Branch Battlefield Tour 2012

Poppy
The Newsletter of the Thames Valley Branch of the Western Front Association
Branch Battlefield Tour 2012
Patron
Colonel Terry Cave CBE
Honorary President
Professor Peter Simkins MBE FRHistS
Messines, Third Ypres and Courtrai
Honorary Vice-Presidents
The Earl Kitchener TD DL
Dr John Bourne BA PhD FRHistS
Professor Gary Sheffield BA MA PhD FRHistS
Lt.Col. Graham W Parker OBE
Tony Noyes C.Eng., MICE
André Coilliot
The Burgomaster of Ypres
The Mayor of Albert
Chairman
Bruce Simpson
Grave of Lt D S McGreGor, vc, 6th Bn royaL ScotS, StaSeGeM coMMunaL ceMetery, KortrijK
Sunday 10th June to Friday 15th June 2012
November 2011
•
Issue 28
• Dedications
• Branch matters
• Programme for next season
• “The Prospect 1000” Project
• New Book Releases
• Edith Cavell
• Trooper Potts sculpture
• The Iron 12
• Ysselsteyns German War Cemetery
Contacts
We hope to see you during the season. If you are
receiving this newsletter for the first time, please
come along to our meeting on 24th November and
introduce yourself. Should you require directions to
the venue or any other information relating to the
branch please contact one of the committee members listed below:
Bridgeen Fox: tel 01189 265376
or email bridgeen.fox@btinternet.com
don Farr: tel 01189 794518
or email don.farr@ntlworld.com
Mike Lawson: tel 01692 535184
or email lawsonm100@aol.com
roger Laing: tel 01753 654885
or email roger.laing@tiscali.co.uk
Liz TaiT: tel 0118 9662885
or email liztait@virginmedia.com
After an absence of eleven years (2001)
the branch trip next year will visit the
battlefields around Ieper (Ypres) and
easterly towards Kortrijk (Courtrai).
We hope to base ourselves in the
popular and beautiful city of Ieper
(population approx. 35,000), with its
selection of good hotels and restaurants
with the added attraction of the Last
Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate each
evening. Tentative enquiries will be made
shortly with appropriate hotels to secure
the accommodation needed at the best
possible terms.
It is estimated that the total cost of a
single room including breakfast for the
five nights is likely to be in the region of
£300 to £400, excluding other meals.
The tour will take the usual format of
visiting battlefield sites to study British
and French actions that took place around
Ieper (Ypres) and Kortrijk (Courtrai)
during 1917 and 1918 with the help of
‘on the spot’ presentations from tour
members.
The intention of this tour is to start
by having a good look at the Battle of
Messines (7th – 14th July 1917) in detail
and follow the development of the
campaign through to the Third Battle
of Ypres/Battle of Passchendaele (31st
July 1917 – 6th November 1917) including
the rôle played by artillery, the French
involvement and the experiences gained
by the Second World War Generals who
took part.
The tour will also cover the somewhat
neglected 1918 campaign actions of
Second Army during the Last 100 Days,
from the exploitation of the breakout
from the Salient east of Ypres during the
Fifth Battle of Ypres (28th September - 2nd
October 1918) to the Battle of Courtrai (1419 October 1918). Possible stands at rarely
visited places, such as Terhard, Ledegem,
for three VC actions, Wevelgem for
actions on the Lys, Bossuit for actions on
the Scheldt and Kreupel Ridge, hopefully,
can be incorporated into the itinerary.
In addition the tour will also include a
number of other VC actions and visits to
cemeteries and memorials.
For the sake of comfort we shall
again limit the numbers travelling in the
mini-buses but will of course arrange
supplementary transport if necessary. As
usual travelling expenses will depend
upon the size of the group, the cost of fuel
and the current disappointing exchange
rate but it is hoped to keep costs down to
approx. £120 per head.
