Trench Lincs 21st June 2026
- Jun 22
- 20 min read
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Good Morning,
I hope this edition of TL finds you all well on what is the longest day of the year, the Summer Solstice. I have to inform you that as from tonight, the nights are drawing in, two minutes a day, fifteen minutes a week, one hour a month, as we begin the run down once again to Christmas!
Why have I mentioned Christmas, I hear you ask? Well, I am very pleased to announce that the Lincolnshire and North Lincs WFA branch annual Christmas lunch will be held once again on Saturday December 12th at the White Hart hotel in Lincoln.
The price has been held for a third year at £25 per diner, thanks to a branch subsidy, and I am taking bookings now, without obligation as places are strictly limited to 25.
If you register now, no payment or commitment will be due until late October, but you will be guaranteed a place at this always sold out event.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Getting the goose ready!
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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.
Annual General Meeting followed by The Chairman's Annual Lecture.
Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the Lincoln & North Lincolnshire Branch of the WFA will take place on Monday, July 13th at the Royal Naval Association Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln.
Official papers will be issued nearer the time but, in the meantime, should any person wish to submit an item or resolution for discussion under Any Other Business, or would like to stand for an Executive position on the Committee (you must be a WFA member to serve in an Executive capacity on the Committee), they should notify us in advance through Trench Lincs please.
Following the 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.
I am also suggesting a light hearted competition to be held at the AGM on 13th July in order, I hope, to boost attendance.
I was talking with Peter Garland about that fact that a café on Navenby High Street sells ANZAC biscuits and Peter noted that; ‘A little culinary special for Trench Lincs. At the April meeting of Spalding Branch WFA we were talking about ANZAC day and the part that special cookies play in the day's events.
Spalding supporter Gerald Taylor's wife, Sue, said she had the original recipe and would bake some for the May meeting. So, at the end of the meeting, ANZAC Day cookies were duly produced, and I can tell you they were delicious.
For you budding cooks out there, here is the recipe: You will need:
2 table-spoons Golden Syrup // 5 ounces butter // 4 ounces caster sugar // 4 ounces plain flour // 3 ounces rolled oats // 2 ounces desiccated coconut // 2 table-spoons bicarb of soda // 1 table-spoon hot water.
Method:
Place syrup, butter and sugar in a pan and melt until sugar is dissolved. Place flour, oats, coconut and bicarb into the melted mixture, add the water and mix well. When cool enough to handle, roll out into balls, and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 170 celsius, or gas mark 4, for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown.’
This traditional Great War biscuit is a delight and was sent originally to the ANZAC troops in Gallipoli in 1915.
Therefore, please let me know if you would like to have a go and bake a batch of ANZAC biscuits to be brought to the meeting on 13th July, where I will organise a blind tasting panel who will judge the entries.
I hope to hear from you!
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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 10th July 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 night is Roy Lakin who will talk about ‘August 1914’.
Britain’s preparation for war and the arrival of the BEF at Mons on 22nd August, followed by the start of the retreat to the Marne and the fighting at Le Cateau on the 26th.
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The Leadenham Military History Group’s next meeting will be on Tuesday 23rd June at 7.30pm at Leadenham village hall.
This evening will consist of two presentations.
Presentation 1: RAF Digby Operations Room, by Kathy Blake, who is a guide at the Operations Room Museum, with illustrative items.
Presentation 2: Shagbats, by Mark Bamford, Chairman, Sleaford Museum. The exploits of the Supermarine Walrus in Air Sea Rescue.
England's next game kicks off on the 23rd at 9pm. Might be worth starting this event at 7 rather than 7.30?
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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.
Wednesday July 8th - Jan Gray will speak about;
'First World War Trench Diseases.'
Trench Foot, Dysentry, Fever, TB, just a small selection of the illnesses that could afflict a front line soldier. I suspect that Jan’s talk will be fascinating.
Trench Foot
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For our June outing attendees will be travelling to Loughborough on Wednesday 24th June.
Our guide on the day is Neil Strange and he comments thus; ‘For our June outing attendees will be travelling to Loughborough on Wednesday 24th June.
First stop will be the Carillon Museum, at 11am. Loughborough Carillon & War Memorial Museum
I hope that Mel Goulding will meet us there as he is a main Leicestershire regiment historian and custodian of the museum.
Please park at the Granby Street car park, pay and display - postcode LE11 3DU around 10.45am and the museum opens at 11am.
After the Carillon we can go and see the memorial to the 10 dead from the January 1916 Zeppelin raid. We can also perhaps find evidence of the impact sites of the bombs that were dropped.
