Trench Lincs 25th May 2025
- trenchlincs
- May 25
- 10 min read
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Good Morning,
Welcome to this week’s Trench Lincs which contains details of forthcoming events, news of the recent visit to Metheringham airfield visitor centre and my first thoughts about Verdun – more to follow next week. [Having been away, it is a slightly shorter edition this week - Ed]
There are also a few words about last week’s show at Woodhall Spa, which was a great success, well attended and held in dry but chilly weather.
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.
This evening sees Joanna Costin travelling from her home in Ely (a truly historic and beautiful fenland city) to present her talk on the subject of "Answering the Manpower Question" during World War 1.
Keeping enough manpower at home to oil the machinery of industry, whilst answering the urgent call for men to join the fight against Germany, Austro-Hungary and Turkey became increasingly difficult as the war progressed. The initial enthusiasm waned as reports of the fighting and the casualty figures filtered back to those at home, eventually forcing the government to introduce conscription for the first time ever in British history. The so-called "Spanish Flu" outbreak also added to the British Army's manpower problems in 1918. In this talk Joanna, who was booked at the request of a branch supporter, provides the answers to these questions and more. This is a new subject for the branch, which promises to be very interesting and educational, to which everyone is invited. You will be made very welcome.
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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, - Doors open 7.00pm for prompt start at 7.30pm - Venue: Spalding Baptist Church, Swan Street, Spalding, PE11 1BT.
June 26th –
This month, Spalding Branch foregoes the usual indoor lecture meeting for their traditional summer evening "Out and About" ramble in the beautiful Lincolnshire countryside looking at and discussing interesting memorials, monuments and buildings.
Led by Chairman Paul Berry, the tour departs from Sutterton Church, Station Road, Sutterton, PE20 2JH at 7.30pm. Whilst Paul is not giving anything away by revealing where he will be leading the tour, past events have always been highly interesting and enjoyable. If you don't wish to drive yourself, car sharing is available and encouraged.
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The Leadenham Military History Group’s next meeting will be this coming 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 HP Hampden AD874 Accident.’
Please arrive 7pm for a 7.30pm start.
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Please click on this link courtesy of Michael Doyle for the latest The Tiger newsletter;
And the Last Post newsletter.
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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. [Locals tell me it is pronounced Soller-bee – Ed]
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.
STOP PRESS – Five people have signed up already. Please let me know if you want to join the party.
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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 tank and Charles Sharpe’s medals including his Victoria Cross.
Peter Garland writes; 'Once again the Museum of Lincolnshire Life and our good friend Richard Pullen have arranged a World War 1 Exhibition in the surroundings of the old Lincolnshire Yeomanry barracks on Burton Road in Lincoln wherein you will find fascinating displays of daily life in Lincolnshire, along with the histories of the Lincolnshire Regiment and Lincolnshire Yeomanry plus preserved examples of the machinery, locomotives and other items produced in Lincoln, including, of course, a genuine WW1 tank, (although, sadly, actually built by the Metropolitan Carriage, Wagon & Finance Company in Birmingham rather than Fosters in Lincoln, but, nevertheless, Lincoln is her ancestral home).
This is always an interesting and well supported event - very popular with the public - featuring (amongst others) displays from Friends of Lincoln Tank, Mike Credland, engineer Peter May, and artist Robin Wheeldon.
Lincoln & North Lincolnshire Branch WFA will have a stand at the event, and, as usual, are appealing for volunteers to come and help out on both days. If you can devote a whole day, that's great, but even an hour or two would be greatly appreciated. If you have items to add to their display that would be of interest to the public - deactivated munitions, medals, letters, documents, photos - please do come along and display them. A secure display cabinet will be made available for valuable/fragile items. If you can help, contact Peter Garland on 07933-287316.
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As well as the colourisation of photographs, another modern adaptation of photos is the ‘Then and Now’ comparison photos.
If like me, you have read the history of the 7th Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Robin Hood Rifles), you will know that on 21st March 1918, they suffered more casualties than any other British battalion on the opening day of the German Spring Offensive.
From a forward strength of 670 men, only thirteen troops answered the Roll Call on 30th March 1918 when the remnants of the battalion were inspected by the King. One of the Robin Hood casualties on this day was my ancestor, Lance Corporal (Unpaid!) Herbert D’Hooghe, who was severely wounded, according to the surviving records, with a gun-shot wound to head, neck and shoulder. Herbert was fairly treated by the Germans and became a POW, returning to the UK in December 1918.
As King George V inspected the Robin Hoods, a series of well-known photos were taken, including this one of the King speaking with Private Denny.
Thanks to Richard Pullen’s sharp eyes, I now have a comparison photograph showing the location today where the original photo was taken in the village of Hermin.
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Talking of colourisation, here is my choice of the week for Colour by CJS.
