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

NBT 1915 May 25th Tue.

Private Ernest Lockhart, a son of the Reverend W. Lockhart, formerly of Dunstable, writes to his relatives in the town;

“The London Rifle Brigade had to hold a very nasty part of the line, which was shelled from three sides. Twice we dug ourselves in, but the enemy’s artillery soon found our position, and we were shelled night and day, many of the shells dropping right into the trench. Several times they attacked in large numbers, but, despite the use of their beastly gases, they were repulsed with heavy losses. As a stretcher bearer, I had a good deal to do. I did very little carrying, as I was too busy dressing wounds and getting the wounded out and on to the stretchers, so that we had to have volunteers for carrying. It really was terrible to see so many of our brave fellows wounded - in many cases hopelessly maimed for life - but it was grand to see how well everyone bore such a nerve wracking experience. I am of the opinion that we cannot go through anything worse. To rifle fire one can answer, as the Germans well know, but to be practically surrounded by their artillery and to have very little support from our own is an experience which one does not desire to have again. It seems like a nightmare now that it is all over, and one would question whether it really happened until one looks in vain for so many of our brave fellows. I was very lucky in escaping hurt, as I only got a slight cut from a piece of shell on my left wrist. I have kept the shell, which weighs about two pounds. When I tell you that a shell, which burst just over the trench, wounded again the man whom I was dressing at the time, and only covered me with dirt, you will see how Providence looks after some who may not be worthy of such care. Our chaps bore the shelling, which was simply poured upon us, very heroically, and if all the Allies’ soldiers were as good the Germans would not now be where they are. We lost nearly twice as many men in the ten days as we had during the previous six months. We all had respirators on whilst in the trenches, thus preventing the fumes of the asphyxiating gas from taking the effect desired. If the war, in which so many of England’s best citizens have fallen, can be ended sooner by conscription, I hope that we shall soon have it. I cannot help thinking that England is not yet serious enough about it - that she does not yet realise that the more men we have the sooner the war will be over. I have never been so proud to be an Englishman as I was during those ten days.”

In another letter, Private Lockhart writes to Mr. Hare, of Priory Road, ;

“ You may be interested to hear that I have had an undeserved honour conferred on me in the shape of a communication, signed by the General Commanding our Division, which reads thus: ‘Your Commanding Officer and Brigade Commander have informed me that you have distinguished yourself by conspicuous bravery in the Field. I have read this report with much pleasure.’ Naturally, I am rather ‘bucked up,’ but apart from the fact that we had to go along trenches under shell fire in order to dress wounded men, and help them to safety, during day and night, and for several days in succession, I am not conscious of being specially brave. Of course, it was all I could do to keep my nerve because of the sights of the wounded, but with the greatness of the need I found the necessary strength.”

NBT 1915 May 25th Tue.

Mrs. Wright, of 48, High Street, Dunstable, has received news that her son, Stanley, is a prisoner of war in Germany. On enlisting he was sent to Devonport to join the East Surrey Regiment, and in a letter dated May 15th now writes from Rennbahn, Munster;

“I am quite well and going on pretty fair. Don’t worry. I can write only one letter, so you must do the best you can to let other friends know. Will you send by return of post a box of food - bread, cheese, cocoa and sugar - and a cigarette or two. Don’t forget to put it in a strong box, pay no postage and write address carefully. Remember me to all friends. I can receive any letters, but can only send one every fortnight to you.” He adds that the parcel must not exceed 10lb.

NBT 1915 June 29th Tue.

Sergeant Cook has been killed in action. He was the brother of Mrs. Coleman, of George Street, and she received the news from his Commanding Officer in a letter. Major R.S. Hunt writes;

“The regiment was ordered to take a chateau, and we took it. The Germans counter-attacked, and your brother, who was just by the door of the chateau, received two bullets straight through the heart. As his Squadron Leader, I regret his sad loss both professionally and personally. On the night he died he led his men well and worked perfectly, and he died as a soldier likes to die in full harness, in battle, leading his men, and trusted by his superiors because he was trustworthy.”

(Sergeant Cook had served for 15 years in the Army, having joined at the age of 17 at the start of the South African War. He joined the regiment as a reservist last August, his home being at Wolverton.)

NBT 1915 July 8th Tue.

Mrs. Sharp, the widow of Private Herbert Edward Sharp, of Alfred Street, has received this engraved message from the Postmaster General;

“General Post Office, London, 1915 - I desire to express my deep regret at the death of Mr. Herbert Edward Sharp, who, after 11 years’ of faithful service to the State as an officer of the Post Office, has lost his life while serving the country in war. (Signed) Herbert Samuel, Postmaster General.”

(Herbert Sharp was one of the postmen who delivered the mail from Dunstable at Markyate. He was called up as a reservist last August, and rejoined the Grenadier Guards.)

NBT 1915 July 8th Tue.

