Trench Lincs 8th February 2026

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Good Morning,

Last Wednesday, my younger son and his lovely girl friend called round for supper. They both work incredibly hard in Nottingham, and in my son’s case, overseas this year too. It was therefore, delightful that they found time to drive over to Lincolnshire and spend some time with us.

It also gave me the perfect excuse to have an alcoholic drink for the first time since December 31st, so that is Dry January well and truly over – thank goodness!

In this week’s TL, we turn to a rarely visited part of Australia, the home of a VC winner, and we hear of Lincoln’s own VC winner, Leonard Keyworth, courtesy of some excellent research from Alan Hicks and Ken Johnson.

My research recently took me towards the much forgotten fighting in East Africa, and I have put together a short piece about the campaign in Africa and the effect that General Jan Smuts had on the attempt to subdue Von Lettow-Vorbeck and his native Askaris.

I hope you will find something of interest that will prompt you to drop me a line; Oh! And there is news of a drawing competition too!

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS.

Next event - Lincoln & North Lincolnshire Branch, WFA - Monday, February 16th 2026 - Doors open 7.00pm for 7.30pm start - Royal Naval Association Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG.

Phil Watson will present – ‘The Lancers from the Boer war to the Great War.’

Major Phil Watson (Rtd) will talk about the Lancer Regiments of the British Army, their role in the Boer War and how they adapted to twentieth century warfare, as warfare changed due to technological advances.

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Next Meeting - Spalding & South Lincolnshire Branch, WFA – Thursday 26th February, 2026 - Doors open 7.00pm for 7.30 pm start - Spalding Baptist Church, Swan Street, Spalding, PE11 1BT

Major Phil Watson (Rtd) will talk about the Lancer Regiments of the British Army, their role in the Boer War and how they adapted to twentieth century warfare, as warfare changed due to technological advances.

If you miss this talk at Lincoln on the 16th, you can hear it at Spalding on the 26th.

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The East Midlands (Nottingham) WFA branch will hold their next speaker event on Friday 13th February 2026 at 7.30pm. The branch meets at St. Peter’s Church Hall, Church Street, Ruddington, NG11 6HA.

The speaker on this night is Peter Hart and his talk is ‘I’m out of here! – Escape from German POW Camps 1914-18.’

Everyone welcome.

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The Leadenham Military History Group’s next meeting will be on Tuesday 24th February 2026 at 7.30pm at Leadenham village hall.

This will be a two-part speaker event night.

SHOW and TELL: The Order of Patriotic War by Paul Robinson.

Soviets. SOURCE and the Spies Who Went Out to the Cold.

PRESENTATION: The Commonwealth War Graves Commission by Chris Finn.

The CWGC; its origins, its global commitment, its work today and some local stories.

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The Friends of the Lincoln Tank Group commence their 2026 season in March. 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 March 12th David Moore will speak about ‘The Chinese Labour Corps.’

Men of the CLC hosing down a Whippet tank in 1918.

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The first Trench Lincs/Lincoln WFA outing for 2026 will be held, weather permitting, on Friday 27th February.

Everyone and anyone is welcome to attend at 10.45/11.00am at Crich Stand in Derbyshire. This is the memorial park for the Sherwood Foresters. There is an array of memorials on site covering the history of the Foresters from the Great War to their existence today as a battalion of the Mercian Regiment.

Following the First World War, plans were drawn up to construct a memorial tower to recognise the 11,409 men of the Sherwood Foresters Regiment (drawn from the counties of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire) who had fallen in the Great War.

The chief architect was Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Brewill, who had commanded the 7th Battalion (Robin Hoods) and who unfortunately passed away before the tower was completed. However, his son, Captain L C Brewill, oversaw the completion of the memorial. The official opening of the memorial was held on Monday 6th August 1923, when the tower was opened by General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien, who had been commissioned into the 95th (Derbyshire) Regiment in 1877.

Over the years there have been additional dedications to those who have given their lives for their country.

In 1952 there was a further dedication to the 1,502 members of the Sherwood Foresters regiment who had fallen in World War II.

You will have the opportunity to walk to the top of the memorial tower, where on a clear day you can see well into five counties.

