Keep the Home Fires Burning - detailing wartime life in the towns and villages mentioned.

Private Frederick Charles Smith writes to friends and relatives in the district;

“Just a few lines to let you know I am quite well; but it is a marvel. We have been in trenches six days and six nights. For the first four days the Bosch trenches and ours were bombarded very heavily, and on the fifth morning, about 3a.m., artillery opened very heavy fire for about half an hour, and then the attack was made. About 7a.m. a party was warned for digging, and I was one of them. We had about a mile of open ground to advance over before we started digging, and the enemy must have caught sight of us, for they started putting Jack Johnsons and shrapnel over at us by the dozen. I am sure those of us who came out safely were very lucky, if I tell the truth about it was like hell let loose. We were begging and praying for the night to come, because the guns generally cease fire a bit at night. Well, the night went on, and the guns began to quieten, but every now and then a Bosch shell would come over, so we could not get any sleep. The morning came, and about 3 we were relieved, which was quite a Godsend to us all. My friends who are wondering why I have not written to them will know the reason after they have read this.”

(Private Smith, serving with the 2nd Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, would be killed n action on Monday, September 25th, 1916. He was born and bred in Aspley Guise.)

NBT 1915 Oct. 12th Tue.

Private Ernest Daniels, of the Berkshire Regiment, who is a nephew of Mr. John Fleet, of Duke Street, and a former employee at the village Printing Works, is in hospital with wounds. Replying to his uncle’s request for some account of his experiences, he says;

“In the first place I was at the base in France two days before we had another two days’ march to take up our positions for going into the trenches. I was in the trenches on and off for a matter of six weeks. During that time I took part in three glorious charges. I may as well tell you at once that those charges were devilish in the extreme. At a signal from your officer you charge the enemy trenches, which in some cases are only 40 yards from ours. Then it is up to you to do your bit like a man, and to show the bally Germans how to fight like Englishmen. The Germans are frightened at shining cold steel. Mine didn’t remain bright for long, as I went for those in the opposite trenches hell for leather. No, I am not bragging, Jack. You get worked up to such a pitch and know that it is either yourself or your enemy that is going under. I accounted for two men before I got a nasty rip in my arm. I was able to keep on running with the others until we had captured two lines of trenches and made many prisoners. After that I went to the field dressing base and had my arm attended to, which proved to be little more than a flea bite. Then about my third and last charge. It was on the afternoon of a bright sunny day. The enemy were shelling our trenches from a shattered village about 300 yards from our line. They had been at the game all the morning with but little damage. As near as I can tell it was about 3 o’clock in the afternoon when we had orders to charge. There were the Berks, Warwicks and Gloucesters in that charge. We were in the centre. Of course there were other regiments on the right and left and also at the rear, but I don’t know what they were. There seemed to be all manner of guns raining shot and shell into us as we charged, and it was there that a shell burst in the midst of a group of us as we were running. It killed several of our chaps and wounded others. One piece of shell caught me in the hip and down I went. As I was falling another shot must have hit me and caught my hip bone, for when I reached Versailles Hospital they found the bullet flattened up against my hip bone. The piece of shell that did me in was in small pieces when they got it away from me. So they only gave me the bullet which I am sending to you as a souvenir.”

NBT 1916 Jan. 18th Tue.

Scholars at the Council Schools have recently sent presents to the men at the front, and in reply a letter has been received from Private T. King, of the 2nd Beds. Regiment;

“Just a few lines in answer to your letter and parcel, which I received quite safe, thanking you very much for the same. I have been out here since the war began, and yours was the first present I have received, but I am very pleased to think that someone thinks of us during our fight for freedom, and I live in hope of being among you in the near future.”

NBT 1916 Feb. 22nd Tue.

