Sapper Percy Cobb Dies of Wounds

Sapper Percy W. Cobb

Saturday 27th October 1917: News has reached Bedford that Sapper Percy W. Cobb of the East Anglian Royal Engineers died of wounds at Lord Derby’s Military Hospital, Warrington on 22nd October. Before the war Percy Cobb worked as a fitter for Messrs. W. H. Allen. Following Kitchener’s call for volunteers he joined the East Anglian Royal Engineers on 31st December 1914 and was sent to France in the following April. He remained on active service until August 4th 1916 when he was severely wounded by shrapnel in the legs and body during fighting in Delville Wood. He lay in the open for many hours before a stretcher party could reach him, losing a great deal of blood. After being brought back to England Sapper Cobb underwent ten operations, but the effects of poisoned shrapnel left little hope for recovery. He was visited on a number of occasions by his wife, and arrangements had been made for him to be moved to the Voluntary Aid Detachment Hospital at Bedford, but this ultimately proved impossible.

Sapper Cobb’s funeral, which took place at Bedford Cemetery on Saturday, was attended by a number of workmen both from W. H. Allen’s Queen’s Engineering works and from the Grafton Works, where his father, Mr. G. W. Cobb , is a foreman. The cortege left Sapper Cobb’s home at 23 Brereton Road with the band of the Royal Engineers in front, and the coffin, covered by the Union Jack, on a gun carriage pulled by six horses. The family are well known local supporters of the Conservative party, and a brother of Sapper Cobb has served with the Territorials since the beginning of the war.

Source: Bedfordshire Times, 2nd November 1917 

Bedford Soldier Seriously Wounded

Corporal H. G. Clarke

Sunday 28th May 1916: Corporal H. G. Clarke, the son of Mrs. C. E. Clarke of 5 Cavendish Street, Bedford, has been seriously wounded serving with the 1/1st East Anglian Field Company of the Royal Engineers, on attachment to the 1/1st Lowland Field Company RE. As he was mounting guard a heavy shrapnel shell exploded, lacerating his right leg and thigh. He has been repatriated to England and is in Lincoln Hospital where he remains in a serious condition. He was due to return home on leave just three days after he was wounded. Before the war he had been employed at the Queen’s Engineering Works as a draughtsman for seven years.

Source: Bedfordshire Times, 2nd June 1916

Bedford Soldier Enjoying Life in Egypt

1/1st Signal Company, East Anglian Royal Engineers in Egypt (Beds Times 10/3/16)

Sunday 5th March 1916: Private C. W. Chettle of the 1/1st Eastern Mounted Brigade, Field Ambulance, has written home to Bedford describing life in Egypt:

“I am having a most enjoyable time. Our camp is about 5 or 6 miles from Alexandria, which can easily be reached by taking a tram which is only about 10 minutes’ walk from our tents. The journey is a magnificent one, and only costs ½ piaster (in English 1¼d), much cheaper than the Bedford buses! There are some very beautiful houses and buildings, all of which are white, and flat roofs, where clothes are dried. The gardens, which surround them, are full of orange trees, tomatoes, and palm trees. The latter grow dates in season, and dead and dried ones can be found lodging in the branches. Alighting from the car at the terminus you are immediately accosted by a number of natives, wanting to black your boots, and to sell their wares, and after telling them to “imshe” (go away), you wend your way then to the Y.M.C.A., where a good meal of ham and eggs, tea cake and fruit can be obtained. A visit to the reading and writing room kills the best part of two hours. The remainder of the evening is spent by visiting the picture palace or theatre. There are one or two English Churches, where we can go to on Sunday, but, of course, I would much rather it be Bunyan.”

 Source: Bedfordshire Times, 10th March 1916

Explosion at Britannia Iron Works

Entrance gate to Britannia Iron Works c.1865 [Z1306/10/36/1]

Tuesday 18th January 1916: A misjudgement on the part of a former soldier led to a tragic accident at the Britannia Iron Works this afternoon. John Wildman of 79, Marlborough Road, was recently discharged from the army after service at the Front as a sapper in the East Anglian Royal Engineers, and returned to his former employment at the Britannia Iron Works. He had brought a number of souvenirs hom with him from the trenches including a German shell which he took the the Works. It is not clear whether he simply intended to show it to his colleagues, or to attempt to dismantle it; whatever the original intention, the shell was fixed into a vice and operated on with a hack saw. Wildman had been under the impression that the fuse had been removed and the shell was harmless. Unfortunately he was mistaken and the shell exploded, killing Wildman himself instantly and fatally injuring three others, Donald Francis of Priory Street, a married man aged 26 with a three year old daughter, and two 16 year olds, Arthur Farmington of Eastville Road and George Trueman of Iddesleigh Road. The men were taking to the County Hospital opposite the Works but died almost immediately. A fifth man, Herbert Papworth, was injured in the thigh but is expected to recover. It appears that Wildman was attempting to saw through the shell horizontally to get top and bottom sections; only a small portion of the nose survived the explosion.

