Appeal for Old Clothing for Belgians

20-22 Lake Street, Leighton Buzzard 2008 [CR/PH]

Monday 18th November 1918: Back in March 1916 Charles Piron, a Belgian refugee now living at 20, Lake Street, Leighton Buzzard, was able to secure the donation of waterproofs for a friend serving in the Belgian army as a volunteer https://bedshomefront.blogspot.com/2016/03/waterproofs-for-belgian-soldiers.html . He is now organising an appeal for old clothing to relieve the needs of his compatriots in evacuated districts of Belgium. He writes:

“May I thank the residents of Leighton Buzzard and Linslade for their cordial initial response to my appeal for old clothing for Belgians in the evacuated districts. I have already been able to despatch two bales of clothing, and the donors may rest assured that every article in those bundles will be used to relieve real and poignant distress. The Girl Guides have promised to assist in the future collection. May I therefore ask any person who can spare old clothing (including underclothing), hats, boots or shoes, to send me a postcard, and I will do the rest with the aid of the Girl Guides. If I could only make everyone understand how terrible the need is, there would be a ransacking of wardrobes, I am sure, in hundreds of homes. Nothing is too old, or too worn out.”

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 19th November 1918

Belgian Charged with Failure to Register

Leighton Buzzard High Street with Swan Hotel to the left, c.1900 [Z1306/72/10/1]

Saturday 13th July 1918: George Marie Van-der-Poele, a Belgian subject, has appeared at the Leighton Buzzard police court after receiving a summons for failing to notify the Registration Officer of where he intended to be living and the date on which he changed his place of residence. Mr Van-der-Poele came from London on 26th June intending to stay at the Swan Hotel and duly reported his arrival. However, he should have had his identity book stamped before he left London and this had not been done. Speaking in broken English he explained that he had intended to return to London but had some difficulty in getting a season ticket. He was then advised to inform the London police. The proprietor of the Swan Hotel later notified the Leighton Buzzard police that Mr Van-der-Poele had gone, and the next day a postcard was received saying that he had returned to London.

While the prosecution did not want a heavy penalty to be imposed, they did wish the magistrates to make it clear to Mr. Van-der-Poele that he was obliged to inform the police whenever he decided to change his residence. He had been fined for a similar offence at Linslade last February, although in that case he had been to France without notifying the police. The Chairman explained to Mr. Van-der-Poele that notice must be given by foreigners before changing address, and that sending a postcard after the event was not sufficient.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 16th July 1918

Belgian Matters

Corn Exchange and Plume of Feathers, Lake Street, 

Leighton Buzzard c.1905 [Z1306/72/9/6]

Saturday 22nd July 1916: Belgian refugee Lambert Giebels, who was sentenced to three months imprisonment for theft in May, has appeared in court at Bletchley charged with assaulting a police inspector. After completing his gaol sentence Giebels was taken to a detention camp in London to await deportation, but on Thursday morning he escaped, despite being “scantily clad”. Giebels returned to his cottage at 7 Plantation Road, Leighton Buzzard, but the Leighton police had been informed of his escape and were on his trail. Yesterday afternoon a special constable spotted him walking towards Bletchley with his wife and baby. The constable fetched Inspector Callaway, who told the court that he found the prisoner and his wife in a field. He accused the man of being Giebels and took a pair of handcuffs from his pocket, but when he saw them the prisoner said he would go quietly; however Giebel’s wife got between them, allowing her husband to run away. The Inspector chased him and after a violent struggle the escapee was arrested and taken to Bletchley Police Station. While he was being searched he took a piece of paper out of his pocket, tore it in half and tried to eat it, but Inspector Callaway seized him by the throat and hooked the paper out of his mouth with a finger, getting badly bitten in the process. Giebels was remanded in custody, shortly before two Belgian military police from London arrived in search of him.

