Trench Lincs 9th August 2026

To become a subscriber and receive TL eachw eek complete with all photos, email me at trenchlincs@gmail.com

Good Morning,

August 9th holds many contrasting thoughts and memories for me. Firstly, it is my wife’s birthday but it is also the 22nd anniversary of my father’s death. As far as the Lincolnshire Regiment’s history in WWI goes, it is the 111th anniversary of the 6th Battalion’s glorious but bloody attack at Chocolate Hill in Gallipoli. I have written about the attack below.

In other matters, we all had a good time on the Suffolk coast last week, and yesterday, I took my two oldest grandsons to the Yorkshire Wartime three-day event. What an extravaganza it was, with over 400 working military vehicles on show.

I will post some pics of the show next week.

I have been visiting Southwold on the Suffolk coast virtually every year of my life since my parents took me there aged 3 months in August 1959. My sister and I spent all of our holidays there during the 1960’s and 70’s, and then in the 1980’s and 90’s I took my children, and now my children take their children. No matter where we are all lucky enough to travel to in the world, we always set aside time for a family visit to Suffolk, and this year was no exception.

The week, [We are always lucky with the weather – Ed], flew by in a swirl of traditional activities and of course, fish and chips. I have always been an empire builder when it comes to sandcastles and have some lovely black and white photos of digging on the beach with my dad, and now I take the grandchildren to the sea’s edge where we build castles all linked by intricate moats and attempt, Canute style, to keep back the tide.

In recent years, I have also built the annual sand crocodile which the children love to help with. As the older kids grow, their imagination runs wild and this year as we built the crocodile, Samuel (9) said; ‘Grandpa, can we make it with a big fish in its mouth?’, so we have had a croc with a fish to contend with this year!

We also take my model yacht to the boating lake, and again as the kids become more interested, they were learning to set the sails and the rudder so as to tack into the wind on the return leg across the lake – who knows, we may have the next Lord Nelson in the family?

Southwold is separated from Walberswick by the river Blyth and outside the Harbour pub, there is a jetty that you can crab fish from, Again, crabbing is an annual ritual, and this year, my youngest grandchild, Erin, now nearly 3 was old enough to join in the fun for the first time.

I can’t believe it is a year since Robert and his family were over from Australia and he was in Southwold with his siblings, and I am pleased to let you know that I have now booked my flight for the end of May 2027 to go and spend a month with my Australian grandsons. Lots to look forward to.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

FORTHCOMING EVENTS.

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

Please note that there is NOT a speaker event in August.

Next Event - Lincoln & North Lincolnshire Branch - Western Front Association - SUNDAY, August 16th, 2026 - Annual Memorials Tour led by Branch Chairman, Mike Credland.

Lincoln Branch Chairman Mike Credland will once again be leading our Annual Memorials Tour on Sunday, August 16th, which this year will start from THE LINCOLNSHIRE POACHER, BUNKERS HILL, LINCOLN, LN2 4QT.   Please arrive at 10.45 am for an 11.00 am start. 

These tours are always very interesting, calling as they do at a selection of local memorials, chapels and churches where Mike, who as we all know is extremely knowledgeable on the subject, will regale us with stories of their creation, and the life and times of selected people commemorated on them.  Wary as we are of the increased cost of fuel, this year's tour will be more compact than those of previous years, covering fewer miles while still cramming in some interesting locations along the way.  Route maps and directions will be issued to participants on the day, and the tour will finish at approximately 2.30 pm.  We very much look forward to seeing you on the day.   

I have also recently received from Peter Garland, confirmation of the Lincoln WFA meetings until the end of the year.

September 28th - Nick Shelley presents: "Motorcycle dispatch riders in 1914".

October 26th - James Handley presents: "SMS Seydlitz; the ship that refused to die".

November 30th - Dr Scott Lindgren presents: "The Coastal Raids of 1915".

December 3rd (Thursday) - Annual Show n' Tell Evening (in partnership with Friends of Lincoln Tank). Attendees are invited to give 10 minute presentations on items of interest relating to The Great War.  Free event, followed by a XChristmas Buffet Supper. 

December 21st - Jonathan D'Hooghe, MA, presents - "The Ottoman Empire in World War 1".

