Trench Lincs 5th April 2026

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Good Morning,

It’s Sunday once again, the clocks have changed, the evenings are lighter and spring, I believe, is in the air. With all of my fruit trees and shrubs about to burst into blossom, the last thing I want now is a late April air frost! Fingers crossed.

I can also wish you all a Very Happy Easter, the most important time in the Christian calendar, a time of re-birth and renewal.

With so many problems in our country and across the wider world at present, Easter is a special time that means renewal and resurrection. It is a day that celebrates new life and hope after hard times. The story of Jesus rising from the dead shows us that faith and sacrifice can bring new beginnings. Symbols like eggs and blooming flowers help us remember this idea of rebirth. These traditions and symbols remind us to stay hopeful and open to change. By thinking about these themes, we can find deeper meaning in Easter. It’s a time to reflect, renew our spirits, and look forward to brighter days ahead. [And some chocolate! – Ed]

My brighter days start today with the arrival of all of my UK based grandchildren later this morning for the annual Easter Egg hunt in the garden, followed by a knockout Easter Pace Egg competition, won last year by grandson Thomas who beat Auntie Amy in the final!

Many online articles refer to Pace Egging as being a Lancashire custom, but I have known it all my life from my Cumbrian Godparents. Eggs are covered in flower petals, especially primroses, wrapped in onion skin, then wrapped in newspaper to hold the petals and onion skin in place, and then hard boiled.

When removed from the paper, the egg shell is highly decorated. The eggs can then be rolled downhill and the one that goes the furthest without breaking is the winner. Alternatively, you can play knockout ‘conkers’ with them.

Each contestant draws an egg at random from a bowl, and then a draw is made. The toss of a coin decides who will be the tapper and who will be the receiver.

The receiver holds their egg firmly in the hand with the pointy end uppermost. The tapper then hits the egg with one sharp blow with their pointy end. Believe me, one egg will crack and one won’t!

The winner goes through to the next round until you end up with a grand final. At the end of the competition, the winner is crowned and everyone gets to eat their hard-boiled egg!

Click here to read all about it.

Traditional Easter Pace Eggs - Lavender and Lovage

Traditional Pace Egg plays were also a well-known tradition in the North of England, but died out to a large degree after 1918, as so many men who acted in them, did not return at the end of the Great War.

If you have a go today for an Easter Monday competition, please drop me a line and a photo.

On which side was God on?

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS.

Next event - Lincoln & North Lincolnshire Branch, WFA - Monday, April 27th 2026 - Doors open 7.00pm for 7.30pm start - Royal Naval Association Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG.

Brian Riley presents: "The Shimmering Blue; Lincolnshire Aviation in World War One."

‘During the First World War, Lincolnshire made three major contributions to the British air war effort: home defence, aircraft manufacturing and the training of British and Allied airmen.

This talk assesses the reasons for aviation coming to Lincolnshire, explores the effects on the county of the world's first strategic air offensive, and examines the measures taken to defend the nation from air attacks.  It describes how a primarily agricultural county became one of world’s largest aircraft production centres and nurtured fledgling Allied airmen on their bumpy paths to operational competence. 

Over a century later, we appreciate that Lincolnshire’s men and women provided vital support to early ‘multinational coalition operations.  Theirs is a story worth telling to ensure that their pathfinding efforts are not forgotten.’

Brian Riley combines a lifelong passion for military history with a love of archaeology, foreign languages and travel.  He graduated with a degree in Modern Languages from the University of Salford in 1978 and worked for several years in the Civil Service and local government before deciding to make his hobby pay.  He was commissioned into the RAF Education Branch at the tender age of 35 but his inquisitive nature soon led him to transfer to the RAF Intelligence Branch. Retiring from the RAF in 2012, Brian has continued to pursue his passion for aviation and military history.  He led school parties on history tours of Berlin and curated the RAF Heritage Collection at William Farr School, Welton, before working for Lincolnshire County Council on a major aviation heritage project during 2017-2020.  This project - Lincolnshire, Bastion in the Air 1915-18 - was financed by the Heritage Lottery Fund and highlighted the county’s important but often overlooked First World War aviation accomplishments. In October 2024, Brian was appointed by South Kesteven District Council as the official Heritage Advisor for its ‘Soldiers from the Sky’ project, financed by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.  It lasted until the end of 2025 and highlighted the activities of the British, American and Polish Airborne Forces who lived and trained in the area during 1944-45 while preparing for operations in Normandy (D-Day), the Netherlands (Operation MARKET GARDEN), Norway (Operation DOOMSDAY) and Denmark (Operation ECLIPSE). 

Brian is continuing his support activities with the Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire Partnership, which is a consortium of aviation heritage sites dedicated to promoting the county’s rich aviation heritage, and commemorating the service and sacrifice of all those involved. 

Photo from the cockpit by Dennis Glover, RE8 pilot, father of the late Rob Glover.

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Next Meeting - Spalding & South Lincolnshire Branch, WFA – Thursday 23rd April, 2026 - Doors open 7.00pm for 7.30 pm start - Spalding Baptist Church, Swan Street, Spalding, PE11 1BT.

April 23rd - Chris Finn presents "Aviation in the Dardanelles and Gallipoli Campaigns".

In this evening's talk, Chris will examine how the British, French and Turkish forces' developed their application of airpower in a complex campaign, fought in a hostile environment, and with meagre resources when compared to the Western Front.  He will be discussing not only the technology and tactics, but also the environment, enemy and command personalities and cultures in a talk which first saw the light of day when Chris presented a brief introduction to air power at Gallipoli as a "stand" during the highly successful Lincoln Branch battlefield tour of Gallipoli in 2022 led by our good friend Dudley Giles. 