Posted to their address of Downs Villa, Great Northern Road, in his last letter to his parents, dated April 20th, Sergeant Percy Ives, of the 3rd Canadian Battalion, stated that something great was going to happen, adding “It wouldn’t do to get downhearted yet, and I go into everything that I can with a jolly good will, and I keep fit and well by doing so.” Aged 28, he died from wounds in a German Hospital on May 9th, but for conspicuous bravery on the battle fields of France was awarded the D.C.M. About eight years ago he enlisted in the 1st Battalion Beds. Regiment, but two years later bought himself out, and, shortly afterwards, went to Canada. At the beginning of the war he then joined the Grenadier Guards. Two other sons of Mr. and Mrs. Ives are serving in the Army. Sergeant Ives was the second Dunstable soldier to win the D.C.M., the other, also posthumously, being Sergeant R. Fearn, of the 1st Beds. Regiment. His award was for having held a shell crater on the side of Hill 60 under heavy bombardment.

NBT 1915 July 8th Tue.

Trooper Ben Burch is serving with the Bedfordshire Yeomanry in France, and writes;

“We are not very far from the firing line. We are hearing the guns every day. The Germans shelled a town only four miles from here last Tuesday. It was Jack Johnson, and we saw every shot dropped by the smoke. Am pleased to tell you the regiment has greatly improved out here, and they are a credit to themselves and our dear old county. We see and hear plenty of sky fighting nearly every day, and it is a sight. I am glad to say we have first class officers all round, and they all look fit and well. I cook for all officers in “A” Squadron, including Major Benning, who, I am glad to say, is quite well. He is well liked by all in the Squadron.”

NBT 1915 July 13th Tue.

The D.C.M. has been posthumously awarded to Sergeant P. Ives, 3rd Canadian Battalion, for conspicuous gallantry at St. Julien from April 23rd to 25th. Whilst returning from reconnaissance work he brought several wounded men to safety, and set a good example to others by his conduct and confidence. In a letter to the parents of Sergeant Ives, his commanding officer, Lt. Col. R. Ronnie, writes;

“His example and bearing was a great encouragement to his comrades, and his memory will live with them throughout their days. I am pleased to state that for his valour and good work when in action he has been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, which will be transmitted to his next-of-kin at another time. I am proud to have had such a splendid soldier under my command, and greatly regret his loss.”

NBT 1915 July 13th Tue.

Walter Posse, a former resident of Dunstable, went to the Front with the Canadian Contingent, and from a hospital at Berwick-on -Tweed writes to Councillor J. Field ;

“My! That gas is awful stuff. But I am glad to say I feel ever so much better than I did. I was indeed very lucky, for after our last bayonet charge there were very few of us to hold the captured trench: in fact, I might say that eight of us held about 50 yards of the trench, and although we were all suffering from gas fumes, we kept up firing until our reinforcements came up. After that I remember nothing until I was on my way to the hospital, for I was unconscious for 12 hours.”

NBT 1915 July 27th Tue.

Private F.G. Thompkins, of the 2nd Beds. Regiment, who is a native of Dunstable, and has relatives living in the town, has received a certificate signed by Major General H.P. Gough, of the Seventh Division. It states;

“Your C.O. and Brigade Commander have informed me that you have distinguished yourself by conspicuous bravery in the field on 16th June, 1915. I have read their reports, and although promotion and decorations cannot be given in every case, I should like you to know that your gallant action is recognised and how greatly it is appreciated.”

NBT 1915 July 27th Tue.

In a letter to his uncle, Mr. E. Hare, of Priory Road, Private Ernest Lockhart, of the London Rifle Brigade, writes;

“Some of the German prisoners are interesting as they speak English. Just now I was talking to a Saxon, who told me that Germany has plenty of men and munitions, but he thought that, as the poor people were nearing starvation, there would soon be an outcry against the war. He was quite certain that we could never get to Berlin, and, when I asked him what the German Navy was doing, he replied ‘The Navy will fight after the war on land.’ I am glad to be able to say that these prisoners could not wish for better treatment than they are having, and, but for the fact that they fear their officers will condemn them after the war is over, I am sure they would not be sorry to be out of it. Not so the Prussian prisoners. They look sullen, as if nursing a grievance, and would, I believe, create a disturbance if they had a favourable opportunity.”

NBT 1915 July 27th Tue.

Miss Bliss, of 46, High Street South, has been sent some interesting war relics by Gunner Harold Bliss, one of her four brothers. Having been in France for about a year, he is serving with the Royal Garrison Artillery, and amongst the items have been a 7½lb. German shell and some cartridges, which Gunner Bliss found after the battle of Neuve Chapelle. Together with four fuses, he has now sent a much larger shell, weighing 28lb., which was used by the Germans during the last fighting for Ypres. However, it failed to break into pieces, and he writes;

“Our officers say the shell is the finest specimen they have seen fired from a German gun. It is a shrapnel shell, but in most cases they blow to pieces.”

(A short while later Gunner Bliss was wounded in the right hand by fragments of a shrapnel shell, which burst near a party of artillerymen. Using his left hand, he then wrote a letter regarding this experience from hospital in Rouen, being later transferred to the Claydon Park Hospital, near Guildford, Surrey.)

NBT 1915 Aug. 10th Tue.

Private Arthur Humphrey writes to his wife, at 6, Tavistock Street, that he has been wounded, and is now in the 18th General Hospital in France;

“I stopped a small piece of shell with my right thigh, but am sorry to say it is not bad enough to get me to England. There is nothing to worry about; it is a clean flesh wound, and they have got the piece of shell out. It will mean a week or two’s rest, any way. I am in a nice comfortable bed (the first time for over five months.) The sisters and doctors are very kind, and we are being well looked after.”

