Luton Mayor's Son Wounded

John Henry Staddon, formerly Mayor of Luton, as High Sheriff of Bedfordshire 1938-9 [Z49/261]

Wednesday 4th April 1917: News has been received of two of the sons of Luton’s Mayor John Henry Staddon. His eldest son, Lieutenant Wilfred Staddon, was initially reported missing in action in September last year, but was soon afterwards found in a Red Cross Hospital in Rouen suffering from a bullet wound in the back. He had been at home in Luton recovering from his injury, but was making only slow progress and has now been admitted to hospital in Cambridge for further treatment. Lieutenant Staddon enlisted in the Inns of Court Officers’ Training Corps (known as “The Devil’s Own”) in May 1915 and was commissioned in the East Surrey Regiment in the following September. The Mayor’s youngest son Lieutenant C. E. Staddon has written to his parents to tell them he has arrived safely in India. He was met on his arrival by the Revd. Frank Hart; formerly connected with the Waller Street Methodist Circuit in Luton, he is now the senior Wesleyan Chaplain in Bombay.

Sources: Luton News 21 September 1916 & 5th April 1917 [for more information on Lt. Wilfred Staddon see Luton WW1]

The Cheshire Brigade Celebrate Meeanee Day

Sir Charles Napier, Governor of Sindh 1843-1847 [Wikimedia]

Thursday 17th February 1916: Today is a red letter day for those soldiers of the Cheshire Brigade now based in Bedford. February 17th is celebrated every year by all members of the Brigade as “Meeanee Day” to commemorate the British victory at the Battle of Meeanee (or Miani) in 1843, when a force of only 2,500 under Sir Charles Napier defeated the much larger army of the Talpur Amirs and succeeded in annexing the Indian province of Sindh[1]. The Cheshires’ have won seven battle honours, but among these their success at Meeanee is considered to be their greatest achievement.

To mark Meeanee Day all members of the Brigade are wearing real acorns and oak leaves (the emblem on the Cheshires’ cap and collar badges), and have been given a holiday from all military duties. This morning 54 men from the 2/4th KSLI, 2/5th, 2/6th and 2/7th Cheshires took part in a cross-country run of about 3¼ miles to Goldington and back, with Private Hullah D.C.M.of the 2/5th Cheshires the winner in a time of 25 minutes. This afternoon Brigade sports are being held with events including a sack race, a potato race, a Victoria Cross race, tug-of-war and tilting the bucket. A refreshment buffet is to be provided by the Borough Recreations Committee.

Source: Bedfordshire Times, 18th February 1916

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[1] Now in Pakistan.

Former Kempston Rovers Player Commissioned

Kempston Rovers F.C. 1908-9 [Z50/142/786]

Wednesday 18th August 1915: Frank Crowsley, the son of Mr. James Crowsley of Tempsford Street, Kempston has written from India to say that he has been commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Somerset Light Infantry, making him the first Kempston boy to receive this honour. Before joining the Army he was well known as outside-left for Kempston Rovers F.C. He writes that when he first left home in 1908 he was a lance-corporal and hopeful that he would soon be promoted to corporal. However, a new draft from the 1st Battalion joined his unit in Malta bringing with it a number of more senior lance-corporals; as a result his promotion did not come through until 1910. After three years in Malta he was sent to China where he was posted throughout the Chinese Revolution of 1911-12, though without ever being called upon for a ‘scrap’. He was promoted to Lance-Sergeant shortly before leaving China for India in October 1913, then to Sergeant in February 1914, and last June he heard that he was to be a Second-Lieutenant.

Lieutenant Crowsley has kept up his football, playing regularly for the regimental team. He is stationed at Quetta where there are four cups for soccer - one for company teams, one for double-company teams, one for half-battalion teams and one for battalion teams. He has played in a number of finals but has won only two medals. He has been fortunate with injuries, only suffering one sprained ankle while in Malta. He wonders how the rest of the old Kempston Rovers are faring, and imagines that most must now be in the Forces. Although his station is Quetta he is temporarily in Hyderabad which he finds “fearfully hot”. He says “it was 116 degrees in the shade more than once during last month and the first two weeks of this month, so you can bet that it is not too comfortable. I am writing this now with the perspiration running off me, and a big sheet of blotting paper under my hand so as not to soak the paper, and I am covered with prickly heat … One does not suffer much from that in Quetta, so you can guess that I shall not be sorry to get back there again.”

