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

B.S. 1915 June 12th

Serving with the 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, Lance Corporal George Whiting, from Hanslope, has been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. As reads the quote from the official records, this was “For conspicuous gallantry on April 20, 1915, in holding by himself a crater on the hill from which all others had been driven, and remaining in possession until supports arrived.”

Again from official sources;

“During our attack near Fromelles on May 9 and 10 one of our men had a trying experience, in which he displayed great gallantry and presence of mind. After having got into the German trench, and finding that he was the only survivor of the party with which he had advanced, and that he was being surrounded by the enemy, he managed to crawl into a deep shell crater close by. The Germans knew where he was, but could not shoot him and were prevented from approaching him by our rifle fire. They therefore contented themselves with lobbing hand grenades into the crater where he lay. All day long the British soldier remained in this hole in the ground, within a few yards of the hostile infantry, picking up and hurling back the bombs with which he was pelted. At night he managed to crawl back safely to our lines.”

He is now in Wanstead House Hospital, Margate, suffering from a bullet wound in the arm, inflicted whilst in action in Flanders on May 23rd. He hopes to soon be well enough to visit Hanslope, and as an interesting local connection his nurse is Mrs. John Tayler, formerly of Milton Keynes. She is a widow, and since the beginning of the war has been a Red Cross nurse at the military hospital. In fact she is a sister in law of Mr. George Tayler, J.P., of The Kickles, Newport Pagnell. Lance Corporal Whiting is the first North Bucks soldier to be mentioned in despatches, and the first to win the D.C.M. Aged 23, he is the third son of Mr. Gersham Whiting, of Gold Street, Hanslope, and has two brothers serving in the Army. Gersham is with the Manchester Regiment, whilst Fred, who was wounded in action in November, is now at Dover.

(Lance Corporal Whiting later arrived home unexpectedly, to turn up amongst a group who were discussing plans for his welcome reception. However, “Like a good many brave men, he disliked ceremony and he promptly told his friends he came home earlier to avoid it.”)

B.S. 1915 July 17th

Within four weeks, Mr. and Mrs. J. Elkington, of the Watts Arms, Hanslope, collected 1,580 cigarettes for the wounded soldiers in Northampton Hospital. They were sent weekly:- June 19th, 412, June 26th, 314, July 2nd, 526, July 9th, 328, and in acknowledgment the Matron writes, “The wounded soldiers are most grateful for your kind gift.” In addition, letters from the soldiers have been received;

“ No. 1 Pavilion Ward,
General Hospital,
Northampton.

Sir. The Sister-in-Charge of the above ward has this afternoon distributed the 353 cigarettes so kindly given by the customers of your house for the wounded soldiers. It is a most thoughtful present, and no one appreciates a cigarette more than a soldier, as I expect you are aware, but apart from that it is the kindly thought and spirit from friends outside that goes a long way towards alleviating our sufferings, together with the care and attention which we have received at this institution from each and all; the two combined, I am pleased to say, has placed the majority of us on the high road to convalescence. I should deem it a favour if you will kindly convey the thanks of myself and comrades to your customers for the same. With the best of wishes from us all,

Gertrude Kerridge, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Kerridge, of Hanslope, is a pupil of Hanslope Infant School, and with the other scholars collects eggs each week for wounded soldiers. She has now received a letter from P. Bendcliffe, who as an appreciative recipient has sent her the following letter;

“I am very pleased to say that we have received one of your eggs at our hospital. I am sure that the eggs you send are much appreciated, and I hope you may continue with your good work, for I am sure you feel as if you are doing your best for your King and country.”

(In fact between May 1915 to May 1917 the children of the Church End Infant School, Hanslope, with Miss Cox as headmistress, would collect 12,303 eggs.)

