Trench Lincs 8th June 2025

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Good Morning,

Bom Dia from sunny Portugal. We are all recovering now from a very special wedding day last Friday. The Bride and Groom looked stunning and the partying went on well into the night. [It's a long time since I was still up and partying at 2.30am! - Ed] A good wedding in guaranteed sunshine has a lot to recommend it!

FORTHCOMING EVENTS.

The East Midlands (Nottingham) WFA Branch meets again this coming Friday 13th June at 7.30pm at St. Peter’s Church Hall, Church Street, Ruddington, Nottingham, NG11 6HA. All welcome.

The speaker is Nigel Atter who will speak about ‘The 8th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment at the Battle of Loos, September 1915.’

This K3 Kitchener battalion was rushed to the front on the opening day, 25th September, and paid a heavy price for the poor planning by Sir John French and his staff. The disappointment of Loos would see French lose his command and be replaced by Haig in December.

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Next Meeting - Spalding & South Lincs Branch WFA - Thursday, June 26th - A summer evenings ramble with Paul - Meeting 7.30pm at Sutterton Parish Church, Station Road, Sutterton, PE20 2JH.

This month, Spalding Branch foregoes the usual indoor lecture meeting for their traditional summer evening "Out and About" ramble in the beautiful Lincolnshire countryside looking at and discussing interesting memorials, monuments and buildings. Led by Chairman Paul Berry, the tour departs from Sutterton Church, Station Road, Sutterton, PE20 2JH at 7.30pm. Whilst Paul is not giving anything away by revealing where he will be leading the tour, past events have always been highly interesting and enjoyable. If you don't wish to drive yourself, car sharing is available and encouraged.

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The Leadenham Military History Group’s next meeting will be on Tuesday 24th June, at Leadenham Village Hall with a start time of 7.30pm.

I am pleased to let you know that I will be the speaker on this night when I shall talk about ‘The Robin Hoods at Gommecourt, 1st July 1916 and the Subsequent Court of Enquiry.’

The opening day of the Battle of the Somme was a disastrous day for the British Army which sustained some 57,000 casualties, of whom, 19,000 were killed. Little progress was made on this day and yet, only the 46th Division faced a Court of Enquiry. Why?

If you missed this talk in Lincoln and Spalding last year, come along and find out. Everyone welcome.

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The next presentation in the Friends of Lincoln Tank 2025 season of talks will be held on Thursday 12th June.

The next FoLT talk will be held on the 12th June when we will welcome Andy Burn who will speak to us on how the story of Fray Bentos is brought to the movie screen! Andy comments:

“It is my intention to talk for around an hour about the process of bringing the Fray Bentos story to screen and the challenges involved in such an undertaking. I am also happy to take questions as we go along. I want to keep the evening quite informal.

The action itself will of course be covered to some extent. However, I hasten to add that I’m a film maker and not a historian. I’m also aware that many of the details surrounding the exploits of F41’s crew have become muddled over the years. Even Donald Major Richardson’s memoir from the early ‘30’s has what I would describe as some ‘misremembered anomalies”

I believe this will be a talk that will be something of a move from our normal format bringing a different viewpoint to the topic of WW1 and the way we enjoy our hobby. As you know Andy Burn is the Producer and Writer for “Tin Hat Productions”, a Lincolnshire based film production company. Past productions have included “Spitfire over Berlin”, “Lancaster Skies” and “Battle over Britain” to name but a few.

As ever, we shall meet at The Royal Naval Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln with doors opening at 7.00pm for a 7.30pm start. An entrance fee of £5.00 will be payable on the door. There is ample parking on site and a fully licensed bar will be open for refreshments. Don’t forget, you do not have to be a member of FoLT to attend. All who come will be afforded a warm welcome whether old or young, male or female. We are a friendly bunch and I hope to see many faces, new and familiar, on the night.

Trapped: The Story of Fray Bentos - The Tank Museum

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Another group who meet at the Royal Naval Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG are the Lincs Aviation Society.

I now have great pleasure in advertising their forthcoming events, which take place on the third Thursday of each month - entry is £2 for members and £3 for visitors.

The next speaker event will be on Thursday 19th June when Alwyn Killingsworth will talk about ‘The Handley Page Hampden AD874 Accident.’

Please arrive 7pm for a 7.30pm start.

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Next Meeting - Lincoln & North Lincolnshire Branch WFA – Monday, July 14th - Doors open 7.00pm for prompt start at 7.30pm - Venue: Royal Naval Association Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG.

This evening will see the branch Chairman, Mike Credland, deliver his annual lecture. Further detail to follow.

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I have news of an unusual but what I believe will be a very interesting outing for June to Saltfleetby National Nature Reserve on the north Lincolnshire coast. [Locals tell me it is pronounced Soller-bee – Ed]

Meeting at 10am on Friday 20th June, Chris Sanderson will be our host for a gentle three hour walk and talk where we can view the remains of the WWI coastal defences that still exist on the reserve, and believe it or not, Chris tells me that there is an area of land that resembles the Menin Road in Belgium, and Chris gives a talk based on the events of autumn 1917 from the diary of a soldier who fought on the Menin Road with the King’s Liverpool Regiment.

Following the tour and talk, there will be the opportunity for a light pub lunch should you so wish.

So that I can confirm the numbers attending, please will you let me know if you are joining the tour?

Thanks. New faces always welcome.

STOP PRESS – Eight people have signed up already. Please let me know if you want to join the party.

