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

B.S. 1914 Dec. 12th

A letter to the editor;

“Dear Sir. In your issue of last week you made an attempt to cry open shame on some of the Milton fellows for the simple reason that they had not seen their way clear to enlist. Take it from me, sir, that the attempt has completely failed in its object, and that the finger of scorn points in vain. And may I remind you that the Government will mind its own business, and may the “Bucks Standard” do likewise.

To the Editor of the Bucks Standard.

DEAR SIR, When the five brave Miltonians sit by their peaceful firesides, thanks to their brave brothers who are fighting and watching the foe on sea and land, they should ponder on Judges v.23, and note the comparison.

B.S. 1915 Mar. 6th

In a letter to a friend, Private Joseph Clare, of the 2nd Battalion, Oxon an Bucks Light Infantry, tells of his experiences on the battlefield. He left England for France on November 29th 1914, but during the voyage some of his comrades felt rather ill;

“We then marched a short distance to the rest camp which we thought anything but a comfortable spot, the ground being covered with mud and water to a depth of a foot. We stayed here a week and were then ordered up to join the regiment at Bailleul, in which district we stayed until Xmas Eve, the night of which we slept, or I should say stayed, in an old barn. At 7a.m. on Xmas morning we had a nice piece of bacon for breakfast, after which most of us attended divine service. Returning from church our attention was drawn to a nice present which the mail had brought for each of us and for which all were pleased - it was a Princess Mary box. The next morning, Dec. 26, we were ordered off to the firing line, the trench of which we found knee deep in water. The first day we did duty in small batches, but at 6a.m. the following morning all of us went on together so as to be ready for the enemy, as the Germans seem to fancy day break for business. Since that time we have only been out of the trenches for the necessary rest, and so are now what we call quite used to it and treat it just as a man going to his regular work. The men we fear most are snipers who dress as civilians, prowl about the whole day, conceal themselves at night by climbing up trees, etc., then when the troops are going to the trenches the snipers use the opportunity to try rapid firing, but for some reason or other this generally ends in failure. I give the following as an instance of their inefficiency. A few days ago our trench was almost full of water and although we threw it out with the utmost rapidity the water still pored in and eventually we were ordered to dig a new one. We all worked hard the whole night through, which was as light as day from the beautiful moon, completed our job, and although we were plump in the line of fire the whole time not one man was lost.”

Speaking of the arrangements for cooking and eating in the trenches, Private Clare says;

“One man finds an old can, fills it with water - there are plenty of vegetables about left by those who were compelled some time ago to leave their homes - and we gather turnips, potatoes, onions, cabbage, carrots, leeks, etc. These are put into the can and well boiled. We also place in the can a packet of pea soup powder to boil, which with the vegetables we consider makes a jolly good meal which we all enjoy (no dislikes). This kind of cooking is called ‘drumming up.’ Another meal consists of 1lb bread, bacon, cheese, jam, and a few biscuits, the latter not quite so soft as those I used to have. In conclusion I was pleased to hear that two more Milton young men, viz., Dover and Markham, had joined the ranks, and two others had tried their best but were unfortunately medically unfit. I am ashamed to learn that there are still several in our little village who do not even now realize their lack of patriotism by not offering themselves to their King and Country. These gentlemen were some time ago described in the Press as shirkers, and as long as they remain outside the ranks that name will certainly cling to them. Everyone knows that a great deal has been read in the papers in connection with the war, which is one thing, but to see for one’s self the terrible effects is quite another, and one that no Englishman could ever forget.”

B.S. 1915 June 19th

Official news has been received that Private Joseph Clare, of the Oxon and Bucks Light Infantry, was killed in action at Richeborough on Monday, May 17th. Aged 22, and born in Milton Keynes, he was the son of Joseph and Caroline Clare, of Milton Keynes, and had joined the Oxon and Bucks (special reserve) four years ago. He rejoined his regiment four days after the outbreak of war, and remained at Portsmouth until November, when orders were received to proceed to France. He took part in many of the battles, and had not visited his parents since he left home. A resident of Newport Pagnell, before the war he was employed at Wolverton Works, and his two brothers are also in the Forces. Last Sunday afternoon a memorial service was held in Milton Keynes parish church, with a large and respectful congregation being present. His parents have received the following message of sympathy from Lord Kitchener;

“The King commands me to assure you of the true sympathy of his Majesty and the Queen in your sorrow.”

In a letter to Mrs. Clare, Major R.F. Formby writes;

“Madam, It is my painful duty to inform you that report has this day been received from the War Office notifying the death of No. 8144, Private Joseph Ed. Clare, Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry, which occurred at Richeborough L’Avour on 17th May, and I am to express to you the sympathy and regret of the Army Council at your loss. The cause of death was ‘Killed in action.’ Your obedient servant, R.F. Formby.”