A letter from Lieutenant Colonel Brighten has been received by Mr. G. Maynard, whose son, William Jesse Maynard, of the 5th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, was killed in the Dardanelles last September;

“Egypt, Jan. 22nd, 1916. Dear Mr. Maynard, Your letter just to hand, and I have tried to get together some information about your son’s death. He was wounded in the trenches on the 12th September, at Anzac. Another man - I think it was Private Mann - had just been hit, and I think your son went to help him, thereby getting into the line of fire. He was only hit in the arm - his right elbow being fractured, and it was not thought serious; and as he died the next day I fear he must have died of shock, or some other complication, immediately following the wound. He died at the 16th Casualty Clearing Station, and was buried at Anzac by the R.A.M.C. You will see from the above that your son really lost his life through helping a comrade, so that while mourning your loss you have the consolation of knowing that he met his death doing his duty. You will, I am sure, accept too my sincerest sympathy, and if there is anything I can do for you further, please let me know. Yours very truly, Edgar W. Brighten, Lieut. Col., Commanding 1/5th Beds. Regiment.”

(Aged 20, William Maynard died on Monday, September 13th 1915. He was the son of George and Sarah Maynard, of West Hill, Aspley Guise.)

NBT 1916 July 18th Tue.

Mrs. Blanshard has received a cutting from the ‘London Gazette,’ which reads;

“Lance Corporal A. Blanshard awarded D.C.M. for conspicuous gallantry.”

With Corporal Ivory, he had entered a mine shaft during a heavy bombardment by the enemy’s trench mortars, and rescued two men.

B.S. 1916 Sep. 16th

Second Lieutenant John Croxton Walker, of the Cambridgeshire Regiment, has been killed in action. He was the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. James Croxton Walker, of “The Holt,” Aspley Guise, and formerly of Newport Pagnell, an d after an education at Bedford Modern School, spent several years with a Stock Exchange firm in London. He then joined the London and River Plate Bank in South America, and being granted leave in September, 1915, left Buenos Aires at once. Having obtained a commission in the Cambridgeshire Regiment, he had only been at the front for five weeks when he was killed by a shell on September 3rd. His commanding officer writes;

“Although he had only been with us a comparatively short time he had made himself very popular, not only with his brother officers, but amongst his platoon, who would have done anything for him. He was a keen soldier, and helped me immensely.”

NBT 1917 Jan. 2nd Tue.

From the French front, Private E. J. Boxford (Bedfordshire Regiment), of Maulden, writes to Mr. Minter, of Aspley Guise;

“I have by now got accustomed to the sound of guns, and can even sleep when the shells are flying overhead and machine guns are chattering. I shall never forget the sensation the first time I entered the trenches or, when, in the evening I had my first glimpse of No man’s land - a veritable devil’s playground. Those feelings, however, soon pass away, and one settles down to the serious business in hand. I have on several occasions since been over the top at night with working parties, wiring, etc., but must say I feel greatly relieved when back once again behind our own parapet. Lights, or flares, are used freely by both sides at night as a safeguard against a surprise etc., and they can be seen several miles behind the firing line. The dug-outs we rest in when not on duty are not elaborate ones, such as we read the Germans make, and we are glad to make use of our ground sheets. As for rats we find them wherever we go - be it in the trenches or in our billets behind the firing line. I am sure the Pied Piper of Hamelin’s historic round-up of rats was not altogether a success, or they would not be so plentiful; even when on the firestep at night, one turns suddenly at times only to find that it is a rat nibbling away at something or scurrying past you bent on some important business, but they are a pest, nevertheless, for one night recently, when in my billet (an empty barn), a rat ate the greater part of my next day’s bread ration. Before leaving England we were advised not to drink any water which had not been boiled or otherwise purified, and that was good advice too. The farmhouses and buildings are built in the form of a square, with a kind of courtyard in the centre, and in the centre of this yard is a large sunken pit into which all the stable manure is dumped, and as this without doubt is not emptied more than once or twice a year the smell is none too pleasant. Aeroplanes are very much to the fore out here, and that is one branch of the service where we more than hold our own! When Fritz’s machines do make an appearance I have noticed they are usually up at an immense altitude - too high, in fact, to make good observations: ours on the other hand, to me, appear to be a bit too venturesome at times when flying over the enemy’s lines, and there follows behind the machines, both of our own and those of the enemy a long line of small round balls of smoke - either snowy white or black - the result of shelling by anti-aircraft guns. So far I have not seen a single machine winged. The Military Authorities have done all they possibly can do under the circumstances to keep us warm so far as clothing is concerned, and to prevent us having trench feet. When in the trenches we rub our feet freely with whale oil, and we can change our socks for clean ones practically every day. Again, on leaving the trenches we indulge in a hot shower bath and change our underclothing.”