The aircraft available were very early machines such as the Wight Pusher, Short 135 and Sopwith 807 floatplanes along with BE2c, Maurice Farman and Breguet B2 landplanes which were flown with great skill by characters such as Commander Charles Rumney Samson RN, Commodore Roger Keys RN and Wing Captain Frederick Sykes RNAS who did a remarkable job of undertaking photographic reconnaissance flights over Gallipoli.  The Turks were flying even more primitive types; witness Flt Lt Cemal Bey flying a Bleriot XI-2 during the campaign! 

Christopher Finn joined the RAF in 1972 as a navigator. He flew predominantly the Buccaneer and was an electronic warfare, weapons and tactics specialist.  During Operation GRANBY he was, as a newly promoted Wing Cdr, the UK’s “SO1 Bucc” in the Coalition Air HQ in Riyadh.  His final flying tour was as the Officer Commanding the Navigator and Airman Aircrew School.  A graduate of the Joint Services’ Defence College he gained an MPhil in International Relations at Cambridge University in 1999 and went on to be the Director of Defence Studies (RAF).  From his retirement in 2005 to 2015 he was a Senior Lecturer in Air Power Studies at the RAF College Cranwell.  Chris is an Accredited Battlefield Guide, specialising in airpower and combined operations.  He lectures extensively on RAF and airpower history, but can turn his hand to most military history subjects, and is also a volunteer guide at the BBMF and both a guide and lecturer for the CWGC.

Finally, the Branch would like to advise attendees that, by permission of the Church Elders, we have relocated our presentations from the ante-room we have used to date, to the main hall (known as "The Sanctuary") within the church.  This well decorated and attractive hall has comfortable padded seats, and speakers' presentations are clearly displayed on a very large, bright LCD screen mounted on the end wall.  This system has been used for church services and other events for a while now, and works very well.  The Branch first tried it at our March meeting and both the audience, and speaker, were greatly appreciative of it.  So, if you are attending, and we hope you will, please don't go to the ante-room, or you might find yourself recruited into the church choir!  

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The East Midlands (Nottingham) WFA branch will hold their next speaker event on Friday 10th April 2026 at 7.30pm. The branch meets at St. Peter’s Church Hall, Church Street, Ruddington, NG11 6HA.

The speaker on this night is Phil Drabble, and his talk is – “Travels With A Tiger – The Western Front.”

I assume this is regarding a man in the Leicestershire Regiment.

Everyone welcome.

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The Leadenham Military History Group’s next meeting will be on Tuesday 28th April at 7.30pm at Leadenham village hall.

James Handley presents – “Storm Over Yorkshire - The battle of Marston Moor in 1644.”

James will also bring some weapons and armour by way of illustration.

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The Friends of the Lincoln Tank Group continue their 2026 season in April. 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.

Thursday April 30th -  Jo Costin will talk about “The Cambridge Kitcheners”

The next FoLT talk will be held on Thursday the 30th April when we will welcome Jo Costin to speak on “Cambridgeshire Kitcheners”.  In her own words:

“In the opening months of the First World War, 1,500 men from Cambridgeshire (town and county) joined up together to form the Cambridgeshire Kitcheners or 11th Suffolks. They came from a variety of occupations, though unlike many other Pals battalions, the majority were agricultural workers. Following training in England, they went overseas in January 1916, and saw action in some of the bloodiest battles of the war. This included the Somme, when 188 were killed on 1 July alone. However, this was not the end of their story. They saw significant action in 1917, during the battle of Arras, and in 1918 were caught up in the chaotic retreats during the German Spring Offensives, and the later Allied counterattacks. The list of battles, however, is only a fraction of their story. A mixture of official sources, newspaper accounts, personal documents, and family history sources like census records combine to give a fuller picture of what the men in the battalion experienced”.

We shall, as usual, meet at the Royal Naval Club on Coulson Road, Lincoln.  Doors will open at 7.00pm for a 7.30pm start.  Entrance is £5 payable on the door on the night.  There is ample car parking at the club, and refreshments can be obtained at the bar.  Everyone is welcome to attend and there is no need for you to be a paid up member of FoLT.  Just come down on the night to receive a warm welcome.  I hope you are able to support us.

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A third 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 April 2026 with a start time of 7.30pm.

The speaker on this occasion is John Steel, who will speak about ‘Bristol Fighters – Built by Marshalls of Gainsborough.’

Guests always welcome - £3.00 entry for none LAS Members.

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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.

April 8th Andy Stuart

'Tales from the Great War.' The story of Arthur Walton, my grandad.

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We have a wide array of snippets this week including the latest from Nadine in Belgium, news of a very successful local school visit to France and Flanders from Richard Hughes, further Old Contemptibles news from Matt Colley, some unseen before family cards and photos from Jane Harrison and Steve Baldwin, a short report on the recent outing to the Royal Armouries in Leeds, more news from Etaples courtesy of Peter Jacobs and a starter this week, that ties up the loose ends from last week, thanks to Arthur Wood.

Arthur, as I am sure you are all aware by now, has spent many years cataloguing the final resting place of many of the Victoria Cross winners from British military history. Last week we covered the story of Lt. Maurice Dease, the first VC winner of the Great War, and there was also mention of Captain Noel Chavasse, one of only three men to win the Victoria Cross twice.

Arthur writes; ‘As mentioned in last Sunday’s TL, here are my photos of the headstones for Dease and Chevasse.’

Thank you Arthur. Your visit to St. Symphorien in the snow is very poignant.

Noel Chavasse VC and Bar, MC.

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Mike Credland, as might be expected, was able to answer my questions about the war memorials in St. Mary Magdalene church adjacent to the White Hart Hotel.

