The Trainers for the Americans

Tuesday 21st May 1918

Today we learned the officers of the 6th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment comprising the training staff for the Americans. Lieutenant-Colonel F. H. Edwards M.C. will be commanding officer.His staff will comprise Acting Captain D.M.Saunders (adjutant) Captain J. A. M. Hislop (Quartermaster), Captain A. W. Elliott M. C., Acting Captain O. E. Hobson, Lieutenants D. J. Greig (Lewis Gun Officer), and C. C. Clifford (Intelligence Officer) and Second Lieutenants W. Johnson, A. E. Iliffe  E. E. Ashby, (Signals Officer) as well as Regimental Sergeant Major, four Company Sergeant Majors, a Company Quartermaster Sergeant and forty eight other ranks. They proceeded to Mondricourt and caught a train to Audruicq.

Source: X550/7/1

An Honoured Guest

Netley Hospital Chapel

Tuesday 1st December 1914: We have heard from Harry Ashby, from Barton-le-Clay, who has been wounded whilst serving in the front line near Ypres: “The trenches were half full of water. We were laughing and joking like we always do and all at once came a shell, which burst about 100 yards in front of us. Then came another which killed one on each side of me and knocked the back of my hand off. Of course it made a hole right through my hand”.

He has been sent home to Netley Hospital near Southampton because he was also wounded in the body but did not tell his mother at first as he did not want to worry her too much. He is now at Gatcombe House on the Isle of Wight  because his doctor sent him to stay at his own house to recuperate. The convalescent says the doctor’s father is a millionaire and that he gets the best of treatment, in fact he is treated like an honoured guest.

Source: Luton News 10th December 1914