Despite this incident, which is most unusual, the people of Leighton and Linslade have great sympathy for the suffering Belgians. The girls of Linslade Council School recently held an open day in support of Belgian Day, which collects money to help Belgian children who are still in their own country. The girls brought cakes, fruit and vegetables for sale, raising nearly £2. They gave a performance of drill, songs and recitations, and two little Belgians sang the French and Flemish national anthems. Altogether the day raised a total of over £4. Two days later the children of the Infants’ School also held an open day for the same cause, which raised a further £1.11s. The Leighton Buzzard Observer has also published an appeal (in French) by Charles Piron, a Belgian refugee staying at the Plume of Feathers Hotel in Lake Street, Leighton Buzzard. On behalf of his son, a prisoner of war, he has asked for help in sending food parcels to Belgian prisoners of war who are unable to receive them from home.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 18th and 25th July 1916

Belgian Refugee Appears in Court

High Street, Leighton Buzzard, 1913 [X291/376] 

Tuesday 2nd May 1916: A Belgian refugee has appeared at Leighton Buzzard Police Court charged with using threatening language towards Eliza Baines, of 50 Baker Street, Leighton Buzzard. Miss Baines said that on 8th April she was in the High Street, and hearing voices behind her she turned and saw Lambert Giebels, who said he would kill her. She went to the police sergeant and reported the incident. She had known Giebels since last spring when he lodged in the same house. She had no quarrel with him, but last September “he wanted me to go with him instead of his wife, and I did not want to”. She had not seen him since, but was afraid he would do her injury as he had previously threatened her.

Giebels, speaking in broken English, spoke of a “photo-man” and said Miss Baines was trying to take away his “sharacter”. Miss Baines said that he had sent the “photo-man” upstairs to her when she was dressing to try to make her jealous. A woman shouted repeatedly from the court room that she was the girl’s mother and could tell them “something about the photo-man”. Witness Eva Faulkner, appearing very nervous, said she was with Miss Baines in the High Street and heard Giebels say something she could not understand. He had looked angry, but she could not tell the court any more. The magistrates dismissed the case.

Giebels was then tried on a second charge of stealing tools, a window frame, a roll of zinc, corrugated iron roofing, timber and other items from his employer, Harry George Brown of Leighton Buzzard, between January and April that year. He claimed that he had brought some of the tools with him from Belgium, and had bought various materials which he had used to build a fowl run in his garden. Giebels admitted in court “I did not steal all that is there. I took some of the tools, but not to keep them. I took them to make a box with, as I have to go away to France tomorrow. The piece of zinc I bought for 9d., and the wood is mine; I bought that, too. The iron sheets I found in my house. I took the window frame away, thinking it was an old one and no good.” He pleaded not guilty to a further charge of stealing a plane and a square from Mark Holland, a wheelwright, saying they were his own and had been brought from Belgium. He added that he had received his papers to join the Belgian Army. The magistrates sentenced Giebels to three months imprisonment with hard labour. He smiled and muttered, “Better prison than trenches”.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 9th May 1916

Waterproofs for Belgian Soldiers

Albert, King of the Belgians, Belgian Soldiers Fund Official Souvenir, 1915-6

[X758/1/10/69]

Sunday 19th March 1916: Monsieur Charles Piron, a Belgian refugee who has been living in Leighton Buzzard since June, made an appeal in the Leighton Buzzard Observer last week for a friend badly in need of a waterproof. Monsieur Joseph Pennartz had written to him saying: 

"I am in the muddiest hole you could dream of - mud up to the knees, and now snow. Is there possibly some 'fairy godmother' in your district who would be kind enough to send me a waterproof? It is very necessary; we are exposed to all weathers. Please try to find me this 'rara avis'. I am of middle height. I don't ask for anything luxurious, but khaki coloured if possible."

The day his appeal appeared, M. Pennartz was delighted to receive both a splendid waterproof, and a motor cyclist's rubber waterproof and overalls. He was able to send the second gift to another Belgian soldier, Michel Counet d'Aywaille. This young man, still only 19 years old, ran away from his home in February 1915 with eight others, intent on joining the army. As they crossed the Dutch frontier the group was fired on by a German patrol and four of them were killed.  After reaching Holland, the survivors travelled on to England where they joined the Belgian army. 

