Sailor Adrift in Red Sea for 101 Days

Steamers at Perim Harbour c.1910 [Wiikimedia Commons]

Tuesday 29th October 1918: After fire broke out in the engine room of his ship Second Engineer Edward Banks, the nephew of Abel Bunn of North Street, Leighton Buzzard, spent 101 days adrift in the Red Sea. In a letter to his uncle he describes the experience: 

“The fire in the stoke hole burnt for six hours. After a struggle we managed to get it out, but that was not the end of our trouble; the fire burnt a pipe from one of the sea cocks and slowly filled the stoke hole and engine room with water. This put the damper on us for getting steam from the main boilers, so we had to set to and convert the donkey boiler (which is in ‘tween decks) from oil to coal. When we got this finished there was 25 feet of water in the engine room, but after a struggle and plenty of wading, about up to our necks in oil, fuel and water, we managed to get one of the pumps going, and pumped the engine room and stoke hole dry. What a mess things were in! We had to set to again and clean up a bit and to get the fires away again. This took us about six days and we drifted 90 miles out of the track of shipping and had some very narrow escapes of going on to the rocks. The dynamo was destroyed by the fire and water so that we could not send out a message by wireless for help. 

After a few days and nights of work we managed to get all ready to make for the nearest port, but just two hours before we were ready to start another fire broke out in the stoke hole, more fierce than the first, and burnt for 48 hours. And, by jove, it did blaze: some parts of the engine room were white hot. Even the ship’s sides in places were red hot, and the decks you could not walk on. It was a good job we were not loaded with benzene (as we have been) or we should have gone up.

This fire eventually died out: we could not do anything but just let it burn. When we were able to get down to the engine room the damage was so great that we could not do anything to get into port under our own steam … When we found we could do nothing the Captain asked for volunteers to sail in the small boat into the track of shipping and hail one of them to come to our assistance; we all volunteered to go, but only four were chosen. The first night they were out a strong gale sprang up and they had a pretty rough time of it. They managed to get to an island (with a lighthouse) in a very exhausted condition, and to the first steamer they passed they signalled, asked the Captain to wireless the position to the gunboats who were looking for us. It was not long after before one of the gunboats came alongside us and towed us to Perim. He was just in time as we had only two days water left, and we had been on our whack for some time. I am pleased to say I am none the worse for my experience.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 29th October 1918

Leighton Buzzard Casualties

North Street, Leighton Buzzard c.1911 [Z1306/72/12/6]

Sunday 6th October: The tide of the war appears to have turned in favour of the Allies and there is real hope that victory is in sight; however, the toll of those killed and wounded continues to rise. Second Lieutenant Vivian Willis, of the Leighton Buzzard solicitors firm W. G. and V. V. Willis, has been wounded while serving with the Tank Corps. He had a lucky escape when a piece of shell flattened a whistle and a watch in his breast pocket and passed down his side, wounding him in both arms and the right thigh, side and hand. He is in hospital at Epsom and is expected to make a complete recovery.

Leading Seaman Frederick Brazier of 3 Friday Street was badly burned in the face, arms and body while serving on a naval ship three weeks ago. He is in hospital at Deal and although the burns are healing it has now been discovered that he has a broken left arm. He has served fifteen years in the Navy and was home on leave from the Mediterranean just a few weeks ago. His wife visited him in hospital and found him cheerful. The son of another resident of Friday Street, Private Harold Butcher of the Suffolk Regiment, is convalescing from the effects of gas. He served for six months in France before being sent to Palestine two years ago, and had only returned to the Western Front within the last three months.

The families of two soldiers now known to have been killed in action have undergone very different experiences, with one enduring a long wait and the other a sudden loss. Private Joseph George Jordan, the husband of Mrs Daisy Jordan of Ivy Cottage, Vandyke Road has been missing for virtually a year. She has finally been notified by the War Office that he is believed to have been killed on or soon after 9th October last year.[1] Mr. and Mrs. George Day of 27 Hockliffe Road have heard that their nineteen year old son, Trooper Cyril George Day, was killed on 5th September, only three weeks after arriving in France.

