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

NBT 1915 May 11th Tue.

A letter from John Hart to his father, Arthur Hart, of Luton Road. John went out with the Expeditionary Force in August, and took part in the Mons retreat and all the subsequent battles. On April 22nd he writes;

“I am sorry to say we have had a terrible time of it. We have been under heavy shell fire for the past six days. Tom Wilson is with us and is all right, but poor old Monte (Arthur Kingham) got wounded. Gaizeley, who is in his company, told me he is seriously injured. A shell burst right in his dug-out. I never expected to come out alive.”

Two days later he writes;

“Poor old Monte (Arthur Kingham) is dead. I have heard he had one arm blown off and was terribly cut about with shell. Young Sid Bright (from Charlton) has got killed in the trenches. Major Pateman is here, joined us on Friday, 23rd. I have got him in my section.”

NBT 1915 May 11th Tue.

From hospital, Private Major Pateman writes to his parents, Major and Mary Pateman, of Luton Road, Todington;

“I have caught a dose of that poisonous gas that the Germans threw over last Sunday. I suppose you read about it in the papers. They know they can’t beat us other ways so they try to poison us. We just managed to hold our trench and did a few of them in too. It is worse than being wounded. It has been a warm place for us up there. I am going to be shifted to another hospital, but I will write as soon as possible.”

(Private Pateman, of the 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, was killed in action on Friday, August 23rd, 1918, aged 23. He was a resident of Toddington, where he had been born.)

NBT 1916 Feb. 1st Tue.

On eight days leave, Lance Corporal Joe Hucklesby arrived home from the trenches on Tuesday afternoon, and has now been able to give a first hand account of the conditions. Serving in the 6th Beds., he has been in the trenches on and off since early September, and says that the men get six days’ duty in the trenches, six days reserve trenches and 12 days behind the firing line. His battalion has not yet been in a charge, but they are now quite used to shell fire. On one occasion a shell blew the parapet of their trench to pieces, but no one was hurt. The food and conditions he says are very good, and despite the number of rats the men are no longer bothered by them.

NBT 1916 Apr. 11th Tue.

The late Secretary of the Social Club, Mr. J. Partridge, is now Corporal Partridge of the 7th Beds. (Signal Section), and writes home;

“You know I told you about the swarms of wretched rats we have in the trenches, and how they run all over your body at nights. Well, the other night I got the fair pip and creeps with them running about me, so I covered my head up with my only blanket. I couldn’t bear the ugly brutes in my face. I looked like a frightened nipper hiding from ghosts, I guess. Anyhow, to breathe, I left my nose exposed, and I’m blessed if in the middle of the night one of the saucy bounders pinned my nose. I woke up with a start you can guess, and they flew all roads round the dug-out and out of it. I put my hand up to my nose and it was covered with blood. I didn’t get into bed again that night. (I said bed, but ’tis only wire netting and a blanket. In the morning I saw the doctor to see if it was likely to be poisoned. He put some stuff on and it is nearly better now except for a small cut-like scar which will disappear in a month. My officer ordered wire netting (very small mesh) to be put all round the dug-out to keep them out, so things will not be so bad. I can tell you they were beginning to get on my nerves.”

NBT 1916 July 25th Tue.

From France, on July 5th Private Tom Britchford, Beds. Regiment, writes to his mother;

“I expect you have heard of the great advance that has been made. Well, I have been through it. I expect you have been wondering why I hadn’t written, but we have not been able to these last few days. We have had twenty nights in the trenches, being under shell fire all the time; so you can guess how pleased we are to get a rest out of the sound of the guns. We have advanced two miles on our front, and are fighting alongside the French soldiers. It is a wonderful sight when advancing to see thousands of men moving together with shells bursting over your heads and in front and behind of you. We went through it well, and did not have many killed. We had three nights and days in the trenches after the attack - this was the worst of the lot, for they shelled us the whole of the time; some were buried alive, and others killed. Twice we went out trenching, and had to run back for our lives, but still we did well and hope to do better. I wouldn’t have missed the sight for anything now I have got through. Thanks for the cigarettes - I was dying for a smoke.”

NBT 1916 Nov. 28th Tue.

Late of the Bedfordshire Regiment, Sergeant W.T. Wilson is now attached to a Machine Gun Section, and has been awarded the D.C.M. At the beginning of the month he received a congratulatory letter from the Brigade Major, which read;

“You have been given about the finest decoration you can get, and I only hope you will live long to enjoy it.”

A letter from Sergeant Wilson’s officer states that the award was for “most conspicuous devotion to duty and gallantry during an attack.”

NBT 1917 Jan. 9th Tue.

Writing home from the front, Private Sidney Franklin of the village states that the Church of England Chaplain attached to his regiment, the 20th Battalion, Manchester Regiment, is the Reverend R. Railton, Rector of Toddington.

(Private Franklin was killed in action on Friday, October 4th, 1918.)

NBT 1917 Jan. 9th Tue.

