Trench Lincs 3rd August 2025

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Good Morning,

Welcome to this week’s TL which has news of forthcoming events in the local area and a number of stories of interest from around the world including more from Australia, and memorials in Oslo.

Closer to home, both Leicester and Bourne are on the menu thanks to our roving readership.

Trench Lincs also has seven new subscribers this week, thanks to Peter Garland’s very successful Lincoln WFA stand at Heckington Show last weekend. You are all very welcome, and I hope you enjoy your weekly read? Please let me know, all new contributors are very welcome.

It would be remiss of me not to mention that tomorrow is the 111th anniversary of Great Britain’s entry into the First World War.

H H Asquith’s Liberal Government, (he was Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1905/08 and Prime Minister from 1908) was more concerned with social reform and Home Rule for Ireland, but was forced into a corner when Germany breached Belgium’s neutrality, and King Albert ordered his small Belgian army to stand and fight against the German invasion, which was based on the Schlieffen Plan, to outflank the French army and capture Paris. A decision that waylaid German plans by more than two weeks and led to several well documented German atrocities in Belgium, especially the ransacking of the town of Leuven (Louvain).

Britain, being a major signatory to the 1839 Treaty of London, of which Article VII guaranteed Belgian neutrality, had two choices, to turn a blind eye and let Germany get away with their move (as happened in the 1930s with Hitler’s annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland) or to come to Belgium’s aid.

Asquith’s government was pacifistic in its make up, and initially there were several government ministers who threatened to resign if Britain declared war. The Conservative Party opposition demanded that the government stand up to Germany and fulfil its treaty obligations towards Belgium.

Asquith realised that if Britain stood back and did nothing, his government would fall and in the ensuing General Election, the Conservatives would sweep to power and the country would go to war anyway. Therefore, when Germany refused Britain’s ultimatum to march back across the Belgian border, Britain declared war against Germany and general mobilisation of the army was ordered.

Fortunately for Britain, Asquith’s government contained one man who was a giant of his time and who we should all still thank for his foresight and planning between 1905 and 1912. Richard Burdon (Later 1st Viscount) Haldane was secretary of State for War, and without always being totally upfront with his cabinet colleagues, Haldane began and saw to fruition the reorganisation of the British Army following the issues that occurred in the Boer War, and in particular, he ensured that the reorganisation and formation of the Territorial Force along county lines was completed by 1908/09.

In addition, he met with the French military staff over several years, and agreed a plan of action for a British Expeditionary Force of six infantry divisions and two cavalry brigades to be despatched to France in the event of a European war against Germany. Therefore, Britain was prepared and had a plan of action in place by August 1914 thanks to Haldane.

As the war evolved, Haldane became more pessimistic and politically moved further to the left, serving as Lord Chancellor in Asquith’s government until it fell in 1915 and eventually served as Lord Chancellor in Ramsay McDonald’s first Labour government of 1924. Nevertheless, Britain would not have been in such a strong position in 1914 without his foresight and planning.

Richard Haldane.

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS.

The Lincoln and North Lincs WFA branch does not hold a speaker event in August, therefore, the next branch event will be Mike Credland’s annual tour of some of Lincolnshire’s war memorials, which this year, will be held on Sunday 10th August.

The tour will last about three hours and is in and around Scunthorpe this year.

The start point is at 11:00am on BOTTESFORD ROAD CAR PARK, SCUNTHORPE (DN16 3HA). This is a FREE car park and accessible from either BOTTESFORD ROAD or down WALNUT TREE WAY, which is off ASHBY HIGH STREET (A159).

The first visit will be to ASHBY WAR MEMORIAL outside St Paul's Church on Ashby High Street.

It will be greatly appreciated if you will confirm whether you are able to go on the tour by dropping me a line on m.cred@hotmail.co.uk

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The East Midlands (Nottingham) WFA Branch meets again on Friday 8th August at 7.30pm at St. Peter’s Church Hall, Church Street, Ruddington, Nottingham, NG11 6HA. All welcome.