B.S. 1915 Sep. 18th

Reported by the War Office to be missing, after the battle of Chocolate Hill on August 21st, it is now known that, serving with the Royal Bucks Hussars, Trooper Jack Baker, of Milton Keynes, is in the American Women’s War Hospital at Paignton, Devon. He survived the charge and retreat of Chocolate Hill on August 21st, but on August 28th he was wounded by an enemy bullet. Writing to his parents, he gives a vivid account of his experience in the Gallipoli operations;

“You will be surprised to hear I am back in England, and sorry to hear I have been wounded, but I am glad to say not serious. It is in my back. A shrapnel shell burst close to me on Saturday morning, August 28, at Chocolate Hill. We had a rather tough experience during the time we were on the Gallipoli Peninsular. To cut a long story short, it is like hell. You get shelled before you land, and when you have got ashore there is no background: you have to face the music or run and jump into the sea. I am going on first rate and am able to sit up in my cot. My back is painful as I still have the bullet there.”

“I am going on first-rate. I had a bullet taken out of my back this morning (Sunday, Sept. 12). It gave me a nasty working at the time but I soon got over that. It was a nice clean bullet, so that was in my favour, but the doctor thinks I must have another piece of shrapnel in my back, as there is another wound; probably the bullet has lost its way. We will let him rest if he gives me no trouble. Our casualty list will be a heavy one I am afraid. … It was on the Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning at daybreak - August 21-22 - that we made a fair bid for Hill 70. The night was too awful to think about, and it must have been 12 o’clock when I looked round just as the moon was rising and found I had not got one of our boys with me. I kept going on through the wood till I got to a Welsh regiment, so then I set to work to dig myself in and blaze away at the Turks for the rest of the night. Their trenches were about 200 yards away. I was very much amused by a fellow digging beside me. He was bent down and got hit somewhere, dropped flat down and made an awful groan. Then he was quite still and I just pulled him out of the way, thinking he was dead. I went on working and in about five minutes he sat up. He gave me quite a shock, and before I could speak to him away he ran. I often have a laugh over that.”

Describing the landing of the troops on the Peninsular, Trooper Baker says;

“We landed at Suvla Bay. We had to go ashore at night in small boats. We had four battleships and two or three of the monitor type to bombard the hills and keep back the Turks. The ‘Swiftsure’ was one of the ships. It’s fine to see them when they are bombarding. They shoot at hills just like Brickhill. If you stood ten miles away the shells go overhead like express trains. … I looked a bit rough when I got on the hospital ship, but no worse than others. I hadn’t had a shave or a wash for a fortnight. Thank goodness I am clean once more and shaved up and look as smart as a fresh scraped carrot.”

B.S. 1915 Oct. 2nd

A more detailed story of the Royal Bucks Hussars involvement in the fight on Chocolate Hill, on August 21st, is told by Trooper Jack Baker, whose parents live in Milton Keynes;

“The object was to capture a hill known as hill 70 on the map (or Burnt Hill as it is known amongst ourselves) which lies in front of the main position, and which has caused so much trouble ever since the first landing at Suvla Bay. The centre and right of other regiments were to advance from the ridge in front of Chocolate Hill, or Yilghin Burnu, and from the trenches in the plain south of it; and after capturing the Turkish trenches on the low ground in the immediate front, they were to converge and assault the main objective, Hill 70. For this supreme effort troops of other regiments were massed along the line Hill 70 to Hill 112, and our Yeomanry division, without our horses, were held in reserve behind Lala Baba (a cliff on the coast of Suvla Bay). A tremendous bombardment opened at 2.30p.m. from our battleships and land guns. At 3.30 two regiments (the names I do not know) made a rush up Hill 70 and despite a terrific hail of fire they reached the top. For a short time it seemed as though the hill was won, but afterwards we found the Turkish battery behind Hill 112 began to pour terrible shrapnel fire into the ranks at a range probably not more than a mile, which simply swept the whole line away, and forced the survivors to retire further down the slopes to some cover. Here they hung on for a few minutes, but the attack had spent its force, and the men were obliged to retire back to the trenches they had so recently left. That attack had failed and once more Hill 70 was left to the Turks, the wounded, and the dead. At this point our Yeomanry division was ordered to advance in open order from our reserve position, Lala Baba, across an open space of country known as Salt Lake, a distance of about one and a half miles. No sooner had we come in sight than the enemy concentrated a heavy shrapnel fire bang into us. But we moved as if on parade, pressed steadily on, losing many of the boys, but never wavering. Finally we formed up behind the infantry brigade, under cover in front of Hill 70, where we had a brief rest. It was now nearly six o’clock, and once more the crest of Hill 70 was furiously bombarded by every available gun. The scene was majestic but awful, for the light was now rapidly waning and the whole horizon was almost blotted out with enormous clouds of smoke and flames, as the trees, scrub, and the very grass burnt furiously, whilst the noise of the guns and the incessant and never-ceasing roar from thousands of rifles rendered the scene a perfect hell. The Yeomanry again moved forward, forming up under the lower western and northern slopes. It was now almost dark and the attack seemed to hang fire, when again we had the order to advance. We sprang quickly to our feet, and as a single body charged right up the hill. We were met by terrible fire from machine guns and rifles, but nothing would stop us. We charged at amazing speed to the top of the crest, hardly realising we were on foot. At this point we had lost many more of the boys, also officers, including one gallant and beloved commander, Brigadier Lord Longford. This was ominous, for although Hill 70 was practically in our hands, the question arose, could we hold it throughout the night with our strength, in the face of determined counterattacks? All through the night the battle raged incessantly, and when morning broke Hill 70 was no longer in our possession. Apparently the Turks were never driven off a knoll on the northern crest, from which they enfiladed us with terrible machine gun and artillery fire, whilst those of our Yeomanry that were left (who) dashed down the reverse slopes in pursuit were counter-attacked with considerable losses and were obliged to retire. At this point I lost sight of all our boys, but fortunately I came across some Welsh regiment. During the night it was decided that it would be impossible to hold the hill in daylight, and the order came about 4a.m. for us to retire to our original position. Thus ended our first great fight for Hill 70. That final charge, and the ordeal of that awful night, will be ever fresh to my memory.”

