A Missing Soldier and a Returned Prisoner-of-War

King George Hospital c.1915-18 [Wikimedia, from Wellcome Images under CreativeCommons Attribution 4.0 International license]

Thursday 25th April 1918: There is much sympathy for Mrs. W.A. Smith of 91 Church Street, Luton, who is undergoing a double ordeal of grief and anxiety. Her husband, Private W. A. Smith, has been serving with a machine gun corps in France and was last heard from on March 18th. Private Smith’s father, who lived at 47 Vandyke Road, Leighton Buzzard was then dangerously ill, and the police wired to Private Smith to try to get him leave. However he had still not arrived by April 12th, when his father died, and just a few hours later news arrived that Private Smith was wounded and missing. Nothing further has been heard, and Mrs. Smith would be grateful for any further information. Her husband has been serving in the army for two years.

Much better news has been received in Dunstable, where friends of Private  L. H. Durrington of Messrs Durrington and Sons, High Street North. Private Durrington, who was serving in the Royal Fusiliers, has been a prisoner of war in Germany for five months. It was known from letters and cards received that he had been wounded in the leg but there was nothing to suggest he was likely to be released. Last week the news arrived that he had been repatriated and was in King George’s Hospital, London.

Source: Luton News, 18th and 25th April 1918

Young Flying Corps Officers Wounded and Missing

Leighton Buzzard gas works, Grovebury Road c.1930 [Z1432/3/4/5/1]

Friday 12th October 1917: A 18 year old officer in the Royal Flying Corps is  recovering in King’s College Hospital, Denmark Hill, after a lucky escape. Second Lieutenant Edward A. R. Hills, the only son of the Vicar of Leighton Buzzard, was leading a patrol over the German lines when he was struck in the leg and his aircraft damaged. He started to return but a second shot broke off part of the propeller which struck him on the forehead. He stayed conscious just long enough to shut off his engine and land in a wood before passing out. He came round to find soldiers extricating him from the wrecked machine. Less than a week ago the under carriage of his aeroplane was shot away, and he was using a replacement aircraft.

The relatives of another young Leighton Buzzard flier, Lieutenant Fred Brasington, have been told that he is missing. He set out for the enemy lines with a pilot on Tuesday morning and has not been heard of since. Before the war Lieutenant Brasington was a pupil at the Leighton Buzzard Gas Works. He had served with the Royal Fusiliers since the early days of the war, but only recently took up a commission in the Royal Flying Corps. He had been in France for just a fortnight.[1]

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 16th October 1917

[1] The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records the death of Frederick Thomas Brasington on Tuesday 9th October 1917. He is remembered on the Arras Flying Services Memorial.

Two Soldiers Reported Missing

St. Barnabas Church, Linslade c.1920 [Z1130/74/8]

Friday 8th June 1917: Acting-Sergeant Charles Harris, aged 42 and formerly of 8 Water Lane, Leighton Buzzard has been reported missing. Sergeant Harris is a Boer War veteran, who joined the Army at the age of 18. At the beginning of this war he was working at the Wire Works in Leighton Buzzard. Although he was no longer liable to be called up, he volunteered to rejoin the Army and was attached to the Berkshire Regiment. His wife and daughter are now living with her parents at 36, Bassett Road.

A Linslade mother is undergoing the same terrible anxiety. Mrs Janes of Soulbury Road is waiting for news of her youngest son, Private Claude Janes of the Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. He took part in an unsuccessful attack on 3rd May and was wounded while crawling from one shell hole to another. He has not been seen since and it is hoped that he may have been taken prisoner.[1] Private Janes is just 19 years old and a former choir boy at St. Barnabas Church in Linslade. He has two brothers also serving in the Army, one in France and the other in Salonica.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 12th June 1917

[1] Sadly both Sergeant Harris and Private Janes were killed in action on 3rd May 1917. Both are commemorated on the Arras Memorial. 

