Trench Lincs 31st May 2026.

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Good Morning y Buenos Dias,

Today’s Trench Lincs comes to you from south-east Spain, where my wife and I are attending a family wedding and then staying on for an extra week to make a holiday of it too.

I promise to jump off the sun bed and get a TL to you next Sunday, but it may be shorter than usual! Please forgive me.

The wedding is at the La Manga resort but we had a couple of days exploring Murcia before heading to La Manga.

Trench Lincs, has been on the scene now for over 5 years, but of all the conflicts of the 19th and 20th Centuries, I don't think that we have ever mentioned the Spanish Civil War of the 1930's, until today!

Murcia played a distinctive role during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), largely because it remained loyal to the Republican government for almost the entire conflict. Located in southeastern Spain, Murcia was geographically distant from some of the war’s most intense battlefronts, yet it became strategically important as a centre for agriculture, refugee support, and military organisation. The city and surrounding region experienced the political tensions, economic hardships, and social transformations that affected Republican Spain throughout the war.

When the military uprising led by General Francisco Franco began in July 1936, Murcia quickly stayed under Republican control. Unlike regions where Nationalist forces rapidly seized power, Murcia’s workers’ organisations, socialist groups, and trade unions successfully resisted the rebellion. Republican authorities and local militias maintained order, although the first months of the war were marked by political violence and anti-clerical attacks. Churches were damaged or destroyed, and some clergy members were persecuted, reflecting the wider hostility toward the Catholic Church among radical Republican factions.

Murcia’s economy became increasingly important during the war because of its strong agricultural production. The fertile lands surrounding the Segura River produced fruits, vegetables, and other food supplies essential for sustaining Republican territories. As many industrial regions faced shortages and military disruption, Murcia helped provide food to both civilians and soldiers. However, wartime conditions created inflation, scarcity, and transportation difficulties. Collective farming experiments were introduced in some rural areas, inspired by socialist and anarchist ideas, although these reforms varied in success.

Another major aspect of Murcia’s wartime experience was the arrival of refugees. As Franco’s armies advanced through Spain, thousands of civilians fled from combat zones and Nationalist-controlled territories. Murcia became a place of refuge for displaced families from Andalusia, Madrid, and other regions. The sudden population increase placed heavy pressure on housing, food supplies, and medical services. Local authorities organised shelters, soup kitchens, and emergency assistance, but resources were often insufficient.

The city of Cartagena, located within the Region of Murcia, was especially significant during the war. Cartagena served as one of the Republic’s principal naval bases and remained under Republican control until the final weeks of the conflict. The Republican Navy operated from its harbour, making the area a target for Nationalist air raids and naval attacks. Cartagena also became associated with internal political conflicts within the Republican camp, including tensions between communists, anarchists, and other left-wing factions.

Murcia itself suffered several bombings during the war, mainly carried out by Nationalist aircraft supported by Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. Although the destruction was less severe than in cities such as Madrid or Barcelona, air raids caused civilian casualties and widespread fear. Residents adapted by building shelters and organizing civil defence systems.

By early 1939, the Republican cause was collapsing across Spain. Murcia remained one of the last Republican strongholds, but resistance became impossible after the fall of Barcelona and Madrid. Franco’s forces occupied the region in March 1939 with relatively limited fighting. After the war, Murcia experienced the repression typical of Francoist Spain. Republican supporters were imprisoned, executed, or forced into exile, while political freedoms disappeared under the dictatorship.

To summarise, Murcia’s experience during the Spanish Civil War reflected many of the broader struggles within Republican Spain. Though removed from the largest battlefields, the region contributed agricultural support, sheltered refugees, and maintained loyalty to the Republic until the war’s end. The conflict left deep political and social scars that continued to shape Murcia for decades afterward.

Nevertheless, the Murcia peace memorial stands as a stark reminder to those turbulent times.

I also hope to viist Cartagena next week, including the well preserved Roman amphitheatre. 

However, please do not stop sending in your thoughts and photos. Everything received is greatly appreciated and will ber used in the coming weeks.