Meet at 9.45am at LN11 7TS

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Mike Credland replied regarding Bill Pinfold's question last week about the first service personnel to die in the Great War. Mike responds; 'Further to Bill Pinfold's article I agree that Staff Paymaster Joseph Theodore Gedge was the first Royal Navy casualty in the Great War. I make reference to the sinking of HMS Amphion in my talk on Lincolnshire Naval Connections during the Great War and enclose a copy of the slide showing the ship and Joseph Gedge.

I also agree that 2/Lt Robert Reginald Skene was the first Royal Flying Corps casualty along with AM Raymond Barlow when their Bleriot Monoplane of No.3 Squadron lost speed in a turn causing the machine to dive into the ground from a height of 150ft. The jury at the inquest held in Salisbury returned a verdict of 'accidental death'. For interest I've attached a photograph of 2/Lt Robert Skene.

From Soldiers Died in the Great War it would appear that the first British Army casualty was No.7297 Private Joseph Viles 1st Battalion Somerset Light Infantry.

The son of Joseph and Sarah Viles he was born at Bath in 1886 and died at home on the 4th August 1914, the day Great Britain declared war on Germany. He was buried at St James Cemetery, Bath (photo of his CWGC headstone attached), but the circumstances leading to his death are not known.

Sadly, his younger brother, No.3/6954 Corporal Charles Viles 1st Battalion Somerset Light Infantry, died of wounds on 20 April 1918 aged 21. He was buried at Lapugnoy Military Cemetery, France where we visited last October to pay homage to reader Tony Nutkins' relative, Private Frederick Nutkins. This CWGC cemetery also includes many other interesting casualties.'

Thank you Mike. I had not heard of Viles before, so that is something new for the memory bank.

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I have saved this tale until the nearest edition to 6th June, the date we all think of as Liberation Day for Europe, when the first Allied landings on Normandy’s beaches took place.

However, also on this date, 4th-6th June 1944, Rome was liberated by Lieutenant-General Mark Clark’s 5th US Army. There were of course, many battlefield deaths both in Normandy and in and around Rome but there were also service deaths on the 6th June entirely unconnected to the major events described above.

One such death was that of Harold Henry Victor Roots. Simon Roots dropped me a line at the end of April; ‘You kindly printed the story last year of my grandfather, Claude Henry Roots, New Zealand Army Service Corps, 1914 - 1919.

I am currently completing researching into a cousin, FO Harold Henry Victor Roots, RAF, who was killed on the 6th June 1944, whilst on a training flight with a student, a former Halifax bomber pilot, FL Peter Marshall Cadman DFC. Both boys were killed when their plane came down near the former RAF Lulsgate Bottom, Somerset (now the site of Bristol airport.)

Harold had joined the RAF in 1935 as an apprentice at the former RAF Halton, qualified as a Leading Aircraftsman I, and subsequently gained a Temporary Commission, gaining his 'wings' in Canada, and becoming a flying instructor with 3 Flying Instructor School (3 FIS) at RAF Lulsgate Bottom.

Would the finished research story be of any interest to you?’

I immediately replied to say that it would very much be of interest and in due course, Simon wrote again.

‘Harold Henry Victor Roots was my first cousin, once removed. He is the first member of my Roots family that I researched. Following a visit to the Tyne Cot Memorial in Belgium several years ago, I became curious to discover more about my family and relatives, especially those who had served in WWI and WWII. I looked deeper into the story of Harold, which subsequently ignited my passion, and from there, the research project into my whole family I now find myself on.

Harold Henry Victor Roots was born in Maidstone, Kent, on the 13th November 1919. He was known in the family as “Nobby,” so I will refer to him as Nobby throughout his story. His father Harold Thomas Roots was a Petty Officer in the Royal Navy, joining up in 1911, and had served throughout WWI.

Nobby’s mother was Ethel Alice Clackett. I can recall as a boy, seeing Nobby’s name written in the large ‘Cassel Petter and Calpin’ family bible that my great grandfather Henry Roots had started recording family births, marriages and deaths in 1891, and that my grandfather Claude Roots had continued to update until his death in 1959. My own father was custodian of the bible until his death; I now have the privilege of being custodian of the family bible. Under Nobby’s name is recorded “Pilot Officer RAF Killed in action 6th June 1944.”

Bible inscription.

Harold with his mother Ethel, 1920.

And with his parents.

In his school years, Nobby was a pupil at East Borough School, Maidstone, and then the Maidstone Junior Technical School, which became the Maidstone County Technical School, and is now called Oakwood Park Grammar School, Maidstone. Whilst at school, Nobby was a keen sportsman, especially swimming, football and cricket, and was also a talented musician, including the violin and flute. Whilst still at school, his musical skills had led to him joining the ‘Old Barn Orchestra,’ in Sandling near Maidstone, a highly regarded amateur orchestra in Kent, still performing today, but now called the ‘Maidstone and Medway Sinfonia.’ Nobby was also a chorister at the Holy Trinity parish church, Maidstone, where his parents had married on Christmas Day in 1918.

On the 3rd of September 1935, having passed the Competitive Examination for the Royal Air Force, Apprentice Aircraft Fitter 568772 Harold Henry Victor Roots joined course 32, ‘A’ Squadron, Number 1 Wing, RAF Halton Training School near Wendover in Buckinghamshire. Nobby is fifteen years and ten months old when he joins at RAF Halton. Whilst at Halton he joined the drum and pipe band, and continued with his passion for sport, winning a medal in the 1936 RAF Halton Junior Cricket Championship.