Sadly enemy action is not the only cause of death for soldiers serving in France. Private Alfred Joseph Dudley, whose parents live in North Street, joined the Army two years ago, and as his fitness only fell into the Class B1 category he was placed in the Royal Army Medical Corps. Service with the Field Ambulance appears to have been too much for his constitution, which was never strong, and he has died of dysentery. He leaves a widow and a three year old daughter.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 8th October 1918

[1] The Commonwealth War Graves Record for Private Jordan gives his date of death as 9th October 1917. He is commemorated at the Tyne Cot Memorial, indicating that his body was never found.

Naval Officer Released by Germans

Ruined entrance to Termond, Belgium 1914 [Z160/484]

 

Saturday 30th March 1918: Lieutenant-Commander Robert Francis Crossman, of the Royal Naval Division, the great-nephew of Mr. J.W. Crossman, Chairman of the Bedford Conservative Club, has just returned to England after three years as a prisoner in Germany. He was captured by the Germans at Manbeke in Belgium after the evacuation of Antwerp, suffering from shell shock and an injury to the head. While waiting to have his head dressed he was ill-treated by his captors, and was placed in a camp at Halle “where the food was uneatable and the sanitary arrangements deplorable”; the prisoners were not allowed to smoke for two months, and many of the parcels which came for them from England were taken by the guard. They were moved to a camp at Hugustabad where they were treated comparatively well. In the winter of 1916 he attempted to escape with six other officers. They spent 6½ months digging a tunnel 72 yards long, which went underneath the main road and came up near an ice shed outside the camp. They crawled through the tunnel to freedom, but it was short-lived as they were discovered by a sportsman’s dog while hiding in a wood. The escapees were locked up together in one room for two days, then taken to Gustrow Camp for 14 days solitary confinement. About a week before the escape attempt he had cut the top of one of his fingers, and blood poisoning set in. When he reached Switzerland he had to have his finger amputated.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard, 5th April 1918

 

Note: Although the report does not give the reason for Lt-Commander Crossman’s return to England, it is likely that it was as part of an exchange of incapacitated prisoners.

A Flight in an Airship

His Majesty’s Airship No.9 [Wikimedia]

Friday 15th March 1918: Private Percy Avery, a baker from Leighton Buzzard who joined the Naval Air Service two months ago, was among the crew of two 600 foot airships which sailed over London during the Business Men’s Week campaign recently organised by the National War Savings Committee. He has written to his parents in Ashwell Street describing the experience:

“I have had my first flight in our airship, No. 9, 1000 horsepower. It was simply lovely. We were up in the air 9 hours, and covered a distance of 350 miles. Our journey was to London dropping leaflets. We came as far as Willesden, circled all round Wormwood Scrubbs, went all over the Strand and Westminster. I can’t explain to you on paper what it was like. I am going up again tomorrow (Sunday), out to sea, by the Wash. I have been very excited since the officer told me I was to go up with them. In a good many places we dropped to 250 feet from the ground, and could see everybody running out of their houses and people stopping their horses and motors to have a look up, because our engines make such a noise.”

His Majesty’s Airship No.9 is an experimental rigid airship built by Vickers Limited at Barrow-in-Furness. It made its first flight on 27th November 1916 and is currently stationed at Pulham in Norfolk.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 15th March 1918

Ship's Boy Drowned

H.M.S.Wisteria, Arabis-class sloop [Wikimedia]

Thursday 7th December 1916: A sixteen year old Luton boy has given his life for his country. Arthur George Swain, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Swain of 30, Arthur Street, joined the Navy as a ship’s boy twelve months ago. It is now believed that he, along with another eight boys, were among the crew lost when H.M.S. Genista was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine in the Atlantic on 23rd October 1916. An Arabis-class sloop, she had been launched only eight months ago.

The Vice-Admiral has sent to Mrs. Swain a copy of the memorial service held at Haulbowline Parish Church, Queenstown, on November 5th for the officer and men who were drowned when Genista went down. This loss compounds the family’s grief as they heard recently that another son, Private Thomas James Swain, had been killed in France fighting with the Grenadier Guards. A third son, William, is serving with the Bedfordshire Regiment in Egypt. Before the war young Arthur worked as a baker with Mr. Shuter of Tennyson Road. If he had lived he would have celebrated his seventeenth birthday on Sunday.