M. Pennartz was a wealthy tobacco merchant before the war, but is now penniless and serving in the Belgian army as a volunteer. M. Piron has a son in Germany as a prisoner of war and was himself lucky not to be executed. The day after he escaped to Holland seven of his friends were shot as spies. A musician, he has delighted local audiences with his playing since arriving in Leighton Buzzard. In a letter of thanks he writes:

"I cannot let pass this opportunity to acknowledge publicly in my name and those of my compatriots, our gratitude to you personally and to the generous givers. We Belgians, particularly those from Wallonie, knew nothing of, or rather did not understand Great Britain. Since the early days of my stay in England I have had reason to appreciate at its true worth the generosity of the British people, and especially of British ladies, - a generosity which is characterised by the sincerity, the discretion, and the great delicacy with which it is dispensed."

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 14th and 21st March 1916

Luton Mayor Intervenes to Help Belgian Family

John Henry Staddon, former Mayor of Luton [Z49/261]

Saturday 12th February 1916: The Mayor of Luton himself has been involved in an errand of mercy for a distressed Belgian refugee family. He appeared at a meeting of the Luton Education Committee to explain the circumstances which had caused one of the children to come to the notice of the School Attendance Sub-Committee. The mother of the family had been ill for some weeks and the child, an eleven year old girl, had been looking after both her mother and four other little children. The father was working at Messrs. Balmforth’s until about 9.30 p.m., and when he returned home each night he cooked the next day’s food for his wife and children while the eleven year old did the housework. The mother had now been admitted to the Infirmary and the Mayor had made arrangements for a nurse to look after the children until something could be done for them.

The Committee agreed that no action would be taken and the matter would be postponed. No pressure had yet been exercised in the case, although a letter had been sent to the father calling attention to the girl’s absence from school. The Mayor pointed out that the official notice had “frightened the life out of them”. Alderman Arnold pointed out that it could be assumed that the father was earning a fair amount and despite the labour shortage it should have been possible to get someone else to look after the children so the girl could go to school. The Mayor said that one lady in the neighbourhood was so distressed by the situation that she had said she would go and live in the house and take care of the children herself if necessary.

Source: Luton News, 10th February 1916

Mixed Fortunes for Village Soldiers

 

Westoning Council School group 10 October 1915 [Z1132/2]

Saturday 4th December 1915: News from the Villages

  

Barton-le-Clay

A collection was made during the week ending November 13th for the National Million Shilling Fund for the Belgian Army. This raised a total of £5, very considerably more than the £2 the village had been asked to contribute. The scheme was to raise a million shillings to provide comforts of food and clothing to the entire Belgian Army as well as necessities such as field kitchens, sterilizers and trench heaters.

Gravenhurst

Miss Miller has now collected over 1,000 eggs for the sick and wounded. Many have been sent to base Hospitals in France. Percy Parrish, from whom we first heard in January, has written to his mother describing how his brother Cyril has been wounded: “I went down and saw his (Cyril’s) Captain and he told me all about it, he was hit about 3 o’clock in the morning while on guard in the trenches, and the Captain said he was the best bit of stuff he had seen, we can well be proud of him; and he gave over his orders as if nothing had happened, and told the boys he was just going for a holiday, and he would be back in a month or two, and have another go”.

Flitton and Greenfield

Mrs Arnold of Greenfield is grieving the sad loss of her husband Omar, who was killed when his ship was in collision with another in the Aegean Sea. “He was a good man and his heart was turned to God”.

Westoning

The Day School children are busy preparing to give a concert in the New Council Schools on December 10th. The aim is to provide comforts for Westoning men at the Front. The Sunday School children have agreed to the suggestion that they should forego their Christmas treat and the money saved be added to the amount raised.

Silsoe

The parish congratulates Colonel Lumley Jones on his appointment as Brigadier General. As he began the war with the rank of Captain, his promotion has been extraordinarily rapid.

Clophill

A concert given at Clophill by violinist Monsieur de Reyghere and his concert party has raised nearly £5 for the Belgian Relief Fund. Belgian badges were distributed during the interval and a collection made on behalf of Belgian soldiers which realised £1 7s 0d. M. de Reyghere has committed himself to giving a hundred concerts for this cause and has already performed more than sixty.

Mr and Mrs James Sharman have lost their baby James to whooping cough. There have been a number of bad cases during the epidemic which caused the closure of the school last month, but this was the only death.