Before students could embark on the technical training that they were keen to get stuck into, they were forced to endure a period of standard initial training, where they would be introduced to life in the forces such as drill, firearms training, physical training, and a host of other disciplines.

Once recruits progressed on to their individual specialist training programme, such as flight mechanic, they began by learning how to use the many hand tools and measuring instruments they would come into contact with during their service career. Once this relatively gentle introduction had been negotiated, it was on to the serious business of practical instruction and technical studies. For propulsion engineers (fitters), this would usually require them to totally strip down an aero engine into its component parts, before it was rebuilt and tested. At the end of the course, which would take three years to complete, there were final written examinations, followed by an oral test – these were designed to be extremely demanding, as the recruits had benefited from some of the finest tuition available anywhere in the world. The most proficient students were awarded the rank of Leading Aircraftman 1st Class (LAC) and they could be rightly proud of their achievement. In 1938, Nobby has postings at RAF Hawkinge in Ashford, Kent, and RAF Biggin Hill, Bromley, London. On Thursday the 18th August 1938, Nobby is confirmed as Aircraftsman Second Class (AC2.)

Nobby successfully completed his apprenticeship on the 18th of August 1939, and is posted to 139 (Jamaica) Squadron, based at RAF Wyton in Cambridgeshire, who are equipped with the Bristol Blenheim Mark IV bomber aircraft. 139 Squadron gained the “Jamaica” tag after a Jamaican newspaper started a fund to buy bombers for Britain. Having lost much of its aircraft in France in May 1940, the squadron was in dire need of re-equipping, and was the subject of a campaign called, “The Bombers for Britain Fund,” led by the Jamaican newspaper ‘The Gleaner’ who raised sufficient money to buy twelve Bristol Blenheim’s by 1941. On the 26th of June 1941, 139 Squadron was renamed 139 (Jamaica) Squadron, in recognition of the important part Jamaica had played in equipping the squadron.

On the 3rd of September 1939, Nobby is confirmed as Leading Aircraftsman First Class (LAC1.)

139 Squadron RAF at the start of World War II, was a day bomber squadron flying the Hawker Hind, a light bomber Bi-plane, and the Bristol Blenheim, a light bomber aircraft. 139 Squadron was originally formed on the 3rd of July 1918, flying the Bristol F2 two-seater fighter and reconnaissance bi-plane, but it was disbanded on the 7tho of March 1919 at the conclusion of World War One. The squadron was reformed on the 3rd of September 1939 at RAF Wyton, Cambridgeshire. On the 4th of September 1939, fifteen bombers from number two group, squadrons 110, 107 and 139, led the first RAF raid of World War II against German shipping near Wilhelmshaven on the German North Sea coast. Five failed to locate the target due to poor weather, and of the ten that found the target, five were shot down by anti-aircraft fire. The bombs did little damage to the target, and this proved quite typical of the bravely executed but largely ineffective and very costly Blenheim bombing raids that were to follow. 139 Squadron saw continuous service in one theatre or another throughout the war, and carried out the most bombing raids of any squadron in number two group.

On the 30th of November 1939, Nobby and 139 Squadron with its Mark IV Bristol Blenheim’s, moved to RAF Bétheniville, in the Champagne region of France, part way between Argonne and Reims in north-eastern France. 139 Squadron replaced 40 Squadron. Nobby and 139 Squadron remained at Bétheniville over the harsh winter of 1939/1940. The squadron undertook numerous reconnaissance flights and training tasks at the bombing and gunnery ranges at Moronvilliers. Nobby and 139 Squadron moved to RAF Plivot, a forty minutes’ drive south from Reims, on the 15th of March 1940, to replace 103 Squadron, who in turn replaced 139 Squadron at RAF Blétheniville. Plivot was considered a more suitable airfield for the heavier Blenheim bombers of 139 Squadron. During May 1940, 139 Squadron sustained very heavy losses in the German Advance. On the 10th of May 1940, rested, re-armed and re-equipped after its invasion of Poland, the German Wehrmacht began a Blitzkrieg in the West, smashing through the Netherlands and Belgium and on into France.

Nobby was injured in an air raid on Plivot, and spent time in hospital. As a result of the German action, eight of Nobbys fellow LAC colleagues were either killed, or reported as missing in action whilst on operations aboard 139 Squadron Bristol Blenheim’s, taking part in sorties against German targets. Following the disaster of the German Advance, what was left of 139 Squadron, along with approximately 338,000 other service personnel, left France under the Allied retreat ‘Operation Dynamo’, to make their way back to England. A family story was that Nobby returned to England in late May 1940, in just his pyjamas and a pair of boots!

Following the disaster of early May 1940, 139 Squadron regrouped at RAF West Raynham, Norfolk at the end of May, until the 10th of June when the squadron transferred to RAF Horsham St. Faith, Norfolk where they would remain until July 1941.

In May 1941, Nobby and a detachment of 139 Squadron, are posted with a detachment from 21 Squadron to Malta. Fifty fighters and bombers arrive on the 21st of May 1941. They are used to reinforce Malta’s air defence and are involved in anti-shipping patrols and other defensive duties during ‘The Siege of Malta.’ The 'Siege of Malta' was the struggle between Axis and British-led forces for control of the strategically important island of Malta between the 11th of June 1941 and the 20th of November 1942. With the entry of Italy into World War II in June 1940 and the resultant opening of a new military front in North Africa, Malta’s already considerable value was further increased. British naval and air forces based on the island could attack Axis ships transporting reinforcement and vital supplies from Europe to the Italian colony of Libya in North Africa, and the British prime minister, Winston Churchill, aptly called the island an 'unsinkable aircraft carrier'.