NBT 1917 Feb. 6th Tue.

From France, Private K. Britchford, Veterinary Corps, writes to his mother, Mrs. Scott;

“We are having some trying weather out here, not two days alike, plenty of rain and snow, though the snow does not lie long. The mud here is worse than last year, but we live in hopes of getting out of it soon. It is bad enough for us, but much worse for the infantry. . . . You need not send me anything out, as we don’t want anything - plenty to eat and drink and clothes to wear. We had a fine time at Christmas, three fowls between two of us, and some plum pudding from the ‘Daily Telegraph’ fund. I see by the paper that you had a whist drive in aid of it. . . . We shouldn’t know there was a war on some days if it wasn’t for the papers - we have to go to the base to get a paper for the news, as we often don’t know what is happening at the front where we are.”

B.S. 1917 Mar. 3rd

On Wednesday, February 28th, among the war heroes attending the Investiture held by the King was Major James Walker, of the Royal Garrison Artillery. He is the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Walker, formerly of Newport Pagnell, but now of The Holt, Aspley Guise, and the award of the Military Cross was for a particularly brave deed on the Ancre front. Despite being under fire for 3½ hours, he and his men rescued an officer and troops from the trenches, when they had been buried by the earth thrown up by German shells. Major Walker is now Officer Commanding the 317th Siege Battery at Aldershot, and leaves for Lydd on Monday for firing practice. He then returns to the Front with his new Battery.

NBT 1918 Mar. 26th Tue.

Mrs. Villiers Downes, of Aspley House, has received a letter from her nephew, Lieutenant P. Carthew, who has been a prisoner of war in Germany for 3½ years. He writes;

“I am now in Holland; I can hardly realise it. After 3½ years to suddenly find oneself again in civilisation, with all its advantages of comfortable rooms, freedom, and good food, is like being stunned; I am, however, after two days, gradually commencing to see through the mists. We had been warned at Aachen that with the two preceding batches demonstrations had taken place by the prisoners that were not pleasant for the escort, and that there was to be no demonstration, under the penalty of being sent back to Germany. Of course, it was hardly to be expected that the men would control themselves. They only cheered and sang a few songs, but the Germans were very much annoyed. You can imagine our feeling on first arriving in this country, after all the treatment and insults we received in Germany. In the first eight months of the war we were hooted and kicked by mobs, spat at, and had studied insults paid us by all the German people, both the better and lower classes. The men at the various lagers have undoubtedly had a very bad time; there are, of course, many exaggerations, but there is a great deal of truthful evidence.”

NBT 1918 July 30th Tue.

On Saturday week, at the Parish Hall Lance Corporal George Wilson, who has been awarded the Military Medal and two bars, was publicly presented with the medal by Mrs. Villiers Downes. Mr. W. Wells, Chairman of the Parish Council, presided, and read the reports received from the Commanding Officer. These placed on record the gallantry of Lance Corporal Wilson at Flers, when attending the wounded on September 15th, 1916, and also as a stretcher bearer under heavy fire in a raid on the enemy lines near Vierstraat, on February 24th, 1917. Further, for his devotion to duty on August 5th, 1917, near Klein Zillebeeke, in dressing wounds and digging out men who had been buried during a heavy bombardment.

NBT 1918 Aug. 6th Tue.

Mr. James Billington is officially notified that his son, Gunner Frank Billington, Royal Field Artillery, has been missing since May 27th. The Captain of his battery writes to say that the onslaught of the enemy was so sudden that the whole of the Battalion, with a single exception, was overwhelmed. In fact having swum a river to reach safety, the man who escaped possessed no information as to the fate of the others.