Source: Luton News, 7th December 1916

Luton Men in Russia

    

Petty Officers Robert Starke and Harry Sell

Tuesday 20th June 1916: Two Luton men are now in Russia as part of the “complete and fully-armed British unit” of the naval air service which has been despatched to serve with our Russian allies. On their arrival in the port of Archangel the men marched through the town and were given a great reception by the authorities of the town. Each man was presented with an ikon of Michael the Archangel, they were entertained in the Summer Garden, and the whole city was decorated with flags. At every town they passed through on their journey across Russia the British detachment was met at stations bedecked with flags by crowds of cheering locals throwing flowers, cigarettes and other gifts to the men.

On its arrival in Moscow the British detachment of sixty armoured cars destined for service with the Russian Army was greeted with great enthusiasm. As they marched through the city behind a Russian band to the English church for a short service the men were cheered by large crowds and pelted with flowers. Lunch followed at the British Club, and Commander Locker-Lampson and several others were received by the Grand Duchess Elizabeth. A number of officers attended a performance in the Moscow Art Theatre at which they were cheered for over five minutes. During a march through the town escorted by a Cossack squadron a Cossack officer dismounted and offered his horse to the British Major. The detachment has now left for the Russian front.

Before arriving in Russia Petty Officers Robert Starke and Harry Sell had spent five months in the Arctic , where their experiences must have been similar to those described in March by Petty Officer Albert Hartwell of Bedford. Petty Officer Starke joined up in November 1915 and must be finding life as a driver of an armoured car in Russia very different to his previous life as assistant to the Secretary of the Education Authority. Petty Officer Sell is the son of the Luton schools attendance officer, and also worked at the Town Hall before the war, where he was in the Town Clerk’s office.

Source: Luton News, 22nd June 1916

Dunstable Man Passed From Pillar to Post

High Street South, Dunstable 1915 [Z1130/36/116]

Sunday 11th June 1916: Due to a strange chain of events a young man from High Street South, Dunstable, has been charged at Luton with being an absentee from the Royal Highlanders. Russell Bliss had joined the Royal Highlanders in May and was sent to Perth. After being at Perth for three days he was transferred to the Royal Navy and sent to Portsmouth. When he arrived there he was kept in barracks for three days, without being sworn in or given a uniform. Fed up with this treatment he broke out of barracks. He was arrested by the naval police, but when they discovered he had not been sworn in he was discharged and given a railway pass to Bedford.

Bliss then went home to Dunstable, only to find that his calling-up notice had arrived requiring him to report himself, which he did on Thursday morning. He was sent again to Bedford; the authorities there sent him back to the recruiting office at Luton, from where he was handed over to the police. He was then remanded until yesterday, when the Chief Constable told the magistrates that he had received the following telegram from the Commanding Officer at Perth: “Bliss was accepted by the naval recruiter, and therefore, I have nothing to do with him”. The Magistrate’s Clerk pointed out that he should not be treated as a deserter, as “he has evidently been bandied about from pillar to post. Apparently he is anxious to do something for his country, and no one seems to have helped him”. It was agreed that he should go back to the recruiting office and report himself, and that would be an end to the matter.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 13th June 1916

Luton Sailors at Jutland

    

Edmond Dexter and Frederick Darby

Saturday 10th June 1916:  Seaman Thomas Fensome of 93 Hitchin Road, Luton has been home on leave, looking none the worse for his experiences on HMS Warspite at the Battle of Jutland. During the action the Warspite sailed into the midst of the German ships where it became a target for both heavy vessels and submarines. Despite the destruction of her steering gear and other damage caused by the shelling she endured, Warspite is claimed to have sunk two German cruisers and several destroyers. The Warspite herself remained afloat and was able to get home to port. Tom Fensome was in the magazine, 90 feet below decks, where the lads must fight without knowing what is going on above them.

A number of Luton sailors have been lost in this great sea battle, including two who were killed on HMS Invincible: Engineer-Lieutenant John McLennan Hine, a qualified naval engineer who had been chief engineer to the Holme Line of steamships at Maryport in Cumberland before moving to Luton, and Edmond Charles Dexter. “Ted” Dexter married just three years ago and on hearing the news of the loss of her husband’s ship his young wife wrote bravely to his parents: “We are not the only ones that have lost our dearest. There are thousands upon thousands of others who have lost three or four in this great battle, and I am trying to face the future for baby’s sake. It is a bitter loss to us both, but I am proud to think that I am his wife and the mother of his son, and I hope and pray to God that he will give me strength to bring him up as his daddy would have me do. I am also proud that your boy and mine died fighting. I say died because I know he would never drown, and that he would fight to the bitter end”.  