139 (Jamaica) Squadron remained operational throughout World War II, and post war flew the De Havilland Mosquito until introduction of the English Canberra bomber, and finally the Handley Page Victor jet bomber that carried the United Kingdom’s nuclear bomb capability, until the squadron was disbanded on Tuesday the 31st of December 1968.

In the autumn of 1941, Nobby is assessed as suitable for pilot training. LAC Roots is discharged from his duties and on the 13th of October 1941, Nobby is shown in his service records as attached to ‘ACRC’, an Air Crew Reception Centre. It does not specify which ACRC. Number 1 ACRC was based at the Lords Cricket Ground in London. The two-week course enabled them to receive basic instruction, go through rigorous medical checks and take a series of tests to identify their suitability for various roles for those who passed. The men were then posted to various Initial Training Wings (ITW.)

On the 28th of October 1941, Nobby is based at No. 2 Initial Training School, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

When the Second World War broke out in 1939, Canada was an ocean away from the scene of the fighting in Europe. But geographical distance did not mean that Canada would not play an important role in the struggle to restore peace. Canada’s big open spaces and good climate for flying made it an ideal choice for large scale flying training, which began on the 29th of April 1940. The programme greatly expanded after the fall of France when, fearful of a German invasion of Britain, the RAF moved several of its training schools and one hundred and eighty-four other supporting units, at two hundred and thirty-one locations, across Canada. Individual Canadians helped through their flying clubs and commercial aviation companies, which ran many of the schools. One of the most important contributions Canada would make to the war effort would be the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP.)

Basic and advanced pilot training was carried out using the De Havilland Tiger Moth and the North American Harvard, (also known as the T-6 Texan.) Nobby continued his training in Canada and on the 19th of November 1942, he was discharged (completed) from the Service Flying Training School as a qualified pilot, having gained his “wings” and being granted a Temporary Commission. Nobby was now officially Pilot Officer (PO) 50340 Harold Henry Victor Roots, Royal Air Force. Nobby must have applied himself to his training and shown aptitude, because in an article in the Alberta “Medicine Hat” newspaper in November 1942, it reports, when referring to the course graduation presentation, “The graduating class of student pilots consisting of Poles, Norwegian, Free French, and RAF men, the leading student was Cpl. H.H.V Roots of Maidstone, England.”

On the 30th of November 1942, Nobby’s service record shows him at Number 7 Personnel Reception Centre. (7 PRC.) RAF Harrogate. He is still shown at 7 PRC on the 11th of December 1942.

RAF Harrogate, sometimes known as Ministry of Defence Harrogate, was the name for two distinct Royal Air Force establishments within the town of Harrogate. Newly qualified pilots were often billeted having returned from Elementary Flying School, until a posting is found for them.

I have not found any ‘operational’ records for Nobby once he returns from Canada. It appears in his service records that his first posting is on the 9th February 1943, when Nobby is posted to Number 11 Pilot Advanced Flying Unit, (11 (P) AFU) at RAF Shawbury, Shrewsbury, Shropshire. Nobby is following a training programme, leading to him becoming a Flying Instructor.

The culmination of Nobby’s Flying Instructor training is that on the 7th April 1943, he is posted as Flying Instructor to 7 Flying Instructor School (7 FIS) at RAF Upavon, Wiltshire. One of the mainstays of the RAF training aeroplanes used, was the twin engine Airspeed Oxford AS10. Airspeed’s main production was in Portsmouth, although to meet war demand, it was also built in multiple locations including Christchurch in Dorset and Luton, Bedfordshire. 8,856 Oxfords were built, and the last Oxfords were taken out of service in 1957. The Airspeed Oxford, or ‘Ox Box’ as it would be affectionately known to its pilots, was a dual control, two front seat, stable, reliable trainer aircraft used by the RAF, training advanced flying, bomb aimer, gunnery training, navigation training etc. Its stable platform made it ideal for photographic reconnaissance, and transport ambulance. It was an Airspeed Oxford that Amy Johnson was flying when she was killed on the 5th of January 1941 when her ‘plane crashed into the Thames estuary near Herne Bay.

On the 22nd February 1944, Nobby is posted to what would be his last unit, joining 3 FIS at RAF Lulsgate Bottom, now the home of Bristol International Airport. The week before Nobby had joined 3 FIS, the unit had experienced their first Flying Instructor fatality. Thirty-one-year-old Flying Officer 126719 Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) Lancelot Wolfram Roy Rogers, was killed with his student, thirty-year-old Flight Lieutenant 117420 RAFVR Frederick James Garvey, DSO, DFC, on the 15th February 1944.

FO Lance Rogers was a local Bristol lad had been a hurricane pilot before becoming a flying instructor and being posted to 3 FIS. He was married with four children.

FL Frederick “Rickie” James Garvey was born in Vancouver, Canada in 1913, and was a decorated Lancaster pilot, formerly with 83 Pathfinders Squadron at RAF Wyton (where Nobby had been based with 139 Squadron in 1939.) FL Garvey had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on the 10th of September 1943. His citation read, “On many occasions this officer has led attacks on the most important targets in Germany, including the centres in the Ruhr. His high courage and coolness have contributed to the success of many bombing operations against enemy objectives. His aircraft has suffered damage from anti-aircraft fire on several occasions, but this has never deterred him from pressing home his attack and completing his mission.”

