Train Journeys

Wednesday 7th October 1914: Today the 2nd Battalion finally, to their great relief we are sure, landed on the Continent not, as we had expected, in France but in Belgium. They landed at Zeebrugge and travelled by train (not in passenger carriages but things more akin to goods wagons designed for forty men or twelve horses each) to the beautiful old city of Bruges. Sadly, they had no time to see the sights but marched out to Sint-Kruis a few miles east of the city and into billets.

The 1st Battalion seems to be heading to meet them as it is on board a train heading north, passing through Amiens and Abbeville. Our contact tells us they fixed an officer’s mess in a field near the station “in a house owned by an 1870 veteran[1] who was most enthusiastic and kind”.

“He gave us jam, vegetables etc. and made us very comfortable and in return we gave him as a present one of our German helmets. He was simply overjoyed with this and began to make a nuisance of himself by telling yarns of the ‘70’ war!” When the battalion got on the train they were in for a shock: “The train is a perfectly beastly one, very dirty, no lamps and only 2nd and 3rd Class carriages for officers and cattle trucks for the men!” We hope they soon arrive at journey’s end.

Sources: X550/2/5; X550/2/7; X550/3/wd

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[1] The Franco-Prussian war of 1870-1871 in which the French were defeated and lost their provinces of Alsace and Lorraine to Germany.

Wootton and the War

Wootton church [Z50/136/5]

Tuesday 6th October 1914: Perusing this month’s parish magazine from Wootton we find that a good number of men in the village have signed up. The magazine is quoted at length below:

“Wootton takes a little place in contributing men to the navy and army, and many workers are engaged in helping to supply clothing for soldiers at the “front”. On September 9th a party of about thirty recruits, most of the recruited by Mr. Arthur Goldie before and after the march-out of the Highland Brigade from Bedford two days before, went off in a body to join the Territorials”.

“A further recruiting meeting was held in the school on September 15th when the Lord Lieutenant of the County, Mr. Howard Whitbread, and Mr. Arthur Black, our Member[1], attended and spoke. But it was a very wet night, and as Wootton had done so well only a few days before in the matter, it is not to be wondered at that the meeting was not a very large one”.

“Mr. W. H. Mepham has drawn up what appears to be a very full and accurate list of Wootton Men in the Navy and Army which will interest us all”.

This list is as follows[2]

Navy
·        F. Eastwood – pre-dreadnought HMS Lord Nelson
·        F. Farrer
·        W. Harris – submariner
·        F. Lovell – destroyer HMS Swift
·        F. Robinson
·        W. Tysoe – armoured cruiser HMS Hogue[3]

Army
·        20979 Private Charles Ashpole – Border Regiment
·        54998 Private Leonard Baker – Royal Artillery
·        7611 Private Frederick Bird – 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
·        2939 Bugler Thomas Ellis – Rifle Brigade
·        65751 Gunner Jesse Hutchings – 124th Brigade Royal Horse Artillery[4]
·        Walter Hutchings – Bedfordshire Regiment
·        18388 Quarter Master Sergeant Charles Thomas Isaac – Army Service Corps
·        J. Loft – Royal Field Artillery
·        9597 Lance Corporal Frederick John Moore – 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment[5]
·        S. Moore – Bedfordshire Regiment
·        37198 Private George Newberry – 5th Reserve Scottish Infantry
·        8882 Lance Corporal Charles Parker – 1st Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment[6]
·        8125 Private Jubilee Jack Parker – 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment[7]
·        7931 Private Richard George Pateman – 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment[8]
·        226017 Corporal Arthur Redman – 18th Divisional Signal Company
·        26306 Colour Sergeant Instructor Henry Stephen Emcil Short – 3rd Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment
·        Captain Sinfield – Army Service Corps
·        Henry Steele – Bedfordshire Regiment
·        P. Wadsworth – Royal Artillery
·        Charles Yarrow
·        G. Yarrow