We will visit at least one grave of the dead from the Zeppelin raid as part of the cemetery tour that will follow the museum visit.’
We currently have 9 people booked in for this trip – please don’t be shy, everyone is very welcome to what I believe will be a very informative tour thanks to Neil.
Last chance to come along to Loughborough on Wednesday. Please let me know.
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Steve Baldwin has asked me to advertise his next three CWGC cemetery tours, and I am delighted to do that for him. I will also be in attendance to listen to Steve speak this coming Saturday, 27th June at Waddington – 2.30pm, if you would like to join me.
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As we approach the 1st July and the 110th anniversary of the opening of the Somme offensive, many visitors travel to France to attend the many commemorations that take place on this day.
One of the most well-known, is the service at the Lochnagar mine crater near La Boiselle. Thanks to Tim Chamberlin, please find their summer newsletter below, with full details of the service, should you be in the area and wish to attend.
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Last week I wrote about ANZAC biscuits and I am sorry to say, that up to date, I haven’t had any budding cooks come forward to say they will bake a batch for the Lincoln WFA AGM on 13th July. Come on, please don’t be shy!
The mention of ANZAC biscuits and the café at Navenby that sells them every week, triggered a moment for Mark Graham. Mark dropped a line to the owners of the café to tip them off about the forthcoming competition, and this is their reply; ‘Hi Mark
Thank you for sending this through.
We were amused to see the reference to a café on Navenby High Street selling ANZAC biscuits. Having looked at the recipe featured in the article, we can confirm that it is essentially the same traditional recipe that we use for our own ANZAC biscuits in the café, and they remain one of our most popular biscuits.
If you do speak with the Editor, please pass on our thanks for highlighting the history and continued popularity of ANZAC biscuits. It's always nice to see this small part of First World War heritage being kept alive and enjoyed by new generations.
We also wish all entrants in the proposed ANZAC biscuit competition the very best of luck. We suspect the tasting panel may have a very difficult job deciding on a winner!
Kind regards,
Fiona and Matt
Down the Road Navenby Ltd, 43 High Street, Navenby, LN5 0DZ’
There you have it folks, the importance of keeping these traditions alive. Please do consider attending the AGM and baking a batch of biscuits.
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Talk of ANZAC biscuits also prompted Matt Colley to pen me a line, as ANZAC biscuits have played a big part in the Cambridge WFA branch ANZAC Day service in recent years.
Matt comments; ‘The Cambridgeshire WFA Branch has held a Dawn Service at the Newmarket Road Cemetery in Cambridge on ANZAC Day for a few years now.
Last year the Colley household, helped by John England, baked ANZAC biscuits to go with the mugs of hot tea that are needed after standing out on a cold and damp April morning. Last year to our surprise an Australian student at Cambridge University got out of his car asking “are you the Western Front?” He was delighted with our Branch’s recognition of their Nation building day and happily consumed tea and the biscuits.
This year we baked the ANZAC biscuits only this time with the added help of my granddaughter whose school was closed (thanks to a burst water main). Imagine our delight when at the Cemetery an Australian family - the Daravilles who were living in St. Neots - leapt out of their car asking “are you the Western Front?”
Emrys Jones, Branch Chair, asked the family if they would help with our service. The sound of a gentle Australian female voice reading out the Exhortation over the graves of her dead Countrymen was really moving. The children then laid our wreath for us.
Was it the ANZAC biscuits or was it Social Media that drew these Australians to our service?
Whatever it was we were so pleased that we helped the Sacrifice to be properly remembered.’
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Staying with Australia, here is John Pritchard’s last report from his eight week visit to South Australia.
‘Shirley and I have "landed" and are gently recovering from "jet-lag" with the end of our two-month holiday with Kerry and family in Adelaide.
I have finally been able to find the pictures from the interior of the Glenelg tourist office and museum.
The memorial to the lost service personnel of the Great War and the Second World War was very large, it filled a complete wall, and there was a book of remembrance in front of it.
As the building was being refurbished on the outside, there was a large screen which displayed a picture of horses and cavalrymen on the beach. There was also a stone plaque on the outside of the building - around the corner down an alleyway, out of sight from the passing public!
Thank you for the weekly "TL" publication – always very interesting!’ [Thank you John – Ed]
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I return now to Matt Colley once again. As regular readers will know, Matt is very interested in all matters to do with the Old Contemptibles Association, and he kindly keeps an eye out for interesting snippets with a Lincolnshire flavour. This week, he found an OC newsletter from 1964.
