Escaped German Prisoners

German prisoners-of-war marching through Woburn Sands, c.1917 [Z887/2]

Tuesday 5th December 1916: Leighton Buzzard has been on alert since hearing that two German prisoners had escaped from a prisoner-of-war camp at Woburn yesterday. Carl Schwartz and Paul Hubner, two inmates of the camp at Crawley Road, had been at work in Woburn Park felling and cutting timber. When the prisoners were marched back from the park to the camp just before dusk, the two men were found to be missing. The guard and all the Woburn special constables were called up and spent the night on duty. The men were spotted at Eversholt and near Tingrith, then a message was received at mid-day to say the missing prisoners were in custody at Luton. Without food or a change or clothes it was not anticipated that they would get far. Special constables were sent from Leighton this morning to relieve the exhausted Woburn men, but their services were not needed.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 5th December 1916

Soldier Dies of Diphtheria

Eversholt Church c.1910 [Z1130/44/4]

Friday 23rd June 1916: With so many soldiers paying the ultimate price at the Front it is easy to forget that this is not the only danger they face. Infectious diseases can also take their toll, particularly with men living in the close conditions of an army camp. The suddenness of such deaths can be particularly cruel. Edward Oakley of Eversholt was home from Ampthill training camp earlier in the week and was not feeling well, but it came as a great shock when he died yesterday from diphtheria. His funeral is to be held on Tuesday and will be attended with full military honours. A keen local cricketer, Mr Oakley will be sadly missed by his former team mates. He leaves a widow and two small daughters. [1]

Source: Bedfordshire Times, 30th June 1916

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[1] Ironically a second man named Edward Oakley also from Eversholt died just over a week later on July 1st, killed in action in France with the 7th Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment. 

Death of Antarctic Explorer's Father

Frank Wild [Wikimedia]

Friday 20th August 1915: The funeral has been held today at Eversholt Church of Mr. Benjamin Wild, father of the well-known Antarctic explorer Frank Wild. Mr. Wild served as the village schoolmaster at Eversholt for 23 years. He was a great enthusiast for amateur theatricals and together with his large family of eight sons and three daughters the schoolchildren were trained to take part in many social entertainments. Mr. Wild also served as Clerk to the Eversholt Parochial Charity for many years. He retired from his post as schoolmaster several years ago due to ill health and moved to Flitwick before taking over a newsagent’s business at the Clockhouse at Ampthill. On his retirement from the school every pupil was given an illuminated card inscribed with a Biblical quotation from Proverbs.

After Mrs. Wild’s death five years ago Mr. Wild retired for a second time and went to live with a married daughter at Wood Green. His son Frank has visited the Antarctic three times and is now there as part of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Trans-Antarctic expedition. A second son, Eustace Wild, went out to South Africa with the Army Service Corps and died there of enteric fever. Three other sons – Laurance, Percy, and Stanley - are serving in the Forces. All three attended the funeral along with a fourth brother and their three sisters. Laurance Wild wore a sling on a wounded arm; his brother Stanley has also been wounded. 

Source: Bedfordshire Standard 27th August 1915

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[1] Wild was second-in-command on Shackleton's epic Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-1916. At the time of Wild's father's death in August 1915 the party's ship Endurance was trapped in pack ice. It subsequently sank, stranding the explorers. The group reached remote Elephant Island in April 1916 where Wild was left in charge while Shackleton and a handful of men sailed to South Georgia to raise the alarm. Wild and his men were finally rescued on 30 August 1916.