Mike comments; ‘The timber boarded war memorial in Mary Magdalene church is known as a Triptych and was unveiled on 9th January 1921. It was made of teak from the ill-fated HMS Britannia, the last Royal Navy battleship to be sunk in the Great War when torpedoed off Cape Trafalgar by German submarine UB-50 on Saturday 9th November 1918. 50 Officers and Ratings lost their lives with a further 80 wounded. Drowned was Stoker 1st Class Arthur Bemrose from Morton near Gainsborough aged 20.

His brother Ernest was killed in action with the 2nd The Lincolnshire Regiment on 1st July 1916, also aged 20. 

The marble tablet mentioned was originally unveiled in St. Paul in the Bail church, Lincoln by Lt. Col. Edmund Royds MP on Sunday 20th February 1921. The church was demolished in c1972 and the tablet relocated in Mary Magdalene. I researched the memorial many years ago and amongst those listed are casualties from the Hohenzollern Redoubt on 13th October 1915, the Somme on 1st July 1916 and German Spring Offensive of 21st March 1918. There's also a DCM recipient on the marble tablet in Mary Magdalene - CSM Albert Maplethorpe 4th Lincolnshires who is buried in Eastgate Cemetery.'

Thank you Mike. That has filled the gaps perfectly.

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Peter Jacobs dropped me a line about my article on the German Spring Offensive of March 1918, but as I was away for much of last week, here is what he writes; ‘Thank you, Jonathan, for another excellent and informative TL. (22nd March) I often find your comments stimulate my own little grey cells and this time it was your reminder that this weekend marks the anniversary of the German Spring Offensive of March 1918, which triggered a thought in my own mind and made me wonder what people who were there were doing at that time.

As you and your readers might recall, I have in my collection a wartime diary kept by Margaret Whitson RRC, the Matron of the Liverpool Merchants’ Mobile Hospital at Étaples. Following the outbreak of war, Margaret had volunteered for the British Red Cross and went to France with the newly raised hospital in early 1915, serving as its matron until the end of the war, during which she was twice decorated by the King and mentioned in despatches. Margaret kept a remarkable and most moving diary of her experiences during that time and so every now and again, when something triggers a thought, I get her diary out and read her entry for that time. I note her diary entry for that period of 1918 simply reads:

‘Our heavy work began on March 21st with an air raid over the camp, evidently with the intention of cutting the bridge and railway, but without success. From March 22nd on to the end of May, we had a terrible time, and there was little chance of keeping a daily record of it all. The wards were full of the most appalling cases, and so many arrived dead on the stretchers as the C.C.S’s [Casualty Clearing Stations] had been, many of them, captured by the Germans. We were asked by the military to supply more beds for officers, and we gave them 150 in all. We had a very busy time as so many of their relatives had to be allowed out. But what a satisfaction it was to be able to do so much for them. It has certainly been the hardest work we have had, and none of us would have missed a day of it.’

It might only be a short entry and covers a period of over two months, but it is consistent with Margaret’s diary entries at that time. By then, her lengthy and somewhat articulate daily entries of early-1915 had long been replaced by much shorter and less frequent entries as the war had dragged on and were only written when she could find the time, or the energy, to record her thoughts. The entry itself – or lack of it - tells us so much about the human aspect to all that was going on. Simply put, by the time Margaret Whitson wrote her diary entry following the German Spring Offensive of 1918 she was an exhausted woman. It is hardly surprising, particularly when considering she was then aged 51.

One other point I would like to make from the entry is that Margaret records the period as ‘it has certainly been the hardest work we have had’, and these words come from an experienced matron who had already witnessed the casualty fall out from battles such as Ypres, Loos, the Somme, Arras and Passchendaele, to name but a few. Again, it shows just how difficult a period the German Spring Offensive must have been. Margaret also concludes ‘none of us would have missed a day of it’. She was clearly a proud lady who had done her bit!

Anyway, I just thought I would share Margaret’s words with your readers. It would be a shame to leave the diary locked away and her story untold. Thank you, again, for triggering the old grey cells – it has helped me appreciate what those who were there had to endure. To help remind your readers and put a face to her name, I have included a picture of Margaret and an image of her medals, which include the Royal Red Cross (left) and Associate Royal Red Cross (right), which she so thoroughly deserved.’

Thank you Peter for your very meaningful words. Indeed, the period from March 21st to mid-April 1918 was the nearest that the Anglo-French Alliance came to losing the war since August 1914.

Of further interest, if I am reading it correctly, is that Margaret mentions that the relatives of those in hospital at Etaples, if they could afford it, were able to cross the Channel to visit their wounded sons and husbands.

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Peter’s piece about Margaret Whitson allows me to nicely segue into our second female heroine for this week, the Belgian spy, Gabrielle Petit.

My great friend in Ronse, Nadine Dezaeytijd, has been researching in recent times, more about her home town of Ronse during WWII, and the events of the occupation between 1940 and 1944. However, I am pleased to say that WWI and the first occupation of Ronse (Rennaix in French) is never far from her work, and a couple of weeks ago, Nadine sent me a photograph of a Zeppelin which came down not far from Ronse. Intrigued, she asked for some time to continue her search into what the full story was, and now I am delighted to share it all with you.

Nadine writes; ‘It took a while until all loose ends were tied up and all data was confirmed, but I am pleased to say the information I found is indeed about the Zeppelin in the photo I sent you. Patience is a good virtue and the waiting, although always being the hardest part, was rewarded with an interesting tale.

Here is the story behind the picture.

‘During the night of 29 January 1916, German Zeppelins launched air raids on Paris for the first time ever. These air raids caused significant damage to buildings and also homes, with civilian casualties as a result.

In the late evening of 29 January, Hauptmann Victor Gaissert took off from Namur, Belgium, with the Zeppelin LZ79 for the air raid on Paris. After having dropped its bombs on the Parisian districts of Belleville and Menilmontant, the Zeppelin flew over Le Bourget, where the alarm was raised.