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The Old Contemptible – No. 365, June 1964
LINCOLN - (The) April meeting was the best attended for some time. The General Secretary was made a Vice-President of the Branch in recognition for past services during membership. Two new Patrons were made. The Jubilee funds now stand at £200, and several friends have arranged their special functions.
The Annual Dinner was the usual success, and enjoyed by 60 Chums, Patrons and wives, also the printers of our magazine.
The General Secretary made a dash from London to respond to the toast to our beloved Association, and also to present the Secretary with a gold watch in recognition of 20 years as Hon. Secretary. There is still the same amount of sickness. Best wishes to all.
IMP.
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Amongst the Trench Lincs readership, we have a number of readers whose ancestors Great War service is well documented.
One example is Bill Roffey’s grandfather. Bill has his grandfather’s day by day diary of service at the front, and we covered this in some detail, probably four years ago. Another reader with a remarkable great uncle is my old friend John Allen.
John’s great uncle, Cyril, was in action with Clement Robertson, when Robertson became the first man of the Tank Corps to win the Victoria Cross, and therefore, Peter Jacobs’ story from Messines last week, resonated with John who dropped me a line.
‘Hello Jonathan,
Thanks for another interesting edition, hope you had a good break in Espana? [We certainly did thank you – Ed]
I would like to respond to the observations of Peter Jacobs re: The Battle of Messines.
The commander of Tank A56, was 2nd Lt. Clement Robertson, when it was hit by a six- inch shell, killing the Sergeant and injuring two crew members but was afterwards promoted to Captain. The tank was returned to workshops, and returned to action in February 1918.
Captain Robertson, at the Battle of Third Ypres on 4th October 1917, was Officer Commanding No12 Section, A Battalion. As the ground conditions were bad, it was decided to tape out the route for the Tanks to follow. Assisting in this activity was my great uncle, Gunner Cyril Sheldon Allen of No. 11 Section, No. 3 Company, who had volunteered to assist another Section Commander.
Sadly, the Captain was KIA, Cyril survived for another six weeks and was KIA at Cambrai assisting an injured officer, by carrying him under enemy fire from a burning Tank, the officer survived as a PoW.
For their actions at Third Ypres, Captain Robertson was awarded the VC, Pte Cyril Allen the DCM.
I do have Cyril’s original letters from the battlefield detailing the Captain’s death to his mother, but Cyril was KIA before he could mail them onwards.’
Thank you John for reminding us of Cyril’s actions and devotion to duty. You can read more by clicking on this link, which includes Cyril’s DCM citation and Clement’s VC citation.
Cyril Sheldon Allen - Roll of Honour
Cyril Allen DCM.
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Last week, I hopefully entertained you all with news of my outing to the House of Commons. As mentioned, my son and I, also visited the National Army Museum, which sits next door to the Chelsea Pensioners Hospital.
It is not as big or extensive as the Imperial War Museum, but the NAM is well worth a visit. It would be easy to take photos of many of the exhibits, but I restricted myself to two items of Great War uniform which caught my eye.
The first is a uniform tunic for a member of the Egyptian Labour Corps. This must be a very rare item to have in a collection. If we accept that an army marches on its stomach, then you can see how important it is for the fighting men to be supplied each day with food, water, ammunition, equipment, clothing etc.
On the Western Front, the Labour Corps and Army Service Corps aided by the South African Native Labour Corps and the Chinese Labour Corps kept the men supplied, but in the desert, Allenby’s long march on Jerusalem would not have been possible without the Royal Engineers building a water pipe across the desert, aided by the men of the Egyptian Labour Corps (ELC). Therefore, it is only fair and right that their sacrifice and hard work is remembered.
The second uniform item of interest is this very nice cuff ranked tunic belonging to a Major Owen Crayshaw of the Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding) Regiment. The NAM have noted it as being Circa 1918, but officers were definitely not wearing cuff rank tunics in the trenches after 1916 – the cuffs were too obvious for German snipers. It may of course, have been a tunic that Major Crayshaw still wore away from the front? Either way, it is a delightful example.
My other area of interest at the NAM is their collection of Great War era art and their collection of original posters.
Here are three examples; 1. The Retreat from Mons, 1914. 2. The Australian Light Horse at the Gallop; and 3. A Bristol Fighter ground strafing the enemy.
From the poster collection, I have chosen a very patriotic and still pertinent propaganda poster, and a poster explaining the Military Services Act of 1916. Both are wonderful.
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ON THIS DAY 21st June 1916.