Private Humphrey is serving with the 5th Lincolnshire Regiment, which had been billeted at Dunstable and Luton some months ago.

NBT 1915 Sep. 28th Tue.

Frank Barratt, son of Mrs. Barratt, of West Parade, is serving on a patrol vessel, and in a letter to his mother gives some interesting insights as to the conditions of life in the Navy, and the valuable work of our warships. He writes;

“Yesterday my ship was landing troops somewhere in the Dardanelles, where the Turks were all along the beach. I awoke somewhere near 4 a.m. and heard guns banging away and rifles blazing thirteen to the dozen. Bullets were whistling through the air, shells were bursting overhead and all around was a complete inferno. Soon, however a few battleships moved into position and began to open fire. The sight was great, but awful. Gun-fire from naval ships is terrible, both in sound and effects.”

NBT 1915 Sep. 28th Tue.

Lieut. F. W. Ballance, son of Mr. H. G. Ballance, of Dunstable, who was wounded during the fighting on August 15th, is now on his way home. Writing to his parents from the 1st Australian Stationary Hospital at Madras, Lemnos Island, he says;

“I had an attack of dysentery, but have just about recovered now. It is a frightful illness and leaves me as weak as a rat. Of course, when one’s vitality is pulled down through a wound, one has not the same power of resistance to this illness. After five days’ starvation, I then had to go on a milk diet – that is principally arrowroot. To-day I have started eating a little tinned chicken, the first meat for twelve days. Yesterday afternoon General Sir Ian Hamilton came round to look at us. He is an extremely nice man and had a chat with all of us. When I told him my regiment he said: ‘You have lost a tremendous lot of officers, haven’t you?’ I told him I thought we had, but being wounded very early I hardly knew the facts. My wound and the cut they made to get the bullet out have very nearly healed up now, but the doctor says it will be a month before the smashed bone repairs itself and then I shall have to have massage to bring about movement. So it looks like being two or three months before I can run about again.”

NBT 1915 Oct. 5th Tue.

Lieutenant F. W. Ballance, who was reported last week to be returning to England from the Dardanelles, is now at Lady Cooper’s Hospital at Hursley Park, Winchester. In a letter to his parents he writes;

“I have arrived safely and am at the above Hospital. It is the country residence of Lady Cooper, in the centre of a huge park, but four miles from the nearest Town - Winchester. My foot is gradually improving, but is not much use yet. I am being X-rayed this morning again to make sure the bones have come together all right. I shall probably not be here long, as I can get about on crutches, and shall apply to get home on sick leave. Write and let me know anything worth knowing, as I have not heard since I left England.”

NBT 1915 Oct. 5th Tue.

No further tidings have been received of Private Horace G. Hudson, 4231, of 63 Waterlow Road, Dunstable, who has been officially reported as “missing and believed killed.” 19 years of age, he joined the 1/5th Bedfordshires twelve months ago, and was previously employed by Messrs. F. Marchant and Sons, of Luton. The last news received from him was contained on a postcard dated Sept. 9th, on which he stated that he had been in the firing line five days, and was feeling a bit queer.

NBT 1915 Oct. 5th Tue.

Lce.-Sergt. Dickens, of Kensworth School House, writes from the Dardanelles that during the recent heavy fighting in Gallipoli he has been slightly wounded in the foot. However, he is now back in the firing line. His cheerful letter minimizes hardships, but between the lines may be gauged the fact that the difficulties and dangers are very great. He is serving with the 10th London Regiment, whilst his brother, Private F. J. Dickens, is with the M.T., A.S.C., in France.

NBT 1915 Oct. 5th Tue.

Mrs. Odell, of Ashton Road, has received a letter from Sergeants Mead and W. Goodger, of the 1/5th Beds. Regiment, in which they pay tribute to the courage and fortitude displayed by the popular Colour Sergeant Major Odell. On Sunday, August 15th he was wounded in the hand, the right leg and also in the back, but had to lay out in the open until the following Tuesday morning before he was found, being then eventually taken to the Red Cross Hospital at Cairo. Sister Webley, who has been nursing him at the hospital, and who has just returned to London, writes to Mrs. Odell;

“He is a splendid patient, never finding fault and always so gentle and polite. It is a pleasure to do anything for him. His leg and hand are badly wounded, as you know. I am sure they will soon send him home. His officers often came in to see him until they were well and got sent back to Gallipoli. They were in the officers’ ward close by, and seemed very fond of their Sergt.-Major and full of concern for his welfare.”

NBT 1915 Oct. 19th Tue.

Private A. E. Ramsey, who enlisted in the R.A.M.C. soon after outbreak of war, writes to his mother;

“We have been through hell itself almost in this advance, and the sights have been awful. We all hope we shall never have such an experience again. We were stretcher-bearing from early Saturday morning right up to Monday, having about four hours’ sleep. Some of our fellows were gassed, but we only had one chap who was hit. I have seen sights that I shall never forget, and in our ambulance we are all thinking ourselves lucky that we got back as safe as we did. I hope plenty of men are enlisting. I am afraid some of them at home don’t seem to understand how our troops are placed at times. None of us out here want to grumble, but when we read in the papers of the different ideas of recruiting we wonder why they don’t force the slackers to join. It was a sight to see the boys marching away after we were relieved, some with German helmets on and some with no hats at all. The French people were cheering the British troops as they marched back to their quarters.”