Source: Monthly Magazine for the parishes of Barton-le-Cley, Clophill, Flitton and Greenfield, Gravenhurst, Silsoe, Westoning, December 1915 [P21/30/17]

Bathrooms for Troops

Bathroom at Beamish Museum, County Durham [Wikimedia]

Thursday 2nd December 1915: An appeal has been made to the people of Bedford to allow the use of their bathrooms by soldiers billeted in the town. Alfred Haizelden of the Y.M.C.A. says that they are repeated asked “Where can I have a bath?”  If fifty people would allow the use of their bathroom for one or two hours twice a week it would be a tremendous help. A number of private baths have been given on this basis, but they are all booked a fortnight in advance.

Another group in need of assistance are the young Belgian children who have been rescued from behind the firing line and are now being taught in school colonies. Mrs Shenton of 28 Spenser Road will be glad to receive gifts of clothing for the children either at her home or at the Corn Exchange.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard, 3rd December 1915

More Casualties for Henlow

Henlow War Memorial, 1930s [Z1130/58/10]

Thursday 16th September 1915: Since our update in March another six Henlow men have lost their lives, making a total of ten over this past year of war:

• Private Edward Vine RNVR, age 34, died at the Dardenelles fighting with the Deal Division of the Royal Marine Light Infanty. His death was reported here in July. He leaves a widow, Ethel Dorothy Vine, of Merton, London.
• Private Wilfred Field of the 1st Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment was killed in action with the 1st Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment on 6th April 1915.
• Private Wilfred Vine, age 19, was killed serving with the Bedfords on 20th April 1915. He was the son of Mrs W Vine of Henlow.
• Lance-Corporal Horace John Taylor, age 18, was killed on 3rd May 1915 while serving with the 1st Battalion of the Hertfordshire Regiment. A native of Henlow, his parents Edward and Mary Ellen Taylor now live at Letchworth.
• Private John Turner appears on the Henlow War Memorial, but nothing more is known of his war service or where he died.
• Private Jesse Wilfred Vine RNVR of the Chatham Division of the R.N. Division Royal Marine Light Infantry, age 26, died in Turkey on the 13th July 1915. He was the son of Ellen Vine of “Thenioux”, Arlesey Road, Henlow, and the late Frank Vine. He leaves a widow, Valentine Vine of Thenioux, Cher, France.

The two Belgian refugees who have been dependant on the parish have now found work at the munitions factory at Letchworth. As they are now in a position to provide for their own families subscriptions for their support are no longer being collected. Any balance left in the fund will be given to help the Belgians begin new lives when they are able to return home.

An appeal has been made through the parish magazine for people to exercise thrift, as by spending less they will help to keep prices down. Also by saving they will be able to lend to the Country and support the war effort. War Stock Certificates and Vouchers can be bought at the local Post Office. The Certificates are available in £5 units, and the Vouchers are five shillings.

Source: Henlow Parish Magazine, September 1915 [X381/3]

Queens Engineering Works Support the Belgians

Thursday 2nd September 1915: Over a year into the war Bedfordshire continues to show its concern for the plight of the people of Belgium. Not only are most of the county’s towns and villages supporting refugees in their midst, but an appeal has now been launched to help those Belgians who have been driven out of their country into Holland and France where they find themselves in a state of complete destitution. A meeting was held yesterday afternoon in the yard of the Queen’s Engineering Works at Bedford presided over by the Company Chairman, Mr. W. H. Allen.

The men were addressed by Mr Hastings Pimbury of the Union des Comités who appealed to their sympathy and generosity. Mr Pimbury had lived in Belgium for twenty years and was president of three working men’s clubs in the village where he lived. He had been there when the German Army invaded the country and had seen villages burnt to the ground. The Belgians who had escaped to Holland and those still in the unconquered part of Belgium were now living as best they could in huts in miserable circumstances. He reminded them of some of the atrocities which had been committed by German soldiers and told them of orphan children living on charity. When asked who was prepared to subscribe every member of the audience raised his hand. Three cheers were given for Mr. Pimbury and for the King of the Belgians.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard, 3 September 1915

From Maulden to Maastricht

Maastricht [Wikimedia]

Sunday 13th June 1915:  We heard in January that Monsieur Joseph Schwartz, a Belgian refugee who had been the guest at Maulden of the Great Barford subscribers to the Great Barford and Maulden Refugees’ Fund, had returned to Belgium to search for his wife and and seven children. The following letter has been received by Mr. W. P. Gordon, J.P.:

