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FROM THE CONTEMPORARY LOCAL NEWSPAPERS OF NORTH BUCKS (BUCKS STANDARD, NORTH BUCKS TIMES, WOLVERTON EXPRESS)
With today’s internet a wealth of official information is available regarding those who served.
In an age before local radio and television, families often allowed letters to be published in the local press from their loved ones on active service.
However, for their descendants the letters reveal a more personal aspect, graphically describing the experience of the people and providing an insight into their personalities.

NBT Oct. 10th 1914

The first wounded soldier to return home to Fenny Stratford was Private William Keightley, of the first Beds., whose mother lives in Simpson Road. He took part in five engagements, and of his experiences said;

“I was attached to the machine gun section and took part in the now historic retreat from Mons. Quite early in the war I was in the firing line in Belgium, and whilst there we had an exciting incident in a small village. We had taken the machine gun into the upstairs room of a cottage, which we thought would provide us with good shelter. We did not, however, take into account the German artillery until a shell demolished a cottage three doors away. It was then a case of getting out of the cottage in quick time. We only did that in the nick of time, for just as we were coming downstairs a shell took off the roof of the cottage and smothered us with dust. The fighting was awfully fierce at Mons, where our Army kept hordes of Germans at bay. It was so hot that the machine guns had to be abandoned in the trenches, but not before the locks had been smashed to make them useless. We fought a rear-guard action and covered 55 miles in the day and night. The Germans came on like a swarm of bees. We were expecting reinforcements all the time but they never came until we were within 21 miles of Paris. When the reinforcements turned up the retreat ended and it was a welcome relief. But we were quite done up. With my machine gun in the trenches at Mons I had to rely on my rifle. I was able to account for one German sniper who had climbed a tree. I met with my wound early one morning. On the previous night we had sheltered behind a railway bank near a village called Liminisy and in the early morning we were eating our bully beef and biscuits when I was shot through the chin. The bullet dropped on my shoulder and I have kept it ever since. It doesn’t weigh much, but when it hit me I thought it weighed a ton. Previous to this wound a bullet struck my water bottle and bruised my hip. After receiving first aid I was removed to the base with other wounded in open waggons - country carts which have been commandeered - the horses being driven by civilian Frenchmen. We were then sent in motor cars to the railway station and then to the hospital at St. Lazarre, where we were attended to by the Australian Voluntary Hospital. When convalescent I was brought to England and sent to Birmingham Hospital, from where I received my discharge after remaining there a short time. The French people and the hospital authorities were very kind to us and nothing was too much for them to do. The Germans are dubbed awful cowards when it comes to fighting at close quarters. They can only fight when they are drunk. When they are retreating they throw their helmets away and put small caps on their heads. Anything is sacrificed to get away from cold steel. On the other hand their artillery fire is splendid and is responsible for nearly all the damage. Their rifle fire is rotten, nearly all of it being done from the hip.”

Private Keightley returns to his depot on Saturday.


NBT 1914 Oct. 17th Sat.
Mrs. S.G. Howard, of Victoria Road, has received a letter from her brother Private R.H. Jones, of the 16th Dragoon Guards, 4th Cavalry Brigade. He thanks her for her consignment of cigarettes, which ‘I have been longing for ever since I came out’, and then recounts his experiences at the front;

“We have been in the thick of the fighting since our first engagement at Mons. If the French had only come up we should have been in Germany by now. I am getting used to the bullets now. The only things that make you ‘duck’ your head are the shells from their big siege guns. They do terrible damage if they catch anyone. One burst a few yards from me 2 days ago, and killed 12 horses and 8 men. I only escaped being hit through lying on the ground. It killed two horses standing near me. Yesterday two of these shells killed and wounded fifty of the 9th Lancers. I have had my own horse shot and I am now riding a German horse which I captured from a Uhlan. I was almost captured by the Germans, whilst riding “on my own” through a forest one night with despatches. They were as frightened as myself. They never attempted to catch hold of my horse so I dug my spurs in and galloped like “blazes.” They fired a few shots which went “miles away.” I don’t know when we shall shift from the position we are in now, but I hope soon. The country is in a terrible state round here. Whole villages are blown to pieces, and all the hay and corn stacks are burnt down through shell fire. There is nothing but dead horses and graves and holes six feet deep where the big shells have dropped. I don’t think much of their shrapnel shells.”


W.E. 1914 Oct. 23rd
A Bletchley woman has received a letter from her brother, Private R. Jones, of the 16th Dragoon Guards of the 4th Cavalry Brigade. He writes from the Front;

“We have been in the thick of the fighting since our first engagement at Mons. If the French had only come up we should have been in Germany by now. I am getting used to the bullets now. The only things that make you ‘duck’ your head are the shells from their big siege guns. They do terrible damage if they catch anyone. One burst a few yards from me two days ago, and killed twelve horses and eight men. I only escaped being hit through lying on the ground. It killed two horses standing near me. Yesterday two of these shells killed and wounded fifty of the 9th Lancers. I have had my own horse shot and I am now riding a German horse which I captured from an Uhlan. I was almost captured by the Germans whilst riding ‘on my own’ through a forest one night with despatches.”


NBT 1914 Oct. 24th 1914
A letter has been received by a fruiterer and confectioner of Newport Pagnell, sent by Private Frank Morris of Bletchley Road. He is serving with the 1st Northants. and writes;

This is a jolly hot shop, I can tell you … the worst of it is the Germans will keep sending us those shells which we call ‘coal boxes’. There are two or three falling within one hundred yards of me while I am writing this letter.’ He then says that they make holes in which a horse could be buried, and, since there is a valley just below, the troops have named this ‘Coal Box Valley’. ‘This writing paper was what I took from a dead German officer.’ ‘We are all hoping to be home by Christmas, but I very much doubt it.’


NBT 1914 Oct. 24th Sat.
A letter has been received from a French soldier who spent his holidays last July in Bletchley;

‘My dear old Friend, - I received your good news, and I have been very glad indeed to get them from a sincere friend. Here I am amongst English soldiers and officers and the time goes quickly and pleasantly, and I am learning the English language again. What can I say about the war? You know as well as we do that we are slowly beating the Germans back. We have to do it foot by foot, for they have huge guns and their shell fire is terrible, but we keep on pegging away. How well we dig ourselves in. We go on fighting and fighting until the time comes when we can make a small advance. We crawl up and again we entrench ourselves, and so go on. At the end, of course, it comes to the cold steel. We are alright at that. Day and night the battle rages without intercession; ebbing and flowing like the tide, seething like a cauldron. The battle westward, near the forest of Argle, Chantilly has been carried back from the river bank some 10 miles, but at Soissons the enemy hold their ground. Victory is not yet. We quite expect the war to last at least six months. But the men I say are victors moving in the very spirit of victory. I await the morrow with hope and with confidence. Our troops are very much taken up with the English army in every way. At the present time the English army is pushing on to the north of the Germans, and we have every hope of driving them out of France by the end of October. We have actually taken Roye near Auriens by a bloody battle with many wounded both on the English and French side, but the Germans lost very heavily with our artillery and our guns of 75, and we have given them some shells from the heavy guns captured from the Germans. We had at Maubreuge a terrible siege, which lasted 25 days, where we lost many as prisoners. I lost about all my intimate friends and comrades. They have been sent to Germany where they are employed digging trenches. The second part of the war is none the less interesting, for we are going us French with the English to find the Russians at Berlin. This will be the grande victoire, and the downfall of the German empire, for we shall capture the Kaiser. He may be dead before then. We hope so, as it will save us a lot of trouble. We shall then all shout with a good heart “Long live England and France and liberty.”


From a soldier from Fenny Stratford who is serving as orderly to a Colonel in the 4th Hussars;

Just a few lines hoping you are both keeping well. I am very sorry I did not write before but have had such a lot to do. Am getting on fine and am in the best of health. I am not allowed to tell you anything about the Forces. You might try and send me a few papers, that is all I shall want just now. The gentleman I am with is very nice and he looks after me fine. I am stopping at a very fine house for a time until we go on again. I have sent you a lot of service cards but do not know if you got them all or not.’