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS.

Next event - Lincoln & North Lincolnshire Branch, WFA - Monday, 8th June 2026 - Doors open 7.00pm for 7.30pm start - Royal Naval Association Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG.

June 8th - Grant Cullen presents "Quintinshill, 22nd May 1915; Britain's worst railway disaster". 

The disaster occurred at Quintinshill Junction, near Gretna Green in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, on the morning of 22nd May 1915. A Liverpool-bound troop train carrying soldiers of the 1/7th Battalion, Royal Scots, collided with a stationary northbound local passenger train that had been parked on the southbound main line due to both passing loops being occupied by goods trains. Minutes later, a northbound sleeping car express from London to Glasgow struck the wreckage, causing a massive fire when gas lighting in the wooden carriages ignited.

NB. There is no speaker meeting in May due to the Bank Holiday Mondays.

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Next Meeting - Spalding & South Lincolnshire Branch, WFA – Thursday 18th June, 2026 - Doors open 7.00pm for 7.30 pm start - Spalding Baptist Church, Swan Street, Spalding, PE11 1BT.

June 18th - Branch Chairman Paul Berry will lead our annual evening Local History Tour. Further details nearer the time.

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The East Midlands (Nottingham) WFA branch will hold their next speaker event on Friday 12th June 2026 at 7.30pm. The branch meets at St. Peter’s Church Hall, Church Street, Ruddington, NG11 6HA.

The speaker on this night is Christopher Finn whose talk is entitled – “The All-Arms Battle and Manoeuvre Warfare - British Air Power 1917-18”

Everyone welcome.

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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.

Supermarine Walrus.

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The Friends of the Lincoln Tank Group continue their 2026 season in June. The venue, as usual, will be the Royal Naval Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG with a 7.30pm start. Entry is £5, and everyone is welcome.

NB. There is no speaker event in May.

On Thursday 11th June, in a change to the published programme, Grant Cullen will return to Lincoln with his talk – "1918, Defeat into Victory"

Grant states; ‘By starting with "What If?".  Something happened in November 1913 just a few miles south of Worksop where I live which could have changed the course of history. Few people know about this but it certainly makes folks sit up and take notice.

Then to the main talk...which is basically an overview of 1918. The Allies really thought that if the war was to be won that would happen in 1919 when the Americans were up to strength in numbers on the Western Front.  Then came the German Spring Offensives which brought them close to Amiens. This was followed by the "100 Days". The talk also looks at other theatres of war.... Palestine ...Mesopotamia .....Persia as well as the political situation in Russia...murder of the Tsar and his family  .... plus southern Africa.  The Germans reaching out to Woodrow Wilson and his 14 points.’

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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 18th June 2026.

The speaker on this occasion is Dan Ellin from the IBCC whose talk is entitled – “Penguins and Chop Girls: RAF Bomber Command Ground Personnel 1939-45.”

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.

June 10th Geoff Turtle

'The Rising Sun Air Force.'

From Inception to Capitulation.

An in depth look at the Japanese air force in WWII.

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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.’

So far, we only have 4 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.

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On Friday 22nd May, in glorious weather, 25 turned out to hear about the October 1643 Battle of Winceby and to visit Bolingbroke Castle.

We are indebted to Jonathan Capek, Ted Peacock and Peter Garland for their sterling efforts in hosting the day and providing the guiding narrative for each stage of the day.

Ted, is a very knowledgeable guide and at three different locations, he led the party through not only the events of the battle, but the political and strategic ramifications of the Winceby conflict and the effect it had on Parliament taking control of Lincolnshire and opening the route to York and eventual victory at Marston Moor the following year.

Ted in full flow.

At Bolingbroke Castle, Jonathan took over and not only provided a wonderful and evocative history of the castle, but bottles of cold beer too! What a splendid fellow he is!