We would ask anyone wishing to join
the tour to complete the enclosed slip
and return it to Don Farr by Thursday
1st December 2011. No commitment in
involved at this stage but in order to
qualify for ‘special deal’ ferry/Shuttle
fares, confirmation and payment of an
initial deposit of £50 will be required
before the end of December.
A special tour newsletter giving
further details will be sent out by Don
to those interested in joining the tour in
early December.
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November 2011
Dedications
As a mark of respect to all those who perished during the Great War, the following meetings will be dedicated to the memory of
local men serving with the Royal Berkshire Regiment who died on that date during 1914–1918. If during your travels you happen
to be near to where any of these soldiers are buried or commemorated, kindly pay a visit.
26th January
The dedication this month is to Frederick Rogers, a Private
with the 2nd Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment, from Little
Marlow, Bucks.
Frederick Rogers was born on 15th November 1891 in
Coldmoorholm, Little Marlow, the second youngest son of Albert,
a farm worker, and his wife Elizabeth of Pigeon House Farm,
Sheepridge Lane, Little Marlow. He had three elder brothers,
William, Frank and Albert and a younger brother, Owen.
In 1911, Frederick trained as a regular soldier with the Royal
Berkshire Regiment at Reading Depot Barracks. He was then
posted to India and served with the 2nd Battalion at Jhansi, 200
miles south of Dehli. In August 1914 the battalion was recalled to
Britain and travelled by train to the transit camp at Deolali, near
Bombay, before boarding HMT Dongola in Bombay Docks on
14th September 1914. After a delay of six days awaiting a convoy,
the ship eventually set sail for England on 20th September 1914
and docked at Liverpool on 22nd October 1914. Immediately
upon landing the battalion was dispatched to Winchester by
overnight trains where the men marched to nearby Hursley Park
to form part of 25th Brigade in 8th Division. On 4th November
1914, less than two weeks after arriving in Liverpool, the 2nd
Battalion marched with the 8th Division to Southampton before
embarking on SS Kingstonian, a converted cattle boat, bound for
Le Havre.
Next day the Division landed in France and travelled by
trains to Strazeele before concentrating in and around Merville,
where the 2nd Battalion went into billets on 11th November
1914. Three days later the Berkshires left their billets with the
2nd Bn. Rifle Brigade and took up positions to hold the line in
the trenches at Fauquissart. After three days the two battalions
were relieved by two other battalions from the Brigade took
a three day spell in reserve at Laventie or Estaires before
returning to the line once again. The trenches were primitive,
uncomfortable, flooded and dangerous, so breastworks were
constructed to provide better protection from the enemy but
casualties from sniper fire continued to mount. Casualty returns
for the Battalion up to the end of December 1914 showed that 13
men had been killed and 42 other ranks wounded. In addition
four officers and 261 other ranks were admitted to hospital after
reporting sick. This exchange of battalions continued throughout
the period into January 1915.
Sadly, one of those men to die of wounds during this period
on 26th January 1915 was 9880 Pte. Frederick Rogers,
2nd Royal Berkshire Regiment, age 23. He is buried in
Merville Communal Cemetery, Merville, Nord, France,
grave 1.K.7.
Following Frederick’s death in January 1915,
three further tragedies struck the poor Rogers
family during the last two years of the war.
On 1st March 1917, the eldest son of the family,
William Rogers, was killed in action on the Somme
whilst serving as a Private with 6th Bn. Oxfordshire
& Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (60th Bde., 20th
(Light) Division) during the early stages of the
German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line.
William was born in Great Kimble, near Princess
Risborough in 1885 and worked with his father
at Pigeon House Farm. He married Charlotte Chitty in early
1908 and at the time of his death the couple had five children,
William, age 7, Violet, age 6, Kathleen, age 4, Owen, age 2 and
Ernest, age 1.
33447 Pte. William Rogers, age 32, is commemorated on the
Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France, pier and face 10A and 10D.
Just over six weeks after William had died the youngest son of
the family, Owen Rogers, was killed in action on 19th April
1917 whilst serving as a Rifleman with 1st/8th Bn. (Isle of Wight
Rifles) Hampshire Regiment (163rd Bde., 54th (East Anglian)
Division) in Palestine. Owen was born at Pigeon House Farm,
Little Marlow on 16th August 1894.