B.S. 1916 May 13th

Official notification has been received by Mr. and Mrs. Amos Lovell, of Hanslope, that their 21 year old son, Private Amos N. Lovell, of the Oxon and Bucks Light Infantry, was killed in action in Flanders on April 27th. He had enlisted in the early days of the war, having previously worked with his father on Mr. H. Weston’s farm at Hanslope. In a letter to the bereaved parents Captain L. Newman pays high tribute to Private Lovell’s soldierly qualities;

"I was with your son when he was wounded last year. He was a good soldier, and had done his duty always in a satisfactory manner. On the morning of his death he fell in with his comrades as usual. His grave is in a little village near Arras, in a pleasant little garden which has been set aside for the burial of British and French soldiers. I visited it this morning, and placed some flowers on the grave, on which is also a simple wooden cross, with his name, rank and regiment.”

The Reverend G. C. R. Cooke, chaplain, has also sent a letter to Mrs. Lovell, in which he says;

“I happened to be in the trenches the day your son was hit. He lived two hours after it happened, and I saw him before he died. He was quite conscious, and not in great pain, although he could not speak. He quite followed the prayers I said for him. I was very glad I was able to bless him. I was very glad I was able to see him. He was buried in a proper military cemetery with a proper service. It is very difficult for me to express my sympathy as I should like. It will be some consolation to you to know that he gave his life a sacrifice for a great cause, and at this time when we remember our Lord’s great sacrifice and His glorious resurrection.”

A brother of the deceased soldier is a lance-corporal in the 2nd Northants Regiment, who was wounded in the arm at Neuve Chapelle. He has been in the Army for six years, and has seen service in Malta and Egypt, and now France.

B.S. 1916 July 29th

Private Frederick Thomas Willis, of the Bucks Battalion, Oxon and Bucks Light Infantry, was killed in France during a heroic and desperate bayonet charge against the Germans on the night of July 19th. In a letter to the bereaved mother, 2nd Lieutenant J. R. Floyd writes;

“It is with feelings of deepest regret that I write to inform you that your son was killed in action on the night of the 19th inst. He was a very reliable and efficient soldier, never complaining if there was any hard work to do or if everything was not quite as it might have been. He was in my platoon, and I shall miss him very much. Again asking you to accept my sympathy, yours sincerely, J. R. Floyd, 2nd Lieut.”

Twenty three years of age, the late Private Willis had enlisted last November 11th and went with his regiment to France nine weeks ago. Before volunteering, he had been employed as a body maker in the Wolverton Carriage Works and being a man of exemplary character, he was well known and greatly respected in Hanslope. A devoted church worker, and a prominent member of the local branch of the Church of England Temperance Society, he was also a member of the band of church bellringers.

B.S. 1916 Aug. 5th

Little Florence Greenwood, the six-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. Greenwood, of the Green Man Inn, Hanslope, has been one of the most consistent collectors in the village infants’ school for the National Egg Collection. In fact this week she received two very appreciative messages of thanks from wounded soldiers for eggs which have been received and which bore her name. One came from Private Sidney Wall, Coldstream Guards, in hospital at Alnwick, in Northumberland, and the other from Rifleman P. Lapworth, who ways he received his egg when in a field hospital in France. Both soldiers are profuse in thanks, and say they more than enjoyed the eggs which little Miss Greenwood so very kindly sent.