Roy Larkin will speak about – “London’s Busses That Stayed At Home.”

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Next Meeting – Spalding & South Lincs Branch WFA – Thursday, 25th September – Spalding Baptist Church, Swan Street, Spalding, PE11 1BT - Doors open 7.00pm for 7.30pm.

Full details to follow

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The Leadenham Military History Group’s next meeting will be on Tuesday 26th August, at Leadenham Village Hall with a start time of 7.30pm.

The evening will start with a light hearted quiz on all subjects of military interest. Teams to be assembled on the night.

Followed by a talk – ‘HMS Hermes and her role in the Fleet Air Arm 1959-1984’ by Simon Hudson.

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The next presentation in the Friends of Lincoln Tank 2025 season of talks will be held on Thursday 4th September when Andrew Thornton will talk about ‘The Old Contemptibles Association.’

The OC’s were specifically those men of the original BEF who served in a war theatre from the outbreak of war in August 1914 to November 22nd 1914.

The venue as usual is the Royal Naval Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG. 7pm for a 7.30pm start. Everyone welcome.

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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 held on Thursday 21st August when Chris Finn will speak about ‘The Buccaneer in the First Gulf War.’

Please arrive 7pm for a 7.30pm start.

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Peter Jacobs has been away sunning himself and you will recall his photo from the South of France that we featured two weeks ago. Peter now writes; ’Many thanks, Jonathan, for another excellent TL and for including my few words from France. You will be pleased to hear that I don’t intend bombarding you with more material every week, but your piece on Sister Jane Bemrose MM prompted me to write a few words about another nurse who was at Étaples at the same time as Jane during the German air raids of May 1918.

The nurse I am referring to is Margaret Whitson of the British Red Cross Society who was Matron of the Liverpool Merchants’ Mobile Hospital and who had served at Étaples since 1915. Margaret kept a wonderful and poignant diary during her time there and the reason I write now is to share her diary entry following the first air raid, which your readers might find to be of interest:

‘May 19th, 1918 (Whit-Sunday) No one in the Liverpool Hospital will ever forget this night as long as they live. I will try to describe it all just as it happened, but the horror of it all can never be effaced from our minds. Colonel Raw, Major Jeans, and myself, along with some sisters went over to the Red Cross Hut at No.7 Canadian Hospital to hear some music at 8.30 p.m. It is only about 4 minutes from our quarters, and we often go on Sunday night. The concert was over at 10 p.m. and we came straight home, admiring the beauty of a most beautiful moonlit night, absolutely still and peaceful, and so warm. I went straight into my bedroom and heard the hum of an aeroplane, and almost at once, the crash of a huge bomb. I flung on my dressing gown, and together with several of the day sisters, we went over to the Hospital. One crash followed another in quick succession, and the machines were directly overhead. It was all most terrifying, and we felt helpless to do anything. All the patients who were about got out and lay on the floor, but there were very many who could not move hand or foot, and it seemed so terrible that we could do nothing for them. Every crash brought everything that hung on the walls or on shelves on to the floor, and the whole building rocked and shook, and each moment we thought was to be our last. After about an hour, Colonel Raw, who kept beside the Sisters all the time, urged us to go into a dugout, but we all felt we could not leave the patients. Then I found the Sisters would not go because I would not, and as by that time we saw we could do nothing for them, we all went into the shelter and certainly got great relief to our nerves. Several times it seemed as if it were over and that the raiders had made off, but they returned about 5 times in all. All this time besides the crash of the bombs, and the Huns’ machine guns, our anti-aircraft guns were roaring, and the shrapnel fell like hail on the wooden roofs, and in some places came right through. We did not get into the home until about 3 a.m. and of course there was very little sleep for any of us that night. It was a tremendous relief to feel we had entirely escaped and seemed almost more than we could believe as the bombs seemed to explode at each corner of the Hospital. Next morning, we heard the sad results to the camp. There were 216 killed and 700 wounded. The first shell burst over the Canadian orderlies’ hut and killed 40 of them at once. Next, the Sisters’, killing one and wounding 5, 2 of whom have since died, and one medical officer. St Johns’ had 4 orderlies killed and many wounded. The 1st and 2nd Life Guards were a short way off, having a rest, and 47 of them were killed and 150 wounded. Colonel Huskisson at Base Details had a terrible time, his men being utterly blown to bits with bombs and machine guns. The Squadron Leader [German pilot] was brought down about 2 miles away, and by the irony of fate was brought to one of the hospitals that they aimed at. There are many German prisoners there, but, of course, they managed to escape. Etaples has suffered much, several civilians killed, and many houses ruined. We have all a very great deal to be thankful for, and we all marvel how we escaped at all.’