I have emailed the Regimental HQ and they have confirmed that the on-site café will be open that day, subject to the weather. Following a walk around the park and a coffee and snack, I will then lead a tour to the war memorials in Alfreton and Ripley. [Bill Pinfold will also lead a trip to Cromford and Arkwright's Mill if that is of interest - Ed]

Car parking at Crich Stand is £1.50 per car, payable in cash and the postcode to use for the tram museum which is adjacent is DE4 5DP.

So that I can let the park know our numbers, will you please drop me a line if you intend to join the outing. Thank you.

FOURTEEN people booked in so far – Please look at your diaries and join the party!

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Arthur Wood, the walking encyclopaedia of Victoria Cross winners was quick off the mark yet again with photographs from his collection of headstones of VC winners. This week, Arthur has provided pictures for Bernard Vann VC and James McCudden VC, who both featured in TL last week.  

Arthur has recorded headstone photos of nearly all of the VC winners who lie in France and Flanders, together with many who are buried in the UK.

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I will start this week with a story of great local interest from Alan Hicks and Ken Johnson. Alan and Ken, as you will read, have been researching the Keyworth family, which contains local hero, Leonard James Keyworth VC.

Alan continues the tale; ‘I wonder if your TL readers might be interested in a quirky tale relating to the family of Leonard James Keyworth VC, one of our celebrated local heroes from the Great War? [You bet we are – Ed]

In your excellent TL edition of 11th January this year I was moved by the story of William McNally VC, MM and Bar from the North East that your reader John Pykett had highlighted. Sergeant McNally's actions in Northern Italy in late 1918 were absolutely incredible and this man's bravery was beyond words.

Upon reading the piece, I was reminded of one of our local heroes, namely Leonard James Keyworth VC, born in 1893 and bred in Lincoln at 22 Coningsby Street just off Monks Road. He too showed an astounding level of bravery in his actions at Givenchy in May 1915 and as a reminder his full citation from the London Gazette on 2nd July 1915 reads:

For most conspicuous bravery at Givenchy on the night of 25–26th May, 1915. After the assault on the German position by the 24th Battalion, London Regt, efforts were made by that Unit to follow up their success by a bomb attack, during the progress of which 58 men out of a total 75 became casualties. During this very fierce encounter Lance-Cpl Keyworth stood fully exposed for 2 hours on the top of the enemy's parapet, and threw about 150 bombs amongst the Germans, who were only a few yards away.

These VC holders were truly amazing young men and it is right that we continue to remember and celebrate them. I am not an expert in this field and I am sure that Lance Corporal Keyworth has been covered many times by TL readers far more qualified than me but I do have an interesting little twist on the wider Keyworth family.

My good friend and former boss Barry Hudson, lost his lovely wife Edna a number of years ago and in recent years he has rekindled a friendship with Carol, a former work colleague, who is also widowed. Her late husband was called Michael (Mike) Keyworth. In a general conversation with them both I talked about the Keyworth Centre which was opened in 2016 at The City School on Skellingthorpe Road (now The Priory Lincoln Academy) which is dedicated to Leonard, the VC holder. He was a pupil at Lincoln Municipal Technical College on Monks Road in the very early 1900s and that college would have been close to his home on Coningsby Street. It later became the original City School where coincidentally my friend Barry was schooled. I suggested it would be interesting to see if Mike and Leonard were related so I set to work with the expert help of my very good friend Ken Johnson.

Mike was born 40 years after Leonard so there was a generational difference but after extensive searching we found that Leonard's grandfather was the brother of Mike's great grandfather. There are some interesting quirks along the way relating to unmarried mothers and Mike's father being brought up by his uncle but essentially it transpires that Mike was Leonard's first cousin once removed. I am proud therefore to announce that I have a friend in Carol Keyworth who is related to a VC hero from the Great War!