FL Garvey was awarded the Distinguished Service Order on the 7th of January 1944. His DSO citation read "Flight Lieutenant Garvey has been continuously engaged on operations since January 1943. Since the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross he has continued to perform his duties with outstanding distinction and brilliance. During one of his sorties over Essen, a large bomb was hit by anti-aircraft fire after being released and exploded directly beneath his aircraft. Determined to complete his task, despite this hazardous experience, Flight Lieutenant Garvey made several runs over this most heavily defended target. Flight Lieutenant Garvey's fearlessness and resolution in the face of the enemy has at all times been exceptional."

It is believed that FL Garvey was the first Pathfinders pilot to achieve sixty operations, and the Avro Lancaster that Garvey flew most often, R5868 OL-Q, is now on display at the RAF museum at Hendon.

Just over a month after his DSO award, on the morning of the 15th of February 1944, FL Garvey and his instructor FO Lance Rogers had taken off from Whitchurch Aerodrome, the original Bristol Airport, sited a short distance from RAF Lulsgate Bottom. Part of the original runway from Whitchurch airfield still exists today and is part of a park, in the centre of a large housing development. On what was supposed to be a routine training flight on board Airspeed Oxford LW776, very shortly after take-off, the aeroplane crashed at Hendon Park, approximately a mile west of the airfield. FO Lance Rogers was buried at Bristol (Arnos Vale) Cemetery, and F/Lt Frederick Garvey was buried at Bath (Haycombe), Cemetery.

Frederick Garvey.

Ironically, FL Rickie Garvey’s grave is just a few headstones away from Flying Officer 422351 John Leonard Rackham, Royal Australian Air Force, of 179 Squadron Coastal Command, RAF St. Eval, Cornwall. FO Rackham was killed on the 31st of December 1944 near St. Columb Major, Cornwall, when he and all six of his colleagues were killed when their Vickers Warwick aeroplane, registered number PN750, crashed in a field on a routine test flight.

One of FO Rackham’s colleagues who died with him, was another cousin of mine and Nobby’s, Flight Sergeant 13348 Peter Patrick Funnell, RAFVR, a wireless operator and gunner with 179 Squadron. Peter is buried in his home town of Storrington, East Sussex.

On the 28th of February 1944, another of the Roots family is killed in the service of their country. Nobby’s (and my) cousin, Signalman 144338334 Lewis Albert Roots, Royal Corps of Signals, was killed at Monte Cassino, Italy. Lewis was just 23 and is buried at the Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery, Cassino, Italy. Lewis had a younger brother Leonard Roots. Lewis Roots was the son of Nobby’s uncle, former Welch Regiment Sergeant, Lewis Arnold Philip Roots DCM, and aunt Emmy.

Nobby was involved in two recorded accidents whilst stationed with 3 FIS at RAF Lulsgate Bottom. The first occurs on Thursday 23rd March 1944, six weeks after the deaths of FO Rogers and FL Garvey DSO DFC. Nobby is instructing Pilot Officer J/18886 E. Erickson of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF.) Taking part in a routine day time instructional training flight, their aeroplane, Airspeed Oxford HN203, had an “overshoot” at Whitchurch Aerodrome, causing the aeroplane to run off the end of the runway and into an exposed drainage ditch. HN203 was damaged, but neither Nobby or PO Erickson were injured. The Board of Inquiry (BOI) that was held into the accident concluded that when PO Erickson had tried to open up the throttles, the starboard (right) engine failed to respond. Nobby had taken over the controls and cut the engines back in an attempt to get the aeroplane down, close to the extremities of the runway, and landed the aeroplane, running off the end of the runway and onto the grassed area, into the drainage ditch. Fault was directed at both PO Erickson for his failure of judgement on approach at a hundred feet, and Nobby for not exercising better judgement. The report recommended that the open drainage ditch be piped, and covered over.

Nobby was not so lucky on the morning of Tuesday the 6th of June 1944. Whilst the world woke to the news of the ‘D Day landings,’ Nobby and his student, 22-year-old Fight Lieutenant 114221 Peter Marshall Cadman DFC, RAFVR, set off on a routine daytime training flight from RAF Lulsgate Bottom aboard Airspeed Oxford serial number L4616.

Flt. Lt. Peter Marshall Cadman DFC had been born in Tientsin, China, in 1922. His father Percy Ewart Cadman was a merchant. He lived with his mother in Canterbury, Kent, and was educated at Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey. A talented violinist, in the summer of 1939, Peter had played a solo violin piece of ‘Lark Ascending’ in the presence of its composer, Dr. Vaughan Williams, at a celebration at Charterhouse, held in honour of Vaughan Williams being bestowed the Order of Merit. Peter was also a very talented cricketer, and in his sixth form, specialised in modern languages. I cannot help but imagine that Nobby and Peter got on well, sharing their talents and passion for music and cricket.

Peter Cadman had joined the RAFVR in 1941 and posted to 77 Squadron, based at RAF Elvington near York. He was a very successful, and highly regarded Halifax bomber pilot. Peter transferred to 3 FIS and Lulsgate Bottom, for instructor training. He was awarded his DFC on the 23rd May 1944, two weeks before his tragic death. His citation read, “Flight Lieutenant Cadman has been engaged on operational flying since July 1943, and has participated in attacks on heavily defended targets. On November 1943, some distance from the target, Dusseldorf, his aircraft was attacked by an enemy fighter and sustained damage. Undeterred this officer continued to the objective and successfully completed the mission. A first class captain of aircraft he has done much to maintain the morale of his squadron.”