NBT 1914 Nov. 7th Sat.
An account of life as soldier with the British Expeditionary Force is given by Sergeant T. Wodhams, the youngest son of Mr. Charles Wodhams, of Church Street, Fenny Stratford. He has been invalided home, and, formerly being employed at the Euston Hotel, volunteered for service as orderly to a Captain of the 4th Hussars;

“We left London in July at a very short notice and on our arrival at Southampton we had a glorious time for a week. We had orders there to get ready to set sail for Havre, and there we stopped another week. We camped at a very fine chateau. The thousands and thousands of camps made it an imposing sight, and amongst the regiments with us were the Black Watch. As our first experience as to what France was like we had to sleep out in the open. It was a beautiful night, but a tremendous thunderstorm came on and gave us “volunteers” a terrible fright. It thundered and lightened (sic) for two days; our clothes were drenched to the skin and we did not have time to change. Then we had orders to pack and get ready for Lecatre, and we were there for three days. The Germans were well on to our lines then, and as we were in our billets one morning about 2.45 we had orders to get out as soon as possible. We had three quarters of an hour to pack. Our next move was to St. Quentin, a most magnificent city. We were there two days, and again we had an order to move out of it as soon as possible on account of the Germans. This, of course, was during the retirement from Mons. It was a most magnificent sight to see the French doubling through the streets to attack the Germans. We were next sent on to Noyon, where a terrible battle had been fought. It was an awful sight along the road, dead men, horses, and shattered motor lorries. The destruction was something terrible. For miles there were German and French graves. I got off the motor transport and examined some of these dead Germans, who were supposed to have been starved. They didn’t look starved, as they were in good condition. We went on to Compiegne, another very fine place, which was blown to “hell”. There was also a terrible battle there which we escaped by being transferred to Rouen. There we had a very comfortable time after the excitement. We were afterwards billeted at De Marten, where Capt. McCullen and myself transferred to the 4th Hussars. Previously I had been in the Intelligence Corps with General French’s Headquarters. The Captain and his groom went off with their horses and I was left with the kit to bring along in a motor car. The chauffeur who brought me was an American and I had to meet my officer at Metz. When the chauffeur first heard one of the guns go off, or as we call it, “getting the wind up,” he said he was not going to have his car blown up and if he was going to take me he was not going to take my kit. I told him I wasn’t going to get out till I was thrown out on account of his having orders to take me to Metz. So we went to the 3rd Cavalry Division and made enquiries as to where the 4th Hussars were stationed and they directed us to the 4th Division. They could not give us any information as to the whereabouts of the Hussars so the chauffeur had me put from the car into the 3rd Cavalry Division Ambulance. I was absolutely flabbergasted as to where I was going. I was lost for five days and I had the kit to look after. We were in the midst of the big gun firing at Metz and I laid in a hedge with the kit for ten hours, after which I was taken on again by the 3rd Cavalry. From there we went to Esbli, where we had a very good time for a day and a half. The orderlies of the ambulance were delighted to think I was a volunteer for the occasion and said they admired my pluck on having gone through what I did and not being a regular Army man. The sergeant-major and orderlies were very kind to me, so I went out in the village and sent back a big hamper of wine, with which we had a “rare old beano” that afternoon. Our next move was to Chaily and it was there that I found out where the 4th Hussars were stationed. On circling around the country for nearly four hours I found that there was a tremendous big farm. On entering it I asked for my officer, who said he thought I had been shot as he had had no news of me. He had sent despatches to several big places trying to find me and his kit. I told him I had had a glorious time and a wonderful experience of war life. They did not know what to do with me then so I was asked to ride on an ammunition wagon for a day. I did so at my cost as I was bruised from head to foot through lying on the ammunition. On the following day we went to a place called Rabias, where I was put on to the transport of the 4th Hussars. This was a gentleman’s life as all I had to do was to sit on the box and drive the last two horses. We next went to Cuiry and there the Germans had been driven out of the town during the day and every house we passed was either set on fire or blown to pieces by shell and the furniture was thrown out into the streets. We billeted there that night and the sights we saw are beyond description; it looked as if there had been a tremendous earthquake. Later we went to Tigny, where there was no excitement whatever. We had an order come at night that our transport had to be taken to Lime and when we billeted there that night we were still under shell fire. On Sept. 14th we had a further order to go to Chessemy, where we stayed the night, and were warned to be prepared for heavy shell fire. The Germans did not shell the village until about 4.45 in the morning. On walking round the outskirts of a farm I found one of our infantry lying under a haystack with dysentery. I was the only one who could do anything for him, the other men attending to the horses and transport, so I carried him across to the village where our R.A.M.C. had made a temporary hospital. The man was installed in a cottage, and just after I had left the village it was shelled by very heavy fire. The village was blown flat, between 18 and 20 men were killed and wounded, and about thirty horses were killed. The streets were nothing but pieces of horses “scattered all over the show.” Ambulances were also badly damaged and I had a most wonderful escape by getting back to transport. On arriving there I found our men well hid under cover. The Germans had a very good idea of where we were and tried to get the range. We laid there for some considerable time and at last we had orders to gallop from the village. In a desperate charge we all got through except the last ammunition waggon, which was slightly damaged. The Germans fired at us as we galloped along the road, and one shell dropped between 60 to 70 yards away from us. At last we were drawn up at some small village, where we found two old ladies, whose ages must have been between 70 and 80. We stayed with them for about half an hour - time to make them believe that everything was going on all right. All of a sudden one of the drivers of the last transport waggon came up and said the Germans had got range of us. So we were again subjected to shell fire and only the marvellous work of our officer carried us safely through. No one was wounded, but from the time we left Chessemy we didn’t know whether we were coming out dead or alive. All that day we trekked through a thick wood and the heavy ground caused our horses to be absolutely “done up” for the want of food and rest. All we had to eat was a piece of bully beef and bread until we got to a place called Fleury, and there had a quiet time till three in the morning. We were then fetched out and sent back to Brain, and there we stayed on account of the battle of the Aisne, which was a most terrible sight. The cavalry was obliged to stay there for ten days as they could not move forward. The officers used to go on exercise during the day as near the battle as possible, and they used to come back and give an idea of the way the trenches were worked. The Major of the 4th Hussars was telling the other officers at dinner that the German bodies could be seen lying outside the trenches. When our infantry gained trenches in places they had to dig the dead out and stand in their old trenches for eighteen to twenty hours in nothing but water and blood. On Sept. 17th the cook and myself had a very funny experience. We thought Germans had got into the chateau in which we were billeted. It would be about 12.30a.m., and we were lying on the floor talking about one thing and another when we thought we heard footsteps in the dining room. The officers were at rest, so the cook took my revolver and I followed him with his rifle. We crept gradually through the kitchen, and on opening the corridor door found that the door had not been opened. Still we could hear those funny noises and on entering the dining room we found it was a cat playing with two beer stoppers! The cook wanted to shoot the cat, but I suggested he should throw it outside, so he “chucked” it through the window and went back in disgust! The following day we had orders to shift from Brain to Domart la Lace, a distance of about three miles, and there I joined the 4th Hussars with the Headquarters Staff, which was a new experience for me. Well, we did nothing but travelling about the country for several days, passing through villages which were all blown to pieces and looted. The Germans were very fond of leaving cooked stuff about, all ready for us to eat, but, of course, we were warned not to touch it on account of it being poisoned. We then “trekked” to Triermont, to Mount Tigni, to Moneky, till we got to Burget, and finally to Hazebrouk, a very big town where we were billeted one night. Here was nothing but thousands of French and English troops, and the grand cathedral was used for billeting the former. We then went to Maubege and were held up at a small village, as we had run into the Germans. We saw some very sharp fighting with our maxim guns. We were held up for about four hours and then we moved again for a distance of six miles, where we had to take a monastery by such a time at night. The fighting was most terrible, but we had luck, as only six of our men were wounded and killed. By all accounts we must have mowed the Germans down like grass. The 16th Lancers and the 4th Hussars had to take this place. We had no artillery with us at the time; the Germans had one big gun, which they were firing the whole of the time. Messengers were sent for artillery and we soon stopped the firing of their gun, and the monastery was captured after desperate fighting. It was thought that there the Kaiser’s first nephew was killed. The 4th Hussars had rather bad luck, losing four officers. Two were killed and two seriously wounded. I might incidentally mention here that somewhere between Sept. 10th and Sept. 16th the 4th Hussars captured over 700 German prisoners. After the monastery had been captured we moved on again to Fleurte, where we had to sleep anywhere we could get. It was a cold and wet night and we were absolutely “done up.” In the morning we left Fleurte and I was invalided out. I was very sorry to have to give in, and the officer also. However, they put me in an ambulance and brought me right back over the land where I had worked and got on with the regiment, till I was put into a very big monastery, which had been made into a hospital by the Sisters of Mercy. The following morning we were brought on to Hazebrouk, where I laid three or four days. It was there I first had my shirt and boots off for some considerable time. Also it was the first wash I had had for a fortnight. At night we were sent on to some railway station and we had no idea where we were going. Some said Calais and some said Boulogne. However, we laid in the train and eventually found out that we were for Calais. We arrived there, but on account of there being so many refugees it was impossible to be taken on, so they brought us to Boulogne, the journey taking 12 hours! We were then bound for Southampton, but as so many hospitals were full up there I had to go to Edinburgh, where the people were very kind to us. They gave us anything it was possible to want, and when we had been in hospital about a week the Motor Club was very kind and used to take us out for motor drives. On the journey up to Edinburgh we had a good time at Crewe. Tables were laid out on the platform and people brought us hot drinks and food. I received my discharge on the Monday and am staying at home now until Nov. 10th. On the 11th I have to be at the War Office and, of course, anticipate returning to the front.”