Two French pilots, Corporal Louis Vallin and Sergeant Denebonde attacked the German airship but lost sight of the Zeppelin. Two other pilots, Lieutenant Galliot and Second Lieutenant Jacques de Lesseps, son of Ferdinand de Lesseps, who led the construction of the Suez Canal, chased the Zeppelin for about an hour. During their chase, they fired several times at the Zeppelin which caused it to lose more and more gas and height. Notwithstanding, Hauptmann Gaissert ordered his crew to drop a water container in order to lose extra weight and keep the airship in the air as long as possible, the Zeppelin kept on descending and an emergency landing had to be carried out.

In the early hours of 30 January 1916, the flight of the 170-metre long airship came to a premature end, landing on the roof of a farm outbuilding in the Belgian village of Mainvault, situated between Ronse and the town of Ath. All 18 crew members survived the crash but the Zeppelin LZ79 was lost, one and a half years after its maiden flight.’

The Zeppelin photographed on the ground and damaged.

An artists impression of an attack.

Nadine now continues with regard to Gabrielle; ‘‘Meanwhile somewhere in Brussels in the late hours of 31 January 1916, 23 year-old Gabrielle Petit, one of many Belgian spies working for the British Intelligence services and head of the ‘Petit Network’ was in her flat, writing a secret message on cigarette paper to be passed on further.

Why on cigarette paper? Because after writing the message, she would put a bit of tobacco on the cigarette paper containing the message and roll a cigarette. Easy to pass on a cigarette to someone or, in the event of being stopped by the Germans, she could always smoke that cigarette, thus destroying any evidence.

On that small cigarette paper she wrote the following words: ‘Zeppelin crashed in Mainvault’.

Sadly, the message was never passed on. The following day, Gabrielle, betrayed by a German spy who posed as a Dutchman, was arrested and carried away by the Germans. In spite of being imprisoned, interrogated and tortured, Gabrielle never revealed the names of the people in her network.

In her last letter to her sister, she wrote: ‘I will soon leave this earth. I refuse being blindfolded because I want to look them [The Germans - Ed.] straight in the eyes as a Belgian woman is not afraid to die. I will not abase myself before a German, not even if he were the Kaiser, because to me, they are a floor mat onto which I wipe my dirty shoes.’

In the early hours of 1 April 1916, Gabrielle was taken before the German firing squad. According to the prison chaplain, she looked the Germans straight in the eyes, saying out loud her last words: ‘Long live Belgium, long live the…’

Gabrielle Petit was born in Tournai near Ronse. After the war and although she only made it to the age of 23, she became the symbol of Belgian resistance and the inspiration for other brave women, young or young at heart, united by their heroism and patriotism during WWII.

The message about the Zeppelin LZ79 destined for the British Intelligence services would be the last message Gabrielle would write. That message was never found by the Germans and is now in the possession of the Gabrielle Petit Museum in Tournai.

May your soul rest in peace Gabrielle, your memory is eternal.’

Gabrielle fetaured on the front cover of post-war magazines.

Wow! Thank you for that wonderful story Nadine.

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Whilst having lunch at the Royal Armouries, Steve Baldwin showed me a post card that he had found amongst his grandfather’s possessions, and asked if I could shed any light on the men in it. I love a good old Sherlock Holmes adventure, and so took the card home.

I scanned it at 1200 dpi which allows it to be blown up on screen, and with the aid of a magnifying glass used on the original card, here are my thoughts. [I am always happy to be corrected if anyone has other thoughts or ideas! – Ed]

BACK ROW L to R. – The first 4 men are all Corporals of the West Yorkshire Regiment (one man I can’t see his stripes but I am 100% sure they will all be NCO’s). The next man is an ‘Old Sweat’ with a good moustache and he is a Corporal in the Royal Engineers. The next man is a Lance Corporal in a Highland Regiment. He is wearing the ‘Bonnet’ or Tam ‘o’ Shanter. It is not a ‘diced’ Kilmarnock Bonnet as worn by the Argylls, and this type of bonnet replaced the Glengarry for most Scottish Regiments in 1917 – this adds to my 1918 theory – see below. The last two men on the back row are Sergeants of the Royal Engineers, both are ‘Old Sweats’ and one is wearing what I suspect are South Africa medal ribbons.

FRONT ROW L to R. – The first man with overlapping hands, is a Staff Sergeant in The Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent) Regiment – I am sure that under the magnifying glass, I can see the prancing horse of the RWK’s. On his right lower sleeve, he has 3 overseas service chevrons. As they are all the same colour, this will be for service in 1915,16 and 17 – which lends further evidence to my 1918 theory. On his lower left sleeve, he has 1 wound stripe. The next man is the first officer in the photo. Given his age, and what I can see of his shoulders, I think he is a Major in the Alexandra, Princess of Wales’s Own (Yorkshire Regiment) – This cap badge is the most difficult to make out, and I am happy to be corrected, if anyone can suggest an alternative? The general shape, wider at the bottom becoming thinner at the top with an obvious crown sitting on top, points me to the Yorkshire Regiment. The Major has two overseas service chevrons on his lower right sleeve. The next officer, is a married man wearing a ring, and I can see his collar badges clearer than his cap badge, and again, I believe him to be a Lieutenant of the Royal West Kents. The next man is, I believe, the Commanding Officer of the course, wearing riding boots and jodhpurs. Seeing that he has two decorations on his shoulders, I would suggest that it is one ‘pip’ and one crown, making him a Lieutenant Colonel in the Yorkshire Regiment. The next man is a Lieutenant, in the Yorkshire Regiment – unless I am wrong with the badge id. The final man is another ‘Old Sweat’ and he is a Warrant Officer Class II of the Royal Artillery, with two year’s overseas service chevrons on his lower right sleeve.