Bolingbroke, home to John of Gaunt, was the birthplace of Henry IV in 1367. Henry usurped Richard II in 1399 and took the crown of England, thus starting the rivalry that would see the Wars of the Roses start in 1455 which led to the Tudor Dynasty ascending to the throne in 1485.

Bolingbroke also played a significant part in the Civil War and was a Royalist garrison until the Royalist defeat at Winceby. Isolated, the garrison had no option but to surrender in November 1643.

After visiting the village church and seeing the 1914-18 Rolls of honour and hearing how Bolingbroke was described in the 1086 Domesday Book, I soon realised that we had covered a 1,000 years of history on our Lincolnshire doorstep.

Ted brought along some civil war artefacts from his collection.

The 1914-18 C of E Roll of Honour.

When the Methodist Chapel closed, their Roll of Honour was re-located to the church.

Bolingbroke memorial.

[Thanks to Bill Pinfold for the two group talk photos - Ed]

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One of the pleasures of having a Trench Lincs stand at country shows is being able to help people learn more about their ancestor’s war service.

One chap who I spoke to told me that his wife’s grandfather is remembered on the Thiepval memorial, but apart from that, they did not know very much about him.

I asked the chap to email everything he did know and I found out that the soldier in question was 15825 Private Samuel James Meadows of the Lincolnshire Regiment.

I set to work and soon discovered by the surviving records, that he had served in the 8th battalion and was killed at some point between the 1st and 3rd of July 1916.

I wrote the following to Kev W, the man in question.

‘With regard to your wife’s grandfather, 15825 S J Meadows, I am sorry to say that his Service Record has not survived, but other documents have. I have attached his Medal Index Card – this shows that he was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. As he did not get a 1914/15 Star, we know that he did not serve overseas before 1st January 1916.

I have also attached the Regimental Medal Roll that confirms the award of the VM and BWM and also notes that he served with the 8th Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment. The 8th Battalion was a K2 battalion, that is, a battalion of Lord Kitchener Volunteers from the second cohort of 100,000 volunteers across the country. I would deduce from this that Samuel enlisted at some point in 1915. The 8th Battalion had suffered very heavily at the Battle of Loos in September 1915, and I suspect that Samuel may well have been in a draft of men in early 1916 to top up the numbers.

I have also attached the Register of Soldiers effects for Samuel. This shows that outstanding back pay of 13 shillings and 10 pence was paid to his widow Mary Ann in December 1916, and she also received a War Gratuity of £5 in September 1919. This register records his death as between the 1st and 3rd July 1916. His body was never found/identified, and that is why his name appears on the Thiepval memorial to the missing (as does my Great Uncle’s name).

The 1st July 1916, as I am sure you are aware, was the opening day of the Battle of the Somme, and it is the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army with 57,000 casualties including 19,000 dead.

On this day, the 8th Lincs were in support of the 21st divisional attack at Fricourt. They advanced at 8.40am (the first wave had gone over the top at 7.30am) and took heavy casualties whilst in No Man’s Land. The survivors reinforced the 8th Somerset Light Infantry on the left of the assault and started bombing up the German Trenches. By evening on the 1st, the battalion was holding a line from Dart Alley to Lozenge Alley having suffered some 250 casualties. They were relieved on the 4th.

I have also attached 3 pages from the Regimental history for you. On the map, you can clearly see Lozenge Alley. Quite when Samuel was killed, we will probably never know.

Do you have a photograph of him? Do you have his medals?’

Kev very kindly replied; ‘Thank you so much for all the research you have carried out, my wife Jenn and I really appreciate the time you have taken on this.  The info has shone a light on someone she has only ever known through just one photo the family has of Samuel, taken on his wedding day.  I have attached a copy as you requested.  We do not have his medals or know their whereabouts.  Samuel had three daughters, so the family think that the two medals and the death plaque were divided amongst them.  However, none of their children remember ever seeing them or even being mentioned.  It will probably forever be a mystery.’

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Samuel Meadows on his wedding day. The only known photograph of him.

As ever with research like this, it becomes addictive, and Kev and Jenn have now asked me to look up Jenn’s three great-uncles, all of whom were killed in action and who appear on the Elsham war memorial.