The mother of Frederick George Darby received a telegram from the Admiralty notifying her that her son, a signal boy on board the Black Prince was feared lost. A former pupil of Beech Hill School, he had been in the navy for eighteen months. He was due to celebrate his 17th birth next month. He has three brothers serving as soldiers, one of whom was the first in the Bedfordshire Regiment to win the Distinguished Conduct Medal.

Source: Luton News, 8th and 15th June 1916

More News from Jutland

HMS Invincible exploding at Jutland [Wikimedia]

Tuesday 6th June 1916: More news has reached Bedford of last week’s great naval battle at Jutland. Lieutenant William Goodenough Halliley, as second in command of the destroyer HMS Nomad and is believed to have perished when Nomad was sunk. After leaving Bedford Grammar School in 1897 he entered the Mercantile Marine. When the war began he joined the Navy and had previously served on HMS Albemarle[1].  Other casualties from Bedford include Chief Petty Officer Peckham of Hartington Street, whose wife has received official notification from the Admiralty that her husband went down with his ship, the Invincible, and Gunner John Kemp of Park Road, the grandson of Mr John Dixon, the Mayor’s Sergeant. He was the first boy recruited from Bedford for the Navy when the war broke out.

Mr and Mrs Robert Lilley of Dudley Street have better news of their son Charles. He was believed to have gone down on the Turbulent but they have now heard that he is safe and on his way to Portsmouth on another ship. S. G. Locke, the son of Mr Frank Locke of Kempston Road has also survived the battle. He lost all his gear but arrived home this morning for a well-earned rest; unsurprisingly he is not looking so well as he did when home on leave a month ago.  

Source: Bedfordshire Times, 9th June 1916

---

[1] The report of Lieutenant Halliley’s death was premature and he had in fact been taken prisoner. He was the uncle of John Elton le Mesurier Halliley, better known as John le Mesurier (Sergeant Wilson in the Dad’s Army TV series).

Old Bedfordian at Battle of Jutland

H.M.S. Neptune [Wikimedia]

Sunday 4th June 1916: An old boy of Bedford School who is serving on H.M.S. Neptune has written describing his experiences at the Battle of Jutland which took place on Wednesday and Thursday last week. It seems the battle came as something of a surprise to the British sailors if the experience of our correspondent is any guide:

“We were toddling along somewhere in the North Sea, feeling perfectly safe, and not dreaming that the Germans would ever make a nuisance of themselves, as the last thing we expected was an engagement where the battle did take place, although we were ready for anything. You never know what is going to happen next, as a matter of fact. Well, I was in the middle of a good tea, after a really good afternoon’s hard work asleep on a sofa, and congratulating myself on the fact that I had not got any more work to do for the next day or two, when some silly blighter sounded off, ‘Action stations’. I merely thought it was someone trying to be funny, and that it was only a trial run, so I strolled up to my ‘Action Station’, which is in the conning tower, not in the least prepared for any sort of a stunt. I had not got a coat or patent waistcoat, or anything useful at all. As a matter of fact I did remember in the hurry to pick up somebody’s respirator, which came in very hand later on. Also, I did not forget to take something to eat with me, which showed great presence of mind, I thought When I got to my place of abode I set myself in a very comfortable position for a slumber, and prepared to forget the world and its troubles. Luck was always against me, for within a quarter of an hour a signal came through to say that the battle cruisers were in action with the whole of the German High Sea Fleet.”

In a short time Neptune was in the thick of the action: 

“The two fleets were going at it hammer and tongs. It is rather an amusing sensation to see a whole line of big flashes from their big guns, and to wait about ten seconds to find out whether you are going to be made in rather a hurry into a species of strawberry jam. After a bit of a scrap with a particularly offensive and rude German battleship, the Neptune reminded it that it had got an important engagement elsewhere, and we soon had the satisfaction of seeing it take a neat little dive into the mighty ocean. The next thing I saw was a bit beastly. The Defence was quite close to us, and I saw her receive a salvo which took away two funnels, a mast and a turret. Immediately afterwards she got another. There was a gigantic flame, and when the smoke had cleared away, the Defence was simply not there.”