“To Mr. and Mrs. Gordon. You will please pardon me for not writing sooner, but since I left Maulden I have been overburdened with grief, for I have not yet recovered my wife and children, and this is a great unhappiness for me. I thank you for the great kindness you have shown me so many times, and I wish you every happiness, and also all those who were so kind to me in Bedfordshire. Kindly give my regards to M. and Mdm. Van Huffell, and Mdm. Rombaux.[1]  Again accept my most sincere thanks and good wishes. Joseph Schwartz, refugee, Maastricht.”

M. Van Huffell has also had a letter from his brother who was fighting with the Belgian Army and is now in hospital near Calais suffering from gas poisoning.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard, 11th June 1915

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[1] The other refugees who had been accommodated at Maulden.

Two Toddington Men Wounded

Interior of Toddington Wesleyan Church, 1915 [Z1130/126]

Thursday 10th June 1915:  News has reached the village of Toddington that two of its men have been wounded. Private T. Garner of the 2nd Bedfords sent a card to his brother on 19th May to say he had been admitted to hospital after receiving shrapnel wounds to the head, chest, and a finger. He was taken from to the General Hospital at Sheffield and sent from there to the Red Cross Hospital at Chesterfield. He is progressing well and hopes soon to be fit enough to visit his friends and relatives at Toddington. The second man, Charles Pearson Hobbs, emigrated to Canada several years ago with his younger brother and the two men had been doing well farming. On the outbreak of the war Charles volunteered to serve in the Canadian Forces. After training in England his company was sent to the Front six weeks ago and took part in the Battle of La Bassée. Two weeks ago the company was sent to the reserve trenches. After heavy fighting, in which the Germans were driven back two miles, a German shell exploded killing four of Hobbs’ comrades and wounding a number of others, including Hobbs himself. He was taken to the Leicester Base Hospital in England while still unconscious. He has since recovered consciousness but with a temporary loss of speech. Hopes are high that he will recover.

Meanwhile in the village a collection has been made at the Wesleyan Church for soldiers serving at the Front. Gifts of chocolate, cocoa, scissors, writing paper, safety pins, cigarettes, biscuits, and other useful items were collected during a break in the service. Over 70 parcels were collected at the morning service, and an even greater number in the evening. Another unusual religious event for Toddington was a Roman Catholic funeral held last Saturday afternoon for Mrs Johanna Carolina Merinus, the wife of a Belgian refugee who has been financially supported by the Wesleyan Church. Mr. Merinus and his wife had escaped from Antwerp and arrived at Toddington last December. Mrs Merinus contracted double pneumonia in February and although for a time her life was despaired of she recovered her health, only to die in childbirth last Wednesday. Her baby son survived his mother and the whole parish is united in sympathy for his father at this tragic time

Source: Luton News 4th June and 11th June 1915 

News from the Villages

Clapham Road Infants School class celebrates Empire Day, 1906 [Z912/21(18)]

Monday 7th June 1915: News from theVillages

Barton-le-Clay

A tea was given last month for the Belgian refugees of the district. About fifty, with friends, attended. As it was a fine day there were various pastimes in the gardens and the afternoon ended with a concert by the brass band. A vote of thanks was given by Mr. C. Marien, who gave a graphic description of their flight from Antwerp and the trials they had undergone on their way to England. He hoped that when the Germans have been evicted the band would come to Antwerp and take part in the celebrations. As the village correspondent says “how extraordinary it seems to write the above. If anyone had predicted a year ago that we should have been entertaining Belgian refugees at Barton, it would have seemed incredible”.

Clophill

The Cricket Club has decided to not play regular fixtures this season due to the war, though it is hoped that some scratch games may be arranged with so many soldiers around. Bert Royston, who has often helped the village team, went to the Front with the Canadian Scottish and has been taken prisoner.

Flitton and Greenfield

As the school was closed for Whitsuntide on Empire Day, May 24th, the children celebrated it early on Friday 21st. Prizes were given out by the Vicar, there were songs and flag-waving and a speech given by Miss Leach. Each child brought in one penny in order to send tobacco, chocolate and other comforts to our soldiers and sailors who are “fighting the greatest fight for honour and freedom the world has ever known.”.