At the outbreak of war in August 1914, Lt.-Col. John Rhodes,
commanding 1st /8th Bn. (Isle of Wight Rifles) Hampshire
Regiment, who was also the Agent for the Little Marlow Estate,
called for volunteers to join the colours and wishing to attract
men he knew, offered a pound to each man who would join up.
This was more than a week’s wages for most at the time so, not
surprisingly, many young men from Little Marlow, including
Owen enlisted with The Rifles. They trained at Parkhurst, on
the Isle of Wight, Bury St. Edmunds and Watford, before sailing
from Liverpool with the 54th Division on 30th July 1915 bound for
the shores of Gallipoli. The Brigade landed at Sulva Bay on 10th
August 1915 and saw their first action on the 12th August 1915
when the Battalion attacked their objective of Anafarta Ridge
at 4.50 pm. Following the disastrous failure at Suvla Bay and the
SeconD BattLe of Gaza, 17th-19th apriL 1917
Issue 28
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Gallipoli Campaign in general, The Rifles were withdrawn from
the Peninsula in November 1915 and sailed for Alexandria, Egypt
where they replaced their losses and went into training near
the Great Pyramids to prepare for the advance into Palestine.
The aim of this campaign was to protect the Suez Canal by
driving the Turks out of the Sinai and back up through Palestine
and to link up with General Townshend’s force driving across
Mesopotamia.
For 12 days in February 1917, the I.O.W. Rifles crossed the
145 miles of the Sinai Desert to Palestine in full marching order,
travelling over some of the most barren country in the world
under terrible heat and by March 1917 they were in reserve
for the First Battle of Gaza (26th/27th March 1917). Due to
difficulties in communications this battle became a fiasco for
the Allies after their commander, General Charles Dobell, made
the decision to withdraw when his troops were later thought to
have been in a position to seize a victory. Encouraged by this
unexpected success the Turks hastily reinforced their already
strong fortifications in and around Gaza and the strong points
towards Beersheba before the British were ready to attack again.
The Second Battle of Gaza (17th /19th April) began with the
heaviest artillery barrage in the region so far.
The I.O.W. Rifles advanced on Dumb Bell Ridge, reaching
their objective unopposed and held the crest of the Sheik Abbas
Ridge until the morning of the 19th April 1917. Then, after two
hours of preliminary bombardment, the whistles blew at 7.30 am
and, with “C” and “D” Companies of the I.O.W. Rifles supporting
the 4th/Norfolks on the left and “A” and “B” Companies with
the 5th/Norfolks on the right, the 163rd Infantry Brigade went
over the top with 2,800 yards to go to the Turkish lines. Enemy
shrapnel shelling began immediately but before the Brigade
had gone 300 yards, long range machine gun fire opened up.
Advancing “with great dash” the three battalions crossed the first
shallow ridge to the flat country beyond with little or no cover.
Shell and machine gun fire increased and the 4th/Norfolks and
I.O.W Rifles, on the left, began taking heavy casualties. On the
right, slightly protected by a dip in the ground, a party with tank
support forged ahead and reached Tank Redoubt and took 20
prisoners. Meanwhile contact was lost with 162nd Brigade on the
left, the troops were forced to go to ground about 400 yards short
of the objective. Pinned down they were unable to move. Men
were holding packs in front of their heads in a desperate attempt
to avoid the sweeping machine guns and the slightest movement
drew heavy fire. They got no further. At 9.00 am a decision was
taken to form a defensive line about 400 yards back from the
enemy, consisting of about 100 riflemen and a Lewis gun, until
they were reinforced. They dug in and tried to survive the day.
The Second Battle of Gaza lasted for two days and was a costly
failure. The final list of casualties for the I.O.W. Rifles included 8
officers and 186 men killed, mostly from “C” and “D” Companies.