NBT 1914 Nov. 7th Sat.
The parents of Gunner Knopp, of the Royal Horse Artillery, reside at the Hospital, Denbigh. Formerly in the police force at Chesterfield, he is now hospitalised with wounds at Worthing, and describes his experiences of the war in a letter to the Chief Constable;

“A few lines to let you know I am in England again after being only a month in the firing line. I had the misfortune to get wounded by a shrapnel bullet which entered my back towards the lower part of my neck, where the doctor took it out. It is rather a bad wound at present, but it is going on all right. The doctor said I was rather lucky, as it struck the bone first. Had it not done so it would have gone into my lungs, so I must be very thankful it was not worse. I thought I was never coming out of our last action alive. We went into a position early one morning and as soon as we opened fire the Germans set fire to all the houses round us with big shells. It was so hot from the fire that we were unable to get away at the finish. I have a bullet in my pocket which the Germans presented me with, and I also sent them a few in remembrance of me, and I hope to do so again when this lot is well. I expect to be in here about three weeks. I may be able to get a short leave before proceeding to the front again. I have been in France and Belgium - Antwerp, Ostend, Ghent, Bruges, and I finished up around Lille, so I have been touring round a bit. The people of Worthing are very good to us, and also the hospital nurses, who do all they can for us. We looked a rough lot when we arrived here, but after a bath and a clean shirt we were ourselves again.”


NBT 1914 Nov. 14th Sat.

Mrs. A.W. Clarke of Mount Pleasant, Fenny Stratford, has received a letter from her husband, Private Clarke, of the 1st Beds. Regiment, who is a prisoner of war in Hamelion Wasser, Germany;

‘My dearest wife. - Just a line to let you know where I am. No doubt you will be as much surprised as I am, but thank God I am alive, for I never expected to be. We were under a terrible shell fire from the German guns for several hours, in fact some of our men were pulled out of the trenches in places where the shells had buried them alive. We stuck it to the last and what I expected would be the last for ever. I think I am the only one from Fenny as I have not seen anyone else here and, of course, I do not know whether anyone of them is wounded or not. I know Bob Kimble of Shenley was hit very badly. Well dear you are allowed to write to me here and also allowed to send anything but I don’t expect you have anything to send. If you send me any tobacco only send one ounce at first until I let you know whether I get it or not. I must tell you I did not get an answer to my last letter so of course if you have sent one it will not get forwarded on so I shall not hear from you until you answer this, so please write back at once. What I have been through this week I shall never forget and hope it will not last much longer. Will you tell Mrs. Sellars to let Jim know I am here then he can tell my mates that I am alive. I don’t want to say anything about how we are being treated here but hope to see and be with you in a few weeks time. Please kiss our dear children for me. I must now close with love to all.
From your loving husband.
A.W. Clarke

(Shortly after Mrs. Clarke received the letter she discovered further information, namely from Mrs. Sellars whose husband, in a letter, says that while out scouting he had come across Private Clarke’s rifle, which was battered to atoms, and guessed that he had been taken prisoner.)


NBT 1914 Dec. 5th Sat.

Dated November 20th, the following interesting letter has been received from Private ---- of Bletchley, who is serving his country with the Artists’ Rifles;

“I was very pleased with the woollen mittens, as we have had some bitterly cold weather, and our troops have suffered intensely in the trenches. They look very different when they have been out here a few weeks, not like the smart British Tommy in England. You only want to be out here to see what a hard war this is. Some of our regiments have suffered badly . . . (censored) . . . I am glad to see that the Territorials are doing so well everywhere, let us hope it will continue. The spirit of, and care for, the troops is splendid: we have lately received boxes of cigarettes sent from people in England, and they are a real luxury! I was having my horse roughed, because of all the roads being like glass, the other day, when I came across two men of the H.A.C. Infantry Transport, who used to be in “A” Battery, and knew W --- well … one is a Mason and a member of the Fitzroy Lodge. … I find the khaki muffler beautifully warm at nights. I have met several old Bedfordians out here, most of them officers; also two men from the G.C.R. head office. I am writing this letter on picket at 3.30a.m. over nine horses, most of them lying down. The more you have to do with horses the more you like them, especially when they get to know you well and give a little low neigh when you come to the place where they happen to be. It has just been pouring with rain, fortunately we are in a barn. It is quite quiet to-night; we cannot hear any cannonade or rifle fire. The Germans usually attack our trenches between 3 and 5a.m. nearly every morning. I have several interesting souvenirs. I have met several Belgian soldiers - nice men they are too. I can talk French quite fluently with them now, and have been told “vous causez bien.” The general exclamation is “A bas les Allemands!” The Germans are positively loathed by the poor people - all well to do people have fled. A German aeroplane dropped a bomb on our field hospital near here the other day, killing three people - two of them being patients who were too seriously wounded to be sent home. The other portion of the ward was empty, as the men who had occupied the beds in it had been sent home. Every window was broken for some considerable distance round, and the ward was, of course, a complete wreck. The aeroplane was brought down by a British and two French aeroplanes about seven miles away.’

(Soon after this letter was written the Artists Rifles went into action, and two of their men were killed.)


NBT 1914 Dec. 5th Sat.

Mrs. T. Holdom, of Bletchley Road, received a letter from her grandson, Rifleman John Pouchot, of the Rifle Brigade, in which he says;

“Our battalion left England on Sunday, Nov. 1st, and arrived at ---- on Monday, but we did not disembark until Tuesday. On Tuesday we marched to a rest camp 2 miles away. On Wednesday we entrained for --- and arrived there on Thursday night at midnight, and marched to some barracks. We stayed there until Tuesday morning, when we marched to --- 14 miles away. Wednesday we marched to --- 10 miles, Thursday to --- 8 miles, where we are now. When we arrived last night the Germans were bombarding a town a mile away, and the noise was terrible and continued all night, but was not so bad this morning, when we went out to dig trenches. While we were digging our guns started firing again and the shells went right over our heads, but we soon got used to that. Before we had been digging long it came on to pour in torrents with rain, and we got soaked through because we had to keep on digging. The people are so good to us here; they bring us coffee every morning and evening, and dry our things and do anything we want. A little girl about 8 years old came up to me last night and clambered up me and kissed me all over the face and stopped and played with me for about ten minutes.”

(In the following year, Rifleman Pouchot would be awarded the D.C.M. for conspicuous gallantry on the battlefield.)


NBT 1914 Dec. 19th Sat.

In a letter to the editor, and also to the editor of the Bucks Standard, Lt. Col. W.G. Bowyer (retired) writes;

“Sir, - I have just come back from paying a visit to the Bucks (Service) Battalion now training at Chelmsford. The men of this battalion, during the last five months, have been working very hard to render themselves efficient, and with such success that they have been accepted for service in France in due course.
I found that a scheme has been started to give these men a good dinner on Christmas Day. The officers of the battalion are, I understand, contributing handsomely, but a considerable sum is necessary, and it occurs to me that many in this neighbourhood would be glad of the opportunity of taking some share in paying a tribute to these gallant fellows who have left their homes to serve their King and country. The two Wolverton Companies (F and G), in which we here are especially interested, number some 250 men. Besides, of course, Wolverton, they are drawn from Bradwell, Bletchley, Buckingham, Castlethorpe, Deanshanger, Great Linford, Hanslope, Linslade, Newport Pagnell, Stony Stratford, Stantonbury, Weston Underwood, Winslow, Woughton, and a few other places.
Subscriptions will be gladly received and acknowledged by me, or by Captain E.V. Birchall, commanding G Company; or by Captain G.E.W. Bowyer, commanding F Company - the address of the two latter being: Bucks Battalion, Chelmsford, Essex.
I might add that Christmas is very near at hand, and that therefore no time is to be lost. I am, sir, yours faithfully,

W.G. BOWYER, Lt. Col. (retired).

Weston Manor,
Olney.
(From the beginning of the war, Lieutenant Colonel Bowyer, late of the Royal Engineers, would render invaluable service to the military authorities and the Buckinghamshire recruiting agencies. He raised the North Bucks Special Constables, and would be Chairman of the Emergency Committee, and also of the Recruiting Committee. In August 1915 he ordered by the War Office to report to London for duty.)


NBT 1915 Jan. 9th Sat.