That will be a job for when I get home!

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News now from abroad from John Pritchard in South Australia and Nadine Dezaeytijd.

John writes; ‘Shirley and I have been to visit Glenelg which a very upmarket coastal resort for the Adelaide locals. The ship on top of the huge monument is HMS Buffalo which brought the first free settlers in December 1836 to Adelaide.

There is a war memorial behind the archway. Near this is a small open memorial garden with a small plaque for the local police who have served in the community.’

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Nadine and Philip have left Belgium for a holiday in Italy, and whilst there they took the train to Genoa for a day’s visit. Nadine, like many readers of TL, is now well versed in keeping an eye out for war memorials and she spotted this Italian 1915-18 war memorial on the wall in the rails station coffee shop.

Thank you John and Nadine.

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These two shorter editions of TL whilst I am on holiday, happen to fall on two very momentous anniversaries. Today, 31st May, is the 110th anniversary of the Battle of Jutland, and next Sunday, 7th June, is the 109th anniversary of the Battle of Messines. Both were of huge importance and both ended with results that favoured the British war effort. Here are some thoughts on Jutland.

The Importance of the Battle of Jutland, May 1916.

The Battle of Jutland, fought between 31st May and 1st June 1916, was the largest naval battle of the First World War and remains one of the most significant clashes in naval history. It took place in the North Sea off the coast of Denmark’s Jutland Peninsula, involving the British Royal Navy’s Grand Fleet, commanded by Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, and the German Imperial Navy’s High Seas Fleet, commanded by Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer. Although the battle ended without a decisive tactical victory for either side, its strategic consequences were immense. The importance of the Battle of Jutland lies in its impact on naval supremacy, its demonstration of the changing nature of naval warfare, and its wider effect on the course of the First World War.

One of the most important reasons Jutland mattered was that it confirmed British naval dominance. At the start of the war, Britain’s greatest strength was its navy, which was the largest and most powerful in the world. This allowed Britain to impose a naval blockade on Germany, preventing vital supplies such as food, raw materials, and weapons from reaching German ports. The blockade caused severe shortages in Germany and weakened its ability to sustain the war effort.

Germany’s High Seas Fleet had been built to challenge British naval supremacy, but throughout the early years of the war it remained largely confined to port. German leaders hoped that by luring parts of the British fleet into battle, they could destroy enough ships to weaken Britain’s control of the seas. Jutland was Germany’s best opportunity to achieve this goal. During the battle, the Germans inflicted heavier immediate losses on the British, sinking fourteen ships compared to Germany’s eleven, and causing over 6,000 British casualties compared to around 2,500 German losses.

Despite these losses, Britain retained overall naval superiority. The Grand Fleet remained strong enough to continue controlling the North Sea, while the German fleet withdrew to port and never again seriously challenged British naval dominance in open battle. This was a crucial strategic outcome. Britain’s blockade continued uninterrupted, slowly strangling Germany’s economy and contributing to civilian hardship and military shortages. In this sense, Jutland was a strategic British victory because it preserved the naval situation that favoured Britain.

The battle was also important because it demonstrated the limitations of traditional battleship warfare. Before the First World War, major naval powers had invested huge sums in building “dreadnought” battleships—massive, heavily armed warships designed to dominate naval combat. There was a widespread belief that the war at sea would be decided by a decisive clash between opposing battle fleets, much like the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

Jutland was the only full-scale dreadnought battle of the war, and its inconclusive result challenged these assumptions. Despite involving around 250 ships and over 100,000 men, neither side achieved the decisive breakthrough many had expected. Communication difficulties, poor visibility caused by smoke and mist, and the vast scale of the battle made command and coordination extremely difficult. Jellicoe, although criticised by some for failing to destroy the German fleet, acted cautiously because the loss of the Grand Fleet could have endangered Britain’s survival. His caution reflected the reality that modern naval warfare was too complex and risky to guarantee clear-cut victories.