Please note that speaker events are all Monday nights as usual. It is just the shared Show n’ Tell evening with FoLT that will be on a Thursday.

Finally, the Lincoln WFA Annual Christmas Lunch will be held on Saturday 12th December at the White Hart Hotel - £25pp. A three-course meal excluding drinks.

21 out of 25 seats are already booked. Drop me a note without obligation at this stage, if you would like to attend this always excellent event.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The next meeting of the Friends of the Lincoln Tank Group will be held on Thursday September 10th at the Royal Naval Association Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG at 7.30pm.

There is no speaker event in August.

Talk Title – ‘By His Majesty’s Command – The Military Cross’

Firstly – It is ordained that the Cross shall be designated “The Military Cross”.

The words are taken from a Royal Warrant dated 28th December 1914. Until then, other than the Victoria Cross (Britain’s highest award for gallantry and only awarded in exceptional circumstances), there had been no distinction available for junior officers and warrant officers who had demonstrated acts of bravery during the opening months of the First World War. But that was about to change and so came the much-needed Military Cross. By the end of the war more than 37,000 crosses had been awarded and behind each award there is a story to discover. Here, Peter Jacobs talks about the Military Cross during the First World War and the stories behind some of those awarded it.

The Speaker – Peter Jacobs

PETER JACOBS served in the Royal Air Force for thirty-seven years as an air defence navigator on the F4 Phantom and Tornado F3, after which he completed staff tours at HQ 11 Group, HQ Strike Command, the Ministry of Defence, and the RAF College Cranwell. He has written twenty-three books on military and aviation subjects, and as well as being a keen historian he has collected military medals for forty years.

Everyone welcome, especially new faces. You do not need to be a member of FoLT to attend meetings, but members of FoLT pay just £10 a year and receive £250 of membership benefits from Ancestry and the British Newspaper Archives. It is well worth joining.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Next Event - Spalding & South Lincs Branch, WFA Thursday August 27th at 7.30pm.

Spalding & South Lincolnshire Branch WFA continues to meet at the Spalding Baptist Church, Swan Street, Spalding, PE11 1BT. Meetings continue to be held in the evenings of the fourth Thursday in the month, and doors open at 19.00 hours for a 19.30 hours start.  Meetings are held in a pleasant main room of the Church and there is ample - unrestricted - on street parking in front of the building. Free refreshments are served at the end of the meeting. Finally, please note that, for security purposes the main double front doors are kept locked as we cannot monitor them from our meeting room, therefore, you may need to ring the doorbell located on the single door to the right of the main double doors in order to gain entry.   

August 27th - Nick Shelley presents "Motorcycle dispatch riders in 1914". 

+++++++++++++++++++++++

The East Midlands (Nottingham) WFA branch will hold their next speaker event on Friday 14th August 2026 at 7.30pm. The branch meets at St. Peter’s Church Hall, Church Street, Ruddington, NG11 6HA and all visitors will be made very welcome.

The speaker on this occasion is Paul Cobb who will talk about the “Attack at Fromelles 19th/20th July 1916.”

This was a disastrous diversionary attack designed to draw German reserves away from the Somme battlefields. The newly arrived Australian 5th Division and the British 61st (2nd South Midland) Division were tasked with an unsupported assault over ground that had been fought over in May 1915. The result, as in 1915 and the other horrendous diversionary attack at Gommecourt on 1st July 1916, was a very bloody fiasco.

I have Paul’s book on my shelves and have visited Fromelles on many occasions. Now famous for the recent discovery of a mass grave of primarily Australian soldiers buried by the Germans after this attack. The CWGC constructed a brand new cemetery, Pheasant Wood, at Fromelles to accommodate the remains of the men discovered here.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Leadenham Military History Group’s next meeting will be on Tuesday 25th August at 7.30pm at Leadenham village hall.

There will be a two part event on this night, starting with a continuation of the Biography series.

Tim Sisson will present a biography of the 47 year career of the un-killable soldier - Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart VC.

Following the presentation there will be the Leadenham Military History Annual Quiz.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

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

The next meeting of LAS will be held on Thursday 20th August 2026.