Mrs. T. Holdom, of Bletchley Road, has two grandsons in the Forces, and she has received letters from them both. One is a rifleman in the Rifle Brigade, and recounts his experience of Christmas in the trenches;

“We were in the trenches for Christmas, and had the funniest Christmas I have ever had. On Christmas Eve we had orders not to fire until 12 o’clock midnight Christmas Day unless the Germans did, so we shouted across to the Germans that we would not fire unless they did, and they shouted back the same. So the rest of the evening we spent in singing carols, hymns, National Anthems etc. The Germans lighted fires on top of their trenches and sang and danced around them. On Christmas Day they shouted across and wished us a Happy Christmas and, of course, we did the same, and we both got out of our trenches and walked along the top. During the morning we went half way across to the German trenches and beckoned to them to come over to us, which, after a little hesitation, they did. When they arrived we shook hands and exchanged cigarettes, cigars, buttons, money, and anything we could get hold of. I got four kinds of cigarettes, two cigars, a button, and I also got two of them to write their names and addresses in my pocket book. One of the two had the Iron Cross, which he showed me. We were surprised to find how many of them could speak English. One of them said he knew Clapham Junction well, and another said he used to take the No. 87 ‘bus home to Kilburn every night. We found them to be quite a gentlemanly lot of chaps. Before we left we said we would not fire until they did. They said the same. But early Boxing Day morning we were relieved and are now in the outskirts of a town in reserve and are going into the trenches again on Friday. We are going into different trenches this time and I hope they are not so muddy as the ones before.”
(This letter also appears in the Bucks Standard, 1915, Jan. 16th)

The other grandson is a sailor, and writes;
“I am on the Iron Duke now and like it very much. I left the Palace (Crystal Palace) about a week ago and had a very long train journey. I had to sleep on the rack as there was no room on the seat. Those nice warm things you sent are very useful now I am keeping watch on the bridge. I am just getting used to the ship now and do not feel bad when it rolls. When they fire our big guns the noise is deafening… I was confirmed whilst I was at the Palace, and first communicated on Xmas Day on board ship.”


NBT 1915 Jan. 9th Sat.

Private W. Field, a reservist in the East Surrey Regiment, was called up from his railway duties at Bletchley at the outbreak of war, and after seeing much action was badly wounded in the leg. He is now convalescing at his home in Park Street, and of his military experience he says that his regiment, which belonged to the 5th Division and 14th Brigade, landed at Le Havre and then went to a rest camp for a day. Afterwards they entrained for Le Cateau on the Monday, and on a stifling hot day from there marched to Landrecies, a distance of some 15 miles. They were there for two days, being then rushed on to Mons. The weather was again hot, and the Belgian women tore up their bed linen so that the men could wipe the sweat and dust from their faces. They then ‘bivvied’ in a small village, and began digging trenches. They also had to knock houses down, turn the occupants out, and transform others into blockhouses. Whilst they were doing this the Uhlans came up and they had to break off until the enemy were driven off by rapid fire. That night he and his companions lay in the trenches, and about mid day on Sunday the Germans came up and fire was exchanged for about 6 hours. Eventually they were forced to leave their positions and at 6.30 they left Mons Canal in a very exhausted state. They marched to the town and lay down in the street for two hours, after which they resumed their retreat to Le Casse. Here they had a big ‘set to’, and lost all their transport, ammunition, water carts and food. As a result they were without proper rations for three days, and survived only by procuring food from passing troops and the local inhabitants. Eventually they managed to get something more substantial at Chantilly. Here they formed an outpost, and began to advance on September 6th, pushing the Germans back to the Aisne. The Surreys then crossed the river in two boats but as soon as they landed on the other side the Germans “banged us down like rabbits.” With many missing, they rushed to a village for shelter and when they later tried to advance on the German position were repelled by the heavy fire. They retired from this position and advanced to Missy, where the Germans were entrenched. It was here that in a wood Private Field was wounded, at a time when the regiment was preparing for a charge. However, this was abandoned, since the Germans did not come out in large enough numbers. The bullet had entered the calf of his right leg, shattering the bone and inflicting a nasty flesh wound, before exiting on the opposite side. When hit, he rolled on the road by the side of the wood and lay there for several hours, before being attended to and taken to hospital. Yet whilst in the hospital the Germans shelled the building, causing extensive damage.


NBT 1915 Mar. 27th Sat.

From his home in Oxford Street, George Whiting emigrated to Canada some years ago. He is now a private in the 1st Canadian Contingent, and writes to a local newspaper;

“Sir, I am writing you a few lines just to let you know that you have another from Bletchley in the trenches. I left home ten years ago and went to Canada, and never came back until Christmas, when I obtained leave to see my people before going to the front. I know some of my old school chums are gone, but we all know they died doing their duty towards their country. I was with one the night before I left England. I should have liked to have seen him again as I was over the same ground, and of course it brings back old faces. We were in the trenches 24 hours, and they kept sniping at us in the dark and then they will give you a little of the Kaiser’s Last Post, otherwise a dose of shrapnel. I think they are running short of the “coal boxes” or perhaps they are saving them for some future time. I saw some of our shells burst right in their trenches, but of course we did not know what damage was done.”


NBT 1915 June 1st

During the fighting around Ypres, Sergeant George Woods, of the 4th Battalion King’s Royal Rifles, was wounded in the shoulder by a piece of shrapnel. One of his brothers was killed on active service during the Boer War, and another brother is presently serving in the Army. Sergeant Woods is the nephew of William Woods, of Bletchley, and writes from the Sailormen’s Hospital ‘Dreadnought’, at Greenwich;

“I am not sorry to be out of it, I can tell you, it was horrible the little time I was out there. We left Sheerness on Monday night, and were in the trenches by Tuesday night. We lost a tremendous lot of men on Tuesday and Wednesday, and I am lucky to have escaped as I have. A shell burst right in the trench where I was; it blew three men to pieces and wounded several others. I am feeling well in myself, the arm is a bit painful at times but I don’t mind that. After I was wounded I was sent straight down to the Boulogne hospital, but only stayed there one night and then was sent on here. We just missed a boat on Wednesday night or I should have been in England under 12 hours of being wounded.”


NBT June 15th Tue.

After 18 days in the trenches at Gallipoli, Corporal P. Broome Giles, of the Auckland Battalion of New Zealanders, contracted a severe attack of pneumonia, but he is now out of danger and progressing satisfactorily. On the initial day, his regiment was one of the first to land, and, with 132 being lost from his Company of 230, he writes of his experience;

“The storm of shrapnel began before we reached the shore. We scaled the steep cliffs and occupied a trench taken by the Australians, passing over the dead bodies of those brave fellows, and throughout the whole day the ambulance stretcher bearers worked fearlessly. I am not exaggerating, but can assure you that on that fateful Sunday the Gallipoli Peninsula was dyed red with the blood of Australian and New Zealand men. Towards dusk I found myself in the foremost trench with some West Australians and in command. It was a brilliant clear moonlight night, but I managed to put my sentries so that I lost none. Next day I re-formed my Company and was in the trenches for 15 days and nights. At times we had 23 shells a minute breaking over our trench. For a fortnight we fought for our existence. We were outnumbered and the Turks mutilated any of our wounded that fell into their hands. I took a severe chill and was sent to the base hospital. On the way there I fell on my back and could not get up. Later a chaplain and two men took me to the hospital. After 48 hours I was sent in an hospital ship to Alexandria and on to Heliopolis. I was very delirious but the Australian nurses stuck to me and to their unremitting care I owe my recovery, but I am still lamentably weak. I have lost all my kit.”

(The Corporal is the only son of Colonel P.B. Broome Giles, C.B., M.D., F.R.C.S., J.P., C.C., and Mrs Giles of Holne Chase, Bletchley. He emigrated to New Zealand some years ago, and at the outbreak of war was in a very prosperous position there.)


NBT 1915 June 15th Tue.

A letter has been received from the Front in France by Mrs. Whiting, of Bletchley. It is from her son, Private George Whiting, of the 4th Battalion, 1st Canadian Contingent, and reads;

“I have just come out of the firing line after doing 18 days. We had it pretty hard, we didn’t get a wash the whole time we were in, so you may imagine how we looked. … Three biscuits and a drink of water is pretty good when you feel that a good feed would do you good. They say the Germans are getting short of ammunition, but the only time they stopped shelling us was when they were cleaning their guns out, but I must say they threw a lot away. We have been advancing the last three weeks, and to see the sights behind one of the trenches, they are piled up on top of one another, is a sight which no one will ever forget. I saw a German lying there, and he had hold of his rifle just as if he wasn’t finished, but he was. I don’t think the Canadian Contingent would let many pass. They deserve all that they get. The last two weeks we have been losing men going up to the firing line, and some patrols were sent out trying to find the sniper, but they couldn’t find him. The third night they saw a glass out of a chimney, and he was signalling across the trenches, and, of course, they got him; he had enough food to last him a month, but he happened to be the sniper. They had to take the chimney down to get at him. He was quite a young lad.”


NBT 1915 June 22nd Tue.

From ‘a local man,’ just returned from the Front;

“We had just left the trenches, and reached a cabaret in the nearest village, when a German shell fell and exploded in the street outside. We did not go to see what damage it had done, because where one shell falls it is pretty certain that another will soon hit the same target, so we stopped where we were. Not so the proprietors of the inn. As soon as they heard the shell explode they bolted for the cellars, and as no one remained to serve we just helped ourselves, and to celebrate the auspicious event which had provided us with a “free house” we gave a lusty rendering of “Tipperary”. When we get back home we have to pay 3d for a pint.”