During the investigation we also discovered a John Ira Keyworth who was a first cousin of Leonard. He was born in Sturton by Stow in 1894 so was of a very similar age to Leonard. He served with the 104th Battalion, Machine Gun Corps and was killed in action on 12th October 1918 aged 24, just a month short of the Armistice. He rests in the Dadizeele New British Cemetery in Belgium which is about 10 miles east of Ypres. I think he was attached to the 9th (Scottish) Division who were pushing the Germans back from the Ypres Salient and lost his life in the build up to the Battle of Courtrai (modern day Kortrijk) which commenced on 14th October. His Battalion appears to have pushed on to the Menin-Roulers (Roeselare) road where heavy German counter-battery shelling caused heavy casualties amongst the British gun teams. Conditions leading up to this point were described by his commanding officer as "Hades on a wet day" and that moving along the Zonnebeke Road by horse was like a "wasp struggling through toffee!"

Before signing up John Ira Keyworth worked as a labourer on a farm where his father was the foreman. They moved from the Saxilby area to Eakring in Nottinghamshire where he married Lucy Moody in Southwell in 1918, the year of his death. He is remembered on a plaque in St Margaret's Church in Bilsthorpe.

I hope this is not too much waffle and I attach a few supporting pics as follows: [It certainly isn’t waffle Alan. You are to be congratulated on the work that you have carried out – Ed]

1. Leonard James Keyworth - info

2. Keyworth Family Tree

3. Plaque - St Margaret's Church, Bilsthorpe

4. Gravestone - John Ira Keyworth.’

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Each year on the last Tuesday of January, the annual Up Helly Aa celebrations take place on the Shetland Isles. Us ‘southerners’ think of this event as a Viking themed celebration, but according to Jon Sandison who as you know, lives in Lerwick, this was not always the case.

Jon writes; ‘As mentioned, the annual Up Helly Aa festival took place this week. Each year, a Viking boat ["Galley"] is built, alongside a Viking 'Jarls' Squad, and then burned.  

However, it was not always thus. The 'Norse element' of the festival is very much a relatively new concept, having been tagged on during the Victorian period. The festival itself initially developed following 'tar barrelling' in the streets of Lerwick, via many Shetland men who had returned from the Napoleonic Wars, and looking for some action and excitement during the winter months. It then expanded during both wars, and took on the organised, almost 'militaristic' precision it has today.

Anyway, just prior to the First World War, there were actually two Galley's I believe. The Viking Galley developed, but there was also a galley that was built with a naval theme. This involved various ships of the line, from HMS Victory, to even battleships from various countries. I've attached, for your interest, a photo of the 1907 galley H.M.S. Dreadnought, from 1907, built by the 'Docks Boys'. These are local guys who worked obviously in and around the harbour; mostly linked to the fishing industry.’

It was quite a task to build such a wonderful Dreadnought themed galley. Shame it was then burned!

You can read more about Up Helly Aa by clicking here  Up Helly Aa - Official Website of the Lerwick Up Helly Aa Committee | Up Helly Aa

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Gary Radford administers a social media group named ‘Pictorial History of War Memorials’ and it is a most interesting site to follow and to contribute to.

Last week, Gary posted the following that caught my eye in Melton Mowbray, where he lives.

‘Melton Mowbray Methodist Church

The church is located on Sandy Lane, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, and it is within walking distance of my house and I never knew there was a memorial in there let alone three!

The first memorial is a white marble plaque dedicated to the 19 casualties from the church who fell in The Great War.

To the left of this is an oak carved board/plaque which is dedicated to the former pupils of the King Edward VII County Grammar School, Melton Mowbray. On the board there are the names of the 8 casualties from The Great War and the names of a further 31 from The Second World War.

The final memorial is to the right of the marble plaque, this is a bronze plaque dedicated to the 39 casualties from the church and school who were killed in The Great War.’

A big thanks to Gary for this post, as it set me thinking. Many of us who are fascinated by war memorials tend to visit and talk about our historic Church of England churches, and as a result, we neglect to visit Baptist, Wesleyan and Methodist chapels, and yet they can be a hidden treasure trove, as 120 years ago, especially in Lincolnshire, more of the population attended chapel than church each Sunday.

Just over a year ago, I found that Navenby Methodist church was open one evening for a pre-Christmas event, and so I paid a visit, not so much to buy a mince pie but to see what, if any, war memorials were in the chapel. Here I discovered these two brass plaques.