Source: The Ousel, 8 July 1916  [Z447/23]

Shackleton Brothers of Leighton Buzzard

Friday Street, Leighton Buzzard c.1925 [WL800/2]

Sunday 20th February 1916: John and Sophia Shackleton of Friday Street in Leighton Buzzard now have five of their seven sons serving their country, with the two youngest prevented from doing so only by their age – in the case of 16 year old Harry, this is despite his best efforts to the contrary! The family is also known by the name of Wise and at least one of the sons is believed to be serving under that name. Their record of service is:

First Class Stoker John William Shackleton: The eldest son of the family, aged 30, he served in the Navy for five years and was working at the Wire Works when he was called up to return to the sea. He is now serving aboard H.M.S. Caesar.

Private Joseph Shackleton (or Wise) had served seven years with the 1st Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment and was a reservist when the War began. He was sent out to France in September 1914 and was at the battles of the Marne and the Aisne. In November 1914 he was wounded in the shoulder by a bullet, but made a good recovery and returned to the Front early last year. He was home for seven days’ leave in November.

Private Samuel Shackleton emigrated to Canada eight years ago when he was only 16 years old. When the War broke out he joined the Army raised in Canada for the defence of Britain. Although he joined for home service only, after a time his sense of patriotism inspired him to take the Imperial Service obligation. He is now training at Halifax, Nova Scotia, with the Canadian Highlanders. He is the only one of the brothers who is married.

Gunner Charles Shackleton has been serving in the Royal Garrison Artillery for three years. After some time stationed in Wales, he is now helping to defend one of the Empire’s most important strongholds.

Stoker George Shackleton followed his eldest brother into the Navy in April 1915. After serving on H.M.S. Ness he is now in port waiting to be posted to another vessel.

Harry Shackleton, the youngest of the brothers, enlisted in the 3/5th Bedfordshire Regiment when he was only 15. After serving for nearly a year at Windsor and Halton Park his age was discovered and he was sent home in January. To his disgust he is now employed sand-carting, but hopes to go to sea. Unfortunately his time in the army means he is prevented from doing so.

Source: Luton News, 24th February 1916

Death of Flitwick Naval Officer

Lieutenant Edward Shouler

Thursday 3rd February 1916: Flitwick has lost its first commissioned officer with the death of Lieutenant Edward James Battams Shouler RN. Lt. Shouler was one of ten men killed when HMS Viking struck a mine off Boulogne on Saturday while conveying troops to France. His widowed mother and sister, both named Isabel, still live at Maulden Road, Flitwick. Lt. Shouler was a former Bedford School boy who was popular with all who knew him and believed to have brilliant prospects.

Source: Bedfordshire Times, 4th February 1916

Stotfold News

Boys from Stotfold Council School with 

fruit and vegetables for the navy [Z1306/115/19/4] 

Friday 6th August 1915: The residents of Stotfold have been making their own contributions to the war effort. A meeting of the Hospital Demonstration Committee was held on Wednesday at the Church Schools to allocate the money collected at a demonstration held a few weeks ago. The decision was taken to send £12 to Hitchin Hospital, £2 2s. to Bedford Hospital, £2 2s to Addenbrooke’s Hospital at Cambridge, £1 1s to the Beau Site Convalescent Home at Hastings, and £1 1s to the Convalescent Home at Hunstanton. The Honorable Secretary of the Hospital Fund thanks all those who contributed and those who worked hard to make the demonstration such a success. Special thanks were due to the gentlemen who made and gave collecting boxes, to those who used the boxes to collect money, and to the ladies and gentlemen who decorated vehicles and cycles for the procession.

The children of both the Council and Church Schools have been photographed with their latest contribution of fruit and vegetables for the Navy which are the best yet in both size and quality. During the holidays the children will be able to take their contributions to the village depot at Vaughan Farm between 1.30 and 2.30pm every Wednesday. At the end of the holidays all those who have given fruit and vegetables will receive a certificate autographed by Lord Charles Beresford. Connie Billington of the Church Schools has received the following letter of thanks from HMS Claire:

“Dear Connie, All my mates join me in thanking you for your kindness in sending us some rhubarb. We did enjoy it. The cook got some custard powder and made us stewed rhubarb and custard, so you see we had a fine turn-out, and there wasn’t a bit left. It is nice to know that while we are out on the North Sea, sweeping for those dreadful mines, you are thinking about us at home, and doing your little bit to make our lives brighter and more happy. You may rest comfortably at home; the Germans won’t come for you while there are stout hearts and strong arms waiting here for them. I hope you remember us in your prayers at bedtime. I think I  can rely on you doing that. You must be a sweet young lady to think about the sailors as you do.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard, 6 August 1915