The battle also revealed technological weaknesses and changing priorities in naval warfare. Several British battlecruisers exploded after German shells penetrated their thin armour and ignited ammunition magazines. Ships such as HMS Queen Mary, HMS Indefatigable, and HMS Invincible were destroyed with heavy loss of life. These disasters exposed flaws in British ship design and ammunition handling procedures. As a result, the Royal Navy introduced safety improvements that reduced the risk of similar explosions.

At the same time, Jutland highlighted the growing importance of new technologies such as submarines, mines, wireless communication, and reconnaissance. Surface battleships were no longer the sole key to naval power. After Jutland, Germany increasingly relied on unrestricted submarine warfare rather than risking its surface fleet. This shift would have major consequences, including the sinking of neutral shipping and eventually the entry of the United States into the war in 1917. Thus, Jutland marked a turning point from traditional fleet engagements to more modern forms of naval conflict.

The psychological and political impact of Jutland was also highly significant. In Britain, the battle was initially met with disappointment. The public had expected a new Trafalgar—a crushing victory that would destroy the German fleet. Instead, early reports emphasised British losses, leading some newspapers and politicians to criticise Jellicoe’s leadership. However, as the strategic outcome became clearer, it was recognised that Britain had maintained command of the seas, which was what truly mattered.

In Germany, the battle was initially celebrated as a victory because of the heavier British losses. German propaganda portrayed the engagement as proof that the High Seas Fleet could challenge Britain successfully. However, this optimism faded when it became clear that the strategic situation had not changed. The German fleet remained unable to break the blockade or force Britain into negotiation. This contributed to frustration within German naval leadership and encouraged the turn toward submarine warfare.

Jutland also had important implications for military leadership and strategic decision-making. Admiral Jellicoe was famously described by Winston Churchill as “the only man on either side who could lose the war in an afternoon.” This reflected the enormous responsibility he carried. If he had recklessly pursued the Germans and lost the Grand Fleet to mines, torpedoes, or a surprise attack, Britain could have faced invasion or economic collapse. His cautious strategy preserved British naval strength, even if it denied the dramatic victory some desired.

On the German side, Admiral Scheer demonstrated tactical skill by successfully extricating his fleet from danger through well-executed battle turns. However, his inability to force a decisive confrontation highlighted Germany’s strategic disadvantage. Germany lacked the numerical strength to challenge Britain directly and could not afford prolonged losses. This reality shaped Germany’s later naval strategy.

Finally, the Battle of Jutland was important because of its long-term historical significance. It remains one of the most studied naval battles in history because it symbolises the transition between old and new forms of warfare. It was the last great clash of battleship fleets and foreshadowed the decline of the battleship as the dominant weapon of sea power. Within a few decades, aircraft carriers and submarines would replace battleships as the decisive instruments of naval warfare.

The lessons learned at Jutland influenced naval planning for decades. Nations examined issues of armour protection, gunnery accuracy, damage control, signalling, and command structure. These lessons shaped the development of warships and naval tactics during the Second World War.

In conclusion, the Battle of Jutland was important not because it produced a dramatic tactical victory, but because of its strategic and historical consequences. It confirmed British control of the seas and ensured the continuation of the blockade that weakened Germany. It exposed the limitations of battleship warfare and encouraged the shift toward submarines and other modern technologies. It affected public morale, influenced wartime strategy, and provided lessons that shaped future naval development. Although often described as inconclusive, Jutland was one of the most significant battles of the First World War because its effects extended far beyond the immediate losses of ships and men, helping to shape both the outcome of the war and the future of naval warfare.

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We finish this shortened edition of TL this week with another wonderful colourised photo from Chris at Colour by CJS. This week it is the controversial C in C himself…………

Field Marshal, The Right Honourable, The Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE.

Douglas Haig remains one of the most debated figures in modern British history. As Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force from December 1915 to the Armistice, he oversaw some of the war’s largest and bloodiest battles.

To some, he was a determined leader who contributed to eventual victory, to others he symbolised the tragic cost of outdated military thinking.