On that fateful June morning, Nobby and Peter had planned to carry out routine circuit training. At approximately 09.40, and at a height of two thousand feet, a fire broke out behind the port engine nacelle, or engine cover. Nobby and Peter attempted to return to Lulsgate Bottom. As their aeroplane headed back to the airfield, the fire spread to the control surfaces and flaps. Unable to reach the base, L4616 crashed into a farmer’s field at Freemans Farm, Lulsgate Bottom, just three quarters of a mile short of the runway. Both boys were killed instantly. The crash was witnessed by a young farm boy, Jim Vowles. A couple of years ago, I had the privilege of meeting Jim Vowles’ son, Chris Vowles, who had taken over from his father Jim at Freemans Farm. Chris took my wife and I to the field and exact spot where Nobby and Peter’s Airspeed Oxford L4616 had crashed nearly 75 years before. Chris told me how, as a young boy himself, he would plough up pieces of aluminium and Perspex from the field, years after L4616 had crashed.

The Board of Enquiry could not determine the cause of the fire due to the amount of damage from the intense heat from the fire. It was concluded that it was likely to have been from a leaking fuel line or tank. Nobby had accrued 748 solo flying hours in his service, 628 being on the Airspeed Oxford.

FO 50340 Harold ‘Nobby’ Henry Victor Roots was buried on the 12th June 1944, at Holy Cross Church, Bearsted, Kent. Amongst the mourners were Nobby’s uncle, my grandfather Claude, and Nobby’s cousin, my then sixteen-year-old father, Ted. Also in attendance was Nobby’s fiancée, Audrey Betsy Marsh.

FL 114221 Peter Marshall Cadman DFC, was buried on the 13th of June 1944 at Canterbury Cemetery, Kent.

I am told by family members that Nobby’s mother Ethel never got over the death of her only son. As if to reinforce this, there are no family photographs after 1944 showing Ethel smiling. Harold senior died aged at Maidstone Hospital four months short of his 90th birthday, in March 1987. Ethel died at Linton Hospital, Kent aged 91.

In 2019 I sponsored a memorial stone to Nobby, that is laid in the path at the Royal Air Force Association Memorial, at the National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas, Staffordshire.’

Nobby Roots

Nobby's grave site.

Nobby Roots with his fiancee, Audrey.

Peter Cadman

Cadman's grave site.

Harold 'Nobby' Roots' plaque at Alrewas.

Thank you Simon for sharing your monumental piece of work into the life and death of Nobby Roots. I am sure we will all take a moment to recognize his service and sacrifice.

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Declan Martin-Thompson has been adding to his remarkable collection of Lincolnshire men’s medals, and this week he writes; ‘I have recently reunited the Death Plaque posthumously presented to the family of Leslie Edward Harris, with his medals.

Leslie Harris was born 21st November 1897 in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. He was the son of Walter and Alice Jane Lawson Harris of 3 Bell Street, Robey Street Lincoln. He served in the Great War as Private 23727 with the 12th Battalion South Wales Borderers (3rd Gwent).

Leslie suffered a light wound to the hand in October 1916 but soon recovered and returned to the Battalion. In the new year he was suffering with a severe fever and would be evacuated to hospital back in England. He would again return to France in May 1917.

Leslie Edward Harris was killed in action on the 22nd November 1917, just one day after his twentieth birthday.

He is buried in Anneux British Cemetery, Nord, France Plot I Row F Grave 31 and is also commemorated on the Lincoln War Memorial.’

An excellent result Declan. Well done and keep up the good work.

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When we think of post Great War memorialisation, apart from the ‘thankful villages’ we automatically assume that every city, town, village and community raised a war memorial. However, this was not always the case. For a variety of reasons, some villages did not unveil a memorial and then in the run up to the centenary commemorations from 2014-18, a number of ‘new’ memorials were erected.

One such memorial can be found in the Lincolnshire village of Thorpe on the Hill which I passed through in the last few days.

Thorpe on the Hill.

Whilst on the subject of new memorials, my daughter, Lizzie, was in the small Nottinghamshire village of Screveton when she spied this new and non-traditional war memorial hewn from a lump of sandstone. It remembers the crews of two planes that collided over the village in 1944.

At 3.35pm on the 14th April, 1944, a young trainee pilot, 21 year old B H Dennis took off from Wymeswold accompanied by his instructor, 22 year old J A Hawkins. Fifteen minutes later a second plane, a Lancaster, took off from Syerston.

There were two trainee pilots, an instructor and six other crew members on board (their ages ranged from 28 to just 19 years). Both planes were on routine training flights. At 4.30pm both were at 1000ft over Screveton as they collided in mid-air. J A Hawkins was thrown from the plane by the collision and managed to parachute to the ground. Everyone else died on impact as the two planes fell to earth. According to eyewitnesses both young pilots had guided their planes away from the village before crashing. Hawkins was rushed to hospital but died from his injuries a few hours later.

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This week’s offering from CJS is John Courtney.

Lieutenant John Classon Courtney.

John was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1893. After schooling, before the war he worked as a fitter and turner, but then he enlisted in Sydney in October 1916 and sailed for the UK in January 1917.

Having completed pilot training, he joined 71 (Australian) Squadron in the Royal Flying Corps.