Dave Bentley will talk about – “Tornado Operations in Germany 1980’s/1990’s”

Everyone welcome especially new faces.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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.

August 12th David Lister

'Jerry doesn't like UP!'

Germany is often seen as the leader in Rocket technology during the Second World War. In reality, Britain used rockets far more widely and consistently than the Germans. This has largely been ignored and confused by post-war commentators simply due to naming conventions. Find out more, and Peterborough's links (small that they are) to that story.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Will you be in Belgium on August 22nd?

If you are, you will be welcome to attend the next event with the Friends of the Tank memorial Ypres Salient group. Here is the programme for the day.

On behalf of our Chairman and members of the FotTMYS I cordially invite you to our next Ceremony which will be held at:

The Brooding Soldier, Vancouver Corner, Brugseweg, 8920 Langemark, Belgium.

We will assemble at the Memorial at 1030hrs. 

St. Julien Canadian 2ⁿᵈ Battle of Ypres Memorial (The Brooding Soldier)

The Ceremony will commence at 1100hrs.

Those wishing to dine please let me know as soon as possible in order that a table can be booked.

The afternoon Tour will be in connection with 'The Tunnelers'. We will be visiting the battlefield around Hill 60. Here we will take our Toast to the Fallen and Absent Friends.

If you require further details, please drop me a line and I will put you in touch with the Hon. Sec. David Williams.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

We shall start this week with a moment in history that will forever be near the top, in my opinion, of the greatest feats of the Lincolnshire Regiment.

The 6th (Service) battalion, a K1 Kitchener New Army battalion, attacked at the point of the bayonet, a well defended Turkish trench line on 9th August 1915. The men of this battalion were all civilians just one year before who volunteered on the outbreak of war. Their glory will never be forgotten, but their casualties on this day and in the following days, saw the battalion depleted to such an extent that it had to be amalgamated with the 6th battalion of the Border Regiment in the short term, until a draft of new men arrived.

The 6th (Service) Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment at Chocolate Hill, 9 August 1915.

The attack on Chocolate Hill on 9th August 1915 was one of the defining moments in the history of the 6th (Service) Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment during the Gallipoli Campaign. Having arrived on the Gallipoli peninsula only weeks earlier, the battalion was thrust into one of the most important operations of the Suvla Bay offensive. Although the capture of Chocolate Hill was achieved, the victory came at a heavy cost and demonstrated both the courage of Kitchener’s New Army volunteers and the shortcomings of the wider campaign.

The 6th Battalion had been raised in August 1914 as part of Lord Kitchener’s call for volunteers. After months of training in Britain, it sailed for the Mediterranean in July 1915 as part of the 33rd Brigade of the 11th (Northern) Division. The battalion landed at Suvla Bay on 7th August during the Allied attempt to break the deadlock that had characterised the Gallipoli Campaign since April. Their objective was to seize the high ground overlooking the Suvla plain, thereby opening the route towards the Anafarta Ridge and ultimately linking with forces advancing from Anzac.

Chocolate Hill, known to the Turks as Ismail Oglu Tepe, was a low but strategically important ridge overlooking the landing area. Its reddish-brown soil gave rise to its British nickname. Although not a dominant summit in itself, possession of the hill offered observation over the surrounding terrain and served as a stepping stone towards the higher objectives further inland.

On the morning of 9th August, the 6th Lincolns received orders to assault the Turkish position after the Irishmen of the 10th Division had been brought to a halt. The battalion advanced across the dry salt-lake and open, scrub-covered ground under intense rifle and machine-gun fire. The August heat was oppressive, water was scarce, and the dry vegetation provided little cover. Despite these difficulties, the Lincolns pressed forward with determination. Officers led from the front, encouraging their men to maintain the advance despite mounting casualties.

The lads of Lincoln advanced through the ranks of the Irish who were cowering at the foot of the hill, leaderless and lacking orders and initiative. After a brief halt to allow the British guns to sweep the crest one last time, the charge was ordered and with a rush the men carried the Turkish trenches on the top of the hill.