Source: Bedfordshire Times, 21st January 1916

The Godfrey Family

Sunday 21st November 1915: A Caddington family now living in Luton has contributed no less than five sons and one son-in-law to the Army – a considerable change from bricklaying, the trade in which their father Alfred Godfrey and most of the brothers were engaged before the war. A sixth brother also tried to enlist but was rejected. The brothers are:

• Sapper Alfred Godfrey, aged 32. Alfred served in the army for some years before the war. He was a member of the Leighton Buzzard Police Force before he was recalled to his regiment as a reservist in August 1914. About five months ago he was invalided home suffering from rheumatism, but is now back in barracks waiting to return to the Front.
• Sapper Percy Godfrey, aged 31. Before the war Percy worked for builder Mr J. Frost. He is married with four children who live with his wife in Butlin Road, Luton. He was an old Volunteer and joined the East Anglian Royal Engineers in January. He was sent to the Dardanelles from where he was hospitalised with poisoned hands and arms. He is now getting on well.
• Jack Godfrey, aged 29. Jack tried to join the East Anglian Royal Engineers, but was rejected on physical grounds.[1]
• Sapper Oscar Godfrey, aged 28. Oscar is in the Royal Engineers, having joined up in September 1914.
• Private Harry Godfrey, aged 24. Harry joined the Royal Army Medical Corps last August and is now serving in the Dardenelles. His wife and children live in Chapel Street, Luton.
• Lance-Corporal Archie Godfrey, aged 23. Archie served before the war in the 3rd Bedfords and was called up as a reservist. He was transferred to the 1st Bedfords and sent to the Front. He was reported missing after the Battle of Ypres and nothing his since been heard of him. According to the War Office report he is missing “believed to be killed”.[2]

Sapper Percy Morris, son-in-law of the Godfreys, is also serving with the East Anglian Royal Engineers. His wife and family live in Hastings Street and he too follows the family trade of bricklaying. Sadly Mr and Mrs. Godfrey have also lost two nephews to the war: Private Horace Mardle of Caddington of the 1/5th Bedfords, who died at Gallipoli on 16th August; and Joseph Pashley of Nottingham who was killed in France in March serving with the Coldstream Guards.

Source: Luton Times, 19th November 1915

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[1] It seems John [“Jack”] Godfrey was later successful in joining the East Anglian Royal Engineers. He died on 24th July 1916 and is buried at Caddington.

[2] Archie was killed on 9th November 1914. His death is recorded on the Le Touret Memorial.

News from Luton Men at Gallipoli

     

Lance Corporal H Foster and Sapper H S Mimms, 

members of the wire entanglement party

Tuesday 2nd November 1915: A Luton soldier has written home from Gallipoli where he is serving with the East Anglian Royal Engineers. Although their ranks have been seriously reduced by casualties and sickness he is able to report that all the Luton lads of the “Vicarage Street clan” are “in the pink”. They are enjoying surprisingly good provisions considering it is only just over two months since the landing at Gallipoli. Their rations quite frequently include bread and occasionally fresh meat, there is plenty of bacon for breakfast, and tinned vegetables are available.

He took a party including fellow Lutonians ‘Chicken’ Hensman and Stan Mimms out in front of the trenches on wire entanglement duties. They got their wire and equipment and themselves safely over the parapet and were advancing towards the Turkish trenches when a star shell[1] went up from the Turkish trench exposing them to rifle fire. They lay flat until the fire died down, but having laid 70 yards of wire they were in front of a different part of the trench to where they had started. When the rifle fire was followed by an exploding shell they ran for the trench. This was manned by Sikhs who at first mistook them for Turks and would have bayoneted them if they had not called out “English Johnny” as they scrambled into the trench. After completing the wiring job the following night they were ensconced in a dug out where they “have just had the pleasant news that the Turks intend to gas us tonight, and they have just treated our camp to a miniature bombardment of 7.5 guns”.