NBT 1915 Oct. 19th Tue.

Sergeant Louis St. Clair Watts, 2nd Battalion Royal Scots, has written to his aunt, Nurse E. Smith, of 51, High Street North, saying that after the British bombardment his battalion got through the first German line with no opposition. They then made for the second line, where they had to do a bit of scrapping, but not much;

“After knocking out several of the Boches the remainder surrendered, and we were left in possession of this line, which we immediately commenced to consolidate. The enemy’s shelling was awful, and we had to work under great difficulties. The next move of ‘Mr. Allemand’ was to turn on his liquid fire, so as to counter-attack behind the clouds of smoke thus made; but we were dead wide for this, as this stuff is only meant to have a terrorizing effect. So we just opened a heavy fire; and when the smoke cleared away, those of the Germans who hadn’t been killed or wounded had done a guy. Talking about this liquid fire, it is the first time I have seen it; and it really is a fine sight – a first-class firework display. The first thing you see is several sprays shoot up into the air; then, when an incendiary bomb is fired, the sprays break into hundreds of red stars, just like candelabra. Then the stars go out, and in their place we get dense clouds of smoke.”

NBT 1915 Oct. 19th Tue.

Sergeant Smee, of the Lincolnshire Regiment, who was billeted for some time at Stanbridge, has written from hospital to a friend at Dunstable;

“If I can see you again before I return to France I shall have a few true stories to tell you. How we marched mile after weary mile, because the trains were loaded with ammunition; how we got to within eight miles of the ‘starting point,’ and our meals were already in the cookers, and how just as we poor hungry, thirsty, tired fellows were going to dish out the grub there came a galloping orderly – ‘Push on, the advance has commenced!’ Then the order, ‘Fall in,’ and the weary march with no water and no food, but not a murmur! It was fine to see our red-eyed little devils straining along under their load of equipment and extra ammunition. And then, as darkness was falling, we reached our big guns, roaring and belching without ceasing, with an enemy shell dropping near or on them every few seconds; then the final few words by the General and our Colonel, and we get our first glimpse of the real war. The old German trenches were battered and demolished, a mere outline of what had, a few hours before, been a masterpiece of field work, and were covered with dead and dying men. Soon we pass out of the trenches, and get on to the open plain for a bit, and now it’s easy to see what a terrible running fight they made of it; white faces peering up through the darkness at your feet, and every few yards a huge crater made by a shell. Then as we got extended about 300 yards from the crest of the hill, there bursts above the sky line a cluster of ‘star shells,’ bright blue lights that show up every stick and stone for nearly half a mile. Down we drop, no telling needed, and a few seconds later a distant boom, followed at once by a long shriek which rises and culminates in a terrible bang a hundred yards behind us. We are under shell fire! It’s hard to realize except for a creeping sensation up your spine and an itching to fix bayonets. We get the order, ‘Push on the Lincolns!’ and on we go; bent double, eyes straining, and wet through and through from the rain which has now started to pour down. Then from the wood on our right front comes a sudden single report from a rifle. I seem to hear that now as I am writing. It’s all coming back to me, then after that shot a crescendo of reports, then the ‘pop-pop-pop’ of the pom-pom, the wicked rattle of the maxims, the shriek and whistle of the shrapnel – it’s a perfect merry hell let loose at a signal. Oh, I could go on for ages like this; I’ll never forget a single detail of those two days as long as I am spared, and some day when my arm is better, I will try to write you a fuller description of it.”

NBT 1915 Nov. 9th Tue.

Quartermaster-Sergeant C. Hinton, a member of the Town Council, is serving with the E.M.B. of the R.A.M.C., at the Dardanelles. He writes;

“After rusticating at our base for four or five days, we were trans-shipped for the firing line, arriving at the port of disembarkation after dark. Evidently our arrival was noted, as we had quite a warm reception by rifle fire and shells, and to make matters worse a terrific storm broke out just as we anchored, making it impossible for us to take to the small lighters for landing. We, therefore, had to steam away again to a safe distance, and will probably renew the attempt again to-night. We had one young fellow killed within three yards of where I stood. What an inspiring sight a battle at night makes! It is almost as good as a pyrotechnic display, what with the reports of rifle fire, big guns, quick firers, and the illuminations from the star shells, etc. Our casualty has put a damper on our spirits, and the funeral here to-day brought home to us all the grim reality of war very strongly. However, there is not much chance of dwelling on such thoughts owing to the continual state of uncertainty everyone is in as to what is going to happen next.”

NBT 1915 Nov. 16th Tue.

Private A. Rollings, of the Coldstream Guards, whose home is at 4, Church Walk, Dunstable, writes of the recent fighting;

“I have been in some engagements, but never one like that. For six hours we were subjected to cross-fire and bombs, and land torpedoes were launched at us from all sides, trenches were blown in, but our Guards were in the trenches, and no matter what came, the Germans could not shift us from our position. They re-doubled their efforts again and again and made one ask would they ever stop? Pieces of shell were flying all directions, and I cannot understand how we that are left escaped. Towards night our artillery had been doing some good work, and we got them out of their position. Then we went at them, and my word! Not many got away. A piece of shell hit the bank just against where I was standing. I picked it up and soon dropped it again, for it was almost red-hot.”