Vegetables for the Navy

Collectors of fruit and vegetables for the Navy, 1915 [Z50/115/51]

Friday 16th July 1915: Henlow has been asked to join Arlesey and Stotfold in collecting fruit and vegetables for the sailors of the North Sea Fleet. Gifts of fruit and vegetables can be taken to the Vicarage on Wednesday morning, from where it will be taken to the Three Counties Asylum at Stotfold for packing. Produce from Arlesey and Stotfold is already reaching the Fleet and a number of letters have been received from grateful sailors. The skipper of a trawler-minesweeper has thanked Miss Helen Barnes of the Three Counties Asylum for a bag of gooseberries on behalf of his officers and crew. Lettuces sent by two Arlesey girls, Sylvia Allen and her sister, were enjoyed by the happy recipients for tea on the day they were received, and Master Cyril Pinnock of Avondale Terrace has received the following interesting letter from a member of the crew of H.M.T. Gucca:

“Dear Master Cyril, I am writing on behalf of myself and crew of this ship to give you many thanks for the nice cabbage you were kind enough to send us. We have often received vegetables when we have returned to our base, but up to the present have not been able to give the kind friends our thanks, because we have not known where to write, but the steward found your address among the cabbages today so was able to write. We have often talked it over and said we should like to be able to write and thank the kind friends who send us nice vegetables. Well, we are sweeping in the North Sea under very favourable conditions, different to what we had a few months ago. We are not getting a lot of mines at present, only keeping Channel clear by sweeping them daily for the passage of merchant ships going up and down into different ports, but at present we do 12 days out sweeping then have to go back to our base for coal and stores etc. We are eight days out today and are due to go in about the 6th inst. I must say again how grateful we are to you. We had some of the vegetables for dinner today. I must tell you this is my thirty-second year in the navy, and I have never had to write a letter that has given me greater pleasure than this. Trusting this will find you in good health. I remain, yours sincerely, Fred Hand”

Source: Biggleswade Chronicle, 16th July 1915

Wounded Sailor Unconscious For Nine Weeks

Able-Seaman Albert Lane (Bedfordshire Times)

Saturday 3rd April 1915: Able-Seaman Albert Lane, wounded in the earliest days of the war, has finally returned home to Bedford, where he is staying with his mother at 31 Howbury Street. He was serving on HMS Kennet, a destroyer which was in action in an “insignificant” little fight in Tsing-Tau bay on August 22nd. During the fight the ship came within range of the heavy guns of the land forts, one of which hit the Kennet’s upper deck with a highly explosive shell, killing four men and wounding six. Seaman Lane was the most severely wounded; a piece of shell entered his skull, two more tore through his right arm, another two entered his chest, and he had five other wounds including a serious injury to the ribs.

He remained unconscious for nine weeks until October 22nd, during which time an operation had been performed to remove the piece of shell and some bone which was pressing on his brain. The Naval doctors at the Wei-Hai-Wei Hospital told him that he should have died. He survived, and was sent to Hong Kong in the hospital ship Delta where he remained in hospital until 9th Januaryl . He then left Hong Kong on the P and O liner Nanking, arriving in England on 8th March. After some time at Woolwich he has finally returned to Bedford. All his wound have healed remarkably, although he has been left with slight paralysis in his right hand. When he is fit he will report for duty again, but believes he may get his discharge as his service was completed in February. Seaman Lane also has an older brother serving in the Royal Navy, as Chief Petty Officer on board HMS Dominion in the North Sea.

Source: Bedfordshire Times, 2nd April 1915

Two Bedford Sailors

Able Seaman Ralph Stuart Adams

Wednesday 31st March 1915: News has reached Bedford of the death of 22 year old Able Seaman Ralph Stuart Adams. He was serving on HMS Inflexible which was badly damaged in the Dardanelles last week, having survived the Battle of the Falklands last December. Adams, who was an old boy of Bedford Modern School, joined the Navy about seven years ago. When he last returned to Bedford two and a half years ago he was stationed at Chatham; after which he spent time serving in the Mediterranean. The last letter received by his parents was written on March 1st, when he said he was quite safe and sounded very cheerful. His brother is serving with the Royal Engineers and is currently stationed at Peterborough.