Source: Bedfordshire Standard, 20th August 1915

Soldiers and Sailors of Old Warden

Cottage at Old Warden [Z50/129/24]

Friday 8th January 1914:  Some of the Old Warden men serving in the Forces were able to come home for a few days at Christmas and are said to be looking fit and well. All the village men serving at home or abroad were happy to receive a Christmas gift of a tobacco pouch and chocolates from Mrs Campbell of Old Warden Park. Half the money raised by carol singing in the village was sent to the British Soldiers Tobacco Fund and the remainder to the Waifs and Strays Society.

Five more names have been added to the Old Warden roll of honour. These include Herbert Vintner who has returned from seven years in Australia as a reservist in the Royal Horse Artillery and Clifford Newton who is on H. M. Telegraphic Ship “Monarch”. He has been on the ship in the North Sea and around the Orkneys since the war began. She has now come under Admiralty Orders and those serving on her are on the Active Service lists.

Sadly Mr and Mrs William Bryant have been informed of the death of their son Alfred, who was killed in action on 19th December while serving with the Highland Light Infantry. A sergeant in the Regiment writes that “he was an excellent soldier, and his death is greatly lamented by all who knew him”. Private Bryant joined the Army seven years ago and spent most of that time in India. At the outbreak of war he went to France with the Indian troops. He had hoped to obtain a few days’ leave soon.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard 8th January 1914

[1] Alfred Bryant was the son of William and Emma Bryant of Warren Lodge, Old Warden. He is buried at Brown’s Road Military Cemetery at Festubert in the Pas de Calais. 

A Sea Voyage

S.S. Kaiser-i-Hind [Z186/5]

Tuesday 5th January 1915: Mrs Cochrane-Forster of 20 Kimbolton Road, Bedford has received letters from her daughter Bee who sailed for India with her four year old son Gilbert and a French governess Mademoiselle L. Coller.[1] They left London on the P and O vessel S.S. Kaiser-i-Hind on Saturday 2nd January, travelling second class. She says there a large number of sailors on board the ship travelling to Gibraltar; these are also travelling second class apart from the officers who are in first. As a result the small second class saloon is rather overcrowded, though she anticipates matters will improve once it is warm enough to sit on deck.

On the first night the ship anchored off Southend and the passengers were instructed to draw the curtains over the portholes. On Sunday night they anchored at Plymouth, where she was able to have the letters taken ashore. The food on board is quite good, though the children’s breakfast is at the early hour of 7.30 and the adult passengers dine at the “awful hour” of 6.30, which leaves both Mrs Chaldecott and the governess hungry and struggling to sleep. Gilbert, fortunately, is sleeping well. Both Gilbert and Mademoiselle are fine but she is suffering from some motion sickness, though she is all right “if I lie down a good deal”. Fortunately Mademoiselle “really is being a brick” and is taking good care of the little boy.

They have seen some wrecks from the terrible gales and a submarine quite close. On one occasion they were stopped by a government boat. She was told by a sailor that the mine field is altered each night, so the pilots have to be told the safe channel every day. Gilbert has made friends with two little boys who are travelling to Egypt with their baby sister to rejoin their parents, and with a little girl travelling with her mother. There is plenty of deck space for the children’s games and Bee finds it “a very fine boat”. She was anxious for a time as she was unable to track down the case of milk she had brought with her, but it eventually turned up in the butcher’s refrigerator.

Source: Letters from Evelyn Beatrice Chaldecott to Mrs Cochrane-Forster, Z186/6-7

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[1] Mrs Evelyn Beatrice Chaldecott was the wife of Captain William Henry Chaldecott of the Royal Engineers. In the letter the governess is called Mlle Collins, but the ship’s passenger list gives her name as Coller.