I suspect that the photograph was taken in the UK, and that they are the staff for a training course. Some of the civilians in the background looking on, are wearing flat caps, and that is why I think it’s a UK taken photo. Given that one man has Overseas Service chevrons to 1917, I would deduce that this photo can be dated at some point in 1918.

What does anyone think? Please let me know.

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I am always very pleased to see new unpublished family photos, and I always seek permission from the sender before sharing them with TL readers. This week, I have a wonderful selection from Jane Harrison.

I first met Jane probably four or five years ago at Heckington Show and discovered that she was related to Leslie Garner, a Corporal in the Royal Artillery who is buried at Adinkerke, and is the only name on the Dalderby Cross war memorial. Given the history of the Dalderby Cross, which was erected in 1916 for the Lincolnshire village that had given the highest percentage of its available manhood to ‘The Cause’, Leslie’s grave was one which I had visited with Mike Credland and chums some time before.

Jane explained that Leslie’s brother, Robert, was her grandfather and that Robert had served in the Lincolnshire Yeomanry. Although I was absent, I know that Jane attended Mike’s recent talk at Leadenham about the Lincolnshire Yeomanry, and had found it fascinating, especially the story of the HMT Mercian incident.

Jane had previously let me have some family photographs, and now she has very kindly supplied some more.

From left to right: Herbert, Robert (Bunny), Leslie. Taken at Dalderby. [Herbert definitely has a Royal Artillery Cap Badge in this picture – see my further comments below – Ed]

Jane notes; ‘The second and third taken at Dalderby where they lived at that time.  I was always told the photo of him on a horse was him leaving to go to war. I find it hard to comprehend what this must have been like for him and his family - and his horse.’

Jane writes; ‘A letter from John Whaler Garner to his sister. I find this very special, taking me back to what it must have felt like at that time.’ - [Note the dispensary mentioned in the letter. - Ed]

I had previously been aware of Robert (Bunny), Herbert and of course Leslie, but John Whaler Garner was a new sibling, so I dropped Jane a line to ask how he fitted into the family.

Jane replied; ‘He was the eldest of 9 children born to Robert George Garner and Jane Elizabeth Garner. There were 6 boys and 3 girls. (Goodness, poor Great Granny!) The birth dates overlap a little but it’s because there were some January and December birthdays.

John Whaler 1883-1959. See below. The 1921 Census finds him in Beverly as a chemist dispenser (It’s most likely he met his wife at this time - he married in 1931) In 1938 he lived in Horncastle and his occupation is listed as chemist.

Alice 1885-1979 Served as a Governess in Russia until the Revolution. [What a life Alice had – Ed]

Mary 1885-1958 

James 1887-1938 See below: I’m not sure what happened with his service - Mum and Aunty Betty were not complimentary about him.  His name is not included on Dalderby Cross.

George (1888-1971) Stayed at home on the farm, supposedly due to his being flat-footed!

Herbert (1890-1972) I was told he had an office job in WWII but I don’t know anything else about him other than I was told he was with Leslie when he died.

Leslie (1892-1917) – Died on service with the Royal Artillery in 1917 and is buried at Adinkerke.

Nell (1894-1977) Was a teacher at Woodhall Spa.

Robert Cecil (Bunny) (1894-1970) My Grandpa who as you know was in the Lincolnshire Yeomanry and on the HMT Mercian.

John Whaler Garner

Military Year 1914-1920

Rank Acting Staff Sergeant

Company WO 329

Regiment or Corps Royal Army Medical Corps

Regiment Number 75562

Medal Awarded British War Medal and Victory Medal

John Whaler Garner serving with the RAMC and being a post-war pharmacist all makes sense, as do his comments in his letter to his sister (above) in which he writes from and about the dispensary.

James Arthur Garner

Gender Male

Age 30

Birth Date 27 Jun 1887

Birth Place Old Woodhall, Horncastle, Lincs, England

Service Date 29 Apr 1918

Service Number 162444

Father Robert C. Garner

Next of Kin Robert C. Garner

Relation to Airman Father

I noted that the record above states that James Arthur Garner was an airman. However, I searched the 1918 Muster Roll for the RAF and neither his name or that service number of 162444 appears! The mystery deepens. Perhaps someone with a greater knowledge of RFC/RAF records could shed some light on James’ service?

Jane also commented on the fact that family folklore suggests that Herbert was with Leslie when Leslie died. The photograph of the three brothers above, clearly shows Herbert with a Royal Artillery cap badge which fits with serving with his brother Leslie, who we definitely know was in the Royal Artillery.

Therefore, I searched the Medal Index Cards and found this one for a Herbert Garner.

It was a EUREKA moment that you sometimes get when researching. Herbert was a Bombardier in 146 Brigade Royal Artillery with a Service Number of 27720.

Here is Leslie’s Medal Index Card.

He too is a Bombardier in 146 Brigade RFA and his Service Number is 27719 – Brothers, Leslie and Herbert have consecutive service numbers, having enlisted together. Hence, the family story that Herbert was with Leslie when he died is almost certainly true.

A big thank you to Jane for sharing her family treasures.

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Next up is Richard Hughes, who has been in France with a school party. Richard comments; ‘I'm back in Blighty after another successful tour of Ypres and The Somme with my old school, The Vale Academy, Brigg, North Lincs. We took 45 students on a three-day visit to;

Tyne Cot, Vancouver Corner, Langemarck German Cemetery, Essex Farm, In Flanders Field Museum, St. George's Church, The Menin Gate and Last Post Ceremony.

Lochnagar Crater, Authuille Cemetery, Thiepval Memorial, Newfoundland Park.

Sanctuary Wood trenches and Vimy Ridge.