NBT 1915 Nov. 30th Tue.

The pleasure of meeting fellow townsmen at the Front is referred to in a letter from Private A. Clews, of the 2nd Beds. Regiment. His home is at 5, Alfred Street, and from France he writes;

“I am very pleased to see my name in the roll of honour with the other Bedfordshire boys. I have met one or two chaps out here from the good old town of Dunstable, but I am expecting to see some more yet. I wish I was home, but still I am doing my duty in France. The shells are bursting round about us while I am writing this. The places here seem to have been very nice before they were shelled, but now they are only a heap of ruins. We are getting plenty of rain, and it is very cold.”

NBT 1915 Nov. 30th Tue.

News has been received of the death in action in October, 1914, of Private Horace Mouse, of 50, High Street, South. He leaves a widow and three children, the youngest of whom was born six weeks after his departure for the Front. He was reported missing a year ago, and in a letter from his Company Sergeant Major is described as ‘a steady, industrious and reliable soldier.’ Before being called up as a reservist he worked as a mechanic’s assistant at Cross and Cos. factory, and rejoined the 1st Bucks Regiment, in which he had served for three years. He took part in the severe fighting at Festubert, and one of his comrades, who was home on leave some time ago, stated that, after being in the trenches for seven days and nights, Private Mouse was ordered to go out one evening on listening patrol duty. During the night the men in the trenches heard shots fired, and the next morning Private Mouse was reported missing.

NBT 1915 Dec. 14th Tue.

Corporal T. H. Weatherill, one of the two sons of Mr. T. Weatherill, joined the Bedfordshire Yeomanry when the Second Regiment was formed, soon after the outbreak of the war. Now writing from “Somewhere in France,” he gives an interesting account of life in an Army hut, saying of the men;

“They are indeed a collection. That man in the corner is a jockey, the next man a shunter on the Midland Railway, from Leagrave, that one over there a blacksmith, the next a grocer, the next coming from a Luton straw hat warehouse; that one in the far corner is a farmer, the Lance-Corporal is a market gardener; there are two butchers, and one man from a post office, and in this corner is a Corporal who is a chemist, so between us there are very few trades we cannot tackle. In the evening you will find that these fellows get on very well together. Yesterday I saw the pork butcher playing quoits with the straw hat man; the market gardener was arguing religion with the man from the post office, the blacksmith was playing cards (not for money) with the shunter, jockey, and grocer, the others were reading, writing, sewing buttons on, darning, etc., altogether a most peaceful scene. But it is not for peace these men are here; behind each bed hangs the rifle and sword and to hear these peaceful men talk of how they long to get their weapons into play is almost blood-curdling.”

NBT 1916 Jan. 11th Tue.

Serving in France with the Royal Field Artillery, Gunner W. Garland writes to a local friend;

“We have had a big snow storm here, and, my goodness, it is cold, but now it has turned to rain. This is worse, for the mud is knee-deep in places and waist deep in the communication trenches. Our clothes get in an awful mess, but we keep smiling, and the pass word now as we emerge from the trenches and the mud is: ‘This is all right, but it won’t be any more months before it is all over.’ It makes things out here ever so much more easy for us when we are properly clothed. We have now got goat skin coats. They are jolly good and they keep the cold wind out a treat, only it makes us look more like a crowd from a pantomime. Some of us made up our minds to have a good Christmas dinner at all costs. So we went to a farm near by, where people were still living, and paid them to kill a couple of chickens and cook them for us. We had an 8lb. Christmas pudding, pineapple, prunes, peaches, apricots and apples which we got from one of the towns; and our Major bought us two gallons of ale and also a cigar each, so I think we did very well. Of course, we were called into action several times during dinner, so the consequence was it was cold, but we had the pudding hot, for we set it alight with some rum. I don’t suppose there were many out here who spent Christmas like that, but we had made up our minds to do so.”

NBT 1916 Jan. 25th Tue.

Driver C. Cowling sends to his parents, in Church Street, an account of an engagement in Egypt with some Bedouin Arabs;

“Our battery was on a trek to the next town on the coast when some Bedouins opened fire upon us from caves in hills. We fired a few shots at them, and then the Cavalry charged, and I am told that they galloped over a deep cave and had several men killed. A number were also wounded, while 200 of the enemy were killed. While I am writing this our battery is out on the hills. We are at a place behind a big hill as high as Blow’s Downs and facing the sea. It is not a bad place to be in. We had three days marching across the desert, and only saw about three natives who were in charge of sheep browsing there. As for water, we had to water the horses out of a well - a bucketful at a time - but on the whole we had a most pleasant time. The only scarce thing is water, and all of it has to be boiled before we can drink it. I often think of you all away there in England, and I am out here miles away from civilisation and with nothing to see except sand and sea.”

NBT 1916 Feb. 22nd Tue.

In a letter from France, Private A. Clews, of the 2nd Beds. Regiment, writes to his parents at 5, Albert Street;

“I had a narrow escape from one of the German shells one night. It dropped in through the top of our billet just as we were getting ready to go to sleep. We fell flat on our faces, and if we had not done so we should have been killed. We were very lucky to escape. Two horses were killed, and some of our chaps were wounded.”

NBT 1916 Mar. 14th Tue.