The unit arrived in France in December 1917 and in January 1918 was renumbered as 4 Squadron Australian Flying Corps, equipped with the Sopwith Camel.

John Courtney was credited with shooting down a German two seater out of control on 15th March 1918 and then the Germans launched their massive spring offensive on 21st March 1918.

John’s unit were heavily engaged in the desperate fighting to halt the advance and he flew many dangerous low level ground attack missions.

Sadly, John Courtney was shot down in flames by ground fire near Bethune on 7th April 1918 and was buried by the Germans, but his grave was destroyed in the subsequent fighting.

Today John Courtney has no known grave but is commemorated on the Arras Flying Services Memorial. John Courtney was just 24 years old.

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Continuing my trip to Verdun and the Argonne, here are my thoughts on the American sector and what there is today for the 2025 battlefield visitor.

The Americans in the Argonne.

America officially entered the Great War on 6th April 1917 as a result of the German’s decision to re-start unrestricted submarine warfare which saw neutral American transporters sunk and as a result of the so called Zimmerman Telegrams.

The German Foreign Minister, Arthur Zimmerman, sent a coded telegram to the German minister in Mexico proposing an alliance with Mexico against the USA. The British intercepted and decoded this telegram before submitting it to President Wilson. The emergence of such a telegram enabled Wilson to receive approval from the Senate for a declaration of war against Germany.

The Zimmerman Telegram.

In early 1917, the American army was very small, lacked heavy arms and had no experience in fighting an industrialised modern war. However, what they did have was unlimited fresh manpower and with a rapid draft, the American army grew quickly and trained until eventually, fresh drafts of men were arriving in France every month.

The commander of the American forces was John ‘Black Jack’ Pershing, a forthright and aggressive commander who refused point blank to allow his troops to be embedded with the British and French armies. He, backed by his government, insisted that the American army would stand alone and fight as a complete unit, albeit with heavy artillery and tanks supplied by Britain and France.

Two companies of Americans did fight alongside the Australians at the battle of Hamel in July 1918, and two divisions of Americans fought alongside the Australians and the British 46th Division at the breaking of the Hindenburg Line in late September 1918, but the vast majority of American troops under Pershing’s overall command took over the line of the Western Front east of Paris between Belleau Wood and the St. Mihiel salient.

Their tactics in the final seven weeks of the war, September to November 11th, could be described as naïve, they opted for the full frontal attacks that the British Army had attempted in 1915/16, but with large divisions of strong brave men, they suffered their casualties but carried on regardless making rapid advances against the now often demoralised but resistant Germans. Firstly, at St. Mihiel and then in the Argonne Forest region, the American gains were quicker and more successful, and way beyond Pershing’s and Generalissimo Foch’s expectations.

Pershing proved himself to be a ruthless and dogmatic leader, a man who would sack any of his high ranking commanders on the spot if he believed they weren’t being aggressive enough and pushing their men to the limit.

On my recent trip, I did not visit the St. Mihiel salient, that is for the next time, but we covered the major actions and stories of the Argonne offensive. If you want to read in more detail the actions of the Americans, I can recommend this book which I have on my shelves; ‘Forty-Seven Days’ by Mitchell Yockelson. ISBN 97 80451 466 952.

Our first stop was at Montfaucon (Mount Falcon). At 1,200 feet, the village loomed over the Argonne providing the Germans with first class artillery observation. The village had been in German hands since 1914 and was well fortified with concrete bunkers and machine gun posts. Pershing wanted this high point capturing first as it blocked the AEF’s advance on Cunel and Romagne where the Hindenburg Line first line of trenches started. Explaining his battle plan to the French, Petain said to Pershing that he wouldn’t capture Montfaucon until Christmas, but Pershing insisted it would be captured on the opening day!

Commencing on September 25th, Montfaucon, Vaquois Hill, Varennes and Cheppy had all fallen to the Americans by the 29th but with a high number of casualties including battalion commanders who went over the top with their men.

Today, Montfaucon is a site of great reverence for the Americans. A US Army Staff College trip was at the site as we arrived. The US monument and tower sits alongside the remains of the medieval monastery and today, the modern village of Montfaucon sits at the bottom of the hill. You can climb to the top of the tower to look out over the battlefield with a 360-degree panoramic view.

View from the top of the column.

View of the destroyed monastery from the tp of the column.

The Americans, including General Patton both in 1918 and in 1944, were here and have left a Sherman tank in the modern village as a memorial.

Leaving Montfaucon, we drove to the immaculate US Cemetery at Romagne. Here lie the bodies of 14,426 Doughboys in the largest US cemetery in Europe.

There is a visitor centre, museum and public rest rooms on site and you can easily spend more than an hour taking in the cemetery and its 130 acres of grounds, monuments and chapel.

Click here Romagne-sous-Montfaucon American Cemetery

Feeling peckish we picked the nearby village of Dun sur Meuse for a lunch stop. After buying filled baguettes we found the village war memorial which sits by the ‘war memorial bridge’ over the Meuse, the village having been liberated by the Americans in October 1918.

Never let anyone tell you that war memorials are ‘boring’. The memorial in Dun sur Meuse featured a Poilu on a stone plinth with plaques listing the men of the village who died in the Great War. One side featured a memorial stone to the American 5th Division who fought in the area, but the plaque to the rear of the memorial, was the stand out one for me.