At Tyne Cot we participated in a Rededication Service for Captain John Russell Pound, Attached 2nd Battalion The King's Shropshire Light Infantry.

Captain J R Pound.

The service was conducted by Father Terkura Igbe CF, Chaplain to 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment. - Below.

John Russell Pound was educated at Merchant Taylors' School in London and St John's College Oxford where he graduated with a First Class Honours in Mathematics. He was a keen athlete and played rugby for his school, was captain of his college team and played for Oxford University.

In 1909 he joined Shrewsbury School as an Assistant Master. After a brief time in India he returned to Shrewsbury as Housemaster of School House.

On 31st March 1914 John married Elsie Irene Pendlebury in the school chapel.

At the outbreak of war John applied for a Commission and in August 1914 was made a Captain in 3rd Battalion KSLI and was attached to 2nd Battalion for active service on the Western Front.

He lost his life after being shot by a sniper while leading X Company near Broedseinde trying to retake Trench 25 on 27th April 1915. He was 27 years old.

After the war the remains of Captain John Russell Pound were recovered and buried at Tyne Cot as an unknown Captain of the KSLI. As he was not identified and recorded as missing, Captain Pound was commemorated on the Menin Gate. However, new research by the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre, the "War Detectives", has led to the identification of his grave and the headstone over his grave has been changed to reflect this.

It was an honour to join members of Captain Pound's family, members of the Armed Services and the public to remember Captain John Russell Pound - 1887 - 1915.’

Thank you Richard for your report. The pupils were blessed by being able to attend the service for Captain Pound.

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Matt Colley recently travelled to Stockport to support Andrew Thornton who was speaking there about the Old Contemptibles.

Matt sent this report and photos. ‘This month I attended the Lancashire and Cheshire WFA Branch meeting at Stockport. This is held in “the Armoury” which has become a TA Drill hall. While the primary Cheshire Regiment Museum is in Chester there was still a huge number of artefacts from the History of the Cheshire Regiment inside the Drill hall.

Picture 1 shows a handmade table cloth with all the names of the men and women who died during the Great War. This cloth emphasises the huge numbers who were lost, it is so large that my photo could only capture some of the detail so in picture 2 I have taken a closer image.

At the bottom of the stairs that lead to the meeting room is a memorial to men of the 6th Battalion of the Cheshires (picture 3) and next to that (shown in Picture 4) is a memorial to the men of the 7th Battalion who fell in the Great War.

Upstairs is another memorial – this time to the Chums of the Stockport Branch of the Old Contemptibles Association. (shown in picture 5). Note the name – W. Chatterton Lincolnshire Regiment. I will send a separate write up on William.

The Old Contemptibles’ Association was the reason for my visit. Andrew Thornton was giving a talk to the WFA Branch and I was keen to join him.’

As Matt mentioned above, here is his piece with regard to William Chatterton of the Lincolnshire Regiment.

‘Two men from the same battalion, suffered very different fates. The Battalion was the 1st Lincolnshire Regiment. This will show the varying Fortunes of War for two men in that Regiment.

Firstly, William Chatterton, service number 7119. He disembarked in France on 25th August 1914 and was taken prisoner at Laon. The date for this is not given but it was before 25th December 1914. By 6th October 1915 he is recorded as being held at Doeberitz.

He eventually returned home to Stockport, where he was born and where his wife lived. By 1939 he is shown on the National Register as working as a Postman. By then he was a Chum with the Stockport Branch of the Old Contemptibles Association and an edition of the Old Contemptible publication records him as being the Branch Standard bearer.

The 1914 Star Medal Roll shows that William also received his Clasp and Roses – earned for serving within range of the enemy Artillery before November 22nd 1914. Two lines above William’s entry is Alfred Charlesworth.

Alfred’s service number was 7033. This is where the Fortunes of War take a different direction. The 1914 Star Medal Roll entry for Alfred states: “Officially regarded as Dead 14-9-14”. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission shows that he is commemorated on the La Ferte-Sous-Jouarre Memorial in France. He was 33 years old.

Alfred’s father was already deceased, leaving his mother Mary Charlesworth, who lived on Clarke Street, Scunthorpe, to receive the grim news alone.

The bad news for Mary did not end with the loss of Alfred, on May 16th 1915, her other son Herbert was lost. Serving with the 2nd Battalion South Staffordshire’s and aged 31. Again Mary’s son was never found and he is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial in France.’

The 1914 Star Medal Roll showing Chatterton and Charlesworth.

German POW record for William Chatterton.

Following on from Matt’s words above, I took a look at the 2nd Battalion history to see when they were in the region of Laon, where Chatterton became a prisoner of war. Laon is just north east of Soissons, and the battalion was in this vicinity on and around September 12th 1914. This is when I believe he was captured.

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I will now quickly return to Tallinn and my recent visit.

The old city is still partially walled and has several of the old city gateways standing. Below.

The ancient city was centred around Toompea Castle which today is the seat of the Estonian Parliament. Below.

Directly opposite the parliament building is the Alexander Nevsky cathedral. Inside, you have to maintain strict silence and no photography is allowed. A number of volunteers are present to enforce these rules, which stopped me taking a photograph of the Soviet WWII memorials that are present.

The commercial centre of the old town sits around Town Hall Square. A very beautiful square that has bars and cafes on three sides, making it an ideal stopping location for a coffee or a beer. Below.

As I walked around the town, I always have an eye open for memorials of interest, and this splendid cross has been erected to remember the sacrifice made by the men and women who fought the 1918-20 War of Independence against the Bolsheviks.

Two other memorials, remember heroes of Estonia’s past. The first is to Johan Pitka. I did not know anything about this man, so here is what I found out about him.

Johan Pitka (1872–1944) was one of the most important figures in Estonia’s early military history.