Special Reserves
·        13552 Private Alfred Ashpole – 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards
·        G. Benson
·        3106106 Private William Brightman – 54th Canadian Infantry
·        J. Chandler
·        3/7006 Private Frederick John Gilbert – 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment[9]
·        AN/300174 Sapper Harry Owen Goff – INW Reserve
·        7294 Private Stanley Harris – 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
·        22211 Private Walter George Lambert – 5th Brigade, Royal Irish Fusiliers
·        F. Parrott – Bedfordshire Regiment
·        4559 Private Joseph Parrott – Bedfordshire Regiment
·        10309 Private Henry Robinson – 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment[10]
·        10481 Private Edward Russell – 1st Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment[11]
·        H. Stafferton – Bedfordshire Regiment
·        22225 Lance Corporal James Stafferton – 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers
·        3/7293 Private Albert George Steele – 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment[12]

Territorials
·        Emery Ashpole - 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
·        J. Ashpole - 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
·        3987 Private William Ernest Ashpole – 1st/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment[13]
·        G. Ayres - 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
·        3684 Corporal Thomas Billing – 1st/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment[14]
·        200413 Sergeant Walter John Bird – 1st/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
·        2445 Sergeant Thomas Richard William Butler - 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment[15]
·        G. Chappell - 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
·        13326 Private Ernest John B. Church – killed in action 7th May 1915, commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres
·        Lieutenant Gray Lancelot Lisle Foster – 8th Hussars
·        200303 Sergeant William Thomas Gilbert - 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
·        233509 Private Frederick John Granby – 2nd (City of London Royal Fusiliers) Battalion, London Regiment[16]
·        33053 Private John Edward Keep – Leicestershire Regiment
·        200373 Private James Lovell – 1st/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment[17]
·        200307 Sergeant Jesse Lovell – 1st/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
·        3689/200305 Sergeant Edward John Lowe – 1st/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
·        18559 Sergeant William Charles Lowe – 54th Divisional Cyclist Company
·        350641 Private Arthur Moore – discharged (later Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders)
·        3974 Private Herbert Moore – 1st/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment[18]
·        200304 Corporal Albert Robinson – 1st/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
·        F. Slater - 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
·        F. Wadsworth - 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment

Sources: P3/30/32; 1918 Absent Voters Register – Bedford

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[1] Liberal MP for Biggleswade from 1906 to 1918.
[2] The number, rank and unit is taken from the Commonwealth war Graves Commission website or from the 1918 Absent Voters register for Bedford and so reflects their status at the end of the war rather than the beginning
[3] Sunk on 22nd September 1914 – Tysoe survived.
[4] Died of wounds on 23rd April 1917, buried at Hénin Communal Cemetery Extension
[5] Killed in action on 16th June 1915, commemorated on the le Touret Memorial
[6] Killed in action on 14th February 1916, buried at Potijze Burial Ground, Ypres
[7] Died of wounds 11th November 1914, buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery
[8] Killed in action on 19th November 1914, commemorated on the le Touret Memorial
[9] Killed in action 16th May 1915, buried at Guards Cemetery, Windy Corner, Cuinchy
[10] Killed in action on 22nd April 1918, buried in Tannay British Cemetery, Thiennes
[11] Killed in action on 19th April 1915, commemorated on Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres
[12] Died on 10th March 1915, commemorated on the le Touret Memorial
[13] Died 10th July 1915, buried in Wootton churchyard
[14] Killed in action 17th August 1915, commemorated on the Helles Memorial
[15] Died of wounds 18th August 1915, buried at East Mudros Military Cemetery, Lemnos
[16] Killed in action 14th April 1917, commemorated on the Arras Memorial
[17] Died 10th March 1919, buried in Wootton churchyard
[18] Died 24th September 1915, buried in Pieta Military Cemetery, Malta

A French Country Garden

Monday 5th October 1914: We understand that the 2nd Battalion is still at sea, having been recalled when off Ostend. Perhaps enemy submarines were in the area. This must be very frustrating to our lads who must be raring to get their hands on the Hun!

The 1st Bedfords are at a place called Vattier Voisin, sixteen miles due west of their last halt at Corcy. Our contact with the battalion tells us: “The garden of our billet has the most beautiful garden of fruit which is well guarded by two old French women. We went out and admired it all very much and hoped for the best but no luck! The Sergeant-Major, however, proved too good for them and secured some!”

Source: X550/2/7

2nd Bedfords Leave for the Front

Sunday 4th October 1914: The 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment is ready to enter the fray against the Kaiser’s hordes. It was in South Africa at the outbreak of war but has now returned. It is currently at Lyndhurst in Hampshire and will travel by train to Southampton today. It is expected that the battalion will be divided into two train loads. The first will go on board SS Winifredian this evening and the second will board SS Cornishman tomorrow morning. After such a long ocean voyage the men will no doubt be happy that the journey to France is considerably shorter and, hopefully, calmer.