As the battalion neared the summit, fierce hand-to-hand fighting developed in the Turkish trenches. According to the regimental history, Captain Duck and Lieutenant Lynden Webber were among the first officers to enter the enemy position. Webber was fatally shot and bayoneted while crossing the trench, illustrating the savage nature of the fighting. Nevertheless, the attackers overwhelmed the defenders with rifle fire and bayonet charges, driving many Ottoman soldiers from their positions while others fought to the death. The hill was successfully captured by the 6th Lincolnshire Regiment before supporting units arrived to consolidate the position.

The victory, however, came at a considerable price. Major D’A. M. Fraser was killed during the assault, while Major Norton and several other officers, including Lieutenants Downes, Bird and Hemsley, were wounded. Other ranks suffered approximately 164 casualties in the attack itself, although losses sustained during the wider Suvla operations were considerably higher. Many men became casualties not only from enemy fire but also from exhaustion, dehydration and the confusion that accompanied the advance.

Personal accounts from survivors reveal the severity of the action. Soldiers described relentless rifle fire, extreme thirst and dense clouds of dust thrown up by shellfire. In some sectors the dry scrub caught fire, trapping wounded men who were unable to escape the flames. Contemporary letters written home after the battle spoke of the fighting as “just like hell” and recorded that only a fraction of the battalion remained fit for duty after several days of continuous combat. One survivor estimated that barely 150 men were left from a battalion that had landed with well over 600 fighting soldiers only days earlier.

Although Chocolate Hill had been taken, the success was not fully exploited. Delays in advancing beyond the captured position allowed Ottoman reinforcements, skilfully directed by Mustafa Kemal, to occupy the higher ground beyond. The Allies consequently failed to seize the commanding heights that were essential to the success of the Suvla offensive. What had begun as a promising landing gradually degenerated into another costly stalemate, mirroring the earlier fighting around Cape Helles and Anzac.

For the 6th Lincolnshire Regiment, however, the capture of Chocolate Hill became a source of lasting regimental pride. The battalion had demonstrated exceptional courage under extremely difficult circumstances, achieving an objective that more experienced formations might have struggled to secure. Colonel F. G. Spring wrote; “So ended the first, and perhaps the finest attack ever carried out by the battalion”, even though the wider strategic situation rendered the sacrifice less decisive than many had hoped.

Today, the attack on Chocolate Hill remains one of the best remembered actions in the battalion’s history. The names of officers such as Lieutenant Lynden Webber and Major Fraser, together with the many soldiers buried or commemorated on the Helles Memorial and in Gallipoli cemeteries, serve as enduring reminders of the price paid by the 6th (Service) Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment. Their successful assault on 9th August 1915 exemplified the determination, discipline and sacrifice of Britain’s New Army during one of the First World War’s most demanding campaigns.

Local readers of TL will be aware that I give a talk on this battalion and their exploits on Gallipoli. I have been fortunate to walk the ground twice in recent years, and I attach some of my pertinent photos.

The line of attack across the Salt Lake (It was dry in August 1915)

Looking towards the Salt Lake from the Turkish trenches.

We Will Remember Them.

++

Purely by coincidence, whilst helping Jonty Wild with his ongoing reserach into Charlie Whiting who appears on the Tetford war memorial, I came across Charlie's mate, Edward Body.

12817 Private Edward Body served in Gallipoli with the 6th Battalion, and was awarded a Military Medal. He sustained a gun shot wound to the knee in November 1915 and after recovering, transferred to the 8th Battalion on the Western Front. Here he served bravely until 21st March 1918 and the opening of the German Spring Offensive.

On this day, Edward was wounded for a second time in the right arm and shoulder and this led to his discharge in December 1918 as 'No Longer Physically Fit For War Service.'

Here is Edward's Medal Index Card which confirms the award of the MM.

It is always good to add another name to the 6th Battalion Roll of Honour for Gallipoli service.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Staying with the local Lincolnshire theme, I subscribe to receive the on-line auction catalogues of many of our local auction houses. Browsing through Golding’s recent Bourne sale catalogue, I spotted a steel plate from the Sleaford firm of Ward and Dale.

Ward and Dale, incorporated as a Limited Company in 1911 was one of Sleaford’s biggest employers when war broke out in 1914, along with Charles Sharpe and Co. and the brewers Bass, Ratcliffe and Gretton.