Lieutenant Warren Peter Clowes
Warren was from Eardisland, Herefordshire, and his father was a professional soldier who rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Warren followed his father into the Army and upon completion of his training at Sandhurst was granted a commission in the 10th Reserve Cavalry Regiment. He served for a time in Ireland but in 1916 he was posted to France to join the 8th (Kings Royal Irish) Hussars. His father and Grandfather had both previously served in the Regiment.
Warren fought and survived the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and the following year, in March 1917 he took part in the last major British cavalry charge of the war when ‘D’ Squadron of the 8th Hussars captured the village of Villers-Faucan.
In March 1918 he was involved in the desperate fighting to try to halt the massive German Spring Offensive. [As noted for the Robin Hoods in the article above – Ed]
On 30th March he was wounded near Amiens. It was reported that he refused medical attention and later in the day led an attack against a machine gun post during which he was killed.
Warren Clowes had served bravely for two years and was just 20 years-old when killed. Today, Warren Clowes is buried in Fouilly Communal cemetery.
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
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On the evening of 15th May there was an excellent turnout from friends and supporters of the Lincolnshire Aviation Group and the Lincoln and North Lincs WFA branch at Metheringham airfield visitor centre.
In recent times, the quality of material on display here has increased immensely, and with the addition of a new hangar housing a C-47 Dakota, I really can recommend a visit to you.
Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre - Home Click here for full details.
If you have the time, take an additional ten-minute drive across the old east-west runway, now a public road, and visit the station memorial as shown in my selection of pics below.
Station Commanders included Guy Gibson VC, DSO* and DFC*
View from the Dakota cockpit
Metheringham Memorial
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Woodhall Spa show was a great success once again. Both Peter and his team on the Lincoln WFA stand and Robin and myself representing Trench Lincs met a number of interesting persons and families, and in my case, I now have another case load of research to carry out in the next week or two.
Mike Credland, Friends of the Lincoln Tank and John Kirk also flew the flag for the Great War and a good time was had by all.
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Verdun, the Chemin de Dames and the Meuse Argonne have proved to be a fascinating and new subject for me. Whilst I have visited the Chemin de Dames before, last week’s trip enabled me to spend more time getting to understand the lie of the land and the events of 1916-18, which include the American involvement in the last three months of war.
As a result, I have a huge amount to report and to do justice to the subject, I will spread it all out over the next three or four weeks.
In the meantime, here are my initial thoughts about the town of Verdun.
Situated on the river Meuse, Verdun lies in a natural bowl surrounded by hills and ridges. As you may imagine, the Germans dominated the high ground but had failed to break the French line around Verdun in 1914-15 due to the inner and outer ring of French forts.
Today, the town is picturesque, with a lively water front of bars and restaurants and a myriad of Great War memorials and a number of WWII memorials to the brave Resistants of the town, all of which are worth a visit. I didn’t return home until late on Friday, and I was on Grandpa duties all day Saturday, so here are a selection of initial photos for you, and I will write more for next Sunday.
Memorial to General Mangin.
Memorial to General Sarrail.
Verdun's victory memorial, sculpted by Rodin.
Verdun's town war memorial.
Verdun - twinned with London. The Quai de Londres is the main riverside area today.
The Verdun Victory Memorial.
I will hopefully have more time to write in greater detail next week.
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IN MEMORIAM - The Lincolnshire Regiment 25th May.
1915
8141 Private F Clark, 2nd Battalion. Buried in Laventie Military Cemetery, France.
2777 Private James Hodkinson, 5th Battalion. Buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, France.
1916
7792 Private G Hotson, 1st Battalion. Buried in Dartmoor Cemetery, Somme, France.
15434 Private Alfred Walter Smith, 1st Battalion. – Ditto. –
7677 Private Horace Wise, 1st Battalion, aged 20. Buried in La Neuville Communal Cemetery, France.
1918
48425 Private T Jones, 16th Labour Company. Buried in Querrieu British Cemetery, France.
46810 Private W A Farnell, 10th Labour Company, aged 19. – Ditto. –
46814 Private William Henry Grantham, 10th Labour Company. – Ditto. –
46891 Private Joseph Bowes Wilson, 10th Labour Company. – Ditto. –
33983 Private Frederick Graham Candler, 2nd Battalion, aged 23. Buried in Morbecque British Cemetery, France.
Lieutenant Colonel Percy Francis Raikes Newbury, Lincs Training Reserve. Buried in Brompton Cemetery, UK. (*)
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
(*) Second Lieutenant Fred Pearson Newbury was the son of the Lieutenant Colonel listed above. As war broke out, Fred was in Ceylon as a Tea Planter aged 25. He received a Commission in the 92nd Punjabi Regiment and was killed on 22nd February 1917. Today he lies in Amara War Cemetery, Maysan, Iraq.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Until next week
All best wishes
Jonathan
© Jonathan D’Hooghe
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