B.S. 1916 Aug. 12th

Lance Corporal Walter Thomas Rainbow, South African Infantry, has been killed in action. He was the third son of Mr. Henry Rainbow, of Barnwell’s Buildings, Hanslope, and the sad news was sent to Mr. Rainbow by cable by another son living at Durban, South Africa. However, nothing official has been received from the Cape Government. Only 26 years of age, Lance Corporal Rainbow had been in South Africa for about five years, and, having enlisted in the colonial regiment at the beginning of the war, took a gallant part in the arduous campaign in German South-West Africa, where General Botha’s troops gained such distinction. He was in the thick of all the fighting but came through without a scratch. When the campaign in Africa concluded and the Germans had suffered irretrievable defeat Sergt. Rainbow (as he then was) was entitled to his discharge, but with praiseworthy patriotism decided to continue in the service and do his bit for the old country. He gave up the sergeant’s stripes and as a plain Tommy Atkins came over to England with the South African contingent, leaving, after a short stay at Borden Camp, for France with his regiment some eight months ago. Having been promoted to Lance Corporal during his time in England, on the western front he played a heroic part in the trench fighting against the Germans and with his comrades was engaged in the great “push” by the British troops when he unfortunately met his death. He served his apprenticeship to the body making in Wolverton Carriage Works but emigrated to South Africa to join his married brother at Durban. His father is bed ridden, and a brother, who has been slightly wounded, is at the front with the Bucks Territorials.

W.E. 1917 Apr. 27th

Private Frederick Whitbread, of the 11th Battalion, Warwick Regiment, died on April 14th 1917 in hospital at Coventry, from an illness contracted in the trenches whilst on active service in France. Aged 33, he was the son of Mr. T. Whitbread, of Hanslope. He had been previously wounded, and before the war was apprenticed to the body making shop at Wolverton Carriage Works, where he was employed before enlisting on March 18th, 1916. He went to France about ten months ago, being wounded last September in the left shoulder. Recovering from his injuries, two months later he returned to the trenches, but the exposure lead to kidney and other trouble. Invalided home, his recovery was eagerly anticipated, but then complications set in. From Coventry, in a polished elm coffin, with brass fittings, his body was brought home to Hanslope last Tuesday, and with many villagers attending the funeral, eight Wolverton workmen bore the coffin to the grave, in which his remains were interred in the village churchyard on Thursday, April 19th. His fiancee, Miss Emma Shail, of Swindon, was amongst the many mourners.

As a member of a Lewis gun section (as is also his brother), another Hanslope man, Lance Corporal George Abbott, Oxon and Bucks Light Infantry, was wounded by shrapnel in the right thigh during heavy fighting on April 2nd. However, he is now making favourable progress in Fazakerley Hospital, Liverpool. The eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Abbott, of Castlethorpe Road, before the war he worked with his father in the building and decorating trade, and having enlisted on October 28th, 1915, after training on Salisbury Plain went to France in early May 1916. His grave is to be found in Hanslope churchyard, east of the chancel.

B.S. 1917 Sep. 8th

The week has brought news of several soldiers from Hanslope who have been wounded in the heavy fighting in France.

Lance Corporal S. Abbott, of the Bucks Territorials, is reported to be in a casualty clearing station in France, suffering from dangerous shell wounds in the neck and shoulder. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. A. Abbott, of Castlethorpe Road, and some months ago during the battle of the Somme sustained a compound fracture of the right arm.

Private Albert Keeves, of the Oxon and Bucks Light Infantry, has been wounded on the Western Front, and is in a field hospital with serious shrapnel wounds to his left side. Joining up early in the war, he has seen a great deal of active service in Flanders and France.

Private Edward Homer, of the Durham Light Infantry, is reported to have been severely wounded in the right arm and left foot, necessitating the amputation of one of his toes. Aged 19, he is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Homer, of Long Street, and has only been in France for a short time. Two of his brothers are serving on the Western Front, with a third based in England.

Aged 27, Private Alfred Brownsell, of the Oxon and Bucks Light Infantry, is in hospital at Bethnal Green, London, suffering from a serious wound in the thigh. This was caused by an explosive shell, and for 24 hours he lay in a shell hole until he could be moved to receive medical treatment. He had only returned to France a few months ago, on recovering from a wound to his hand. From employment at Wolverton Carriage Works, he joined up at the beginning of the war, and of his brothers, two are serving in the Forces. One has been wounded, whilst the other is in a Works Battalion. Their parents are Mr. and Mrs. Brownsell, of Gold Street, Hanslope.