(The fight for Chocolate Hill was also told by G. Pearce, in the following verses from a poem entitled; ‘A Tale of the Bucks Hussars.’)

“In August, this year, on Gallipoli’s shore - with the Turks in possession of Chocolate Hill,

All strongly entrenched, with munitions galore, and cannon arranged with consummate skill

The fiat went forth - “The hill must be stormed!” and the Yeomanry ordered to lead the attack

Like dogs from a leash up the incline they swarmed, with courage and dash which nothing could slack,

Away for the summit like demons they went, with bayonets flashing like gleams in the sun,

And hundreds of Turks to eternity sent, ere the trenches were gained and the victory won.

But the charge was abortive, the triumph was short, the hill which had cost many lives to attain

Was abandoned at night for lack of support, and the lives of our heroes were given in vain.

The loss of the dear ones we sadly deplore, but nothing can stifle our feelings of pride

To know that their names are engraved evermore on the banner of heroes who for England have died.

All honour to those of the gallant Brigade, and their brave glowing deeds which made our hearts thrill,

Thrice honour to those who a sacrifice made in the Yeomanry’s charge on Chocolate Hill.

B.S. 1915 Milton Keynes Nov. 27th

A letter to the editor;

“Dear Sir. Will you permit me, through the medium of your paper, to remove all doubt and suspicion as to the patriotism of my family, and especially my brothers. Much has been rumoured and insinuated about the strapping sons of Mr. C.B. Baker, and the term “slacker” has been frequently applied with vigorous application, but I may remind you that it has been a case of pouring water on a duck’s back. But to get to the point:-
Two more of my brothers (not frightened by Lord Derby’s scheme) have enlisted in the Royal Bucks Hussars, and go into training at once - both able to ride and shoot, and ready to get on with the job at once. I may add that it has been their intention to join for some months, but circumstances have held them back until now, and their answer to the canvassers recently was: “You may leave it to us.”
One may question why they did not join before and my answer is this - my brothers have been doing yeoman service for their employers, and the men who go now are those who have had time to think about it seriously, and see the necessity in its true light. It is generally known that my brother Jack has been across, and home again wounded, and Fred has completed his training with the Beds. Yeomanry, been promoted to Corporal‘s rank, gained distinction in service firing, and is ready to go abroad. This makes four actually serving; the names of the latest recruits are Will and Tom. As for myself I have acted upon the advice of better men than I, and have enrolled for general service, and am labelled to be called for. The total for the family thus reads 4½ out of a possible 6. Can you wonder at my father and mother wanting to retain the other as a help to keep the home fire burning against the time when the rest may return. Now those little-minded slanderers come forward! We are prepared against any attack.

Milton Keynes,
Newport Pagnell,
Nov. 24, 1915.”

(30 men from the village, which has a population of 170, are now serving in the Forces, and several more have enrolled and are waiting to be called up.)

B.S. 1917 May 12th

In a letter to his relatives in the Newport Pagnell district, Lieutenant John Tayler, of the Middlesex regiment, writes cheerfully, despite being in hospital in France with dangerous machine gun wounds in the legs, thigh, forearm and side. He is the elder son of the late John Tayler, of Milton Keynes, and of Mrs. Tayler, of Nash Court Farm, Margate. Joining the O.T.C. (Inns of Court) in the winter of 1914, after training at Berkhampstead he was gazetted to the Middlesex Regiment, and 18 months ago went to France, where he has been involved in much hard action. Lieutenant Tayler is a nephew of Mr. George Tayler, J.P., The Kickles, Newport Pagnell.