Gravenhurst

The children of Gravenhurst also celebrated Empire Day on 21st May, when they saluted the flag, sang the National Anthem, and marched into the schoolroom singing patriotic songs. They were then given a half-day holiday.

Silsoe

Eggs are still being collected weekly for the wounded soldiers at Wrest Hospital and delivered to the hospital every Thursday by the Misses Jones. The eggs are much appreciated but they are currently being provided by only a small number of people and an appeal has been made for more parishioners to donate. The authorities at Wrest say they can make good use of as many eggs as the village can send them. Every little helps, even one egg a week!

Westoning

Forty three men who are either from this parish or closely connected with it have now joined the armed forces. Sergeant G. Gazely has been at the Front since the  beginning of the war and has now been wounded for a second time. 

Source: Monthly Magazine for the parishes of Barton-le-Cley, Clophill, Flitton and Greenfield, Gravenhurst, Silsoe, Westoning, June 1915 [P21/30/17]

Biggleswade Does Its Bit

Royal Engineers Signals Section leave Biggleswade, 1915 [Z1306/16/36/5]

Thursday 29th April 1915: News has reached us of the contribution being made to the war effort in Biggleswade. Men from the town continue to join the Forces and the Roll of Honour for the town now includes a total of 338 men. Those who have joined the Forces this month include:

• John Day, son of Mr. John Day of the Olney Arms (an old Militiaman) has joined the 3rd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment.
• John Green, formerly licensee of the Shoulder of Mutton has joined the Army Service Corps as a driver.
• G. Cooper, A. Munns and A. Kefford have all enlisted with the Northern Signal Company of the Royal Engineers and have gone to Leeds for preliminary training. The Northern Signal Company were billeted in the town and left on Saturday 10th April, sent on their way by the cheers of 3,000 people and the music of the Town Silver Band.
• Mr A. Cartwright of 12, Sun Place, joined the 5th (Reserve) Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment and has gone to Newmarket.
• Cyril Burton, the second son of Mr. Charles Herbert Burton, Honorary Secretary of the Unionist Club and the Unionist Association, has joined the Royal Navy as Boy, 2nd Class. He is the third Biggleswade lad to join the Navy since the beginning of the war, following Stanley Chivers (whose father and brother have also enlisted to serve their Country) and Fred Wells.

Inevitably there have been casualties from the town. Nineteen year old Private Alfred Lovett of the Bedfordshire Regiment is home on sick leave. He has been at the Front with the 2nd Battalion since the beginning of October and has been wounded three times, once in each arm and once in the shoulder. At Neuve Chapelle he was shot through the forearm with shrapnel and was sent to Manchester Hospital for treatment. Corporal Henry Gray of the 1st Battalion has written home to his brother, Mr. William Gray of Cromwell House, telling him he was wounded in the thigh by a shell splinter at Hill 60 and is now in hospital at Oxford. Private Charles Day and Private Sam Bilcock, also of the 1st Bedfords, are both prisoners of war in Germany and have written home asking their parents to send them some bread, butter and cake. Two of Private Day’s brothers are serving at the Front, and a third brother died while on army service in India. In happier news Private Albert Millard of Luton and Miss Lottie Brown of Sun Street were married at Biggleswade Parish Church on Saturday. The bride’s father, Mr. Tom Brown, is an old Militiaman and her brother Charles helped the 2nd Bedfords to repel the Prussian Guard at Ypres in October and has been wounded twice. The bride wore a fawn tweed costume, and a white straw hat trimmed with white silk and orange blossom.