Although the casualty figures would later be refined – for example we now know that 46 Guardsmen were killed and 83 wounded during the raid – Margaret’s account nonetheless gives us a rare first-hand account by someone who was there and was written at the time. Your readers might also be interested to learn that the following month the subject of the raid was raised in the House of Commons and that the German government would later (apparently) justify the raid because there had been no ‘Red Cross’ shown on any of the tents or buildings that made up the hospital complex.

As a collector, I am lucky to have Margaret’s medals and a copy of her diary in my collection. She was a brave lady, and we so often overlook the part played by women such as Sister Jane Bemrose MM and Matron Margaret Whitson RRC.’

Margaret Whitson and her medals below.

As Tony Nutkins kindly pointed out last month, Germany was not a signatory to the Geneva Convention during WWI. It is inconceivable that they did not know that Etaples was a collection of base hospitals. They were not the ‘Dastardly Hun’ for nothing.

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On a recent trip to Yorkshire, Robin Sayer spotted this memorial to the crew and passengers of the SS Rohilla that sank on 30th October 1914.

I did some research and found that the ship was being used as a hospital ship when it ran aground on a reef in bad weather just off the coast at Whitby. The ship was clearly visible from the shoreline, and as it broke into three over three days, many attempts were made to rescue the crew and passengers by six different lifeboats.

Some passengers and crew leapt into the sea and attempted to swim ashore, some reached safety, others did not. The combined crew and passengers on board totalled 229 of which 146 survived.

One stewardess on board, Mary Roberts from Liverpool, had also survived the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.

Contemporary photos of the attempt to rescue survivors from SS Rohilla.

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Remarkably, the Colour by CJS page featured a Lincolnshire man this week. I just had to share his story with you.

Lieutenant Herbert Percival Jackson.

Herbert was from Louth in Lincolnshire and was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School, Louth and Bradfield College.

He was deployed to France in March 1917 as a Subaltern in the Royal Field Artillery serving with "A" Battery, 295th Brigade, RFA.

Herbert Jackson was killed in action on 25th September 1917 during the 3rd Battle of Ypres in the build up to the opening of the Battle of the Menin Road.

Herbert Jackson was 25 years old and today, he lies in Ypres Reservoir Cemetery. He is remembered on his parent’s headstone at Louth Cemetery.

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Melvin Dobbs has kindly been out and about for us once again and this time it is nearer to home, in Leicester. Melvin writes; ‘As you know, I forward Trench Lincs onto friends and family especially when my contributions are featured!

My "Step Daughter" Mandy Armitage (Keel) is one of those recipients and having planned a trip to see her and my two God Children Luca and Maria during the school holidays, she in turn planned a visit to a church that she passes every day taking her children to St. Paul’s Roman Catholic School, Evington, Leicester.

This Church was St. Denys which is normally kept locked but she had arranged with a Church Warden to open up at a certain time, and whilst waiting we all looked around the older part of the churchyard and here I noted 3 CWGC headstones, and spotted 3 others of interest, including one to a Leicester City Police Constable killed in enemy action in 1940, another of the Lawrence Family losing two Sons : one torpedoed in 1918 the other KIA in 1943, and the third in the name of Bowell* which becomes important when we enter the Church.

The first 2 pictures below are self-explanatory as we enter through door into the Porchway of the church.