Sources: X550/3/wd

1st Bedfords on the March

Saturday 3rd October 1914: Our contact with the 1st Battalion tells us that they have left the Jury area, their home for the last three weeks. They have marched sixteen miles or so south-east. Our contact tells us: “It was a most beautiful night with a slight frost and perfect for marching. We finished up at Corcy behind the French lines about eighteen kilometres south of Soissons”.

“The officer’s mess is in a large château where we all live. Monteith, Pope[1] and myself being in a most luxurious room at the top of the house. Five French sapper officers are also in the house engaged on making trenches for the first line defence of Paris”.

“The house, which belonged so some French countess, is otherwise deserted except for the housekeeper who we heard is in an awful state in her room as she has just heard today of her husband’s death in action and is very ill in bed and not expected to live. We have to creep about like mice in consequence and have sent her our condolences through the French sappers. The men are in a large farm about a mile away on a hill”.

It would seem as if efforts, by 5th Division at least, to break through the German lines on the Aisne have been frustrated and the attempt has been given up. This is a great disappointment after such high hopes that the Germans were in retreat but at least the British Expeditionary Force has helped our French allies to save Paris from the clutches of the Kaiser and we can hope that this major success will ensure a shorter war.

Sources: X550/2/5; X550/2/7

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[1] Lieutenant-Colonel J C Monteith, as he would become, died commanding 2nd Battalion at the Battle of Loos on 1st October 1915, aged 39, he was from Dumfries. Lieutenant Pope would be captured on 2nd November 1914 but survive the war.

Travails of the 5th Bedfords

Friday 2nd October 1914: “Three of the Boys from Bedford” serving in the 5th Battalion write: “Just a line to let you know how some of us are faring this way. This place where we are stationed is five miles from nowhere, Rougham[1] by name and nature. We have got some good stables, but the sleeping accommodation is no good. We have rats running over us all night. We start work at 6.30, breakfast at 8, work again, 9 till 1, then dinner, then work 2 to 7. If we want a drink we have to walk nearly three miles through a wood. All of us here have signed on for foreign service. We get frost at nights and it is very cold. Give me Bedford!”

Sources: Bedfordshire Times 2nd October 1914

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[1] There is a Rougham in both Suffolk and Norfolk. From the previous known position of the battalion it seems likely that this is the Suffolk Rougham.

Burial Party

Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers cap badge

Thursday 1st October 1914: Our contact with the 1st Bedfords reports a gruesome discovery. He had taken advantage of thick fog to go into No-Man’s Land to look at his trench from the front to see if improvements could be made. “On my way out I found a trail of English rifles and equipment. I followed the trail up and about 300 yards out came upon the bodies of about seven dead men who had all obviously been killed by a shell and they all had their rifles sighted at 800 yards”.

“They were lying in all sorts of positions and several were in a ditch which was half full of water and they were half covered. They all belonged to different regiments, mostly Inniskilling Fusiliers, Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry etc. They had evidently been dead several weeks and how they got there we did not really know, unless it was on the original day of the attack on the Aisne on 13/14 September. I then went back and collected a burying party and we started to try and identify and bury them”.

“They were, however, all too far gone to touch with safety, although Sergeant Barber[1] managed to remove one identity disc from one man and it bore the name “Walsh RIF”[2]. The others we had to leave and so cut off pieces of their clothing where the regimental number could be found and also took their rifles, haversacks and other equipment in the hope of tracing them. We collected all together about forty rifles and a host of equipment and started burying. In the middle the fog suddenly cleared and we were almost immediately spotted and fired at. I ordered a hurried retreat and we had to leave the job unfinished for the time and got back to our trench”.

Source: X550/2/7

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[1] This may be Sergeant Edwin Barber who died on 29th June 1916 with the 1st Battalion. He was 23 and came from Haynes. He is buried in Avesnes-le-Comte Communal Cemetery Extension.

[2] This must have been 9065 Private Charles Walsh of 2nd Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, who was killed on 13th September. He was 26 and came from Blackburn [Lancashire]. His grave is now lost and he is commemorated on the la Ferte-sous-Jouarre Memorial. His battalion seems to have lost one officer and eight other ranks on that day.