The stay of the Royal Engineers in the town has been commemorated by the gift of a solid silver communion chalice and paten to the Parish Church. It is of Tudor Gothic design, inlaid with moonstones, and is inscribed: “Presented to the Parish Church, Biggleswade, by the officers and men of the Northen Signal Service Training Centre, Royal Engineers. Easter, 1915”. The town’s Belgian guests are also grateful for the support of the Biggleswade people. Monsieur Henri Bals has expressed his thanks on behalf of his family. Three of the children are attending the Council School, where they appear to have settled in happily.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard April 16th and April 30th 1915

Henlow and the War

Henlow War Memorial, 1930s [Z1130/58/10]

Sunday 14th March 1915: The parish of Henlow has already lost four men in the service of their country:

• Private Edwin John Bywaters, age 21, son of Harry and Emma Bywaters of High Street, Henlow, killed on 23rd August 1914 serving with the 1st Bedfords (our war correspondent posted an obituary for Private Bywaters at the time) [1] 
• Leading Stoker William Thomas Page, age 33, who died when the HMS Aboukir was sunk by a German submarine on 22nd September 1914
• Private William Flack Brandram of the 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge’s Own), who was killed at Ypres on 30th October 1914
• Private Archer Sidney Fisher, aged 21, who was also killed at Ypres on 16th November 1914 serving with the 1st Battalion of the Rifle Brigade. His parents Clarence Sidney and Rosa Fisher now live at Hurstpierpoint in Sussex.

A further sixty-one Henlow men are currently serving in the armed forces.

There are now three families of Belgians resident in the village. The most recent arrivals are Monsieur and Madame Lanwers and their little boy Henri. M. Lanwers fought at Antwerp, was wounded and has now been discharged from Service as disabled. Monsieur Desir­è de Grande has left Henlow to join relatives at Leicester, having received the good news that his wife is alive and living with her parents in a village on the Yser.

Source: Henlow Parish Magazine [X381/3]

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[1] Harry and Emma Bywaters lost two more sons, Ernest and Horace, later in the war. 

News from the Villages

Greenfield School Boy Scout Troop c.1910

Sunday 7th March 1915: Barton-le-Clay

Mr Pike, who has been acting as interpreter for the Belgian refugees who  now been installed in the Mill House at Barton. He describes them as “unassuming simple folk, they appear to take their tribulation very light-heartedly, in spite of the heavy blow which has fallen upon them”. They were driven out of Antwerp on 9th October by a German incendiary bombardment which forced them to run for their lives. They spent two months in Holland before reaching England on 8th January. Those who contribute to their upkeep are in a small way paying back the debt owed by this country to the Belgians people. As one returned wounded soldier said to this parents: “you wouldn’t be comfortably sitting by your fireside hadn’t it been for the Belgians; had it not been for their brave stand there is little doubt the Germans would have been here, for no country was in any way prepared for such an unexpected onslaught. A little time was gained for preparation which saved the situation. You can’t do too much for these poor people who really fought and suffered for you”.

Gravenhurst

The rector has called on his parishioners to ask themselves the following question: “Am I, by my Christian life and conduct, helping to bring down God’s help to end the war, or by my un-Christian life, and taking part in National degeneration helping to prolong the war?”

Clophill

The ordinary church congregation has diminished disappointingly since the soldiers arrived in the village. There has been much illness, and it is admitted that the extra work makes it hard for some people to get to Church, but it is feared that there must be a considerable amount of slackness and things ought not to be as bad as they are.

Westoning

A second successful concert has been held in the new school on behalf of the Belgian Refugee Fund. After expenses a total of £3 18s 6d was raised. One of the village Boy Scouts, Ernest Randolph Elliott Burton died last month at the age of fourteen after a short illness. The Scouts, together with some from Flitwick and Harlington, attended his funeral. The coffin was covered with the Union Jack and the boy’s haversack and hat were placed on top. Ernest was a good lad, at home, at church and at school, and did his duty regularly and well as a Scout. He will be badly missed.

Silsoe

Mr H. Spensley came to the village on February 20th to distribute war badges to those Boy Scouts who have done good work in National Service – in the case of the Silsoe Scouts this work has been guarding the railway tunnel, assisting the police and working at the Military Hospital. The Badges were awarded to Harry Bunker, Leslie Mann, Joe White, Walter White, Robert White, Charles Gray, and Albert Mann.

Source: Monthly Magazine for the parishes of Barton-le-Cley, Clophill, Flitton and Greenfield, Gravenhurst, Silsoe, Westoning, February 1915 [P21/30/17]

Farm Labour Shortages

Prebendal Farm, Bedford [PU246/90]

Friday 5th March 1915:  Farmers across the country are experiencing difficulties due to a shortage of agricultural labour. Usually there are men who are out of work who are available to follow the threshing machine at whatever daily wage was offered. In recent years they have been able to ask for what they wanted, but this year there have been very few casual labourers available and farmers have had to borrow men from each other when they go threshing. Some farmers have applied for Belgian peasants to work for them, but there are nowhere near enough Belgians available to meet the need. In market gardening areas there has been a move to import Dutch labourers. To try to retain their existing labourers most local farmers have increased their wages, and in some cases they have been allowed to work shorter hours on Saturdays.