Sadly, one of those who died on 19th April 1917 was
young Owen Rogers, age 19, together with three other I.O.W.
Riflemen from the Little Marlow/Flackwell Heath area, Joseph
Summerfield, age 18, Leonard Southam, age 27, and Percy
Twitchen, age 25.
330389 Rfm. Owen Rogers, 1st/8th Bn. Hampshire Regiment
is commemorated on the Jerusalem Memorial, Israel, panels 28
and 29.
On 3rd July 1918, the third youngest son of the family, Albert
John Rogers died, whilst serving as a Lance Corporal with
the 5th Bn. Royal Berkshire Regiment. Albert was born at
Coldmoorholm, Little Marlow on 30th May 1889 and by 1911 was
serving as a regular soldier with the 2nd Bn. Royal Berkshire
Regiment at Chakrata in India. In August 1914 the battalion was
LittLe MarLow war MeMoriaL, St. john the BaptiSt church
anD naMeS of the roGerS BrotherS on the MeMoriaL
fLacKweLL heath war MeMoriaL
naMeS of the roGerS BrotherS on the MeMoriaL
recalled to Britain and possibly travelled back to England at the
same time as his younger brother, Frederick.
Sometime during his service career Albert was promoted
to Lance Corporal and served with the 2nd Battalion on the
Western Front throughout the war before being transferred to
the 5th Battalion (36th Bde., 12th (Eastern) Division)
probably following the reorganisation of the Regiment
in February 1918 after the 6th Battalion was
disbanded.
On 30th June 1918 the 5th Battalion moved to
Vignacourt, 12 miles north-east of Amiens, where
there was a bad epidemic of influenza. Sadly, a few
days later, Albert was to become the fourth casualty of
the tragic Rogers family when he died on 3rd July 1918,
probably from the effects of the outbreak.
However, it is a mystery as to why 8677 L/Cpl
Albert John Rogers, 5th Bn. Royal Berkshire
Regiment, age 29, is buried in Valenciennes (St.
Roch) Communal Cemetery, Nord, France, grave
3
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5.B.21, some 90 miles east of Vignacourt. The city of Valenciennes
was well behind German lines at the time of his death until it
was captured in November 1918. Perhaps Albert was one of 226
soldiers whose bodies were brought into this cemetery after the
war from the battlefields or other cemeteries or possibly one
of the 348 soldiers originally buried in the German Extension,
created by them in the autumn of 1914 and that Albert may have
died as a prisoner-of-war.
All four Rogers brothers are commemorated on both the
Little Marlow War Memorial outside St. John the Baptist Church
in Church Road and the Flackwell Heath War Memorial at the
junction of Common Road and Treadaway Road and on the Rollof-Honour inside St. John the Baptist Church.
23rd February
The dedication this month
is to Edward Thomas
Holloway, a Private with the
6th Battalion Royal Berkshire
Regiment, from Wokingham.
He was born at Winkfield,
near Ascot in early 1890, the
youngest child of Charles
Holloway, a general labourer,
and his wife Mary of Chavey
Down, Winkfield. Edward had
five brothers, Henry, Frederick,
Charles, Frank and George
and two sisters, Rose and
May. By 1911, age 21, he had
left home and was working
pte. eDwarD thoMaS hoLLoway,
as a gardener at Lynegrove
6th Bn. royaL BerKShire reGiMent
Gardens, Lyne, near Chertsey,
Surrey and in the spring of
1915 Edward, now age 25, married Ellen Taylor from Wokingham.
They had two children, a daughter Frances, born in the summer
of 1916 and a son Edward, born in the autumn of 1917.