All of these companies appear in my 2014 university dissertation as part of the research I did into Sleaford’s post-war memorialisation. The history of Ward and Dale is that it was founded by the brothers Frederick and William Ward in 1876; they had financial resources and some expertise in steam cultivation. They were soon joined by William Dale, a young ploughman of outstanding ability, and the established local partnership of Yates and Agnew.

The firm grew steadily to reach 12 ploughing sets (engine, plough/cultivator, water cart and living van) in the 1890’s and 24 sets by 1914, becoming the largest firm of steam ploughing and cultivating contractors in Britain. As well as ploughing and cultivating, the firm undertook mole draining, tree stump clearing and lake dredging, and offered general engineering services.

The steel plate for sale in the auction would have been attached to one of the ploughing sets as described above. So why did it catch my eye?

Scion of the Dale family, John Dale and his daughter Alice, are regular attendees at WFA and FoLT meetings in Lincoln. I therefore tipped John off about the forthcoming sale and I am pleased to say that after a bout of ferocious bidding, John saw off the competition to bring the plate back into the Dale family. 

Chatting to Alice at the last FoLT meeting, I learned that this was the second of these plates that are now back in the Dale family with John, and that they are both securely bolted in pride of place to the lounge wall at John’s home!

An excellent result all round.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

There appears to be no end to Arthur Wood’s vast photograph collection and this week is no exception.

Last week, Arthur provided photos of the headstones and memorials that honour the five Shaw brothers all killed in action and this week it is the turn of the five Taylor boys to be remembered.

Arthur writes:

Another family of five brothers who all died that I have visited are the Taylor brothers from Hanley, Staffordshire.

B. Taylor - Rocquigny-Equancourt Road British Cemetery.

A. Taylor - Warlincourt Halte British Cemetery.

T. Taylor - Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery.

J. Taylor - Helles Memorial, Gallipoli.

The 5th brother is difficult. I have been to Iraq but was not able to do any private trips to the Basra Memorial. 

G. Taylor - Basra Memorial.

Thank you Arthur.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Two weeks ago we covered, thanks to Angela White, the re-dedication of Scothern war memorial. This last week, Mark Graham has visited Scothern church and sent in these two photos for us.

Mark says that there are other artefacts in the church but due to the glare, it was not possible to take a good photograph.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Melvin Dobbs was in Leicester when he spotted a 1915 dated plaque on a wall. This aroused his curiosity and he dropped a line to Dennis Kenyon, the expert for all things appertaining to Leicestershire war memorials.

Here is what Dennis wrote; ‘Well spotted Melvin.  Henry Copeland Brice was the son of a wealthy Leicester hosiery manufacturer. He served in 4th Leicester’s and I understand was killed by an accidental explosion of a hand grenade.

The Brice’s lived in what is now known as Beaumont House in the Botanic Gardens on Stoughton Drive South, now owned by Leicester University and the building to which we have been invited to move to by the Vice Chancellor. [That is the Leicester war Memorials at Risk project – Ed]

The Brice’s were a generous contributor - £5000 in 1920 -and closely involved in the founding of the university soon after as a war memorial.  The only one we know of.

The University motto is “Ut vitam habeant” – “That they may have life.” 

The main university building was originally the Leicester Lunatic Asylum. Closed in the late 1890s, bought by the War Office in 1905 and used in WWI as the 5th Northern General Hospital.

This is the wording on his plaque in the hall, which the Brice Family also funded. Good old philanthropists putting their hard earned money to a good use as did their fellow university founders.

- THIS INSTITUTE WAS ERECTED / IN LOVING MEMORY OF OUR SON / HENRY COPELAND BRICE / LIEUTENANT 4th. BATT. LEICESTERSHIRE REGT. / DIED AT BAILLEUL FRANCE / JUNE 11. 1915 AGED 21 / "GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS, THAT / A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS" / JANUARY 1921 FRANCIS AND MARGARET BRICE

So, to repeat Dennis’s words – ‘well spotted Melvin.’

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

We return now to Jersey and Alwyn Killingsworth’s recent holiday there. Alwyn comments;’ during my recent trip to Jersey, my wife and I visited the famous Jersey War Tunnels.