Source: Luton News 5th November 1915

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[1] A “star shell” contained a magnesium flare and was used to illuminate the battlefield.

Bedford Man Wounded at Gallipoli

No. 4 Section 2nd Field Co.(Reserve Unit) 

East Anglian Royal Engineers, Luton 1914 [Z50/142/573]

Tuesday 21st September 1915: Sergeant Arthur “Tich” Lancaster of the East Anglian Royal Engineers, a prominent member of the South End Club in Bedford[1], was wounded taking part in the new landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula. He has written to his friend Mr. E. Thompson from a hospital in Malta:

“I was ‘winged’ on the 1st September. We were putting up wire in front of the Indian trenches at the time. We had one chap laid out as soon as we started, but we got the job finished all right, and I was just getting back into the trench when a bullet broke my leg just above the ankle. We were all lucky to get back alive, as we were only about 200 yards from the Turks. I had a rough journey down to the base; it was about five miles through the trenches, but I got there all right. I was in a hospital ship for four days, and was then sent on here. I think my leg is going on all right now, but it has been bad. The doctors were afraid I should lose my foot, but they cut my leg about and put tubes in it, so I think the worst is over – at least I hope so. This is a very nice hospital, and we are looked after well; I can lie in bed and look out to sea. I have been on milk diet until today, now I am on chicken.”

Source: Bedfordshire Standard, 24th September 1915

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[1] Bedfordshire and Luton Archives holds records for the Southend Working Men’s Club from 1919-1979 [reference Z1160]

[2] Arthur Alfred Lancaster had joined the East Anglian Royal Engineers in 1908. He army service record notes “wounded in action, compound fracture left leg” and he was repatriated on 31st October 1915. He recovered sufficiently to continue in the army and was re-engaged for four years in April 1916. However his discharge record in 1919 recorded that he suffered from 50% disablement due to leg and eye injuries.

A False Attestation

No. 4 Section 2nd Field Company (Reserve Unit), 

East Anglian Royal Engineers, Luton, 1914 [Z50/142/573]

Thursday 25th March 1915: William Stenhouse, an iron dresser from Clifton Road, Luton has appeared in court charged with making a false statement when attesting as a recruit to the East Anglian Royal Engineers.

Captain Wilson said that Stenhouse had been sent to him from the Luton depot, had been given a uniform and sent on to Peterborough. He swore that he had never previously been in the Army, when in fact he had been a member of the 5th Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment. Captain Wilson produced the attestion from this prior period of service as proof. Stenhouse admitted the offence but said he did not think he was doing any harm by joining the Army again. As a single man he thought it was his duty to do so and told a lie on the spur of the moment. He had been discharged from the Bedfords for defective eye-sight, but had passed the East Anglian Engineers medical.

The Mayor asked Captain Wilson if he would take Stenhouse back, but the Captain said that even if a man wanted to fight for his country it was still a crime to tell a lie. The Mayor advised Stenhouse that on his discharge he should go to the Barracks and tell the truth.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard 26th March 1915

Music at the Front

Drawing room interior with piano, The Lodge, Bedford 1920 [Z50/9/831a]

Saturday 6th March 1915:  Mr Thomas Brightman of 17 Park Road, Kempston has received a letter from his son George, who together with his brother Arthur is serving with the 1st Field Company of the East Anglian Royal Engineers [1]:

“Dear Dad, We have got a decent billet, and that counts for a good lot. We are in a house with shell holes through the roof, some of which have been done since we have been here, but luckily they did no damage to any of us. We all have to sleep on the ground floor, but we have got used to that. During our spare time we often have a wander round the empty houses, which are very plentiful, and in our house now we have tables and chairs, and last, but not least, a piano, which has been on the go until 9 o’clock to-night, and as most of the chaps have now gone out to work I have settled down to write these few lines. I suppose if I told some people that we had had a piano on the go and singing only about a 1,000 yards from the firing line they wouldn’t believe me, but it is true though. When our Company does come back, dad, they will be able to hold their heads up knowing they have done their bit. Last Saturday some of the Company went out to do a ticklish job, and although a shell burst wounding some, and they were under a severe rifle fire at the time, they did the job they set out to do … I wasn’t there myself, but Arthur was, and he says it was a sight he will never forget. But still we’re here in the best of health, and you can’t wish for more, can you? And we are looking forward to the time when with the best of luck we shall be back home again with you all.” [2]

Source: Bedfordshire Times

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[1] 1st Field Company of the East Anglian Royal Engineers were serving in France with 2nd Division near Béthune.