53rD BriGaDe attacK front, 17th feBruary 1917
November 2011
Edward enlisted in Reading with the 6th Bn. Royal Berkshire
Regiment and was sent to France on 26th July 1915, landing at
Boulogne. On 27th January 1917 the 6th Battalion was sent into
the front line to relieve the 7th Bn. Bedfordshire Regiment during
the operations in the Ancre Valley opposite Grandcourt, on the
south bank of the River Ancre. During the next three weeks they
were in and out of the line, suffering a number of casualties
through shell fire and on 17th/18th February 1917 took part in
the Actions of Miraumont, more familiarly known as the Battle
of Boom Ravine. The purpose of this action was to precipitate
an earlier German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line. Their
precise role on 17th February 1917 was as one of the attacking
battalions of 53rd Brigade in 18th (Eastern) Division, alongside
the 8th Suffolk Regiment. Each of these two battalions was
supported by a company of the 8th Bn. Norfolk Regiment. The
final objectives for the day were a feature known as Hill 130,
south-east of Miraumont, and the German position in South
Miraumont Trench. This would involve an advance of some
1,200 yards. The immediate objectives for the 6th Battalion were
the newly-wired German trenches named Rum, Tea and Coffee.
Between Coffee Trench and the final objectives lay the feature
which gave the battle its name, the Y-shaped Boom Ravine,
a difficult obstacle stretching away to the right of the Royal
Berkshires’ main attack front.
After a long period of cold and frosty weather, a thaw had
set in the day before the attack started. One result was that the
ground soon became wet, greasy and very muddy in parts but
another related result was that the accompanying barrage which
had been timed to support troops moving relatively quickly
across hard ground was now likely to out-distance them.
A German barrage that opened at midnight on the lines of
approach now switched to the forming-up line at 4.00am causing
several casualties. It is possible that the Germans had been
forewarned of attack some weeks earlier by a British deserter.
The consequence of this German shelling was the destruction of
the battalion HQ, telephone wires being cut and runners being
killed. Nevertheless at 4.30am the 6th Battalion had formed
up on a 570-yard frontage with their first wave just in front of
Grandcourt Trench. As there were no assembly trenches, tapes
had been laid the previous night to mark this line. In addition to
his rifle, each man carried 120 rounds of small arms ammunition,
two bombs, two empty sandbags and a filled water bottle.
Unfortunately, rations for the day had failed to arrive, due to
the mud and the darkness, so the men would go over on empty
stomachs.
The British barrage opened at 5.45am and the advance began.
Attacking on the right, ‘C’ Company of the Royal Berkshires,
passed over Rum Trench as it was not occupied by the enemy and
pushed on to their final objective, the Grandcourt-Miraumont
road. Here they found that the troops to their right had not been
able to advance as rapidly and that their own flank was now
being attacked by Germans coming from north of Boom Ravine.
As a result ‘C’ Company withdrew some 300 yards to the junction
of Boom Ravine and Sixteen Road.
Attacking in the centre, ‘B’ Company worked their way
through gaps in the wire in front of Coffee Trench and by 6.30am
the whole of the trench was in the hands of 53rd Brigade. On
the left, ‘D’ Company took their first objectives against light
opposition and pushed on to the sunken road running from
Grandcourt to Petit Miraumont where they captured some 70
Germans hiding in dugouts by the side of the road and here they
consolidated.
By now, the artillery barrage had moved too far ahead and
the British advance and the whole attack came to a halt after a
vigorous German counter-attack. The results fell short of what
had been planned as Hill 130 and South Miraumont Trench were
still in German hands. However, approximately 1,000 yards of
ground in the centre had been taken together with the difficult
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terrain around Boom Ravine causing a major German strategic
withdrawal ahead of time but, unfortunately, at a high cost in
casualties with six Officers wounded and a total of 20 killed, 122
wounded and 48 missing in other ranks.
Tragically, one of those to die of wounds received in the
battle was 12816 Pte. Edward Thomas Holloway, age 27, on 23rd
February 1917. He is buried in Dernancourt Communal Cemetery
Extension, Somme, France, grave 6.A.17 and sadly never saw his
son, Edward, born later that year.
Following Edward’s death in February 1917, two further tragedies
struck the Holloway family within the next three months.