Lord Lucas Reported Missing

Lord Lucas [from Roll of Honour]

Tuesday 7th November 1916: Captain Auberon Herbert, Lord Lucas, an Old Boy of Bedford School and the owner of Wrest House (now in use as a military hospital LINK), has been reported missing. The magazine of his former school makes the following report:

“He was serving with the Royal Flying Corps in France, and made a flight over the German lines on November 4th. He did not return from this flight, and so far nothing has been heard of him or his machine. Lord Lucas was wounded during the South African War, in which he was acting as a correspondent of The Times. As a result of his wounds his leg had to be amputated below the knee. During the first few months of the present war he was a member of the Cabinet, holding the office of President of the Board of Agriculture. On the formation of the Coalition in May of last year he was one of the Ministers who retired. He immediately gave up political work and joined the Royal Flying Corps, although over the standard age (for this branch of the service) of 30.” “He soon gained his pilot’s certificate, and was sent to Egypt, where he did a good deal of flying. After a time he came back to England, and was for some months engaged in instructing recruits for the Flying Corps. A few months ago, while he was coaching an air pilot, his machine dived and the pilot was killed, but Lord Lucas escaped. Recently he went out to France for the life of greater activity which he preferred.”

Source: The Ousel, 18th November 1916 [Z447/23]

Luton Town Footballer Missing Believed Killed

John ("Jack") Jarvie

Sunday 23rd January 1916: Supporters of Luton Town Football Club will be sad to hear that former Hatters full back Jack Jarvie of the 2nd Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders has been posted as missing. Lieutenant A. Sinclair Thomson writes that Jarvie was one of fourteen men blown up by a mine explosion on January 2nd, but as his body was not found he could only be reported missing. Jarvie joined Luton from Tottenham in 1912 following the tragic death of Sammy Wightman from injuries received during a match against Brighton and Hove Albion; he helped the team gain promotion back to the First Division of the Southern League in 1913-14. At the end of that season he went home to Scotland where he enlisted soon after the beginning of the war.

Source: Luton Times, 14th January 1916

Fruitless Enquiries

Private Arthur Emmerton 

Wednesday 29th December 1915: The family of missing soldier Percy Gambriel are continuing to make enquiries in their efforts to trace him but this are still proving fruitless. They have contacted the British Red Cross, the Bureau Zuricois pour la Recherche des Disparus at Zurich, and now the Prisoners of War Help Committee in the hope that he may be a prisoner of war. Unfortunately from their reply it seems unlikely that this is the case: “The Committee beg to say that they regret they are not at present in possession of any information in regard to the person about whom you enquire, as being a prisoner of war, but should any news be received, it will immediately be communicated to you”.

For another family the news of their missing son is grim. Private Arthur Emmerton of the 2nd Bedfords, aged 23, was last heard from by his parents on 23rd October 1914. It was thought that during the hard fighting which took place at that time he was separated from his comrades and taken prisoner. However, nothing was heard of him and on November 11th 1914 he was officially reported missing. Mr and Mrs Emmerton of Bedford Road, Kempston, have continued to make enquiries to no news of their eldest son has been received. The War Office have no written to them stating that “the Army Council have been regretfully constrained to conclude that Private Arthur Emmerton, 2nd Bedfordshire Regiment, is dead”.

Source: Z1270/7-9; Bedfordshire Standard, 10th December 1915

Missing Soldiers

 
Corporal James Richard Ellison

Thursday 4th November 1915: The family of Wilstead soldier Percy Gambriel have not heard from him since the letter he wrote to his mother on 23rd/24th September and have now received worrying news. A report from the War Office stating that he had been wounded in action on 25th September has now been followed by a notice that he was posted as “missing” after the engagement which took place on that date. In response to their enquiries an adjutant of the 2nd Bedfords writes:

“The following is all I can find out about Private P.W. Gambriel. He was wounded in the foot, as soon as the Company came under fire, in the advance against the German Gun Trench on 25th September. He took off his boot, but the wound was very slight and he came on again – this I got from Private Stevens. He was then wounded in the head, again slightly – he was able to speak, and said he could get back easily. Soon afterwards he was badly hit in the arm, and was bound up and sent back to Ambulance by Sergeant Curtis, being then able to walk. No one in the Company has since heard of or from him. I sincerely hope he is getting on all right in hospital, as he fought so splendidly. Very likely he cannot write home because of his arm.”

Mr. J. Ellison of Bunyan Road, Kempston is also appealing for news of his son Corporal James Richard Ellison of the 1st/5th Bedfords who was reported as “missing, believed killed” by the War Office on September 8th. He was a member of the 5th Bedfords when they were mobilised in August 1914 and went out with the Battalion to Gallipoli on 26th July. It is hoped that his comrades in the trenches may be able to provide some information.

Source: Z1270/1/3-4; Z1270/2/21-22; Bedfordshire Standard, 5th November 1915