News from Stanbridge

Stanbridge Church 1905 [Z1130/108/1]

Saturday 20th July 1918:  The wedding has taken place today in Stanbridge Church of Corporal Will Jones to Miss Violet Dockrill, the niece of Mr and Mrs John Dockrill of Stanbridge. Corporal Jones is home on leave recovering after being wounded for a second time in Italy. A number of other men from the villages of Stanbridge and Tilsworth are also recovering from recent wounds. Private Reginald Stairs is staying with his sister at Dunstable while on sick leave. He was badly hurt and lost a leg at the first battle of Gaza, where he was left on the battlefield with two dead men on top of him for some hours before being picked up by an ambulance. He had previously been wounded in Gallipoli. Private Philip Mead, who also recently had a leg amputated, underwent another operation last week and is making favourable progress. Just a few weeks after his father joined up, Private William Gurney has been badly wounded in the foot and is in now hospital at Bournemouth. Also recovering from wounds are Private Frank Price, son of James Price of Manor Farm, Tilsworth, and Corporal Charles Horn, who had returned to the fray after suffering wounds at Vimy Ridge last year.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 23rd July 1918

Assault at Tilsworth

Tilsworth, 1905 [Z1306/124/6]

Saturday 22nd June 1918: Bertie Royal Gutteridge, a 17 year old labourer from Dunstable, was charged at Woburn Police Court yesterday with maliciously wounding Private Arthur James Sanford at Tilsworth on 8th June. Private Sanford had been lent by the Army Service Corps to a Dunstable contractor, Mr. J. W. Ridgway of Skimpot, to drive a steam cultivator. Gutteridge had been hired to steer the cultivator, but on 6th June while working at Billington he refused to do any more work. On Saturday they moved on to Tilsworth and Gutteridge came and asked for his money. Mr. Ridgeway refused to pay him without compensation for the time the engines had been idle through his neglect. Gutteridge then threatened to bash Mr. Ridgway’s brains out and struck him with a shovel. Mr. Ridgway took an iron pin to defend himself  and went to Hockliffe for the police. Private Sanford was bending down washing himself in a bucket of water when Gutteridge came up behind him and hit him on the back of the head with the shovel, saying he would murder him. He was hit a second time while lying on the ground; Gutteridge then ran away.

When Gutteridge was arrested at Dunstable he told the police constable “I did it to get a bit of my own back”. Police Inspector Vincent said that when he was brought to Woburn Police Station Gutteridge said  “He did me one and I meant doing him one; I meant having my own back on him”. Dr. H. Stones Walsh of Toddington told the court that Sanford had a severe lacerated wound on the back of his head two inches long, which exposed the bone, and a bruise on his left shoulder blade. It should heal quickly, but the injury could have been serious. Gutteridge said that the reason he had refused to work was that the piece of ground they were ploughing was rough, and the drivers were pulling too fast and likely to break his arms on the cultivator. He had warned them on the Wednesday but they did not take any notice, so on Thursday morning he jumped off the cultivator and left it in the field. The magistrates decided to reduce the charge to causing bodily harm and committed Gutteridge to trial at the Quarter Sessions.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 25th June 1918

Two Tilsworth Brothers Killed

Private Archie William King

Saturday 16th October 1915: Two Tilsworth brothers who enlisted in the Bedfordshire Regiment on the same day in September last year have both made the ultimate sacrifice. Private Harry John King was killed fighting with the 2nd Bedfords at Hill 60 on 5th May this year. Now his parents have suffered the bitter blow of losing a second son, Private Archie William King, who was also serving with the 2nd Bedfords. Writing home just a day before he received his fatal wound he told his parents: “I am writing this letter in the trenches, and our big guns are bombarding the German trenches, so you can tell it’s a bit noisy, for they are blowing them all to pieces[1]. I cannot think how they can live in it. I don’t think they can for long … Wouldn’t I like to see you all! What a happy day when I do come home, if the Lord spares us, as I hope He will, but we must put all our trust in Him. As I said before, this is my place out here, and won’t I be able to tell you something when I do come home!”

Sadly, it was not to be. Mrs. King received a letter from a chaplain telling her that her son was at the hospital severely wounded and that “I saw him, and he asked me to write to you. You will, I hope, in a day or two get some good news of him”. This was followed soon after by official notification that Private King had died of his wounds on 23rd September. 

Source: Luton News, 14th October 1915

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[1] This bombardment was in preparation for the British offensive at Loos.

Appeal for Sandbags

High Street, Leighton Buzzard, 1913 (Jackson and Co. on the left) [X291/376]

Tuesday 25th May 1915: Mrs. Ella M. Fenwick of Tilsworth has appealed for people in the Leighton Buzzard area to help in providing sandbags for the Front. The appeal originated with Miss M. L. Tyler of Linden House, Highgate Road, London at the encouragement of her soldier brother. Although Miss Tyler is already receiving thousands every day, the “supply required is endless”. Mrs. Fenwick has published instructions for making the bags, which must be made from hessian and of a uniform size of 33 inches by 14 inches. She has pattern sandbags which she can lend to anyone who wishes to make them and will send the finished items on to Miss Tyler. Hessian is available for 4¾d to 5¾d per yard and Mrs. Fenwick would also be happy to receive donations to purchase this material for others to make up. The Leighton Buzzard Observer has arranged for a sample sandbag to be on view at H. Jackson and Co., Leighton Buzzard.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer and Linslade Gazette, 25th May 1915.

Troops at Leighton Buzzard

Hockliffe Street Wesleyan Church, Leighton Buzzard [Z1306/72]

Tuesday 12th January 1915: A batch of new recruits for the 63rd Brigade have arrived at Leighton Buzzard from Lincoln.[1] To free up billets in the town for the new arrivals 362 men who are already well advanced in their training have been moved out to the villages of Stanbridge, Tilsworth and Eggington.

The Wesleyan Schoolroom in Hockliffe Street is being used by the troops for various purposes. On Sunday evenings a regular social hour is held there which is attended by a large number of soldiers. The bandsmen of the West Yorkshire Regiment practise in the Schoolroom and since last Friday it has also become the paymaster’s office. Thanks to a spell of wet weather it is even being used by the Somerset Regiment for drilling and signalling. On Sunday the services at the Wesleyan Church were conducted by the Wesleyan Chaplain to the 21st Division, Rev. G. H. Crossland, who is stationed at Aylesbury.

Across the road in the Hockliffe Street Baptist School Hall concerts were given for the soldiers on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Wednesday’s entertainment had a popular theme while Thursday’s concert by the Church choir was more classical. The highlights were a solo with instrumental effects titled “The Bassoon” performed by Mr H. O. Kitchener, and renditions of “Your King and Country want you”, “You are my baby” and “On the Mississipi” by Miss Dulcie Griffin.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer and Linslade Gazette, 12th January 1915

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[1] The 63rd Brigade was part of the 21st Division and was made up of the following battalions:
8th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment
8th Battalion Somerset Light Infantry
12th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment
4th Battalion Middlesex Regiment
10th Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment.
The Brigade arrived in France in September and first saw action at the Battle of Loos at the end of that month.