Inside the Church I spotted two American flags, the first was left by the men of the Airborne 504th Parachute Infantry of the American Army who were billeted just down the road on Shady Lane and was left by them when leaving to go down South and eventually to Europe on August 13th 1944.

The second flag was presented in 2022 marking the 80th anniversary of when the Airborne Division first arrived in the area.

Troops of the 504th PIR in Leicester.

The next to draw my attention was the superb stained glass window dedicated to the memory of Archibald Gordon Edward Bowell*, whose family headstone we had seen outside.

Lieutenant 8th Battalion, Leicester Regiment

Who fell Bezentin-le-Petit 14th July 1916 age 26.

The striking feature of this window is the figure of St. George which has the face of Archibald Bowell.

The face of Archibald Bowell is in the left panel as the face of St. George.

Also attached are pictures of Rolls of Honour for both World Wars for the men of Evington.

Also the Village War Memorial listing names of those lost in both Wars, Bowell is named on this plus on the Roll of Honour within the Church.

An additional plaque on the Memorial states: This land on which the Memorial stands was known as Kings Orchard and was given to Evington by John Edward Faire Esq J.P. of Evington Hall as a thanksgiving for Victory and Peace August 23rd 1919.

The final few pictures depict an area now known as Shady Lane Arboretum, which was where the American Airborne troops were billeted and after they left it became a Prisoner of War Camp for Italians and Germans.’

Thank you for that comprehensive article Melvyn. Just goes to show what is on your doorstep!

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Ray Sellers, recently returned from Korea and Japan, as featured in TL over the last couple of weeks, has now been globe-trotting once again to Norway.

Norway and World War II will always be associated in my mind with two main events. Winston Churchill’s ill-fated Norway expedition in 1940 which ended in disaster and the Norwegian resistance against the National Socialists which included the famous ‘Shetland Bus’, a sea crossing route from Shetland to Norway used extensively by SOE and others to ferry agents and information in and out of Norway.

Ray writes for us; ‘Now to Oslo, Norway. In its Maritime Museum, Photo of a Viking Longship, and its truly amazing to think these vessels are a thousand years old!

Next is the memorial to all the Norwegian Marine casualties during WW2.

We now move to the Akershus Fortress that dates back to around 1300AD. Within it is the Armed Forces Museum. The first photo is the building itself that houses a huge array of army and naval material dating back to the Middle Ages. Like so many other countries in the world, in times past there have been wars with one’s neighbours, notably with Sweden and Denmark in this case.

In the grounds of the Museum is a memorial to the Norwegian Squadrons linked to the RAF during WWII, and the next three photos, are more memorials relating to WWII.

The next snap is a photo of a torpedo.

Photo No 19, shows a bomb dropped on the battleship Tirpitz.

We now move to the Historical Museum of Norway, which also has displays on the Occupation in WWII. The next two photos show some of the actual gold bullion, now located in a strong room within the museum, smuggled out of the country before the Germans got hold of it.

Last but not least, photo No. 26 is the memorial to W S Churchill located on one the city’s main streets.

In all, during the week I was there, I visited 10 Museums, 2 Fortresses, the Cathedral, and Roald Amundsen's home. All of the venues were top notch, and all the displays were in English and of course Norwegian. I found the country to be safe, clean, very well organised, and the people to be very friendly and helpful. Therefore, I also highly recommend a visit there if you can!’

Thank you Ray for your great advert for the Oslo Tourist board, it does sound like a very interesting city to visit.

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Local Lincolnshire memorial for this week comes from Andrew and Felicity Sayers who have been in Bourne. The war memorial in Bourne is a very interesting example of post-Great War memorialisation.

One of the big issues for many communities was whether their war memorial should be visual or functional. In Bourne’s case, they opted for a functional memorial, namely The Butterfield Cottage Hospital extension opened in 1921.