NBT 1915 June 29th Tue.

Private A. J. Tanner, the son in law of Mrs. G. Coleman, of Mount Pleasant, Fenny Stratford, who is staying with his wife at Bow Brickhill, has been seriously wounded on active service, and is now home for a rest. He belongs to the 2nd Beds. Regiment, and at the beginning of the war was serving in South Africa. In September, his regiment had orders to move, and he with several other Fenny Stratford men, including Private H. Wallinger, who has since been killed, were amongst those put on board ship and eventually landed at Southampton. He was wounded on March 11th at Neuve Chapelle, and of his experience says;

“We left Lyndhurst camp one Sunday night early in October, and were taken on board ship, and proceeded to Zeebrugge. From here we went to Bruges, and during our stay here we were nearly always on the march until October 21st. Then we marched to Ypres. Here we came in contact with about 600,000 Germans, and our British force only 17,000 strong, had to hold this huge mass for no less than 10 days. We had not a single man for reserve, and we were in action from October 21st until November 4th. From Ypres we came to Fleur-Baix, where we spent the whole of the winter. On the 3rd March we were relieved by a certain unit for a seven days’ rest, digging trenches. On the 9th March we reached a place called Javentee, and at 3 o’clock on the morning of the 10th we marched up to Neuve Chapelle. The attack commenced at 10.30a.m., our artillery having been bombarding since 7.30. The Yorkshires were the first to obtain the German first line of trenches, then our Regiment were to follow. Luck was with me on the 10th, but on the 11th it seemed as if the enemy were firing at us on all sides. We were called out of our trenches about 1p.m., and on advancing to the German trenches I received four bullets in my head from a machine gun. Whilst I was being removed to safety my stretcher bearers were shot dead, and there I had to lie until fresh assistance could be given. I was then taken to hospital and operated upon.”
Private Tanner is still suffering from the wounds, and is afraid he will be discharged from the Army. He has yet to go into hospital to have a silver plate inserted in his skull. He has four brothers on active service, all of whom have been wounded, and a brother in law who is a prisoner of war in Germany.


NBT 1915 Sep. 7th Tue.

Mr. and Mrs. W. Illing, of Aylesbury Street, have received a brief letter from their son, Private Frank Illing of the Royal Warwickshires, who is with the British Force at the Dardanelles. He writes;

“Just a few lines to let you know I am still all right. I have not received any letters from you yet, but am expecting one now. Well, we are having a bit of a rough time out here. I have lost almost all my poor old pals, and I must think myself very lucky I have come through without a scratch. I suppose you have seen the account of this big engagement by now in the papers. I shall not be sorry when it is over, so that we can get our boots and socks off. We have not had them off for five weeks. However, we must cheer up and make the best of it, for we are fighting for a good cause.”

Private Illing enlisted last September, and sailed for the Dardanelles in June. He has a brother who is serving with the Forces in France.


NBT 1915 Oct. 5th Tue.

In a letter from Rifleman Fred Thurlow, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Thurlow, of Napier Street, to his sister Mrs. B Kemp, of Bletchley, he tells how Corporal Sam Tompkins was wounded. With four other young men from Fenny Stratford, the two had enlisted in Lord Kitchener’s Army in the Rifle Brigade last September, and have since stayed together. They are now in the trenches except for Corporal Tompkins, who is in hospital having been wounded;

“I am getting on all right, and all the other boys are well, with the exception of Sammy. He went out on night patrol with our platoon officer, Mr. Torry. I was outside the trenches lying under our barbed wire, listening for the Germans, when he came out with Mr. Torry. He told me what the password would be when they came back and then they went on; and that is the last we have seen of him. A patrol is supposed to be out for about two hours, but three hours passed before we heard anything. Then a Gurkha came down the line and said what had happened. It seems that this Gurkha was out with a patrol of his men lying on the edge of a ‘Jack Johnson’ hole, watching a party of about ten Germans moving about, when all at once they heard the Germans say: ‘Hands up!’ Then they could see Mr. Torry, with Sammy about five yards behind him. Torry was putting his hands up, and as he was doing so he turned round to Tompkins and said: “Run for it,” and then bolted in the opposite direction to Sammy. As they bolted the Germans fired at them and threw a bomb. Mr. Torry, who it so happened, was running towards the Gurkhas, was hit three of four times and fell down into the hole where the Ghurkhas were. Tompkins seemed to disappear altogether. The Gurkha said he appeared to be going towards the German trenches, mistaking them for our own. Of course, it was very dark at the time and everything was hard to see. The Gurkhas brought Mr. Torry into our trenches, but he died the next day from his wounds. I asked for permission to go out and look for Sammy, as he might have been badly wounded and unable to get in. The Major allowed me to go the following night (Sunday). Sammy had gone out on the Saturday night. Another fellow and I set out. We crawled all over the ground from where the Gurkhas saw them, back to where they started from, but we could not find him nor his rifle.”

The next day Rifleman Thurlow then continued the letter;

Sammy crawled in the Gurkha trenches half a mile away, as I was writing yesterday. He was captured by the Germans, but managed to get away and hide again in a shell hole.He explained how it was he was out so long. As he was running away when the Germans first saw him, he lost his direction and did not know which were ours or the German lines. He was light-headed when he came in and did not know how long he had been out till we told him. He had not had anything to eat or drink all the time (three days). How he came to be away so long was that he could not remember anything about Sunday night, so I conclude he must have been knocked out by the bomb the Germans threw at him. On Monday night he made for what he thought were our trenches, but they were the Germans! They fired at him and shot him in the hand, but he managed to get away and stopped in a hole all day. On Tuesday night he made his way to the opposite lot of trenches and lay in a ditch waiting for somebody to look over. At length a Gurkha did so. Sammy yelled at him and the Gurkha officer told him to come in. This was about half-a-mile down the line from where he started on the Sunday night. So he had Gurkhas on one side of him and Germans on the other, and could not understand the lingo of either. He is in hospital now, and he needs it, too. While I am writing, a terrible bombardment is still going on. We have absolutely smashed the German trenches to bits.”

Corporal Tompkins is now in hospital at Bristol, and soon hopes to be well enough to go back to the front. Before enlisting he was employed as a baker for many years by Mr. Richardson, of Bletchley Road.


B.S. 1915 Oct. 16th

On Thursday morning, official news was received by Mrs. Gillam that her husband, Sergeant J. Gillam, of the 7th Northants. Regiment, has been killed in action. Captain Edgar Mobbs writes;

“ 7th Northants Regiment,

B.E.F. France.

Dear Mrs. Gillam, I am sorry to say your husband was killed in the great fight on September 26. I am so sorry for you all. He was such a man in every sense of the word. He was wounded on the Sunday, and as he passed me in the trenches said, “I shall soon be back - it is only a slight wound.” He came back shortly afterwards and started fighting again, but got killed on the following day. I managed to get his disc, which I have sent you. You must bear up and be brave; I know it would be his wish. He died a hero. Yours very truly, EDGAR MOBBS.”

The son of Mr. J. Gillam, formerly stud groom at Lathbury Park, Newport Pagnell, and now the licensee of The Black Horse Inn at Winslow, as a Rugby footballer Sergeant Gillam had gained distinction in the East Midlands, and was a true sportsman. Whilst training to be a teacher he married Miss Dorothy Juffs, the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Juffs, of Bury Street, Newport Pagnell, and with she also being in the teaching profession, at the outbreak of war he was employed on the teaching staff of the Fenny Stratford Council School. When Captain Mobbs raised the football company of the 7th Northants., he readily volunteered his services and was accepted.

(This letter is also carried in the Wolverton Express edition of 1915, October 22nd)

(On Friday, October 22nd a memorial service would be held in the Parish Church, Winslow, with the lesson being read by Captain Hansell, of the Norfolk Reserve, the buglers of which after the Blessing would sound the Last Post outside the church.)


NBT 1915 Nov. 23rd Tue.

From Private Sidney Wodhams of the Buffs, from ‘somewhere’;

“I am still safe and sound and feeling pretty fit after a very rough time in the trenches… We have just come out after eight days in the front line. First of all the weather has been terrible out here, raining every day pretty well, and awfully cold with it. It has been terrible in the trenches as we have had to wade about in mud and water practically up to our knees all the eight days, but I have stuck it all right and still keep smiling, although it is a hard life, but somebody has got to do it and there the fact remains. The fighting has been pretty hot at times, but up to present no advance has been made in our part. There is plenty of grenade fighting going on by both sides, also mining activity. We are superior in the latter, and every night we were in the firing line this last time our people put one up. We generally managed to sap them under the German first line trench, and when one is up it makes a terrible mess of the Germans’ trench, much to ‘Fritz’s’ disgust. They usually reply with rapid rifle fire and machine guns, but we don’t stand any of their old buck, we simply retaliate by rifle fire, machine gun fire, and also send over a good supply of bombs, and lastly we got our artillery (which is much superior to theirs) to send a few greetings… My company were rather unlucky this time, suffering more casualties than usual. One night, while we stood to arms, the Germans sent one of their death dealing affairs over. It is in the shape of a five gallon oil-drum, and apparently they fire them from a trench mortar from their second or third line trench. They are filled with a very high explosive, and the concussion is something terrible. On this particular night it unfortunately fell right in the trench amongst my platoon. One was killed instantly and the rest severely wounded. I was not far from where it fell, and the concussion knocked me down, but it only gave me a bit of a shock. I soon got over it. Trench warfare is not fair fighting in my opinion. It is simply murder.”