Keep up the good work Gary.

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Following on from last week, we now return to Australia. Hands up if you have heard of Bruny Island? I certainly hadn’t and so looked it up in my big old fashioned Atlas of the World.

Home - Bruny Island  Click on the link to learn more.

Bruny Island is a small island lying off the south coast of Tasmania immediately to the south of Hobart, and a very lucky visitor is Matt Colley’s nephew, Robin.

During his visit, Robin visited Lunawanna Memorial Hall, opened in 1924 as a war memorial to the men of Bruny Island who served in the Great War, and whilst there, he spotted these wooden memorial boards and sent the photos to Matt. After studying the photos, Matt did some initial digging into the fact that this small island produced a Victoria Cross winner, a Military Cross winner and four Military Medal winners during the Great War.

The Victoria Cross winner was John Joseph 'Jack' Dwyer, who was born at Lovett (now Cygnet) Tasmania. He enlisted in early 1915 and served on Gallipoli with the 15th Battalion, AIF. In 1916 he went to France with the 4th Australian Machine Gun Company.

The following year, on 26th September 1917, during the battle of Polygon Wood (Zonnebeke, Belgium), Dwyer's Vickers machine-gun team came under fire until he rushed his gun forward, and at point-blank range put the enemy gun out of action. He then took both weapons and helped repulse a German counter-attack. Later, after his Vickers was blown up by shellfire, he led his team back through the enemy barrage to secure another and then bring it into action. At all times, he showed "contempt of danger, cheerfulness and courage".

Dwyer was commissioned in May 1918 and returned to Australia five months later. Back in Tasmania, he became active in local affairs and politics. He established a sawmilling business at New Norfolk. In 1931 he entered state parliament and eventually held several important offices, including that of Tasmanian Minister of Agriculture and later Deputy Premier.

Jack Dwyer VC.

Matt writes; ‘Further to your mention last week of the Australian War Memorial at Canberra, this wonderful research facility is where I found John Dwyer’s Service Record.’

The Service Record is in a very large Zip File format, so if you would like to read it, please let me know and I will forward it to you.

Dwyer’s full VC citation reads as follows; ‘For most conspicuous bravery when in attack, Sjt. Dwyer, in charge of a Vickers machine gun, went forward with the first wave of the brigade. On reaching the final objective this Non-commissioned Officer rushed his gun forward in advance of the captured position in order to obtain a commanding spot. Whilst advancing he noticed an enemy machine gun firing on the troops on our right flank and causing casualties. Unhesitatingly he rushed his gun forward to within thirty yards of the enemy gun and fired point blank at it, putting it out of action and killing the gun crew. He then seized the gun and totally ignoring the snipers from the rear of the enemy position, carried it back across the shell swept ground to our front line and established both it and his Vickers gun on the right flank of our brigade. Sjt. Dwyer commanded these guns with great coolness and when the enemy counterattacked our positions he rendered great assistance in repulsing them. On the following day when the position was heavily shelled, this Non-commissioned Officer took up successive positions. On one occasion his Vickers gun was blown up by shell fire, but he conducted his gun team back to Headquarters through the enemy barrage, secured one of the reserve guns, and rushed it back to our position in the shortest possible time. During the whole of the attack his contempt of danger, cheerfulness and courage raised the spirits of all who were in his sector of the line. 

Fourth Supplement to The London Gazette of 23 November 1917. 26 November 1917, Numb. 30400, p. 12328

Readers with keen eyes will spot on the memorial board, that one of the four MM winners was also a Dwyer. Further digging found that Thomas Dwyer MM, was Jack Dwyer’s brother. Both men survived the war and returned to Bruny Island, and you can read more about them both here

Centenary of ANZAC - Dwyer brothers of Bruny Island  This is an impressive web site that you may want to look at in more detail.

A big thanks to the Colley family members for bringing this story to the fore.

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Staying in Australia, which seems to have been a very popular destination this winter, I was very pleased to hear that Mike Credland has safely returned from his visit last month. Mike has sent me a story that encapsulates both Lincolnshire and Western Australia, and it is told in three picture boards.