The Tunnels, which were built during the German occupation of the Island in 1940– 45, stretch to over 1 kilometre in length and are large enough to hold tanks. They were designed to help German infantry resist air raids and artillery bombardment. They were built by slave workers and civilian prisoners controlled by the paramilitary Organisation Todt, excavating thousands of tonnes of rock and using it to make the man-made hill above the tunnels.

Later on in the war, the Jersey War Tunnels were equipped as an emergency hospital and casualty clearing station, complete with 500 beds, air conditioning/ heating systems, and gas-proof doors.

The Tunnels have now been turned into substantial exhibition space, teaching visitors about the history of the Second World War, the occupation and the difficulties and dangers faced by locals.

Well worth a visit, you can easily lose two hours touring through them. The entrance fee is £20.00 per senior citizen, which seems to be the going rate for entrance fees these days. There is also a well provisioned Café serving light refreshments.

Do be aware though, the interior of the tunnels can be quite chilly.  On the day we visited it was a pleasant, sunny 27 degrees centigrade outside but a jacket was needed inside!’

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Arthur Wood has excelled yet again this week following the article from Stuart Ainsworth about the retreat to the Marne in 1914, and specifically, the action by L Battery, RHA at Nery.

In this action, you will recall, three Victoria Crosses were won by Captain Bradbury and Sergeants Nelson and Dorrell. I featured all three citations last week and a photo of Bradbury’s headstone as he was killed in the action.

Dorrell survived the war and died a natural death at the age of 90 and was cremated, but Nelson received a commission and was killed in April 1918. Arthur has provided, from his extensive collection, a photo of Nelson’s headstone and two other pictures, one showing L Battery at the outbreak of war and an artist’s impression of the battle at Nery.

The fourth photo from Arthur shows the poppy cross he left for Bradbury VC in a 2016 visit, as Arthur’s old school was named after him - Bradbury Secondary Modern.

He was the local VC winner in Altrincham, Cheshire and then in Korea, Bill Speakman won a VC and he was a Wellington Road School, old pupil and so, Arthur played in a football match each year between the two schools, called the VC Cup.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The name Nelson, has cropped up this week on more than one occasion, and it won’t come as a surprise to find that last week, I frequented a pub named after the hero of Trafalgar. Lord Nelson public houses are pretty common in Norfolk and Suffolk but in this particular one, I spotted a framed copy of Nelson’s Prayer.

The words are from a bygone era, but nevertheless, there is a lot of the prayer that still holds true today – duty, loyalty, steadfastness and devotion to God – still have their place today.

++++++++++++++++++++++++

The next offering from Maureen Connelly is a bit of a long shot, but you just never know.

Maureen is trying to put a name to a photograph and writes; ‘I have inherited hundreds of old photographs from my parents who had accumulated them over the years. I have been trying to identify as many as possible but as my only close relative is my brother (who lives in Canada) I am pretty much alone in this.

I started by separating the English (maternal) side of my family from the Scottish (paternal) side. Luckily, a lot of the Scottish ones have the photographer’s name at the bottom.

I have always felt a special attachment to the photos of soldiers, sailors and airmen who must have been my ancestors.

I have identified most by matching with pre or post war photos. This young man however has me stumped.

He doesn’t have an obvious resemblance to either side of the family and there is nothing written on the back of the photo.

He is the only one I’ve found who served with the Royal Flying Corps. I bought a book called “A Contemptible Little Flying Corps” but that hasn’t helped me.

I know it’s a really long shot but do you know of any way to identify him please? Perhaps, there’s someone who specialises in researching the RFC?

He looks so young and even if he didn’t survive the war I would like to acknowledge him somehow.’

Does the face ring a bell with anyone? Or can you point Maureen towards someone who may be able to help her?

Please drop me a line.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Just to round off the week, I will return to Southwold and the town church, St. Edmunds. With ten minutes to spare, I popped in once again and thought the following plaque would be of interest!

TL readers will by now, be aware of the difference between a visual memorial and a functional memorial. Visual memorials tend to stand in churchyards or town squares, are usually Christian in appearance and have a list of names of the local war dead. In contrast, a functional memorial is often a facility provided to a community in memory of the war dead – these memorials include cottage hospitals, village halls, town parks and other often recreational facilities.