Mike Credland’s wonderful book, ‘The First World War Memorials of Lincolnshire’, states, “The large East Wing extension included a men’s ward on the ground floor containing four beds and designated the ‘Peace Memorial Ward’ with a tablet over the new external door engraved with the wording ‘Erected in 1920 in grateful remembrance of those who gave their lives in the Great War 1914-1918.’

However, the citizens of Bourne, after the second war, decided that they needed a visual memorial so that they could pay homage to the town’s war dead.

To that end, on 16th September 1956, Brigadier E F O Richards unveiled, in Mike Credland’s words; ‘The Portland stone cenotaph has an ornamental pool with fountain either side and sits within an immaculate large garden of remembrance. Two bronze panels record the 97 names of the fallen in the Great War and the 32 who died during the Second World War.’

It is this cenotaph and memorial path, which was added later, that Andrew and Felicity photographed.

Bourne Cenotaph - well worth a visit.

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Finally, for this week, further memorialisation from Australia once again, courtesy of Marcus Dunbar. Marcus, you will recall is touring Australia in the wake of the British and Irish Lions rugby XV and was lucky enough to have been at Melbourne last week when the Lions won the second test match with a last minute try.

Here is a selection of his many photos from Melbourne.

The Victoria state shrine.

Note the symbolism portrayed of Jesus on the cross.

The Simpson Kirkpatrick - Man with a Donkey memorial - see my comments below.

Marcus then flew up to Cairns for a few days, before he heads for Sydney for the third and final test match and a possible Lions whitewash?

Here are Marcus’ photos from Cairns.

Over the last couple of weeks, thanks to Marcus, we have now seen post war memorialisation from Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Cairns, with Sydney still to come, I hope, and the one thing that stands out is how their design and iconography is very traditional, Christian and dare I say, British, but also how heavily loaded is Australian remembrance to the Great War and particularly to Australian exploits on Gallipoli in 1915.

The statue memorial above of ‘The Man with The Donkey’ immortalises John Simpson Kirkpatrick, an emigrant from South Shields, who served with the 3rd Australian Field ambulance and was reputed to have saved many men’s lives by transporting the wounded down to the beach on his donkey during his short stay on Gallipoli. Simpson was killed whilst carrying out his work on 19th May 1915 and each time I have visited Gallipoli I have paid my respects to him. Here is my 2022 photo of his headstone.

You may recall that the New Zealanders also have their own ‘Donkey Man’ and he is remembered at the Wellington national memorial site, which I visited last December. Again, here is my photo from New Zealand.

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IN MEMORIAM - The Lincolnshire Regiment 3rd August.

1915

16902 Private W Ball, 2nd Battalion, aged 22. Buried in White City Cemetery, France.

9035 Private C I Spink, 2nd Battalion, aged 16. – Ditto. – (Yet another 16 year-old that we have found)

1916

18042 Lance Corporal Eric John Garwood, 6th Battalion, aged 25. Buried in Thurlby by Bourne Churchyard, UK.

21575 Private J W Rapson, 10th Battalion, aged 23. Buried in Albert Communal Cemetery Extension, France.

16664 Corporal J T Vickers, 8th Battalion. Buried in Cabaret Rouge Cemetery, France.

887 Private Henry Charles Yates, 10th Battalion, aged 22. Remembered on the Thiepval Memorial, France.

1917

Lieutenant Arnold Grayson Bloomer, 2nd Battalion, aged 31. Buried in Brandhoek Military Cemetery, Belgium. ** (See below)

242423 Private J Needham, 4th Battalion. Buried in Philosophe British Cemetery, France.

1918

44806 Private G W Ewins, 7th Battalion, aged 19. Buried in Harponville Communal Cemetery Extension, France.

43363 Private Frances Heaton, 7th Battalion, aged 38. – Ditto. –

38657 Private James Punches, 7th Battalion, aged 20. – Ditto. –

53157 Private John Broughton Illingworth, 1st Battalion, aged 19. Hollybrook Memorial, Southampton, UK.

1268 Private Tom Howitt, 2nd Battalion, aged 39. Buried in Mailly Wood Cemetery, France.

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

** (1917 above) Lt. Arnold Grayson Bloomer was the son of George and Eliza Bloomer of Edgbaston Birmingham. Born in 1885, Arnold Bloomer was working for Lloyds Bank when war broke out.