Mike writes; 'From 38 degrees down to 5 back home was quite a shock!!

We had an excellent trip covering many miles around Western Australia and met up with half a dozen old primary school mates. One I had not seen for over forty years. Also a few war memorials and military museums in Perth and Albany.

Attached is a story which may be of interest to your Trench Lincs readers. I must admit that I do love stories from our beloved County of Lincolnshire. I think this story fits in quite well with this preference.'

Thank you Mike. You have certainly ticked all of the boxes with that interesting tale.

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We regularly cover events on the Western Front and Gallipoli in Trench Lincs, but one front of the Great War that is rarely covered, is the fighting that went on in East Africa.

Whilst researching last week, I came across the fact that on February 6th, it was exactly 110 years since General Jan Smuts was appointed as Commander in Chief of all British and Empire forces in East Africa.

Following his removal from command of 2nd Army, east of Ypres in May 1915, General Sir Horace Smith Dorrien was appointed to command in East Africa. However, having reached Cape Town, Smith Dorrien was struck down by pneumonia and only two serious lung operations carried out by Drs. Smith and Elliot saved his life. Unable to continue with the campaign, Smith Dorrien returned to the UK and was replaced by Smuts.

Smuts took command of British and Imperial forces in the East African campaign of the First World War, marking a turning point in a long and frustrating conflict. Until Smuts’ arrival, Allied efforts against the German commander Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck had been hampered by poor co-ordination, disease, and difficult terrain. The campaign had dragged on with limited success, draining resources while achieving few decisive results.

Jan Smuts

Smuts brought both political authority and military experience to the theatre. A former Boer general who had fought against Britain only a decade earlier, he now commanded British, South African, Indian, and African troops in a vast and inhospitable region. His appointment reflected the seriousness with which the British government now viewed the East African front and its desire to end the campaign swiftly. Smuts reorganised the forces under his command, improving logistics and planning a large-scale offensive designed to overwhelm the Germans through numerical superiority.

Under Smuts’ leadership, Allied troops advanced from Kenya into German East Africa (modern-day Tanzania), capturing key towns such as Moshi and driving German forces southward. However, despite early successes, the campaign proved more difficult than anticipated. The climate, shortages of supplies, and outbreaks of disease caused heavy casualties, often exceeding those from combat. Moreover, Lettow-Vorbeck avoided decisive battles, retreating deeper into the interior and continuing guerrilla warfare.

Although Smuts failed to achieve a quick victory, his assumption of command reshaped the campaign. He forced the Germans onto the defensive and established the conditions for continued Allied pressure. Smuts’ leadership in East Africa demonstrated both the possibilities and limitations of imperial warfare in challenging environments during the First World War.

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I am lucky to own one or two pieces of Great War memorabilia, but would love to buy further examples of period art. They are few and far between, and can make a lot of money at auction.

I do however, follow the local auction houses in the hope that one day I will spot a bargain! Unfortunately, this piece of art was not for sale, merely on display, but given that it depicted a British tank, I am pleased to feature it below.

It is a simple pen and ink drawing of a MKI tank, broken down, with a damaged track, and sketched near Morval, Somme in November 1916.

The artist was Henri Antoine (1895–1975).

It looks so simple to copy this style of drawing, but you try and emulate it. Send me a picture of your attempt! If we get a few entries, I will ask the TL readers to vote for the winner.

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News broke this week, and was reported in many newspapers and web sites, that the CWGC Gaza cemetery has suffered considerable damage, when the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) bulldozed an olive tree grove and one corner of the cemetery in their military operations against Hamas..

This report is from The Guardian.

"The Australian government has vowed to repair the graves of dozens of Australian soldiers in Gaza after satellite imagery and witness testimony revealed they had been bulldozed by the Israel Defense Forces.

But it could be months or years before authorities can access the Commonwealth war cemetery in Gaza and Australian graves might face further damage as conflict continues in the occupied territory.

More than 250 Australian soldiers are buried at the Gaza War Cemetery, administered by the Commonwealth, most of them light horsemen who served in the first world war. The majority of graves in the cemetery are British, but the worst damage has been sustained to a corner of the cemetery that houses the graves of Australians who died during the second world war.