Able Seaman F. W. Dear

Another Bedford sailor who also took part in the Battle of the Falklands has experienced better fortune. Able Seaman F. W. Dear has just returned to his ship HMS Essex after spending a few days with his parents at Coventry Road. He has described his experience of the battle in which “terrible firing took place for eight hours, and we could see the enemy’s ships go down one after the other; there were four sunk altogether, and fortunately there was no damage done to our ship, and there was not a single casualty. We did not lose any ships in that battle.”  Since leaving the Falklands his ship had carried out patrol work in the North Atlantic and has recently escorted three Canadian troop ships across to the Irish Sea, from where it came on to England.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard 26th March 1915

Last Moments of the Irresistible

 

Last moments of HMS Irresistible, 15th March 1915 [Wikimedia]

Sunday 21st March 1915: Casualty lists issued by the Admiralty yesterday show that three officers of HMS Irresistible have been killed, including Artificer Engineer Arnold Wharton, the son of Mr and Mrs Henry Wharton of 78, Hampton Road, Luton. Arnold Wharton had been home for Christmas, at which time his ship was still on patrol work in the English Channel. On February 1st Irresistible was sent to Dardanelles where she took part in the bombardment of Turkish forts and provided support for the initial landings of British troops at Gallipoli. On 18th March she was severely damaged when she struck a mine and drifted helplessly into a hail of heavy fire from the Turkish guns. The majority of the crew were rescued by other British ships, but 150 men were killed.

Arnold Wharton, whose family came from Nottingham, served his apprenticeship in the engineering trade and became chief enginewright at a Derbyshire colliery. Shortly before he turned 21 he joined the Royal Navy as an ordinary artificer. He was first promoted five years ago. A studious young man, he became a master of both the practice and theory of naval engineering and had recently passed the examination for proportion to Engineer-Lieutenant. He had previously served on HMS Gladiator, transferring to another ship only a few weeks before Gladiator sank following a collision with the American steamer SS Saint Paul off the Isle of Wight in 1908. Engineer Wharton married Alice Spencer in 1905 and leaves a widow and three young children at their home in Portsmouth.

 Artificer Engineer Arnold Wharton

Mr Henry Wharton has received a number of touching letters of sympathy on the tragic loss of his son from his colleagues at Commercial Cars Ltd. Despite being a strong opponent of war in general, Mr Wharton has been reported as saying “I don’t begrudge it. The loss is heavy, for he was a fine son, and was making good headway, but for the cause I don’t think any sacrifice too great. If it had been an ordinary commercial, capitalistic war, I should have begrudged it. But we look on this war in a different light, and I believe the lad, if it was possible for him to speak, would say the same”.

Source: Luton News, 26th March 1915

Bedfordshire's Recruitment Record

Dunstable Recruitment Drive, June 1914 [X768/60]

Friday 19th March 1915: The head teachers of rural elementary schools in the county have made returns of the number of men serving in the armed forces.[1] According to the 1911 Census the places for which returns have been received had a population of 81,023, which includes 11,639 men of military age (19 to 38). The numbers who are either now serving in the forces or who volunteered but were rejected are:

• Army: 3,745
• Navy: 206
• Army (rejected): 487
• Navy (rejected): 8

This makes a total of 4,446, which is 5.48% of the whole population and 38.2% of the men of military age. The breakdown of those serving in the Army is as follows:

• Regular Army: 1,089
• Kitchener’s Army: 1,089
• Territorials: 1,301
• National Reserve: 266

In eight villages – Bromham, Caddington, Cardington, Kensworth, Milton Ernest, Potsgrove, Stondon and Old Warden - recruitment has reached 10% or more of the total population with Cardington taking top place with a figure of 11.8%.