NBT 1916 Jan. 4th Tue.

A letter dated December 7th from Private Frank Illing, to his parents Mr. & Mrs. W. Illing of Aylesbury Street. He has been serving with the Royal Warwickshires at the Dardanelles for some months;
“I am sorry to say we have been having a bit of a rough time up this part of the globe. We have been up to our waists in water for a few days, and the consequence is I am in hospital with frostbitten feet. Thank goodness it has turned out better expected, for it was thought at one time I should have to lose my left foot. Yesterday the Sister told me that it would turn out all right, so I feel quite contented to know that I have got off so well. It will be some time, however, before I have the use of my foot again. Well, I hope you will have a good Christmas. I guess my thoughts will be with you all the time, but I hope to be home myself by the next one. I am sending you a card the Chaplain has just given me: I think it is very good considering what part of the globe we are in.”

Since receiving the letter, Private Illing’s parents have received official notification that their son is in an Australian hospital at Lemnos.


NBT 1916 Mar. 28th Tue.

From an officer of the 6th Battalion Oxon & Bucks Light Infantry;
“Dear Mr. Wallsgrove. I am sorry to have to tell you that your son was killed last night. He was on sentry duty and was hit through the head by a machine gun bullet. He used to be in my platoon in England, and for the earlier part of the time out here, but for the last few months I have been in command of a grenade platoon, so that I have not seen much of your son lately. He was a good lad; I always thought he was too young to come out here and admired him for his keenness in enlisting. Please accept my deepest sympathies. I am, yours sincerely, E.E. Middleditch, 6th Oxon and Bucks. L.I.”

Two letters have been received by Mr. and Mrs. Coles, of Simpson Road, regarding the death of their second son in the trenches in France on March 28th, 1916;

“29/3/16. Dear Mr. Coles. I am afraid I have very bad news to give you. Your son was in the front trenches yesterday when a German shell exploded quite close to him. He was killed instantly - you may be sure that he did not suffer at all. He was buried this morning in our little Cemetery here, the place is carefully noted, and his grave will be well looked after. Please accept my very sincere sympathy and that of his comrades in arms. I am, yours faithfully, Arthur B. Lloyd Baker. Captain, commanding ‘D’ Company, Bucks.”

“March 29th. Dear Mr. Coles. I am very sorry indeed to have to send you such very bad news. Your son, in the Bucks. Battn., was killed by a shell yesterday afternoon, and we laid him to rest in the military cemetery this morning. The regiment will place a cross on the grave. As many officers and men as could be spared came to the funeral this morning. With every sympathy for you and yours in your great loss. Yours sincerely, E.J. Helm, Chaplain, Gloucestershire Regiment.”


NBT 1916 June 27th Tue.

A letter to Mr. W. Cranwell of Brooklands Road, concerning the death of his son, Private Edmund Percy, of the 14th (County of London) Battalion, (London Scottish), London Regiment, in action;

‘Dear Sir, I am grieved to have to tell you that Pte. E.P. Cranwell was killed on the 7th inst. The loss is greatly felt in A Company, for his work was highly valued and always cheerfully done under very trying conditions. It will be some comfort to you to know that his death was instantaneous. He was buried in the cemetery of which particulars can be obtained from the Graves Registration Office G.H.A. I am, your truly, A.H. Macgregor, Captain. Private Cranwell was serving with the 1st London Scottish.”

(Private Cranwell was the son of William and Elizabeth Cranwell, of 11, Brooklands Road, Bletchley, and is buried in Hebuterne Military Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France.)


NBT 1916 July 25th Tue.

In his last letter home Private George Benbow remarked that he was looking forward to coming home at Christmas, and what a tale he would have to tell. He also mentioned that he had just met four local fellows, S. Johnson, S. Walduck, E. North and ? Jackson. Tragically, Private Benbow was killed on July 1st, and a letter from the London Scottish Headquarters, dated July 17th, reads;

“It is with very sincere regret that I hear today of the fact that your son has been killed in action. I beg to tender to you the heartfelt sympathy of myself and the regiment in your sad bereavement, but trust that your grief may be mitigated in some degree by the reflection that he gave his life for his King and country. Yours sincerely, Harry E. Stebbing, (Capt.).”
On Tuesday morning Mrs. Benbow then received a letter from the officer commanding Private Benbow’s Company, this being in reply to an enquiry that she had made;
“It is with sincere regret that I have to inform you that your son, Pte. G. Benbow (5566) laid down his life like the gallant soldier he was in the attack we made on July 1st. I trust, madam, that you will accept my sincere sympathy in this hour, which is so trying to many of us.”

(Serving with the 1st/14th (County of London) Battalion (London Scottish), London Regiment, Private Benbow was aged 20, and being a resident of Bletchley, was the son of William and Elizabeth Benbow, of 5, Regent Street, Bletchley. He has no known grave, and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France.)


NBT 1916 Aug. 1st Tue.

A letter to Mrs. Robinson, of Woodbine Terrace;

‘Dear Mrs. Robinson. Your grandson, Pte. Cox (Bucks Battalion) was brought in here on July 21, suffering from wounds in the head. I regret to say the injuries are severe, and we feel most anxious about him. Everything possible is being done for him, and he will receive every care and attention. Hoping to see an improvement soon, yours sincerely, F.R. Holmes (sister in charge.)”


NBT 1916 Aug. 1st Tue.

On Monday, Mrs. Chadwick received the following Royal message;

‘Buckingham Palace, 1p.m., July 31st, to Mrs. John Chadwick, Richmond House, Bletchley. The King and Queen deeply regret the loss you and the Army have sustained by the death of your son in the service of his country. Their Majesties truly sympathise with you in your sorrow. Keeper of the Privy Purse.”


NBT 1916 Aug. 1st Tue.

F. H. Bardon
To Mr. Andrew Barden, Napier Street, from the Captain commanding Lance Corporal Barden’s Company;

‘It is with much regret that I write to inform you of the death of your son, Lance Corporal F. Barden. Though he had only just joined my Company, he had already brought himself to my notice for the extremely efficient and reliable way in which he carried out his duties, and I had him marked down for early promotion. He was killed while standing to behind the lines during one of our attacks, by a big shell. He never knew what hit him. No words of mine can, I know, console you for his loss, but I knew you would like to know how he died and how well he has behaved during the short time he was with us. He will be a loss not only to the Company, but to the whole Battalion. His personal belongings are being sent to you. Any further assistance I can be to you will be willingly given. Assuring you once more of our deepest sympathy with you in your loss, yours sincerely, J.S. Bonser (Capt.).”

Another letter is received, dated July 21st.
“I cannot express in words how great was our sorrow at losing your son, the late Lance Corporal F.H. Barden. He was liked and respected by everyone in the Company, and had earned the admiration of his officers by his readiness in carrying out orders and assisting his comrades in any emergency. You can understand that I feel his loss personally when I tell you he was one of the best N.C.O.s in my Company during the training at Bovington Camp in Dorset, and it was a source of pleasure to me when he joined us in the 6th Battalion out here. Had he been spared he would certainly have been promoted as he deserved. The sympathies of my brother officers and myself are extended to you in your great sorrow, for he died as a British soldier would have wished, doing his duty to the last. Yours very sincerely, J.W. Shaw, (2nd Lieut.).”

(Killed on July 19th, 1916, Lance Corporal Barden was serving with the 6th Battalion, Oxon and Bucks Light Infantry. He was born at, and a resident of, Bletchley, but had enlisted at Liverpool.)


NBT 1916 Aug. 8th Tue.

A letter to a resident of Bletchley from her son, serving with the Army in France;

“Your parcel arrived safely with all its contents. Thanks for the socks, which arrived most opportunely, for I had visited uncle in the front line the night before and stepped into a shell hole full of water on my way back. I found him well and as cheerful as ever in his house which he shares with another officer. It is about the size of a pre war hat box … They shelled us very furiously last night and gave us a lot of work, but I think we are straight again now. I send a ballad which I began composing the other night while attempting to look like a tree stump. I was coming back from the front line by the overland route, and Fritz had such an attack of nerves that he kept the star shells going for about ten minutes at a stretch. I at once gave my renowned impersonation of a moss covered oak by moonlight. Unfortunately most of the moss stood on end and about spoilt the illusion. I became practical and began reciting “Grey’s Elegy.” When I got as far as the verse about “Storied Urn” a hostile shell did “an animated bust” not far away - so I left. I felt like a sophisticated ostrich who had tried the old fashioned method of hiding, but had no faith in it … I am playing chess pretty regularly now, but I cannot get a real stiff opponent. I beat the cook and the R.F.C. wireless man with monotonous regularity. Tell **** to let me know if he feels inclined to start an “overseas” game of chess at the rate of one move a letter. It would for one thing tend to make correspondence more regular.”