B.S. 1917 June 16th

Following a telegram from Cairo, which stated that 22 year old Private William Waite, of the Royal Bucks Hussars, had been seriously wounded, his parents, Thomas and Kate Waite, of Milton Keynes, then received telegraphic news on Thursday morning that he had died on Monday, June 11th. Suffering from bomb injuries to both legs, his chest and shoulder, he had been admitted to No. 2 Australian Stationary Hospital, El Arish, Egypt, on June 1st. Being the second son, from working on his father’s farm he had voluntarily enlisted in November 1915, and whilst in training at Tidworth was appointed lance corporal. However, he relinquished the non commissioned rank, and further prospects of promotion, in order to join the fighting unit of the County Yeomanry in Egypt, to where he was subsequently sent in early 1916. In the desert fighting against the Senussi tribe he displayed remarkable courage, and was a most popular member of his regiment. A fine athlete, he won many prizes on the running track and in wrestling competitions, both whilst training in England and also in Egypt.

(A memorial service to Trooper Waite, who had lived at Newport Pagnell, would be held in Milton Keynes Parish Church on Sunday evening, June 23rd, with being present amongst the numerous congregation his parents and three brothers. He is buried in the Cairo War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt.)

B.S. 1917 July 21st

Received in action in France, Private Arthur Butcher, of the 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, is officially reported to have died on Friday, July 6th in France from severe gunshot wounds, in the arm, thigh, leg, knee, and ankle. Despite an operation, he only survived for ten hours after being taken to a casualty clearing station, and was buried at Aubigney en Artois, with his grave being marked with a cross. Born at Sherington, Bucks, he was aged 24, and was the only son of the late Thomas Butcher, of Wavendon. His mother and stepfather, Lizzie and Harry Savage, of Milton Keynes, have received the following letter from the Duke of Bedford;
“Your son served so long under me, and was so well known to me that I hope I may be allowed to express to you my sincere sympathy in the sad loss you have sustained. Your son died a gallant death, giving his life in the cause of his country.”

When employed on Mr. Hooton’s farm, at Milton Keynes, Private Butcher had voluntarily enlisted just over two years ago, and had been in France for 17 months. Following treatment in hospital in Stockport and Bangor, consequent to wounds received in action in September 1916, he had again reported for duty, and returned to the front on February 1st, 1917. Initially he had been rejected for the Army both at Wolverton and Oxford, but was accepted on going to the Ampthill headquarters of the Duke of Bedford’s Regiment. Taking a keen interest in sport, he was locally well known as a cricketer and footballer, and on Sunday evening a memorial service took place at Milton Keynes Parish Church.

B.S. 1917 Nov. 24th

John and Blanche Dover, of Milton Keynes, received official news last Friday that their only son, Trooper John Dover, of the Royal Bucks Hussars, had died on Saturday, November 10th at Beersheba, of wounds received in action near Ascalon. Previously refused on two occasions because of his age, having turned 17 he enlisted voluntarily in the Royal Bucks Hussars on September 21st, 1914, and although being offered a commission in an infantry battalion he refused, preferring to stay in the ranks of the Bucks County Regiment of Yeomanry. Leaving England on August 30th, 1915, he would see a good deal of fighting in Egypt, and went through the desert campaign against the Sennussi tribe, being mentioned more than once in despatches. For a long time he was associated with the signalling and telephonic section of his regiments, but details regarding the circumstance of his death have not yet been released. He had been born at Milton Keynes on December 13th, 1896, and had been educated at Bedford Modern School and at Elstowe, where he gained a reputation for his sporting qualities. He is buried in the Military cemetery, Beersheba.

B.S. 1918 Nov. 23rd

Lance Corporal Harry Markham, of the 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, was killed in action close to Mons on Saturday, November 9th. The sad news was conveyed to his parents, George and Jane Markham, of The Green, Milton Keynes, by the Chaplain of the Regiment, who stated that their youngest son had been killed by an enemy shell. He continues;

“It is a great blow to you and yours to lose your dear son almost at the last moment of the fighting. He was a gallant soldier and died bravely in his country’s service. He was very popular among his comrades and is greatly missed by his company. It is particularly hard for you to receive these sad tidings, especially now our goal has been reached. May God give you strength and comfort in your great sorrow.”

Lance Corporal Markham was aged 22, and had joined the Beds. Regiment on May 26th 1915. After training at Ampthill he went to France in February 1916 and, being wounded once, and gassed twice, had participated in much of the severe fighting. Before enlisting he worked for Mr. J. Dover, of Milton Keynes, and last July was home on leave with his brother, who is serving in France.