Writing from Egypt, in a letter to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. Bartle, of 69, Victoria Street, Private S. Bartle, of the 4th Beds. Regiment, attached to the 1/5th Beds., describes a ‘lively’ submarine chase;

“--- had a good time coming across, with the exception of one morning when we were chased by a submarine for 4½ hours. I must say we had a bad time for an hour or two, as the submarine was firing at us all the time, but I am glad to say it could not hit us nor catch us. We thought we were going to be sunk, as I suppose we should have been if one of their shells had hit us. I don‘t know what would have happened later on if one of our battleships had not come in sight. It only fired one shot, and the submarine quickly disappeared. You can tell how happy we all were when we saw the battleship coming towards us. You ought to have heard the cheer we gave when it came alongside to see if we were all right. But all’s well that ends well, and I am safe on dry land again. It is lovely out here, and much better than in France. It is supposed to be winter now, but it is as hot as it is in England in summer, so goodness knows what it will be like out here in summer.”

NBT 1916 June 13th Tue.

Councillor C. Hinton, of Dunstable, is serving as Quartermaster Sergeant in the 1/1st. Eastern Mounted Brigade Field Ambulance, and writes from a desert camp;

“The heat is awful. It averages over a hundred degrees in the shade every day, and consequently one has to stand the risk - by no means an infrequent one - of sunstroke.”

NBT 1916 June 27th Tue.

Private E.C. Hayward, of the Canadians, writes to his father, Mr. A. Hayward, of the Sugar Loaf Hotel;

“Two days this week have been the hardest I ever put in in my life, and I sincerely hope that they won’t be repeated in a hurry. In all probability you have read in the papers about what has happened. I’ve heard before of German dead being piled up on top of one another, but I’ve seen it with my own eyes now. I had occasion to carry bombs up to our new front line, and going up a communication trench, which was over my knees with mud, we had to walk over piled-up Germans to get through at all.”

NBT 1916 Oct. 10th Tue.

Private Percy Dickens, a Transport Driver in the Beds. Regiment, is now serving in Egypt, and writes to his parents of Chalk Hill, Dunstable;

“You ought to be very proud of your three fighting sons, who are now on active service doing their bit for King and country. I am sorry to say Francis has been wounded twice, and two of us not at all. We had some sports out here on August 14th, and I was in all of them, and I won second prize for eating the treacle buns. The only things we are troubled with out here are flies. They come in swarms and get all around our food. We get a fag and tobacco issued once a week, and you know I am fond of a smoke. Beer is very dear, and costs 6d to 1s a pint. Fruit is very cheap. I am looking forward to the time when the war is over, and we are able to get back to England again.”

He has two brothers serving in the Forces. Shoesmith A.J. Dickens, of the R.F.A., has been home on holiday, having been in France for 1 year and 9 months. Private F. Dickens, of the Oxon and Bucks Light Infantry, has been wounded twice; once at the battle of Hill 60, and again at the relief of General Townshend.

NBT 1916 Nov. 7th Tue.

Private W.G. Mobley, of the Beds. Regiment, was killed on October 12th. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. J. Mobley, of 7, Britain Street, Dunstable, and enlisted in September 1914. On November 4th, 1914, he went to France, and served in the trenches until a month or two ago, when he was transferred to stretcher bearing duties. His Commanding Officer writes;

“In the course of an attack on the enemy, Pte. Mobley’s platoon officer was wounded, and subsequently died. Pte. Mobley, as a stretcher bearer, made every effort to carry the wounded officer back to safety. Unfortunately, machine gun fire swept that area at the moment, and in consequence the Regiment lost a very gallant man, and I, as Company Commander, deplore the loss of one of my bravest soldiers.”

Private Mobley was aged 33, and leaves a widow and four children, who are living at Houghton Regis.

NBT 1917 Mar. 6th Tue.

Private Melville Lockhart, who has recently been in hospital, gained the award of the French decoration the Croix de Guerre. Pte. Lockhart. A letter from the Lieutenant Colonel, 90th Field Ambulance, reads;

“Dear Lockhart. It gives me the greatest pleasure to congratulate you both personally and on behalf of this unit, on the well deserved honour that has been conferred on you in being awarded the Croix de Guerre. The notification of the award on the attached will be a pleasant souvenir with all the expressions of appreciation from heads of departments in this Army. We are proud of you and the distinction you have conferred on the ambulance. I hope you will soon be well and strong again and able to return to us. Yours sincerely, R. Collis Hallowes, Lieut.-Col., R.A.M.C. (in the field), O.C., 90th Field Ambulance.”

NBT 1917 Apr. 3rd Tue.

Mrs. Smith has received the following letter from her son Ernest, serving in France;

“I am writing again to tell you about Franklin. I saw the Sergeant who had charge of him. He says exactly the same as I told you in the last letter. You know what I told you about Will. He has won the Military Medal. The recommendation was for carrying messages under shell fire. I daresay he will soon get the medal.”

‘Will,’ Private William Smith, is the youngest son of Mrs. T. A. Smith, of Clyde Villa, Princess Street, Dunstable, and a grandson of the late Mr. Caleb Smith, who was a plait-buyer of Dunstable and Eaton Bray. Prior to joining up, William worked at the Co-operative Stores, Dunstable, and joined the 4th Beds. Regiment twelve months ago. He has been in France since last July, and was previously a member of the Baptist Chapel, West Street, Dunstable, being formerly connected with the choir.

