Sinking of the Aragon

RMS Aragon, 1908 [Wikimedia]

Saturday 2nd February 1918: Warrant Officer J. Watson of the Royal Engineers, an Old Boy of Bedford Modern School was on board the troop ship Aragon when it was torpedoed and sunk outside the harbour at Alexandria on 30th December. On 1st January he wrote a letter to his father at Bedford describing his experiences that day:

“Sent you a cable yesterday saying that I had arrived safely, but it is after swimming for my life, and I had lost everything I possessed except the clothes I stood in. I never thought I should tramp roads without boots on, but I did last Sunday. The scenes I have just gone through have been awful and most heart-rending. We were torpedoed in sight of our destination, and after those thousands of miles safely. I thank God I am safe with a whole skin. I was twice torpedoed, first on the transport close to which I stood, and again on the destroyer which I mounted to the deck.[1]  After the destroyer was torpedoed I waited a bit, and then dived over the heads of a large number of fellows already struggling in the sea. I thank God for my powers of swimming, which I think saved my life. I swam 100 to 150 yards with all my clothes on except boots, but it seemed like three or four miles. I selected a trawler, and managed to arrive in an exhausted condition, but recovered after a time, and gave a hand to help the trawler men, who were hauling the poor chaps in, but some of them did not survive.”

Source: Bedfordshire Standard, 8th February 1918

[1] Many of the Aragon’s passengers were rescued by the escort destroyer HMS Attack, which was itself torpedoed. Of 2700 men and women aboard Aragon, 610 were lost, including the ship’s captain and twenty five men on their way to reinforce the 5th Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment. 

Death of Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Blewitt

Heath Manor, Heath and Reach, c.1930 [Z1432/3/17/1]

Thursday 13th September 1917: Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Blewitt, whose three sisters live at Heath Manor House opposite St. Leonard’s Church in Heath and Reach, has died in France of wounds received from a bomb. Born in Pinner and educated at Eton, he was gazetted to his first commission in the King’s Royal Rifles in 1883. He took part in the expedition to Manipur in 1891, and was mentioned in despatches after the action of Abu Hamed during the Nile Expedition of 1897. In the following year he took part in the battles of Atbara and Khartoum, being twice mentioned in despatches, and he saw further service on the Nile in 1899. He served as a governor of Khartoum province under General Kitchener before returning to his regiment. He retired in 1905 and settled in New Zealand. At the beginning of the war he returned to England and offered his services to the government. He was re-employed with the temporary rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and placed in charge of several training camps. He was later sent to China to recruit a team of coolies to work in France, bringing them to Europe in a chartered steamer. His most recent post was a command in the Labour Corps, presumably in charge of the Chinamen. At the time of his death he was 56 years old.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer 11th September 1917; Poverty Bay Herald, 21stSeptember 1917

Three Soldier Brothers

Private Ernest Clements, 1916 [Luton News]

Tuesday 23rd January 1917: Three brothers from the same Leighton Buzzard family are all serving with the Bedfordshire Regiment. Their father, Mr. Robert Clements of 35 Mill Road is also an old soldier who is expecting to be called up for home defence; their mother Annie’s brother and nephew have also served in the Army, and her nephew was discharged due to wounds The eldest of the three brothers. Ernest, is married with three children. He was taken prisoner in April last year and is now in a prisoner-of-war camp in Germany, where the photograph above was taken.

The other two brothers, Sergeant Jim Clements and Private William Clements are both serving with the Bedfords in Egypt. Sergeant Clements’ time in the regiment expired just at the beginning of the war, but he signed on again and fought at Gallipoli. In a recent letter he says that he and his chums had a “jolly good time at Christmas. This is the third Christmas I have been away from home, but let us live in hopes that the fourth will find us all together again, and then we shall have a good time … I am in the best of spirits up to now, for the war, we hope, will soon be over, and I will be back in dear old Blighty.”  Private William was also at Gallipoli, where he escaped unscathed. He is finding the Egyptian climate rather hot.

Source: Luton News, 25th January 1917

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

Four Arlesey Brothers at War

Church End, Arlesey c.1915

Monday 15th March 1915: All four of the sons of William and Rose Bowskill [1] of Church End, Arlesey, are serving in the Forces. The Bowskills have received letters from each of the brothers, all of whom are currently in different countries. The eldest, William, is at Port Said in Egypt where he says “It is very hot in the desert. We get plenty of fruit, and cheap, but still I wish it was all over, so we could get back again. We don’t know any news what is going on at all … We cannot write much and letters don’t leave very often. I have only had one letter and two papers since I have been out here. Have you heard from Jim or Alf yet? Let me know how they are getting on. … Tell Peter we are in the Promised Land, but shall be glad to get out of it. We have had new potatoes. There are plenty of them in the market, also green peas, carrots, broad beans, and all sorts, so they are about six months before you at home.”

The second brother, James is in France with the 2nd Battalion of the Grenadier Guards. He thanks his parents for the parcel he has received from them and tells them “we are having a few days rest. We are in a fine billet. It was a college for girls in peace time, but it has been damaged a good deal by the German shells, and bombs from aeroplanes. I am glad you have heard from Alf, and to know he was getting on all right. I don’t supposed he has a very nice time. … I am sorry to say there is not many out of 12 hundred that came out with our Battalion in August. There is only about 150 left, so you can see I am one of the lucky ones, up to now.”

Alfred Bowskill of the Bedfordshire Regiment is now a prisoner of war in Germany, from where he writes: “I am getting on as well as can be expected; also P. Papworth. I am glad to know all the boys are getting on all right. I have not heard from Jack yet. I expect he has not got time to write. I also received the parcel you sent me, and it was all right. We are beginning to have some better weather now. I shall be pleased when this is all over. Your loving son, Alfred. PS. If you could send a shilling or two it will  be all right, as you can get things here with a little money.”

The Bowskills’ youngest son John (known as Jack) has not yet left England and is at Bury St. Edmunds with the 5th Bedfords. He says “don’t you trouble about me, for if they go to the front I am going, and I hope we shall all come back safe. I think I shall be home again, perhaps for four days, before we go”.

Source: Bedfordshire Times 19th March 1915

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[1] Also known as William and Rose Bowskill Dear [1891 and 1901 Censuses]