The Allied Note to Greece issued on 21 June 1916 was a significant diplomatic intervention during the First World War and represented a major step in the growing conflict between the Greek government and the Entente Powers. It highlighted the tensions created by Greece’s policy of neutrality and exposed the deep political divisions within the country, known as the National Schism. The note demonstrated the determination of Britain, France, and Russia to secure Greece’s cooperation and prevent the Central Powers from gaining influence in the eastern Mediterranean. Although presented as a diplomatic communication, the note was backed by military pressure and marked a turning point in Greek politics.
When the First World War broke out in 1914, Greece faced a difficult strategic situation. Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos believed that Greece should join the Entente Powers because he expected them to emerge victorious and believed participation would lead to territorial gains. In contrast, King Constantine I favoured neutrality. Educated in Germany and married to the sister of Kaiser Wilhelm II, the king was often viewed as sympathetic to Germany, although he argued that neutrality best protected Greek interests.
The disagreement between the king and Venizelos created a constitutional and political crisis. Venizelos resigned twice, while royal governments maintained a policy of neutrality despite increasing pressure from the Allies. The Entente Powers became frustrated because Greece occupied a strategically important position controlling access to the Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean. Allied troops had already landed at Salonika in 1915 to assist Serbia, making Greece’s neutrality increasingly difficult to sustain.
By 1916 the military situation in the Balkans had become more complicated. Bulgarian forces, allied with Germany and Austria-Hungary, threatened Allied positions and increased concerns that the Greek army might either cooperate with the Central Powers or fail to resist Bulgarian advances. Reports that Greek authorities had allowed Bulgarian occupation of strategic positions without resistance convinced the Allies that stronger action was necessary.
The Allied Note of 21st June 1916 was therefore issued jointly by Britain, France, and Russia. It demanded several measures designed to limit royal influence and ensure that Greece could not assist the Central Powers either directly or indirectly. Among its principal demands were the demobilisation of much of the Greek army, new elections under conditions considered fairer by the Allies, and changes in the administration that would reduce the influence of officials regarded as hostile to the Entente. The note also required greater cooperation with Allied military operations based in Salonika.
Although formally diplomatic, the note carried an unmistakable threat. Allied naval forces imposed pressure through a blockade and demonstrated their willingness to use military force if Greece refused to comply. This reflected the broader wartime trend in which diplomacy was increasingly backed by economic sanctions and military power. The Greek government understood that rejection of the Allied demands could lead to occupation of key territories or even open conflict with the Entente.
The reaction within Greece revealed the depth of the National Schism. Supporters of King Constantine viewed the note as an unacceptable violation of Greek sovereignty and an attempt by foreign powers to dictate domestic politics. They argued that Greece, as a neutral state, had every right to determine its own policies without external interference. Many royalists believed that the Allies were effectively forcing Greece into a war against its will.
Supporters of Venizelos interpreted the note differently. They believed that the royal government had failed to protect Greek interests by maintaining a neutrality that increasingly benefited the Central Powers. In their view, closer cooperation with the Entente offered the best opportunity to secure Greece’s future security and territorial ambitions. The Allied demands therefore reinforced the political arguments of the Venizelist movement and weakened the position of the monarchy.
The consequences of the note were considerable. Although the Greek government accepted several of the demands, the political crisis continued to deepen. Later in 1916 Venizelos established a rival Provisional Government of National Defence in Thessaloniki with Allied support, creating effectively two competing governments within Greece. One government remained loyal to King Constantine in Athens, while the other supported active participation in the war alongside the Entente.
The Allied intervention did not end with the June note. Continued pressure, including naval blockades and military occupation of strategic points, eventually forced King Constantine to leave Greece in June 1917. His son Alexander became king, while Venizelos returned to power. Greece then formally entered the First World War on the side of the Allies, contributing troops to the Macedonian Front and participating in the final offensives that helped defeat Bulgaria and weaken the Central Powers in the Balkans.
Historians have debated whether the Allied Note represented legitimate strategic necessity or an unjustified infringement of Greek independence. From the Allied perspective, the unstable political situation in Greece threatened military operations against Bulgaria and endangered the security of the Salonika front. Given the enormous stakes of the global conflict, Allied leaders believed they could not risk a potentially hostile or unreliable Greece.
From the Greek perspective, however, the note symbolised the vulnerability of smaller states caught between great powers during wartime. Greece’s sovereignty was compromised by external pressure, and its internal political divisions were intensified rather than resolved. The National Schism that emerged during these years had lasting effects on Greek politics and society, influencing political alignments for decades after the end of the First World War.
