to you about what a terrible tragedy the sinking of the Titanic was, and whilst remembering the events of 1912, I would like to include the following. Just two weeks before, and still unknown to the outside world, on March 29th, Captain Scott made his last diary entry, in their blizzard bound tent in Antarctica, just 12 miles from a supply dump. So it’s assumed that he and his two surviving companions died around this time, and yet, it was not until February 1913 that the tragedy became public knowledge when the Expedition ship, Terra Nova, made her first landfall at a small port called Oamaru, on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It’s an interesting story, more details are online of course. Further investigation will also mention the Night Watchman's Hut, which still exists, and a memorial tree planted later in 1913 in Oamaru. One of my cousins lives in the same road where the tree is, so on our visits to N.Z. we always go to these two sites to remember another great tragedy.
PS – If you read Scott’s diary it evokes a period of great national patriotism, long gone now of course, but displayed again during The Great War.’
As we sit down to enjoy Christmas with our families, we must remember those that have gone before us. Thank you for the interesting tale Ray, and I am assured that there is more from Ireland still to come.
46th (North Midland) Division Christmas Card.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Last Saturday was the Lincoln WFA annual lunch at the White Hart hotel, and I believe that everyone who attended enjoyed the bonhomie of the day. The meal was of a good standard, but I think they were a little understaffed on the day, and the service suffered as a result, though not enough to mar the event.
I have set the annual quiz for the last umpteen years, so it was good to take part for once as Mike Credland produced an excellent 25 question quiz, with five sets of five questions appertaining to the years 1914, 15, 16, 17 and 18.
Without wishing to blow my own trumpet, I was pleased to top the quiz and share the first prize, a large box of chocolates with all of the diners around the table.
Tim Chamberlin led the communal joke telling and after a few good belly laughs, Tim and I recited Tim’s favourite Great War poem, “Young Fellow My Lad”, written by a Canadian Medical Officer, Robert Service, in 1916.
Tim played the father and I was the Young Fellow! Here is Tim’s favourite poem.
YOUNG FELLOW MY LAD
Where are you going, Young Fellow My Lad,
On this glittering morn of May?
I’m going to join the Colours, dad;
They’re looking for men they say.
But you’re only a boy Young Fellow My Lad;
You aren’t obliged to go.
I’m seventeen and a quarter, Dad,
And ever so strong, you know.
++
So you’re off to France, Young Fellow My Lad,
And you’re looking so fit and bright.
I’m terribly sorry to leave you, Dad,
But I feel that I am doing right.
God bless you and keep you, Young Fellow My Lad,
You’re all of my life, you know.
Don’t worry. I’ll soon be back, dear Dad,
And I’m awfully proud to go.
++
Why don’t you write, Young Fellow My Lad?
I watch for the post each day;
And I miss you so, and I am awfully sad,
And it’s months since you went away.
And I’ve had the fire in the parlour lit,
And I’m keeping it burning bright
Till my boy comes home; and here I sit
Into the quiet night.
++
What is the matter, Young Fellow My Lad?
No letter again today.
Why did the postman look so sad,
And sigh as he turned away?
I hear them tell that we’ve gained new ground,
But a terrible price we’ve paid:
God grant, my boy, that you’re safe and sound;
But oh, I’m afraid, afraid.
++
They’ve told me the truth, Young Fellow My Lad:
You’ll never come back again.
(Oh God! The dreams and the dreams I’ve had,
And the hopes I’ve nursed in vain.)
For you passed in the night, Young Fellow My Lad,
And you proved in the cruel test
Of the screaming shell and the battle hell
That my boy was one of the best.
++
So you’ll live, you’ll live, Young Fellow My Lad,
In the gleam of the evening star,
In the woodnote wild and the laugh of the child,
In all sweet things that are.
And you’ll never die, my wonderful boy,
While life is noble and true;
For all our beauty and hope and joy,
We will owe to our lads like you.
From The Rhymes of a Red Cross Man – by Robert Service. First published 1916.
A good time was had by all.
Many of the guests took the opportunity to visit the Tank Room at the White Hart.
The party continued after the meal!
12th (Eastern) Division Christmas card.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
On Tuesday, my wife and I met friends in London to view the exhibition at the Natural History Museum of the Wildlife Photography of the Year. There were some remarkable photos to see, including this poor Bull Frog succumbing to a Diamond Back Water Snake.
Or this Parakeet attempting to stop a Monitor from taking her chicks or eggs.
Truly remarkable moments of nature captured by the camera.
However, find of the day for me [Don't know how I missed it last year - Ed], was the British and Natural History Museum's Great War Roll of Honour.
The Wildlife Photography exhibition is on until July and is well worth a visit.