Wearing his D.C.M. Colours, Sergeant W. Wilson has recently been home from the front. He won the decoration while serving with the Machine Gun Corps, and has reluctantly told of the reasons for the award. During September in a hot attack his section was told to cover the flanks of the Beds. Regiment, but when the officers and two men of his party were lost, only Sergeant Wilson and three men were left with the machine gun. The enemy tried an enveloping movement, but due to the bravery of Sergeant Wilson and his men they could not get by, and were forced to retire. The C.O. of the Beds. Regiment specially recommended Sergeant Wilson for the award, in an action during which 700 enemy prisoners were taken. Sergeant Wilson has been on active service since the outbreak of war, and has been wounded three times as well as being gassed.

NBT 1917 Feb. 6th Tue.

William and Emily Horley, of Toddington, have received a letter from a comrade of their late son, Private William Horley;

“Will was dangerously wounded by shrapnel bullet in the head. I was in the clearing station at the time he was brought in and followed him to Hospital, where I saw him again this morning. He never regained consciousness and passed away soon afterwards. We had been comrades at Halton together, and he was as true a friend as one could desire. Godly and upright he has gone home earlier than we should have wished. It may comfort you in your bereavement to know that his last conversation to me within two hours of his being hit was of his home and then of things spiritual. We being comrades together, promised each other that we would write if anything happened to one another, and this is my fulfilment of that compact. God comfort and strengthen you is the sincere wish of Will’s chum.”

(Born at Toddington, Private Horley, who died from his wounds on Tuesday, January 16th, 1917, had been trained at Halton Park, and left for the Front shortly before Christmas. When at home he was a constant worker in Church affairs, and a beautiful appreciation of his life and work has been received by his parents from the Reverend J. C. Pipon, who was until recently Rector of the parish.)

NBT 1917 Feb. 6th Tue.

Sergeant Jim Hyde, of the R.A.M.C., is now home on leave from the front for 10 days. Having been on active service for 12 months, he has seen much fighting since last July, and speaks highly of the arrangements made for the comfort and welfare of the men at the front. In fine physical condition, since being in France he has gained over a stone in weight, and now wears the ribbon of the Military Medal. This was awarded for caring and tending to the wounded in an exposed position during a German counter attack. For some time he was in danger of being captured, but the position was eventually relieved. Being once slightly injured, he has suffered several narrow escapes, including whilst sleeping with many others in a house which received a direct hit from a shell. Two officers and several men were killed, but Sergeant Hyde escaped with a few bruises and a severe shaking.

NBT 1917 May 1st Tue.

Letters from Private John Lane, of Toddington, state that whilst proceeding with his regiment to India, via the Cape, the ship was torpedoed, but managed to reach port without loss.

NBT 1917 Aug. 7th Tue.

From the Canadian Hospital at Le Treport, France, Herbert Nicholls writes to his father;

“I was coming out of the trenches when Fritz put over a barrage of gas shells. I put my gas helmet on when they sent over shrapnel and high explosives, and it came down and destroyed my gas mask and never touched me. I thought my time was up. I got my handkerchief and water bottle and soaked it, and put it over my mouth when they started dropping gas shells all around me. I made a dash for it as best I could. All I remember is being in the dressing station, and then in the Red Cross train, having had 10oz. of blood taken out of my arm to kill the gas in me. My mate was in the trenches with me when Fritz dropped a shell and it blew him to pieces. Again I was not touched. Another of my mates was wounded in three places in his head and had his leg smashed. I am feeling too weak to write any more. I am at present lying in the Canadian Hospital at Le Treport, France.”

NBT 1917 Sep. 4th Tue.

A letter from her son, Private F. Bates, Middlesex Regiment, has been received by Mrs. Bates of Earl’s Court, Toddington. He has been a prisoner for four months, and writes from Limburg to say that he is quite well.

NBT 1918 July 23rd Tue.

Captain B. Armstrong, of Church Square, Toddington, has been awarded the Military Cross. He went to Canada in 1914, but when war broke out came back to England to enlist, joining King Edward’s Horse. He was soon transferred to France, where he gained rapid promotion. For some considerable time he has been acting captain to the company, and the official description of the award reads;

“The horse lines of two troops were heavily shelled. He at once went to the spot and encouraged and assisted his men in the difficult work of getting away the horses. By his promptness, energy and disregard of danger he succeeded in accomplishing the task with only very slight casualties.”

NBT 1918 Sep. 3rd Tue.

A local man serving in France writes home to his ‘dad and brother’;

“Our boys have been in action and have done well. My word, I could tell you something if it were allowed, but you know I cannot; yet I can tell you this without telling you an untruth. I saw easily five of the enemy dead to our one during our advance, and seeing is believing, they say; and there was quite as great a proportion of wounded who fell into our hands. I think the narrowest escape I have had was by an enemy machine swooping down on us with his machine gun, but I am safe. Although well on the go we were quite happy, because we were driving the enemy the right way.”