However, what about lamp shades?

Because of the reflection and glare, it was difficult to get a clear photo. Therefore, if you can’t read it, this is what it states.

“The Electric Lamp Shades In The Nave Were Given In Memory Of 2nd Lieutenant Eric Lawes And Others From Southwold Who Died In The Great War 1914-1918.”

I just had to look up (Thomas) Eric Lawes. Here is his Medal Index Card and his CWGC Certificate.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

With being away all week, it is a slightly shorter edition of TL this week, please forgive me! However, we finish as ever with another offering from Chris at Colour by CJS.

Lieutenant Kenneth Lotherington Hutchings.

Kenneth was born in Southborough, Kent in 1882, where his father was the local doctor and he lived with his family which included three siblings.

Kenneth was educated at the prestigious Tonbridge School, where he was a talented sportsman and captained the school cricket XI, and headed the batting averages for three consecutive seasons.

After leaving school, Kenneth worked for a paper manufacturer near Dover and later for another company in the same industry in Liverpool.

He played first class cricket for Kent between 1902 and 1912. In that time, they won the county championship three times (1906, 1909,1910), and Kenneth was considered by his peers to be a superb batsman, and was regarded by many as the most graceful English batsman of the so-called ‘Golden Age’ of English cricket.

He was also selected to play for England and did so 7 times, taking part in the Australian tour of 1907–08, where he played in 5 test matches and scored a test hundred, 126, in the second test.

In all first-class cricket he played 207 matches, scored a total of 10,054 runs which included 22 centuries and 56 half-centuries and took 179 catches.

Like many young men, he enlisted within days of war being declared and was commissioned on 24th September 1914

After a period of training he was deployed to France on 23rd April 1915, where he initially served with 2nd Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers and from July 1916 in the 12th Battalion, The King's Liverpool Regiment.

Kenneth fought in the Battle of the Somme, where he was killed by artillery fire while leading his men in an assault on the village of Ginchy on 3rd September 1916.

He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the missing.

Kenneth Hutchings was 33 years old.

After his death, the journalist A A Thomson wrote of him: ‘Though [I am] a crabbed northerner, I sometimes think that if one last fragment of cricket had to be preserved, as though in amber, it should be a glimpse of K L Hutchings cover-driving under a summer heaven.’

Postscript

He is also commemorated on a war memorial inside the Kent cricket ground in Canterbury and on another at Lords Cricket ground in London.

On display in St. Peter's Church, Formby is the wooden cross that originally marked the battlefield graves of Kenneth and his King’s Liverpool men near Ginchy.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jo Stacey writes this week; ‘I wonder if I could request a family mention in the weekly In Memoriam section on Sunday August 9th please. 

Albert Henry Brannick, service no. 10419 of D Company 6th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment, killed at Gallipoli on August 9th 1915. He is remembered on the Helles memorial. We discussed him when you gave your talk in Spalding in January 2025, and you very kindly sent over some photos of his name on the memorial, and some other information, thank you. [It was my pleasure Jo – Ed]

Albert is David's brother, who perished on the Somme, on 1st July 1916, aged 16 and who you featured last month for me.

In Memoriam the Lincolnshire Regiment 9th August.

1915

170 men of the 6th Battalion are recorded as having died on this day at Chocolate Hill, Gallipoli, including:

10419 Private Albert Henry Brannick.

My photo of part of the Lincolnshire panel at Helles, Gallipoli.

1916

12 men are recorded as having died on this day, primarily on the Somme.

1917

T H Downes, Joseph Dyson, Raistrick Holmes, Percy William Baxter and Harry Brown all died on this day whilst serving with the 1st Labour Company. They are all buried in Vlamertinghe New Military Cemetery, Belgium.

18914 Private R Hindmarch, 1st Battalion. Buried in Croisilles British Cemetery, France.

1918

1245 Private H D Williamson, 2nd Battalion. Buried in Gezaincourt Communal Cemetery, France.

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

I should be pleased to hear from you with anything of topical interest.

Until next week,

All best wishes

Jonathan

E: trenchlincs@gmail.com

www.jonathandhooghe.co.uk

© Jonathan D’Hooghe