Born in 1861 in Edinburgh, he came from a wealthy family and pursued a career in the British Army. Before the First World War, he served in colonial campaigns and held senior staff positions, gaining a reputation for professionalism and discipline.

In December 1915 he became Commander-in-Chief of British forces on the Western Front after the dismissal of Sir John French.

Haig always envisaged a major offensive breaking through enemy lines followed by a massed cavalry exploitation leading to a decisive victory, and he always believed that this would be in Flanders.

This vision did not materialise. Instead his leadership is most closely associated with attritional warfare, the idea that victory would be achieved by steadily wearing down the enemy’s resources and manpower at a greater rate than one’s own losses.

This strategy defined major offensives such as the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917.

Although these battles eventually gained some territory and weakened the Germans, arguably destroying the ‘old’ German army on the Somme, the human cost has overshadowed their strategic impact for many commentators.

Despite eventually leading Britain to great success in the 100-days offensive from August 8th 1918, his legacy remains deeply contested.

Haig has often been accused of being out of touch with the realities of trench warfare. However, many historians argue this view is overly simplistic. They point out that the nature of industrial warfare, with entrenched positions and modern technology made high casualties almost unavoidable. Revisionist historians like John Bourne and Gary Sheffield have, in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, produced notable works that have helped to rehabilitate Haig’s legacy.

Haig did adapt over time to the conditions on a modern battlefield and contributed to the development of more effective military strategies where he was also a great believer in new technology, like tanks, despite being a dyed in the wool cavalry officer.

After the war, he devoted himself to supporting veterans, helping to establish organisations such as the Royal British Legion and the Lady Haig Poppy Fund.

He died in 1928 aged 66 but the debate about his leadership continues to shape public understanding of the First World War even to this day.

In the end, Douglas Haig stands as a complex figure, neither wholly incompetent nor unquestionably brilliant, but a commander operating under immense pressure in one of history’s most brutal conflicts.

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In Memoriam the Lincolnshire Regiment 31st May.

1915

9360 Private J W H Shaw, 3rd Battalion, aged 44. Buried in Newark upon Trent Cemetery, UK.

1916

16213 Private Charles Henry Needham, 6th Battalion, aged 19. Buried in Ismalia War Cemetery, Egypt.

25339 Private S G Dean, 3rd Battalion, aged 18. Buried in Plymouth Cemetery, UK.

1968 Private B Fountain, 11th Battalion, aged 22. Buried in Old Leak Churchyard, UK.

1917

47777 Private George Henry Foster, 11th Labour Company, aged 26. Buried in Bully Grenay Communal Cemetery, France.

9928 Private F Brown, 6th Battalion. Buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, France.

1918

265917 Private John McFarlane, 5th Battalion, aged 40. Buried in Pernes British Cemetery, France.

32169 Private Charles Pask, 1st Garrison Battalion, aged 30. Buried in Hollybrook Cemetery, UK.

2050 Private W Fish, 1st Battalion, aged 23. Buried in Marfaux British Cemetery, France.

1919

200577 Private Albert Brewitt, 4th Battalion. Buried in Lincoln St. Swithun’s Cemetery, UK.

1921

235119 Private Edward Michael smith, 8th Battalion, aged 24. Buried in Ipswich Old Cemetery, UK.

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Following on from Keith Burrell's In Memoriam last week, I am now very pleased to remember Frederick Nutkins this week. Tony Nutkins writes; 'Next week perhaps you could remember my father's brother and my uncle, Frederick Charles Nutkins. East Surrey regiment and Machine Gun Corps.

Killed in action 30th May 1918 by the road just North of Kruistraat and buried in Belgian Battery Corner Cemetery along with three other members  of his gun crew.'

Frederick Nukins.

Belgian Battery Corner Dressing Station.

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Hasta la vista!

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Until next week,

All best wishes

Jonathan

E: trenchlincs@gmail.com

www.jonathandhooghe.co.uk

© Jonathan D’Hooghe