Arnold was wounded on July 31st during the initial attack in the Battle of Pilckem, Ypres and he died from his wounds 4 days later at the 32nd Casualty Clearing Station at Brandhoek.

The 2nd Battalion war diary entries for the 31st July and 1st August 1917 are transcribed below. Arnold is mentioned twice.

Halfway House - 31.7.1917 - 3.15am: The battalion consisting of 20 officers and 600 OR arrived at Halfway House by march from Pioneer Camp.

6.50am: The battalion was formed up at 6:50AM and advanced in artillery formation under Capt. G. W. Bruce M. C. The C.O. and Adj. having started for Westhoek as ordered. Reconnoitring parties found the existing front line to the Jabber trench from about J.8.c.3.4 to J.7.b.8.7 (sheet 27) the left part of which was very exposed to M.G. fire from the immediate front.

9am: By this time the battalion had arrived at the deploying position and all Coys. reported casualties from M.G. fire whilst in Chateau Wood and from shell fire between there and Westhoek. The carrying platoon were exhausted from the effects of gas shells and the heavy ground.

9.40am: By this time the C.O., the adj. Capt. Brum and Lieut. Bloomer had been wounded and 2/Lt K Young took over the command of the battalion.

10.10am: Orders were received from G.O.C 25th Infantry Brigade that the advance would be carried out as planned and the Battalion advance to the crest of the ridge, C Coy on the left, A Coy in the centre, D Coy on the right and B Coy in support as moppers up. On reaching the crest of the ridge we suffered heavy casualties from M.G. fire, the majority of fire coming from our right flank which was exposed owing to the 30th Division having been held up earlier in the day.

10.18am: The barrage fell beyond the above-mentioned machine guns and we were able to make progress. It was decided to consolidate the reverse slop of the ridge and to hold the crest with Lewis Gun posts.

The line ultimately consolidated was from J.8.c.25.70 to J.8.c.10.85 (just in front of Jabber Trench) and hence along Jabber trench to J.7.b.8.6 to J.7.b.8.4 and three posts on the centre and right about 30 yards in front Jabber Trench (sheet 27).

C Company made a determined effort to capture a M G at J.8.a.0.65 but found the communication trench blocked and had to several men killed in the attack.

Two attacks were made on a house at J.7.b.9.3 but were so exposed to M G fire from the right that these attacks were not successful.

11.50am Two enemy counter-attacks were made, both of which were easily repulsed.

1.30pm: Enemy reinforcements were seen coming from the direction of Anzac and massing in Jabber Support. Considerable casualties were inflicted on the reinforcements by our Lewis Gun and rifle fire.

2.30pm: The enemy made a strong counter-attack supported by a barrage in Bellewaarde Ridge, the valley W of Westhoek and our own front line. This was beaten off with severe casualties to the enemy. No serious counter attack was made after that and consolidation was rapidly pushed on and completed.

10pm: The Lewis Gun posts on the crest of the ridge were converted into bombing and listening posts and the night passed without further incident.

Pioneer Camp - 1.8.1917 – 5am: The battalion was relieved by the 2nd Royal Berkshire Regiment and proceeded to Pioneer Camp.

Casualties: Killed 2/Lt Bush; 2/Lt Truly. Wounded & Died of wounds Lt A.G Bloomer, 2/Lt Somerby. Wounded L/Col R Basland DSO, Capt. G R Thatcher, Capt. Bruce, Lt Hill, Lt Ingoldby.

Other ranks Killed 39, wounded 177, missing.

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Hope you all have a very special week,

Until next time,

All best wishes

Jonathan

www.jonathandhooghe.co.uk

e: trenchlincs@gmail.com

© Jonathan D’Hooghe

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Copyright © J C J D'Hooghe. All rights reserved.