NBT 1916 Aug. 22nd Tue.

The children of the Drayton Parslow Council School were asked by the ‘Over land and sea club’ to contribute pennies on Empire Day for the Soldiers and Sailors. A sum of £11 was collected, and amongst the acknowledgments from the recipients is one from Signaller E.W. Spooner, from Fenny Stratford. He writes;

“The School Children, Drayton Parslow Council School, Bletchley. Dear Children, I feel I must write and thank you for your kindness in sending cigarettes, which I can assure you are fully appreciated. It is rather a coincidence that I should have the pleasure of receiving a gift from Drayton when I myself come from Fenny Stratford, and know your village so well. I am enclosing my address in this letter. 12280, H.Q. Company, Oxon and Bucks Light I. France. I may tell you we are at present enjoying the best of weather, and trust it will keep so. Again thanking you for your kindness. I am yours etc., Signaller E.W. Spooner.”


NBT 1916 Nov. 28th Tue

Mr. and Mrs. Page of 35, Aylesbury Street, have received recent news that their son Alex Page, Gunner R.F.A., has been wounded and is dangerously ill at Rouen. Later news confirmed this, saying that he had gunshot wounds, and his left leg had been amputated. In the early part of last week a message stated that he had been removed to Netley Hospital, and he was still in a serious condition. His parents visited him on Wednesday and found him slightly improved. Two other sons are serving. One is in Salonika and the other, who has arrived from Malta, is shortly to leave for France.


NBT 1917 Apr. 24th Tue.

In a recent letter from the fighting line in France, the son of a well known Bletchley resident writes;

“Things are getting bad in England I know, but if the people at home could only take a trip over here and visit the battle fields and villages it would make their hair stand on end. It is one huge scene of devastation, destruction and desolation. It is said that agricultural scientists have made a tour of the country wrenched from the Huns; they say it will take years upon years before cultivation can take place again, so you can form some idea what the state of the land is like, so when one comes to reckon up it is very consoling to see what dear old England has been saved from.”


NBT 1917 May 29th Tue.

Regarding Private Herbert Cook, who has been killed in action, Captain J.A. Harvey, R.A.M.C., writes to his widow on May 17th;

“Please accept my sympathy in the loss you have sustained of your husband. He was in the section of the 11th Field Ambulance, of which I had charge and was doing, and had been for some days, splendid work stretcher bearing, when, unfortunately, he was killed instantaneously by a shell. He had showed great courage as there was a great deal of shelling, to which the bearers were fully exposed. Though you will feel his loss greatly, probably it is some small consolation to know that he was killed while doing his duty, and will be much missed by his comrades.”

(Born and resident at Bletchley, Private Cook, of the 11th Field Ambulance, R.A.M.C., was killed on May 11th, 1917, and is buried in Crump Trench British Cemetery, Fampoux, Pas de Calais, France.)


NBT 1917 June 19th Tue.

Rifleman C.D. Francis, brother in law of Private Herbert Cook, who was recently killed in action in France, has received a letter from Private C. Jones, his chum;

“We went up the line during the recent operations, as bearers, and were attached to the various regiments, comprising our Brigade. As you probably know, when up line, the bearers and divisions of a Field Ambulance are divided into squads of bearers, four men in each squad. One of the men in my squad was sent down sick, and Herbert volunteered to take his place, to get along with me, as he and I were such fast friends. Up there, amid the din and roar of battle, Herbert worked like a hero, setting a fine example to the rest of the lads in the squad. No matter under what conditions we had to work, he always maintained his cheery disposition, and often was the means of keeping us from getting down in the dumps. One day while we were waiting outside the trenches to carry off the next case a shell dropped in amongst us. When I recovered from the shock of the explosion, I looked around to see how the rest of the boys had fared, and I saw Herbert lying a few yards away beyond human help. He must have been killed instantaneously. With the assistance of the other boys I laid him to rest alongside some more of our Division, still in the zone of fire. The burial service was carried out with as much ceremony as was possible under the circumstances, and now a little wooden cross marks the grave of the best pal I ever had. Everyone in the section were very sorry to hear of his death, but none miss him like I do. One great consolation his relatives will always have is that he died like a hero, while administering to the wants and alleviating the sufferings of his fellow comrades.”


NBT 1917 Aug. 21st Tue.

News has been received that Lieutenant Herbert Wigley, of the King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, was killed in the heavy fighting in the Ypres district at the end of July. His C.O. writes to the bereaved relatives;
“I must try to write and express what a loss his death is to me personally, and also to the Battalion … I could always depend on him to do everything well. He died gallantly leading his men, and I am sure that his great example did more than anything to help us win our part of the battle.”

From Captain Kendall;
“I cannot tell you how splendid he was in the fight. Although wounded in the left shoulder with a rifle grenade more than three hours previous to his being killed, he refused to go down, but stayed and spent his whole time encouraging his men wonderfully in what was at that time rather a critical situation.”

From the Chaplain;
“Somehow or other he did not expect to return, and he asked me to send you the enclosed letter. I miss him very much - more than I can say. He was so cheery, so optimistic, so kindly, I feel that I have lost a close personal friend. We all loved him, and he was a man full of strength and courage. Your loss must be very great, and it is little that I can do to comfort you, but I send this expression of deepest sympathy. I lived with him in the trenches several days before he was killed, and his fearlessness, unselfishness and devotion to duty were an inspiration to me.”

Aged 37, Lieutenant Wigley was the son of the late Mr. George Wigley, of Winslow, and a member of the well known and long established firm of auctioneers of that name. It was in September 1914 that he joined the Public Schools Battalion as a private, and after a short period of training was given a commission and posted to France. Being involved in much heavy fighting, in the first operations on the Somme he was severely wounded in the thigh, head, and wrist, but after some months in a Manchester hospital, and a short period with his relatives at home, he recovered and rejoined his regiment in France. He was educated at the Leys Public School, Cambridge, and after serving his articles with Messrs. Davis and Champion, of Stroud, Gloucestershire, became associated with his father in the business of Wigley and Sons. On the death of his father he then joined his brother, Sidney, as partner.


NBT 1917 Sep. 4th Tue.

In a letter dated August 21st from his Commanding Officer, the parents of Mr. & Mrs. E. Fennemore, of 21, Victoria Road, are informed that their only son, Private Ernest Hubert Fennemore, has been killed in action in France. Aged 19, he was serving with the 6th Oxon & Bucks Light Infantry, was killed at Langemarch on August 16th, 1917.

“It is with the greatest regret that I have to inform you that your son was killed by a sniper whilst taking part in the last advance. We had taken our objective and were digging in, when this sniper who had concealed himself in some houses opened fire and hit two or three of our men. I am sorry to say your son was shot through the chest, and died instantly. The Chaplain came up after dark and held a short burial service over his grave, which I have marked and will get a cross put up as soon as possible. Your son was a great favourite in the company, both with the officers and men, and we shall all miss him very much.”

One of Private Fennemore’s comrades writes;
“It happened while we were making an attack against the Germans. Ern was with us when we reached our objective, but his death was caused while we were digging in, in order to be under cover against any counter attacks. Machine guns were playing around us. Some were wounded by the bullets, but Ern was killed. It will help you in your sad bereavement to know he lived a good Christian life among his comrades, and he died a noble death. I personally shall miss him very much, and my deepest sympathy goes with you all.”
(Born at Fenny Stratford, and resident at Bletchley, Private Fennemore has no known grave, and is commemorated on Tyne Cot Memorial, Zonnebeke, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.)


NBT 1917 Sep. 25th Tue.

A letter sent by the Sister at No. 44 Casualty Clearing Station, France, to Mrs. Huggins, 16, Park Street, regarding the death of her husband, Sergeant Alfred Huggins, on August 20th;

“Your husband was admitted to this Hospital on the 20th August, being badly wounded in the chest and abdomen. He was operated on at once, but his wounds were too bad and he died that same evening at 8 o’clock. The poor fellow sent his love to you and said when better he would write himself. He did not then realise the extent of his wounds. I regret very much having to send such bad news, but want you to know that whilst in my ward we did all that was possible.”

A Chaplain writes;
“Everything possible was done to save his life and for his comfort while he was with us. I have buried him in the Military Cemetery, and the War Grave will notify you about his grave. A cross will be erected to his honoured memory. He was too ill to talk.”


NBT 1917 Sep. 25th Tue.