The Tuffah area of Gaza City, in which the cemetery sits, has been shelled throughout the current conflict. But more systematic and extensive damage caused by military earthmoving has occurred within the last year to the southern corner of the cemetery.

Satellite photographs show rows of gravestones removed and soil significantly disturbed across sections A and B of the cemetery, which hold the graves of second world war soldiers, the vast majority Australian. A substantial earth berm can be seen in the images, running through the middle of the disturbed area.

A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Veterans’ Affairs told the Guardian there had been “significant damage” to the Gaza War Cemetery “and this includes the graves of Australians”.

“The Office of Australian War Graves is very concerned by the damage to the cemetery and Australian war graves. We remain committed to ensuring the restoration of all affected graves as soon as feasible.

“The Commonwealth War Graves Commission plans to secure and repair the cemetery as soon as it is safe to do so, however, it is expected that full reconstruction will take some time as the immediate post-conflict priority for works will be directed to humanitarian efforts.”

The national president of the Returned & Services League of Australia, Peter Tinley, said the organisation would continue to monitor the situation and work with relevant authorities to ensure Australian graves in Gaza were restored and properly maintained once access was possible.

“Commonwealth War Graves represent a solemn covenant between the nation and those who served,” Tinley said.

“For the families of those who rest in Gaza, and for all Australians who value our commemorative traditions, news of damage to these graves is distressing. While we understand the immense complexities of the current situation, our focus remains on ensuring these Australians are eventually commemorated with the respect they deserve. We welcome the Office of Australian War Graves’ commitment to repair these graves when circumstances allow.”

Essam Jarada, Gaza cemetery’s former caretaker, whose home is also close by, said two bulldozing operations took place at the cemetery in April and May 2025.

“The first bulldozing occurred outside the cemetery walls, extending approximately 12 metres around all sides of the cemetery. These areas were entirely planted with olive trees,” he said.

“Later on, an area of slightly less than one dunum (1,000 sq metres) was bulldozed inside the cemetery walls, specifically in the corner of the cemetery which contains graves of Australian soldiers. The bulldozing covered the area from the bench where foreign visitors used to sit up to the memorial monument. Bulldozers also created sand mounds that were used as earth barriers.

“I witnessed this bulldozing after the Israeli army withdrew from the area, around late April or early May,” Jarada said.

After being shown satellite images of the cemetery, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it had been forced to take defensive measures during military operations.

“At the relevant time, the area in question was an active combat zone,” an army spokesperson said.

“During IDF operations in the area, terrorists attempted to attack IDF troops and took cover in structures close to the cemetery. In response to ensure the safety of IDF troops operating on the ground, operational measures were taken in the area to neutralize identified threats.”

“We emphasize that underground terrorist infrastructure was identified within the cemetery and in its surrounding area, which the IDF located and dismantled,” the spokesperson said. “IDF activity in sensitive areas is approved by senior ranks in the army and handled with the required sensitivity needed.”

The damage is in the lower right hand corner delineated in red above.

Hopefullly the damage can be repaired and headstones erected once again in the near future.

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I think that you will find this next snippet somewhat humour-arse!

Despite being Allies in the First World War, the British and the French have always lived in a world of mutual distrust, even after the signing of the Entente Cordiale in 1904.

The French think we are Les Rosbifs, an insult used against the English since the 18th century, whilst the English think of the French as shifty garlic eating foreigners who can't be trusted. Despite fighting two world wars together, one only has to see the way President Macron behaves today towards the UK, to see that this distrust still resonates in the 21st Century.

Therefore, as further evidence that the French and the British are still further apart than 20 miles of the English Channel, I set out below a report from the Daily Express this week, which was also widely reported in many other media outlets.

The Express article;

Bomb squad called as man arrives at hospital with WW1 shell stuck up his bum

A 24-year-old man arrived at hospital complaining of severe pain before surgeons discovered a World War 1 shell lodged inside him, prompting an emergency response.

A bomb disposal unit was called to an A&E department after a man arrived at hospital with a World War One shell lodged in his bottom. The 24 year old presented himself at Rangueil Hospital in Toulouse, France, complaining of severe discomfort in his abdomen.