He was an Estonian naval commander, entrepreneur, and patriot, best known for his role in creating and leading Estonia’s armed forces during its fight for independence.

Commander of the Estonian Navy during the Estonian War of Independence (1918–1920)  

One of the founders of the Estonian Defence Forces, Navy, and Defence League  

Organized and promoted the use of armoured trains, which were crucial in winning the war  

Often called “the spirit of the War of Independence” because of his leadership.  

Born in 1872 in what is now Estonia.

Worked as a sea captain and businessman before entering military leadership.  

Played a central role in organizing Estonian resistance forces after World War I.

During World War II, he returned to Estonia in 1944 to help defend the country from Soviet forces. He disappeared later that year, and the exact details of his death remain uncertain (likely killed in battle or died while escaping).  

The second memorial plaque was to Johannes Orasmaa.

Johannes Orasmaa was born in the village of Joala, which then was part of the Governate of Estonia but which now is included within the city limits of Narva. He fought in World War I as an officer of the Imperial Russian Army, then in the Estonian War of Independence and then pursued a military career. He was promoted to the rank of major general in 1928 and was commander of the Estonian Defence League between 1925 and 1940. He was awarded the Estonian Cross of Liberty and also the Order of the White Rose of Finland, and the Polish Gold Cross of Merit. During the Soviet occupation of Estonia, he was arrested and sent to a labour camp by the Soviet authorities, where he died in 1943.

A true hero and patriot of Estonia.

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I now quickly return to further news from Peter Jacobs who was taken by my photos last week of British tanks in Tallinn in 1919. This nudged Peter into doing some further digging for us and he now comments; ‘Thank you Jonathan for another excellent and informative TL. I note in your piece about your recent visit to Estonia you ask members of FoLT for any information relating to the images you shared with us of British tanks in 1919. Let me first point out there will be members of FoLT far more knowledgeable than me, and so you may already have had a more detailed response, but, if not, I can offer an explanation:

To set the scene, even before the Great War in the west was over, the Allies had sent forces to support the White Russians against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War of 1917, although it seems that none of the 70 or so British tanks (mostly Mark Vs) that would eventually go east were sent until the fighting in the west was over. As far as British tanks in Estonia are concerned, a small detachment of volunteers under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Ernest Hope-Carson DSO MC arrived in Reval (Tallinn) in early-August 1919 for service in North-West Russia and to train the so-called White Russians on how to operate British tanks. As far as I know the detachment operated six Mark V tanks, at least three of which are known to have taken part in an action at Yamburg in October of that year, although a proposed advance on Petrograd was abandoned. By then the tanks were in poor condition and returned to the headquarters at Narwa by rail, and by the end of year the detachment’s personnel had returned to England and the unit disbanded, although it would appear the tanks were left behind.

And so, we know there were tanks in Estonia at that time, as the images confirm. I note one image shows a tank with the hull number 9349 – a Mark V female, almost certainly built by the Metropolitan Company in Birmingham (sorry, not Lincoln) and is known to have served with the 9th Battalion, Tank Corps, during 1918 should anyone be interested. If I could better examine the other images it might be possible to identify other hull numbers. Anyway, these tanks subsequently fell into Red Army hands and were somehow kept going until shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. It has even been claimed that four British Mark V tanks in Estonia were used during the defence of Tallinn in August 1941 when they were more used as static pillboxes rather than as an offensive vehicle.

Anyway, as I said at the start, my knowledge is limited – I am still learning (as are we all) – and so I would not expect any of the more seasoned campaigners of FoLT to learn anything from this, but others might find it to be of interest. In any case, it was great to see the images in TL and, like most of your topics, it stimulates my own little grey cells.’

Thank you Peter for your hard work. As it happens the FoLT experts have not been in touch this last week, so maybe news of British tanks in Estonia in 1919 is new to all of us!

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A week last Friday, just 6 hardy souls made the trip north to the Royal Armouries at Leeds.

Steve Baldwin did his best impersonation of Anne Boleyn as you can see!

It is some 30 years since I last visited the RA, and it was a treat to be back. The museum does not showcase heavy artillery and the like, it is a museum of personal weaponry and armour as worn and used by the individual soldier over the last 2000 years.

The RA has Roman, ancient Greek and ancient Asian weaponry, helmets and armour on display, and as might be imagined, it then covers all aspects of history from around the world but is of course, top heavy with British weaponry from the 19th and 20th centuries, although the English Civil War is well catered for too.

We started by watching an employee of the Armouries give a 15-minute talk on trench weaponry of the Great War. What a great job he has dressing up every day and handling rifles, revolvers, bayonets, trench clubs and the like!

Of news to me was a set of Great War British body armour issued to F E A Taylor of the 23rd Battalion Middlesex Regiment. I have often seen German examples of personal body armour, but I assume this British example must be quite rare.

Anyway, here is a selection of my photos taken during the visit.

16th Century Elephant armour.

English Civil War.

Early machine guns - The Gatling Principle,

WWI Machine guns and German body armour.

Modified Lewis guns from RFC/RAF aircraft.

The onsite restaurant was surprisingly well stocked and not over-priced, and after a good and convivial lunch, we took a 15-minute walk to Leeds Minster. Sitting in the grounds of the Minster is the memorial to the Leeds Rifles, which were the Territorial Force 7th and 8th Battalions of the West Yorkshire Regiment.

We entered the Minster to find that a concert was taking place that evening, but after sweet-talking the ‘jobsworth’ who initially wouldn’t let us view the memorials on the interior of the Minster, he relented, and it was a good job that he did!

17th West Yorks Memorial.

Private memorial to Morris Bickersteth, killed in action 1st July 1916.

Memorial to the Leeds Pals battalions.