NBT 1917 May 22nd Tue.

Councillor Hinton, who returned to a field ambulance on one of the many allied fronts, writes home about soon having a taste of “Johnny Turk”;

“The morning after we arrived we found ourselves in the midst of a terrible bombardment, and so severely were we treated that in a very short time we had two killed and nine others more or less seriously injured. Another ambulance lying alongside ourselves suffered similarly. A Dunstablian, Sergt. S. Simmonds, was among the wounded; he had quite a narrow escape, being struck on the knee by a piece of shrapnel. Altogether it was quite a warm reception for us and greatly impressed those of our unit whose first experience of being under fire it was. We had the satisfaction of learning, next day, that the battery which did all the damage, was destroyed shortly after its attack on us. Censorship regulations do not permit me to say where we are, but I’ve no doubt before you receive this you will learn of big happenings in the command of Sir Archibald Murray. In many ways this country reminds one of the Peninsula, except it is flat and devoid of all vegetation. The flies, sand and ‘strafing,’ however, are much in evidence, and together with the oppressive heat and myriads of insects and vermin, makes one’s existence the reverse of pleasant. Still, as a whole, we are all wonderfully cheerful and optimistic about a speedy finish to the whole business.”

NBT 1917 May 29th Tue.

Private A. Nicholls, of the Beds. Regiment, writes to the Luton strikers;

“Go among our line regiments to-day and you would be surprised at the number of men who have trades in their hands - men who have had one, two or three winters in the trenches. If there is going to be all this bother, why not give these men a chance, and place all the grumblers out in their places? I think the strike is a most cowardly thing. Here are men losing their lives for 1s. a day; going through the hardships of winter in the trenches, which I can assure you makes you at times wish you were dead; standing up to their hips in water for hours, getting stuck in the mud, and having to be dug out, and, as often is the case, with your stomach playing ‘Rule Britannia,’ for the want of what it won’t get. And then these men want more. Look through the line, and give our boys a chance - good workmen, who know what hardships are. Give them a rest by sending these poor, hard-done-by men out. I will bet after six months out there they would come back sadder and wiser men. I am indeed very sorry for all these men. £3 to £4 a week! Shocking! All the pounds we get are in lead.”

Private Nicholls is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Nicholls, of Park Street, and has been wounded twice in the left leg and once in the right leg. He is now in hospital at Camberwell, London, and is able to move about on crutches. He enlisted in the 1st Beds. Regiment in September, 1915, and had been in France for about eight months.

NBT 1917 May 29th Tue.

The family of the late Lieutenant Kenneth Healing, who was killed on the 27th April, have received the following expression of sympathy from the King;

“Buckingham Palace, 17th May, 1917. 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.”

Aged 23, he was the son of Mr. J. Healing, of ‘Wentworth,’ High Street North, Dunstable, and after being shot by a sniper lived for half an hour, but never regained consciousness. Educated at Dunstable Grammar School, he subsequently gained employment with the London and County Bank, Leighton Buzzard, and was gazetted to a commission in the Sherwood Foresters in the autumn of 1915, being stationed at Watford for a considerable time. His elder brother, Lieutenant J. Healing, was severely wounded some time ago.

NBT 1917 July 10th Tue.

News was received on Sunday week that Lieutenant E. N. Bewley had been killed in action on 26th June. Attached to the 16th Sherwood Foresters, he had been gazetted Second Lieutenant for only a few months, and left for France only six or seven weeks ago. Lieutenant Bewley was an old Dunstable Grammar School boy, and prior to joining the Forces had been a solicitor. He married Miss Doris Benning, daughter of the Town Clerk of Dunstable, and leaves a widow and three children.

NBT 1917 July 10th Tue.

Mrs. Janes of 48, Edward Street, has received a letter from an Army Chaplain, stating that the body of her husband had been found in one of the trenches the British were temporarily unable to hold. He had been killed while fighting with the Bedfordshire Regiment, and when the Canadians recovered the ground they gave him a decent burial. Formerly a horse-keeper in the employ of the Corporation, he was 37 years of age. At the recent meeting of the Town Council the Town Clerk mentioned that he had received a letter from his son, Major Benning, stating that he had met Private Janes in France, and that the latter had been over the parapet nine times without being wounded. He has two brothers now serving, Private George Janes, with the Lincolnshire Regiment, and Sergeant Fred Janes, with the Army Veterans’ Corps. Apart from a widow, he leaves five children.

NBT 1917 July 24th Tue.

Writing to his mother in Dunstable, Sergeant F. Banks tells of a Labour Company being shelled;

“It is a gruesome job to bind up wounded men in the dark, especially when Fritz is shelling, but we managed it, and after a time got them away to the hospital. We don’t get any V.C.’s and D.C.M.’s in a Labour Company, but my men acted splendidly that night, and deserved recognition. How I managed to get through with them that night I don’t know. But we have to stick it, and take the rough with the smooth.”

NBT 1917 Sep. 11th Tue.

On August 16th, when his brigade was firing a barrage to support an attack, a shell burst beside the gun that Gunner V. Smith, R.F.A. was serving. Severely wounded, he was taken to the dressing station, but his case was hopeless and his officer writes;

“He is a great loss as he was one of the most reliable and hardest working men in my section. There are few men whose loss I should more deeply regret.”