++++++++++++++++++++++
My old mate Marcus Dunbar is in Australia once again, enjoying, or possibly enduring the Ashes cricket teat matches. Just before the third test started, he visited Glenelg, a beach resort close to Adeliade and kindly sent me this photo of the town's war memorial.
Look at that lovely blue sky.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This week’s offering from Colour by CJS is;
Private Frederick Charles Williams.
Frederick was born in 1895 in Heanton Punchardon, Devon. At the age of 20 he enlisted in June 1915, and it is believed that he arrived in France in January 1916.
Frederick served with 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards, where he spent time in the Ypres sector before his unit moved south to fight in the Battle of the Somme.
On 15th September 1916 the Battalion took part in the opening attack of the battle of Flers – Courcelette, the first ever battle in which Lincoln designed and built tanks were used.
After months of routine trench duty, it was Frederick’s first time “going over the top”.
Supported by two tanks they advanced under a heavy German artillery barrage and withering machine gun fire.
The battalion launched the attack with 707 officers and men but by the end of the day it had sustained heavy casualties, 40 killed, 224 missing and 218 wounded. (68%).
Frederick did not answer the roll call next morning, very sadly, his fate is unknown, and therefore, as he has no known grave, he is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the missing.
Frederick Williams was 21 years old.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In Memoriam the Lincolnshire Regiment 21st December.
1914
7687 Private J A Mills, 2nd Battalion. Buried in Rue Petillon Military Cemetery, France.
Lieutenant Ernest Haddon Owen, 3rd Battalion, aged 28. Remembered on the Le Touret Memorial, France. ** (see below)
1917
11516 Private J A Price, 8th Battalion, aged 38. Buried in Outtersteene Communal Cemetery, France.
44768 Private Bertie Powers, Depot, aged 26. Buried in Newark upon Trent Cemetery, UK.
1918
7827 Private M S Maltby, 1st Battalion. Buried in Hamburg Cemetery, Germany.
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
** Lieutenant Ernest Haddon Owen was attached to 1st Battalion South Wales Borderers at the time of his death. He was the son of William Haddon Owen and Elizabeth Vincent Owen, of Louth, Lincs.
Ernest was educated at Llandaff, Stancliffe Hall, and Haileybury, and he was a partner in the Firm Haddon Owen and Son, Solicitors, Louth. Ernest had previously served 7 years in the 4th Battalion Lincolnshire Militia. He left the army in 1911 and re-joined the Lincolnshire regiment on the outbreak of war
His Commanding Officer wrote to his parents, "He was killed leading his men into the trenches, and was shot in the head when only three or four yards off them. He was slightly wounded in the neck a short time before, but gallantly led his men on", - and a brother subaltern wrote, "Your son was in the leading Company, we had to drive the Germans from the trenches which the Indians had lost the day previously. You will be glad to hear that we got those trenches. He was most brave in the advance, and those of us who saw him advance could not help but note his coolness and unconcern".
Ernest Haddon Owen.
++++++++++++++++++++++
ERRATUM. Last Sunday I stated that there were no men of the Lincolnshire Regiment recorded as having died on 14th December in any year of the war.
Mike Credland supplied the list below of men he believed died on 14th December. I re-checked and he is correct. Therefore, I can only assume that when I did my initial searches, the CWGC data base or search engine was not functioning correctly, as I received a zero return for each year, and as I thought it unlikely, I did the search twice. Just goes to show that technology is great – when it works!!
Sorry for my error.
1914 - 1st Battalion Private 9448 CHARLES TIMMINS Buried Le Touquet-Paris Plage Communal Cemetery.
1916 - 10th Battalion Private 43523 WILLIAM J PHIPPS Buried Brewery Orchard Cemetery, Bois Grenier.
- 1st/4th Battalion L/Cpl 2163 JOHN ROBERT SIMPSON Buried Warlincourt Halte British Cemetery.
- 12th Labour Company Private 29846 FRED MELLOR Buried in Janval Cemetery, Dieppe.
1917 - 2nd/5th Battalion Private 241424 OSCAR JAMES HALL Buried Grevillers British Cemetery
- 7th Battalion Private 38566 THOMAS HAROLD HOWLETT Buried Wimereux Communal Cemetery
1918 - 4th Battalion Private CYRIL ERNEST BEESTON 43774 Buried Liege (Robermont) Cemetery.
Depot, Private HAROLD CROWSON 35111 Buried Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery. Thought to be from Gedney Dyke.
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I hope to hear from you in the week with news of what Santa brought you, especially if it has links to the Great War! – Please do let me know.
Merry Christmas to all of you,
Until next week,
All best wishes,
Jonathan.
© Jonathan D’Hooghe
Comments