In conclusion, the Allied Note of 21st June 1916 was far more than a diplomatic communication. It was a decisive intervention in Greek domestic affairs that reflected the strategic priorities of the Entente Powers during the First World War. The note accelerated the National Schism, increased tensions between the monarchy and Venizelist movement, and paved the way for Greece’s eventual entry into the war on the Allied side. As such, it remains an important example of how international conflict can reshape the internal politics of a nation and demonstrates the powerful influence that great powers could exert over smaller states during one of history’s most destructive wars.
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My chosen example, this week, of a colourised photograph from Colour by CJS is Sergeant Arthur Outram. I chose Arthur, because he served with the Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding) Regiment, as per Major Crayshaw’s uniform tunic that I saw at the National Army Museum and featured above
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Serjeant Arthur Outram.
Arthur was born in the east end of London, and after leaving school he joined the regular army.
He was deployed to France on 14th August 1914 with 2nd Battalion, Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment), thus becoming an Old Contemptible.
Arthur fought at Mons, Le Cateau and Ypres in 1914, and he faced the German gas attack in May 1915 which devastated his Battalion. Surviving all of this, he was in action again on the Somme in 1916.
During a period of leave, he married Ellen Callaghan in November 1916. The couple duly had one son named Arthur after his father.
In 1917 he took part in the Arras offensive and then his battalion fought in the muddy swamps and awful conditions that defined the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele). After surviving for over three years, Arthur was killed in action on 10th October 1917.
His body was not recovered at the time, and if it was found after the war it was not identified. Arthur officially remains missing and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial wall.
Arthur Outram was 25 years old.
Arthur and Ellen Outram
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Next Sunday is the 28th June. What is significant about this date? It was on this date in 1914 that a fuse was lit that arguably led to the start of the Great War.
In the years leading up to Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s visit to Sarajevo in June 1914, tensions in the Balkans had reached a dangerous level. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was struggling to maintain control over its diverse population, while nationalist movements were growing stronger across south-eastern Europe. Many Slavic people living under Austro-Hungarian rule believed they should have the right to govern themselves or unite with neighbouring Serbia, which had become a symbol of Slavic independence.
A major source of conflict was the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by Austria-Hungary in 1908. Although the empire had administered the region since 1878, formally taking control angered Serbia and many Bosnian Serbs, who believed the territory should eventually become part of a larger Serbian state. The annexation increased hostility towards Austria-Hungary and strengthened nationalist organisations that were prepared to use violence to achieve their goals.
At the same time, Serbia’s influence in the Balkans was growing after its successes in the Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913. These victories boosted Serbian confidence and encouraged nationalist groups to push for the liberation of Slavic peoples living under foreign rule. Secret organisations, including the Black Hand, supported revolutionary activities and believed that assassinating important Austro-Hungarian leaders could weaken the empire’s control over the region.
Against this background, Archduke Franz Ferdinand planned to visit Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 to inspect Austro-Hungarian military exercises and attend official ceremonies. Although the visit was intended to demonstrate imperial strength and stability, the date itself was controversial. It fell on Vidovdan, a significant Serbian national and religious holiday commemorating the Battle of Kosovo in 1389. For many Serbs, the date symbolised sacrifice, national identity, and resistance to foreign domination. Holding an imperial visit on such an important occasion was viewed by many nationalists as provocative and insensitive.
Security arrangements for the visit were surprisingly limited despite warnings that nationalist groups might attempt an attack. The Archduke insisted on travelling through Sarajevo in an open-top car so that the public could see him, believing this would project confidence and strengthen relations with the local population. However, his route through the city was published in advance, making it easy for conspirators to position themselves along the streets.
So what happened? More next week.
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In Memoriam the Lincolnshire Regiment 21st June.
1915
13463 Private J Lowis, 1st Battalion. Buried in Kortrijk Communal Cemetery, Belgium
8205 Private Charles Milbourn, 2nd Battalion. Buried in Greenwich Cemetery, UK.
946 Private W Cunningham, 2nd Battalion. Buried in Merville Communal Cemetery, France.
1916
9666 Private Charles Grande, 1st Battalion, aged 22. Buried in Ville sur Ancre Communal Cemetery, France.
1917
33657 Private Patrick McGlade, 1st Battalion, aged 32. Buried in Poperinghe New Military Cemetery, Belgium.
242488 Private J Rushby, 5th Battalion. Buried in Noeux les Mines Communal Cemetery, France.
7993 Private James Booth, 5th Battalion, aged 40. Buried in Etaples Military Cemetery, France.
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
Next week, on 28th June, I will be publishing family In Memoriam’s for the men who died in the run up to and shortly after the 1st July 1916. If you have an ancestor who was killed at the Somme around these dates, please let me know.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Until next week,
All best wishes
Jonathan
© Jonathan D’Hooghe
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