His home being at 35, Mary Street, Dunstable, about two and a half years ago he had married Miss Mobley, of Dunstable, and until the time of joining up under the Derby Scheme, in April 1916, he had been employed by Mr. W. Wallace at the Eaton Bray nurseries. After training mostly at Biscot, he went to France in October.

NBT 1917 Sep. 18th Tue.

Shortly before he was killed in action, in a letter to his mother, Mrs. Alice Smith, of Dunstable, Private William Smith recorded how it had been his melancholy duty to recover and bury the body of his only brother, Private E. Smith, of the same regiment. He had been killed by a German sniper. Private William Smith had been awarded the Military Medal, and last week his mother was taken by car to Kempston by Mr. Thorne, of Eaton Bray, to receive the award from General Boys.

NBT 1917 Dec. 25th Tue.

Private J. Knight, of Dunstable, is with the R.A.M.C. in Palestine, and writes;

“In England, it is difficult, even in midsummer, to imagine the sufferings of thirst in a hot climate, for my own part I can assure you I never was really thirsty until I came to Egypt, and it is just as difficult to describe the agonies of it. All the water used in Palestine is brought up in pipes from the Suez Canal to the railhead, and further than that it is conveyed by camels in copper vessels (containing from twelve to sixteen gallons) known as ‘fanatis.’ Before the last offensive, ‘Johnny’ was in possession of the majority of the wells, and naturally defended them to the last man. Now they are in our possession we shall be able to procure drinking and washing water more easily. During the attack we were issued a quart per man per day for washing and drinking purposes. As the greater part of the quart was required for drinking, the latter duties, washing and shaving, were sadly neglected. In fact, at one time, both were forbidden altogether. As regards the marching, it is calculated we covered over eighty miles of sand during the sixteen days in moving from one place to another, and I am sure it takes twice as much energy to march over a mile of sand compared with a mile of road.”

NBT 1918 July 16th Tue.

Private A.V. Kilby was posted as missing from April 25th, but is now known to be a prisoner of war in Germany, at Limburg. He writes to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. A.E. Kilby, of 34, Edward Street;

“Practically the whole of the Company were either taken prisoners or went under. I had a slight touch of gas but am getting over that now. I am out of it all and we are being treated very well, so we will keep smiling.”

NBT 1918 Sep. 24th Tue.

Mr. and Mrs. March, of 84, Upper Union Street, Dunstable, have received a letter from a comrade of their 19 year old son, Private Wilfred March. It tells how he was wounded in action, only to be killed by a piece of busting shell while being carried to the dressing station.

NBT 1918 Sep. 24th Tue.

Lieutenant L.G. Tearle, who was reported last week as having been wounded, writes home;

“We were on patrol in the evening, and met some Fokker biplanes, and of course there was a fight. One of my guns stopped firing and immediately afterwards two Fokkers started firing at me and one of them sprayed me with bullets. One bullet hit my gravity tank and knocked a big hole just behind my right shoulder. The bullet, which was an explosive one, forced part of the tank through my flying suit and cut my shoulder open and numbed my right arm so that I could not use it. That was at 15,000 feet. Of course, I could not go on with the fight, so started to go down. One Fokker came after me and kept shooting at me from time to time. He followed me right down to 200 or 300 feet, by which time he had hit my engine. I managed, however, to land safely. Besides my engine and tank being hit, two struts were shot away, and a bullet or two went through my windscreen, to say nothing of my goggles being shot off my head. Altogether, I reckon I was pretty lucky.”

NBT 1918 Dec. 24th Tue.

Intense indignation has been aroused by the news that Pioneer James Baxter, whose wife lives in Great Northern Road, has been murdered in a German prison camp at Freiburg. A fellow prisoner, Private F. Bungay, of the North Staffs. Regiment, states;

“Baxter came to our camp at Freiburg about two months after me, and this affair happened at the end of September. While we were working the guard yelled out to Baxter, who, having a slight cold, did not hear at once, but he afterwards started to run, and being weak from want of food, stumbled at the bank. The guard then went forward and beat him with the butt of his rifle, and then shot him through the back, the bullet reaching his heart. It was awful to see a chum murdered in cold blood like that.”
Private Bungay hid behind some bushes, and saw the guard walk off to give the alarm and fetch the doctor. Then he rushed up, and took out of Baxter’s pocket book for his address. He found a photo of him and a child, but had to put it back again. The affair was hushed up, and the guard declared that he had acted in self defence, but as stated by Private Bungay, “It is a lie, for Baxter had his back to the guard. It would have been no good for me to interfere, for he would have shot me, too.”
Private James Stewart, M.G.C., who has just arrived at his home in Perth, says that when he got to Freiburg, soon after the horrible deed was the general conversation in the camp. A number of prisoners told how Baxter had been set upon by the guards, and almost butted to death with a rifle before being shot. The guard had accused Baxter of picking and eating the blackberries he was gathering for the Germans to make tea of. Pioneer Baxter joined up at Bedford in August, 1917, and served an apprenticeship as a lithographer with Messrs. Leslie and Messrs. Valentine, Dundee. He leaves a widow and a small boy.