Corporal Herbert Willingham, of the Bucks Battalion, Oxon and Bucks Light Infantry, is in hospital in France with a gunshot wound in the left armpit. However, he writes home cheerfully, and accounts himself fortunate to have not been more seriously wounded. Formerly a clerk at Wolverton Carriage Works, he enlisted at the outbreak of war, and received his promotion on the battlefield. After nine months of active service he obtained leave last December to get married. One of his brothers is serving with the Indian Expeditionary Force.

B.S. 1917 Nov. 3rd

Lance Corporal John Stone, of the 7th Oxon and Bucks Light Infantry, has been awarded the Military Medal for gallantry. He is the son of Mr. R. Stone, of Long Street, Hanslope, and the official record reads;

“On night 8-9th May, 1917, while proceeding forward, half of his Lewis Gun Team were killed by a direct hit in the trench by H.E. He rallied the rest of his team and went back through a heavy barrage. The arrival of his gun was most opportune and was entirely due to his deliberate and steady behaviour. Throughout the severe fight he behaved with great gallantry, carrying on with his gun for some time after he was wounded. This N.C.O. has on several occasions shown great devotion to duty.”

W.E. 1918 May 24th

Mr. Harry Bates, of Long Street, Hanslope, has been notified that his 20 year old son, Private Harold Bates, was posted as missing after an engagement on October 4th, 1917. Mr. Bates has heard indirectly that his son was wounded and sent on to a dressing station, but no further information has been forthcoming. The Red Cross Society have promised to make further enquiries. Mr. Bates has another son at Salonika.

(Serving with the 1st Battalion, Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, attached to the 9th Battalion Cameroonians (Scottish Rifles), Private Bates was killed on the Western Front on October 4th 1917, and is buried in the Hooge Crater Cemetery, Belgium.)

W.E. 1918 May 24th

Mr. Horne, of Hanslope, received a letter from his son last week, saying that he had been wounded in the shoulder and both legs. He is now a prisoner in Germany, and seems to be progressing satisfactorily. Mr. Horne has three other sons on military service, two at Salonika, and one in Palestine.

W.E. 1918 May 24th

Mr. Thomas Keeves, of Hanslope, has received official news that his son, Private Frederick Keeves, Machine Gun Corps, has been missing since last March 22nd. He joined up two years ago, and his last leave was in September 1917. Another son, Private George Keeves, Somerset Light Infantry, has also been posted missing since the same date. He joined the Army in March 1915, having volunteered for service as a rough rider in the remount department of the Army Service corps. He was home on leave in February, and his wife has heard from the Commanding Officer that he is probably a prisoner.

(On Whit Sunday morning Mr. Keeves would receive a postcard from his son, Private Frederick Keeves, confirming that he had been taken prisoner. In August he would then receive a letter from George, stating that he also is a prisoner in Germany.)

B.S. 1918 July 6th

Sergeant William Simons, of the Oxon and Bucks Light Infantry, has been awarded the Military Medal, for conspicuous dash and determination on the night of December 16/17 1917, at Salonica. While in charge of a section of a raiding party, detailed to assault an enemy post south east of Diamond Hill, he lead them with great dash and courage under bomb and rifle fire, and in the subsequent pursuit was foremost with an officer and another N.C.O. in chasing the enemy into the British barrage. During the pursuit he fired at and wounded a retreating Bulgar, and then took him prisoner on the very edge of the British barrage, where the shells were falling extremely close. The second son of Mr. John Simons, of Hanslope, Sergeant Simons joined the army in September 1914, and on going to France a year later was promoted to his present rank. His regiment was then transferred to Salonica, and, with himself having been wounded in April 1917, has seen action there ever since. Before enlisting he was a coach body maker at Wolverton Carriage Works, and in his leisure time took a keen interest in sports, playing cricket and football for the Hanslope teams, and winning prizes for races at 220 yards, ¼ mile, ½ mile, and one mile.