The strength of the Territorial Units has grown threefold since 1st January 1914. On 1st January 1914 it was 1,459; this increased to 1,945 on 1st July 1914, to 3,861 on 13th November 1914 and to 4,389 on 16th March 1915. This most recent figure can be broken down into individual Units:

• Yeomanry: 979
• Royal Engineers: 1224 (not including the 1st Field Company which is serving in France)
• 5th Battalion (and Reserve): 1949
• Field Ambulance: 237

Of this total of 4,389, Kempston and the village districts for which returns were made by head teachers contributed 1,301, with 3,088 coming from Bedford, Luton, Ampthill, Biggleswade, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard and Sandy. If the proportion of recruits to the Territorials from these urban areas is similar to the proportion who have joined the other branches of the Forces, then the total number of men recruited by the Army and Navy from Bedfordshire can be estimated at 13,329. If this is correct it would mean that the county has sent 46% of the available men of military age and 6.8% of its total population of 194,588.

Source: Bedfordshire Times, 19th March 1915

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[1] Bedford, Luton, Ampthill, Biggleswade, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard and Sandy were excluded from the returns due to their size and the greater difficulty of collecting figures. 

Henlow and the War

Henlow War Memorial, 1930s [Z1130/58/10]

Sunday 14th March 1915: The parish of Henlow has already lost four men in the service of their country:

• Private Edwin John Bywaters, age 21, son of Harry and Emma Bywaters of High Street, Henlow, killed on 23rd August 1914 serving with the 1st Bedfords (our war correspondent posted an obituary for Private Bywaters at the time) [1] 
• Leading Stoker William Thomas Page, age 33, who died when the HMS Aboukir was sunk by a German submarine on 22nd September 1914
• Private William Flack Brandram of the 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge’s Own), who was killed at Ypres on 30th October 1914
• Private Archer Sidney Fisher, aged 21, who was also killed at Ypres on 16th November 1914 serving with the 1st Battalion of the Rifle Brigade. His parents Clarence Sidney and Rosa Fisher now live at Hurstpierpoint in Sussex.

A further sixty-one Henlow men are currently serving in the armed forces.

There are now three families of Belgians resident in the village. The most recent arrivals are Monsieur and Madame Lanwers and their little boy Henri. M. Lanwers fought at Antwerp, was wounded and has now been discharged from Service as disabled. Monsieur Desir­è de Grande has left Henlow to join relatives at Leicester, having received the good news that his wife is alive and living with her parents in a village on the Yser.

Source: Henlow Parish Magazine [X381/3]

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[1] Harry and Emma Bywaters lost two more sons, Ernest and Horace, later in the war. 

A Tragic Accident at Arlesey

Arlesey Station Crossing c.1906 [Z1306/2/14/1]

Monday 8th February 1915: An inquest has been held today at the Pavilion, Arlesey into the tragic death of Royal Naval Reserve Stoker Joseph Shannon, aged 36, a stoker on HMS M.F.A. Baron Amrossan He was returning home to South Shields for five days leave when his comrades noticed his was missing from the train and a door was open. Stoker Shannon’s body was found by a platelayer on the Great Northern Railway 300 yards south of the Three Counties Station at Arlesey at 7.15 on Friday morning. The doctor called to examine his body said that the nature of the injuries meant that death must have been instantaneous. His identity was confirmed by his wife, Margaret Shannon of 59 Francis Street, Deans, Tyne Dock, South Shields.

The engine driver, George Thomas Hall stated that he was driving the 11.45 express from King’s Cross when he noticed at Great Barford that someone had pulled the communication. He pulled the train up at St Neots South Box and sent his fireman Frederick Parker to investigate. Mr Parker spoke to a naval man who said his mate had fallen from the train and that he had pulled the cord. The passenger guard Arthur Edward Monk heard someone calling “guard” when the train stopped. He found another Naval Reserve man, Alexander Turnbull, who said he had been pulling the cord for twenty minutes and asked why they had not stopped the train earlier – the driver said that he had followed company regulations in proceeding to the St Neots South Box as the next stopping point.

Alexander Turnbull told the inquest that he was also from South Shields and served on the same ship as Stoker Shannon. They were travelling home together from Chatham with two other men, Robert Wilson and Samuel Smith. They were all in the same compartment until 12.25 when Turnbull left to find a seat where he could lie down. Shannon and Wilson were both asleep at this time, and Smith was smoking. Turnbull went to sleep and was woken by Smith who said he though Joe Shannon was missing; they returned to the compartment where they found Wilson crying. When asked whether it was true Wilson told Turnbull, “Mate, its too true, owing to the door being open”. The witnesses stated that all the naval men were quiet and sober. A verdict of accidental death was returned.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard 12th February 1915