He was immediately taken to the operating theatre where surgeons began examining his condition. In an incident reminiscent of scenes from Grey's Anatomy, doctors discovered he had a military shell stuck in his rectum. 

The hospital was evacuated by authorities at approximately 3am local time. Bomb disposal specialists were summoned alongside police and fire services, according to 20 Minutes France.

"As a precautionary measure, firefighters are mobilized to reinforce in order to prevent any risk of fire during the intervention," La Dépêche reported.

The object has been identified as a 3.7cm shell measuring approximately 16cm in length. Two bomb squad personnel were required to extract and make it safe.

French police sources reportedly said: "At the time of the extraction, the surgeon realized that it was a shell of the First World War, about 16 centimetres long and 4cm wide."

How the shell came to be inside the man remains unknown. However, French media outlets report that he is expected to be questioned by authorities in an attempt to establish what occurred.

Whilst shells from the First World War are frequently discovered at construction sites or in fields throughout Europe, finding them lodged inside a person is considerably rarer. The individual is reportedly recuperating well following the incident.

This isn't the first instance of a French citizen having an unfortunate run-in with a WWI artefact. In 2022, a man in Toulon claimed he "stumbled upon" a bomb.'

It's enough to make your eyes water! No wonder we don't see eye to eye with the French!

I hope none of my friends would be so silly to try anything like that?

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This week’s work from Chris at Colour by CJS continues our theme of re-burials at the new Loos British Cemetery Extension

Lieutenant James Grant Allan 

James was born in Melrose, Scotland, where his father was a local Vicar. He was educated at Ayr Academy and Merchiston Castle School. After leaving school, he furthered his education at Edinburgh University where he studied Humanities.

James, like many other boys, enlisted in 1914 and joined 9th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders. The battalion was deployed to France in July 1915 as the Pioneer battalion of 15th (Scottish) Division.

On the opening day of the Battle of Loos, the 15th Division attacked the town of Loos in conjunction with 47th Division to their south. It was during this attack that James was shot twice in the chest and killed.

James was a battlefield burial, but after the war no trace of his grave could be found and he was commemorated on the Loos Memorial to the missing.

In recent times, during the construction of a new Hospital on the outskirts of Lens, the remains of eight Scottish soldiers were discovered.

By familial DNA testing it was possible to confirm that James’ remains had been found.

James and the seven other unidentified soldiers were buried with full military honours in the new Loos British Cemetery Extension.

The funeral was conducted on 25th September 2025, exactly 110 years to the day after James had been killed.

Members of James’ family were in attendance to pay their respects to their brave ancestor who died aged 20.

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In Memoriam the Lincolnshire Regiment 8th February.

1915

9403 Sergeant Harry Davies, 2nd Battalion, aged 42. Buried in Rue Petillon Military Cemetery, France.

7441 Private Charles Frederick Hall, 2nd Battalion.  – Ditto –

3209 Private J Craggs, 2nd/4th Battalion, aged 19. Buried in Branston Cemetery, UK.

1916

11243 Private F Watkins, 8th Battalion. Buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, France.

18027 Lance Corporal William Hubert Heath, 7th Battalion, aged 19. Remembered on the Menin Gate, Belgium.

1917

32827 Private Frederick Godsall, 2nd Battalion, aged 38. Buried in Bray Military Cemetery, France.

27587 Private B L King, 7th Battalion, aged 38. Buried in Grove Town Cemetery, France.

1919

37187 Private E Greaves, Depot. Buried in Solesmes British Cemetery, France.

1920

65177 Private Sydney Masters, Depot, aged 17. Buried in Grimsby Scartho Cemetery, UK

1921

4792783 Private B Tinker, 1st Battalion. Buried in West Pinchbeck Churchyard, UK.

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

I hope you have a fantastic week, and I look forward to the deluge of photos of your tank sketches. Please do have a go.

Until next week,

All best wishes

Jonathan

www.jonathandhooghe.co.uk

e: trenchlincs@gmail.com

© Jonathan D’Hooghe