Another popular suggestion is the use of child labour as a solution for this labour shortage. Farmers would find boys of 12 and over very useful and their earnings would be very welcome to their families. In January it was reported that the Bedfordshire County Council Education Committee had agreed not to enforce school attendance bye-laws, but it now seems doubtful that the Board of Education would sanction the relaxation of local bye-laws. Educationalists are certainly firmly against such a move and it has to be admitted that in many cases boys would be unable to make up their lost education. The extra earnings would be useful to many families but so far only a few have tried to take their boys away from school.  

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer and Linslade Gazette, 9th March 1915

Belgian Refugees at Luton

Ostend Railway Station [Wikimedia]

Monday 1st March 1915: The Mayor of Luton’s Belgian Refugee Committee continues to do good work both on its own account and in supervising schemes run by various religious organisations in aid of refugee families. A number of houses have recently been furnished for the wives and children of some Belgians who have managed to find work locally. Currently nearly 120 refugees, from around 48 families, are being housed and maintained in Luton. The cost per head is estimated to be seven shillings per week (less for larger families). One family has become self-supporting, with the father and other family members all in good employment. A diamond cutter has been found work at the Chocolate Works, and a nurse living at 75 Ashburnham Road is nursing another refugee who is suffering from pneumonia.

In news of individual refugees, Monsieur Wets, formerly the stationmaster of Ostend, has just left Dallow Road where he was staying with his wife and child. The bombardment of Ostend had left him deaf. Another Belgian in Luton tells us that his cousin was blown in two by a bomb as he was running away. More happily one of the Belgian ladies has had a happy reunion with her soldier son. He had no idea where she was, and a postcard written by him from a hospital in Scotland had followed her all over Belgium before finally reaching Luton. The son was eventually traced to a London nursing home where his mother was able to visit him.

The Committee deplores the tendency of some places of worship to send contributions to the central fund in London, thereby limiting the amount of work that can be carried out locally.

Source: Luton News, 4th March 1915

A New Organ for Barton-le-Cley and a Coincidence

Church End, Barton c.1910 [Z1130/7/47b]

Wednesday 24th February 1915: The dedication of a new organ for St. Nicholas Church at Barton-le-Clay took place this afternoon. Lance Corporal Leonard Sturgess, who earlier this year described his stay in a Belgian church where there was a fine organ, is at home on sick leave and was well enough to be able to  pull one of the bells at the organ opening. Several Belgian refugees were present and when they saw the many bullet holes in his coat they acclaimed him as the “Barton hero”. Lance Corporal Sturgess himself survived the Battle of Ypres unscathed and has returned with the story of an extraordinary coincidence which came to his attention. Before the war an English tradesman lived next door to a German in London, where they were excellent neighbours. After the outbreak of war both were called on to fight for their countries – only for the German to be taken prisoner by his former neighbour!

Source: Barton-le-Cley Parish Magazine April 1915 [P21/3017]

Belgian Refugees at Potton

Image: Souvenir postcard of Potton, 1909 [Z1306/91/1/1]

Saturday 6th February 1914: Five more Belgian refugees from Antwerp are now living at Potton where they are lodging with Mrs George Boness of West End Lane. They are Madame Van Wetter-Robie, her sister Mademoiselle Robie, and her three children, Francis aged 16, Clementine aged 15 and Marie aged 13. Monsieur Van Wetter is an engineer on a the Belgian cargo steamer Teresia. When the war broke out his ship was at Alexandria. His family fled to Holland when the Germans entered Antwerp. The front of their house was demolished by shell-fire and they lost everything except what they were able to carry with them. Arthur Uytterelst, aged 17½ and one of the first batch of refugees to arrive in the village, has been accepted by the Belgian Army.

Source: Potton Parish Magazine, February 1915 [P64/30/4]