This plaque listed the civilian victims of the Nazi occupation of 1939-44 but had originally, in what I can only assume was an act of cowardice mixed with guilt, or maybe anti-semitism?, had initially omitted the names of the Jewish civilians who had been deported. Their names had been added on an additional stone plaque at a later date.

In 1941, Gary Cooper played Corporal Alvin York in a film about York’s life and actions in WWI where he won the Medal of Honor. The film, titled Sergeant York, [He wasn’t promoted to sergeant until after his famous action – Ed], depicts in a fictionalised way the remarkable story of York’s achievements.

York was born into a large and very poor family in Tennessee. His parents were teetotal Methodists but York, who learned great field craft and shooting skills providing meat for the family table, left home to work as a railway labourer.

Here he became a womaniser and heavy drinker, until one day he witnessed the death of a friend in a bar room brawl. This led York to give up drinking and seek redemption in the church.

In 1917 he was called up and initially asked to be accepted as a Conscientious Objector. The tribunal did not see his church as being an officially recognised branch of the Anglican church, they were a quasi-Quaker like sect, and York duly arrived in France, where his prodigious shooting skills had been recognised.

During the fighting in the Meuse-Argonne forest, York’s section was held up by a German machine gun nest, which was steadily inflicting casualties on his men. Taking his rifle and Colt pistol, York single handedly stalked and shot the gun team, before taking on the next line of resistance until he had killed over 20 Germans. So overawed by his prowess, the Germans in his front surrendered en-masse. As his men came up to assist, the third line of German resistance opened fire killing Americans and German prisoners. Again, York went forward alone shooting down the enemy until they eventually surrendered the position.

York and the survivors of his section escorted 132 German prisoners back to the US lines. Initially, York’s bravery was not recognised, but as the story spread, the news reached higher authority and in due course, Alvin York was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Click here Biography of Alvin C. York, Hero of World War I

Today, you can visit the site of York’s action by parking in the village of Chatel-Chehery and following the marker boards around a 2-mile circular walk. Each board has a description of York’s actions and it is a most enjoyable leg stretch and not overly difficult.

Alvin York

Another enduring tale from the American offensive in the Meuse-Argonne, is that of the famous ‘Lost battalion’. In reality, it was a conglomeration of men from more than one battalion, and the title, the Lost Battalion, came from a newspaper headline, but a substantial pocket of men commanded by Major Whittlesey, pushed forward into the forest north-east of the village of Binarville and found themselves cut off for several days.

The Americans did attempt to re-supply the men, but from the 550 men who were cut off, 107 were killed, 190 were wounded with many taken prisoner, 63 were missing and only 194 eventually returned to the US lines.

We had time to visit the memorial, but a walk in the forest will have to wait until the next visit.

Major Charles Whittlesey was so affected by his wartime experiences that he committed suicide by jumping overboard from a ship in 1921.

Click here The Lost Battalion of World War I – Pieces of History

Passing through the village of Varennes-Argonne, we stopped at the Pennsylvania Monument, built in the Greek Classical style and unveiled in 1927, it is a fitting tribute to the men from Pennsylvania who fought in the Meuse-Argonne in 1918, even if its scale seems overdone for its setting!

The final stop for the day was at Hill 210, otherwise known as Blanc Mont (White Mountain – due to the chalky ground). We drove the road from Sommepy that follows the right flank of the attacking US Marine Brigade – see map below.

Blanc Mont Memorial.

Lines of German trenches are still visible in the chalky soil.

Blanc Mont was an L shaped ridge protected by three lines of German trenches, concrete bunkers, machine gun posts and deep underground caverns built into the chalky limestone and the Germans had sat here since late 1914, and he French had not been able to move them in over three years.

On the morning of October 3rd 1918, combined French and American artillery opened an immense bombardment of the German positions, the infantry and Marines attacked under cover of a creeping barrage and with support from French tanks, captured the position the same day. Knowing that they would face a German counter-attack, the Americans supported on their flanks by French troops, attacked again the following day and drove the Germans off the entire ridge until Hindenburg had no option but to order a general retreat to the river Aisne.

Today there is a wonderful US monument on Hill 210 and you can walk around the depressions in the ground that indicate the lines of the German trenches. Again, it is a must see location.

Next week, I will write about our day on the Chemin de Dames and the Nivelle offensive of May 1917.

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IN MEMORIAM - The Lincolnshire Regiment 8th June.

1915

9813 Private Frank Evans, 2nd Battalion, aged 20. Buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, France.

1896 Lance Corporal A Cooling, 5th Battalion. Buried in Longuenesse Souvenir Cemetery, France.

1916

3959 Private Frank Buttery, 4th Battalion. Buried at Foncquevillers Military cemetery, France.

1917

Forty-seven men of the regiment are recorded as having died on this day. Many were from the 4th and 5th Battalions of 46th Division as the troops fought in the urban landscape of Lens.

1918

44873 Private Basil Bullett, 5th Battalion. Buried in Fouquieres Churchyard Extension, France.(**)

16809 Private Ernest West, 5th Battalion. - Ditto. -

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

(**) With a name like Bullet, I just had to look him up in Steve Bramley and Chris Bailey's excellent book. I found that Basil Bullett was from Bradfield in Suffolk and had already been discharged in 1916 from the Royal Engineers for being under age.

Well, back to the sun bed and a good book, oh, and a cold beer. [Someone has to - Ed!]

Until next week

All best wishes

Jonathan

www.jonathandhooghe.co.uk

e: trenchlincs@gmail.com

© Jonathan D’Hooghe