A letter from L.G.B. Sheldon, Chaplain, regarding the death in action of Private Charles Dimmock, the son of Mr. & Mrs. J. Dimmock, Mount Pleasant;

“You will have already received the sad news about which I write. Your son, Pte. C.E. Dimmock, of the Royal Warwicks, has been called to lay down his life for his country. He fell fighting bravely in a recent raid on the enemy trenches. I do not think he lingered to suffer. No words of mine can take away your sorrow, but may God Himself comfort and help you. Your son’s personal effects will be sent to you as soon as possible.”


NBT 1917 Oct. 9th Tue.

Private C. King, Labour Company, Northants. Regiment, writes to his parents, Mr and Mrs. Thomas King, 19, High Street;

“I am informed by our Colonel that I am to receive the Military Medal for bravery. It happened on August 8th, when a party of us were picked out for putting up light railway lines. We had just started work when a shell burst amongst us wounding a lot. After the others had scattered I went to the assistance of the wounded. While I was carrying the men on the stretcher the shells were bursting around me, but I never flinched and still went on with the work. Three times I went from the table to the Red Cross motor, then I returned later to fill in the shell hole. This was noticed by a Canadian Colonel, who recommended me for my bravery.”

Private Alfred Walker, Oxon and Bucks Light Infantry, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Walker, 17, High Street, has also been awarded the Military Medal, for bravery on the field and for carrying wounded under fire.


NBT 1918 July 30th Tue.

Miss Enid Watney, of the County Folk Visitation Society, Oxford & Bucks Section, Courtfield Road, South Kensington, SW7, writes to the editor;

“Sir, wounded Buckinghamshire men are still pouring into London Hospitals. Some I can arrange to cheer and visit, but I have six men in one, and three in another hospital, yet no Buckinghamshire residents in London will, apparently, trouble to see them, and they have no friends near by. I earnestly appeal to Buckinghamshire residents in London to remove this slur on their charity and good feeling.

Yours etc.,

(Miss) Enid Watney.”


NBT Sept. 10th 1918 Tue.

Corporal W.T. Halsey, Cavalry Gun Section, the son of Mr. & Mrs. Halsey, Far Bletchley, writes from France;

“You will see by the papers that we have been in action. We had quite a lot of fun the first day (like a day’s holiday). We got right on top of the Boche the first day. Tons of stuff were captured, and guns. We only lost a few of the boys, but we lost a good few horses.”


NBT Sept. 24th 1918 Tue.

The Reverend A. J. Billings, Chaplain to the battalion to which Rifleman Jesse Scott was attached, writes to his parents at ‘Ferndale’, 7, Osborne Street, Bletchley;

“The battle for the ‘Switch’, of which much was written in the newspapers, was a splendid triumph and will have far reaching consequences out here, but many brave men like your son have fallen, and many hearts at home will be deeply wounded. … Your son was a good soldier, brave and willing. He was very much liked by his mates and we shall greatly miss him. … The battle on the 29th ult., when he fell, was a very fierce one, the brunt of which fell on our battalion. A great victory was wrought, but many noble lads have suffered.”

(Serving with the 1st Battalion Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort’s Own), Rifleman Scott was aged 25. Born and resident at Bletchley, he was formerly employed by Mr. R.B. Stevens, of Aylesbury Street.)


NBT Oct. 15th 1918 Tue.

Gunner William Munday, who was formerly employed by Rowland Bros., has won the Military Medal. The official record reads;

“Military Medal, 198285, Gnr. W. Munday, C/286th Brigade, R.F.A. Conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty near … on the 27th August, 1918, when Signaller with the F.O.O. at an advanced post. The telegraph wires had been so cut to pieces by continuous shell fire that a new line had to be laid, as it was of urgent importance to maintain communication. Gunner Munday volunteered to carry out this work alone. He had to cross an area swept by machine gun fire, and it was not possible for him to get any cover from close enemy observation. After three attempts he succeeded. It was an action calling for supreme courage and determination. The G.O.C., 57th Division, congratulates the above on receipt of the reward for his gallantry.”

(Serving with C Battery, 286th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, Gunner Munday would die of wounds in Britain on November 9th, 1918, aged 20. He is buried in Bletchley cemetery.)


NBT Oct. 22nd 1918 Tue.

From Private Leon Higgs, the adopted son of Mr. & Mrs. Dawson, of Woodbine Terrace. He has been wounded in the thigh in France, and writes from the East Suffolk Hospital, Ipswich;

“It is awfully dull lying in bed day after day, when the sun is shining, bit I mustn’t complain, it is better than being in a cramped dug out in France.”


NBT 1918 Nov. 5th Tue.

The son of one of Fenny Stratford’s oldest tradesmen, who has served for a considerable time with the Mechanical Transport in Belgium and France, and is well known locally as a musician, relates the following experience to his parents under the date October 20th;

“It has been raining all day, which is making things very miserable for our boys who are attacking again today. The prisoners coming down are soaked but happy, and doubtless shaking hands with themselves. I spent a happy hour the night before last in the last village we were at. It was really a small town about the size of Fenny, and had hardly been touched by shell fire. It boasts a fine big church, which has had, however, one shell through it, but is otherwise intact. Jerry had cleared all the civilians from this town, so I went and had a look round the church, and while there heard someone playing the organ. We stopped and enjoyed the music for a bit, and as the “volunteer organist” appeared to be staying some time, we went away. Later I went back on my own and found the church deserted. I groped my way up to the organ loft (it was pitch dark now) and sat down at the organ. I was surprised to find it blown by pedals in the same way as a harmonium, but it had a beautiful tone and quite powerful enough for the size of the building. I tried to play in the dark, but finished up by risking lighting a candle and shading it as best I could. I had a fine time, and had got quite the ‘hang’ of it by the time I knocked off. It was rather a weird feeling being perched up there and occasionally a gun going off just behind the village, and absolutely drowning any noise I was making till the echoes died away, the flashes illuminating the whole building. We shifted again yesterday, and the church in our present village has been blown up. It must have been done purposely by Jerry, as there isn’t a wall standing, and none of the buildings round about have been damaged except by masonry falling from the church. We had to fetch some civilians down from the line the other morning about six o’clock. Their villages were just this side of the line, and when Jerry put gas over in the early morning they had to clear out with whatever things they had handy, as of course they had no gas masks. There was a very heavy Scotch mist at the time, and we met them struggling along, young people who took it merely as an adventure, but most pitiful of all, old people of sixty or seventy, with no hats, and soaked through with the mist, dragging bundles of miscellaneous articles which they thought would be necessary. One of the old ladies was quite blind. We got as many as possible into the lorry (not without a struggle) and turned round. A French interpreter was in charge, and he had arranged for us to drop them at a Field Ambulance on the way back for a cup of hot tea and some biscuits. After this there was much shouting of ‘Vive l’Angleterre’ by the younger people. We took them on to a branch of the French Mission. How thankful it makes one feel that the people in ‘Blighty’ have been spared such horrors. It makes me shudder to picture either of my grandmothers in that mist.”


NBT 1918 Nov. 5th Tue.

A letter from one of their sons to Mr. & Mrs. C. Wodhams. He is serving in France, and writes;

“My experiences, since coming back from leave, have been many and varied. We are continually going through towns and villages now that have not been held by us since the beginning of the war, and I am pleased to say that most of them are in comparatively good condition. We are on the outskirts of a town which has been prominent in the fighting these last two or three days. This has suffered pretty badly, and the French civilians living in it have had a pitiable time, in fact, all the time I have been out here I have never witnessed such rotten sights. We have spoken to a lot of them, and to hear their experiences of living four years under German rule would make even a conscientious objector jump into khaki and come out here and do a bit. Their physical condition is wicked owing to the Huns’ treatment: in fact, I have never seen human beings in such a state. They are being well cared for and fed now by the British, and you may well guess they cannot express their thanks sufficiently to the British Tommies for their deliverance.”

The writer encloses a German field telegram and a printed circular found in the cellar they were occupying, which the Germans had left in a hurry that same morning. The circular is headed, “German soldiers.” It starts; “The enemy powers are arranged against the coming of German freedom,” and the whole tone is on the same lines. “The thought of the future frightens the enemy and prolongs the war.” It concludes with the exhortation; “It lies to each one, as the end of the war draws near, to remain one with another in firm assurance of the freedom of our people - the Fatherland lives.”


NBT 1918 Nov. 12th

A letter regarding the death of Private Albert Charter, Beds. Regiment, the only son of Mr. & Mrs. Charter of 5, Osborne Street. He was killed in action on September 21st, and one of his chums writes;

“We were taking shelter in a shell hole after going ‘over the top,’ when a shell pitched in the hole where Bert and another man were. I feel certain they were both killed instantly.”

Lt. C. Hart writes;
“Though he had only been a short while in my platoon we all liked him. I did not know until a short time ago his home was at Bletchley. I am always interested in Bletchley because I am a nephew of Lady Leon and have often stayed at the Park.”
(Born and resident at Bletchley, Private Charter has no known grave, and is commemorated on the Vis-en-Artois Memorial, Pas de Calais, France.)


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