Memorial to the parishoners who fell 1914-18.

Leeds Old Contemptibles.

Another 10-minute walk took us into the city centre where we visited the city war memorial and found further plaques to the Leeds Rifles and to the Leeds Pals, the Kitchener Volunteers from the city, and a plaque remembering all of the men of Leeds who have won the Victoria Cross over the years. [It was men of the amalgamated 15th/17th Battalions of the West Yorkshire Regiment (Leeds Pals) who liberated Nadine’s Belgian town of Ronse in November 1918 – Ed]

After saying farewell to Steve and Neil who were driving home, Arthur and myself headed for the rail station where we found a remarkable statue of Edward, Prince of Wales, The Black Prince – The hero of Crecy and Poitiers adorning the square facing the station.

For those of you who are old enough to remember Jasper Carrott, we were then accosted by ‘the nutter on the bus’! – In about 10 minutes of talking with this somewhat strange character, we took his picture (with his phone camera) about 10 or 12 times as he set himself up with numerous poses with the Black Prince. He then told us that he had served in the police and the army and owned a collection of diamond encrusted Rolex watches and was well known on Instagram, and given that he was only about 25 years old, he has obviously enjoyed a full life to date!  [Billy Liar sprang to mind – Ed]

Eventually, we managed to get away from ‘Jasper’ and headed for the pub for a couple of £7 pints before catching the train home.

I know that not everyone is retired like me, but these days out really are worth attending, and new faces will always be made very welcome. News of the May and June outings will be available next Sunday.

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As ever, we finish with a colourised photograph, courtesy of Chris at Colour by CJS.

Lieutenant Katherine Maud Mary MacDonald - Nursing Sister.

Katherine was born in Brantford, Ontario in 1883, and in due course trained as a Nurse at Victoria Hospital in Ontario and graduated in May 1915. 

Katherine enlisted in the Canadian Army Medical Corps and sailed to England in April 1917, where after various postings to Military Hospitals in England she was deployed to France on 28th January 1918.

After serving for two months at No. 10 Canadian Stationary Hospital she was transferred to No. 1 Canadian General Hospital in Étaples. 

As we have mentioned many times in TL, the Étaples base camp contained many military installations and was regularly attacked by German night bombers.

About 10pm on the night of 19/20 May 1918 the 1st CGH was badly hit during a raid and many casualties sustained. The Hospital’s diary recorded that “Fires were immediately started which offered a splendid target for the second part of the attack. The scene was immediately converted into a conflagration and charnel house of dead and wounded men”.

The diary recorded that the total casualties sustained were 60 killed and 77 wounded. 

Katherine was one of three nurses killed in the raid. She had been hit by a piece of shrapnel which severed her femoral artery and she died of blood loss and shock.

Katherine MacDonald was 35 years old, and today, she rests in the Etaples CWGC Cemetery.

Postscript

The other nurses killed in the raid were Margaret Lowe and Gladys Wake. Remarkably film of the funeral still exists and can be found on the internet.

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 In Memoriam the Lincolnshire Regiment 5th April.

1915

8524 Lance Sergeant H Knowles, 2nd Battalion, aged 30. Buried in Le Treport Military Cemetery, France.

8377 Private Frederick James Howes, 2nd Battalion. Buried in Woodgrange Park Cemetery, UK.

1916

3956 Private C H Borthwick, 5th Battalion. Buried in Ecoivres Military Cemetery, France.

1003 Private Ernest Henry Pimperton, 10th Battalion, aged 21. Buried in Y Farm Military Cemetery, France.

1039 Private G C Pitts, 10th Battalion. – Ditto. –

1917

Seven men are recorded as having died on this day in the run up to the Battle of Arras.

1918

Fifty-Seven men of the regiment are recorded as having died on this day to stem the German Spring Offensive. Most of the men were from the 8th Battalion who fought a very sharp and bloody action at Rossignol Wood on the Somme, near Gommecourt.

One of the men killed on this day was;

42730 Private Thomas John Pearson, 8th Battalion, aged 19. Remembered on the Arras Memorial.** (See Below)

1921

4793158 Sergeant J Dowd, 2nd Battalion, aged 36. Buried in Poona Cemetery, India.

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

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Private Thomas Pearson who was killed on this day in 1918, was the great-uncle of battlefield guide and local historian, Dudley Giles.

Dudley writes; ‘I have no idea how a 19-year old Man of Kent ended up in the 8th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment (although we can both hazard a guess) but because he will appear in your weekly Roll of Honour on Sunday I thought you might like to see a few of his soldier pictures and also a recent picture of his name on the local war memorial in the Parish Church of Staplehurst in Kent (which I was able to take on a visit a couple of weeks ago). His name is also on the Arras Memorial but far too high up to get a decent picture. 

My maternal grandmother was a Pearson and often talked about her brother Tom. In fact, come to think about it, it was probably those conversations which are my earliest memories of what later became my fascination for the Great War. The small boy in one of the photographs is almost certainly 'young' Fred, a brother who was some 15 years his junior, and who I remember vividly as 'Uncle Fred' when I was a young boy growing up.’

I did some background research for Dudley and found that Thomas, almost certainly a late 1917 conscript, did his initial training with the 51st Graduated Battalion of the Queen’s (Royal West Surrey) Regiment before being drafted to the Lincolns. However, the plot thickens – as none of the photos of Thomas show him with a Lincolns or RWS cap badge. I am 99.9% certain that in the photo of him with his young brother, he is wearing the cap badge of the Northamptonshire Regiment. Any thoughts?

I look forward to hearing from you, and will have details next week of the monthly outings for May and June.

Until next week,

All best wishes

Jonathan

www.jonathandhooghe.co.uk

e: trenchlincs@gmail.com

© Jonathan D’Hooghe