On 15th April 1917, George
Albert Holloway was killed
in action whilst serving as a
Private with 1st Bn. The Buffs
(East Kent Regiment), attached
to 16th Bde. in 6th Division at
Loos. He was born at Winkfield
in 1888 and by 1911, age
23, had left home to work as
a resident gardener at The
Bothy, Heywood Park, White
Waltham, near Maidenhead.
In the spring of 1913,George,
now age 25, married Frances
Stagg from Ireland. They had
two sons, Charles, born in the
winter of 1913 and George, born
pte. GeorGe aLBert hoLLoway,
in the spring of 1916.
1St Bn. the BuffS (eaSt Kent reGt)
George originally enlisted
in Maidenhead with the 9th Bn. Royal Berkshire Regiment but
was later transferred to The Buffs. In April 1917, at the same time
as the Battles of Arras 1917 were being fought the 1st Bn. The
Buffs was in action around Hill 70 and it was during the fighting
here that 12743 Pte. George Albert Holloway, age 29, was killed.
He is buried in St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Loos, Pas de Calais, France,
grave 3.A.8
The third member of the Holloway family to die during these
tragic three months of early 1917 was the third eldest son
attacK on cheriSy, 3rD-4th May 1917
5
Charles Holloway, who was killed in action whilst serving
as a Private with the 8th Bn. East Surrey Regiment on 3rd May
1917. He was born at Winkfield in 1878 and in the summer of 1907,
Charles, now 29, married Susan Martha Lloyd from Winkfield
and by 1911, the couple had a son Alfred and a daughter Ethel.
Charles was working as a gardener at Furzedale, Pinkneys Green,
near Maidenhead but soon afterwards the family moved to New
Malden, Surrey where they had another daughter Edith.
Charles, enlisted in Kingston-Upon-Thames and landed at
Boulogne on 28th July 1915 with the 8th Battalion as part of
55th Bde., 18th (Eastern) Division. During the Battles of Arras
1917, the 18th Division took part in the Third Battle of the
Scarpe (3rd/4th May 1917) with an attack on Chérisy, a small
village about six miles south-east of Arras. The attack started
at 3.45am in pitch darkness, which caused a great amount of
confusion as it was not possible to distinguish between friend
and foe and become mixed together. Despite this the 8th Bn.
East Surrey Regiment managed to capture the northern end
of the village and Olga Trench, just over a mile east of Chérisy.
Despite these early successes, German counter attacks regained
all the territory taken by nightfall. Chérisy then remained in
German hands until it was retaken by the Canadian Corps on
27th August 1918. Two Officers and 90 other ranks of the 8th
East Surreys were killed in action that day, including 24298 Pte.
Charles Holloway, age 39. He is commemorated on the Arras
Memorial, Pas de Calais, France, Bay 6.
All three Holloway brothers are commemorated on the
Winkfield War Memorial, outside St. Mary’s Church, Church
Lane, Winkfield.
29th March
The dedication this month is to Arthur Tegg, a Private with
the 5th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment from Clewer, near
Windsor.
Arthur Tegg was born at Waltham St. Lawrence, near
Twyford in 1889, the son of George Tegg, a farm worker, and his
wife Sarah of Farn Cottage, St. Leonard’s Hill, Clewer. He had
three elder brothers, William, James and Charles and two sisters,
Mary and Lily.
In 1911, age 22, he was living at home with his parents at St.
Leonard’s Hill and working as a gardener.
The 5th Battalion (36th Bde., 12th (Eastern) Division) was
not directly involved on the opening day of the German Spring
Offensive in 1918 but on 24th March 1918 the Division was sent
to the Somme area, east of
Albert. Between the 25th/29th
March they occupied the
lines at Montauban, Hamel,
Martinsart and Aveluy before
being relieved by the 6th Bn.
Royal West Kent Regiment. The
total number of casualties for
the 5th Battalion during this
period was 11 men killed and
68 wounded.
Sadly one of those to later
die of his wounds on 29th
March 1918 was 11008 Pte.
Arthur Tegg, age 29. He is
buried in Doullens Communal
Cemetery Extension No. 1,
Somme, France, grave 5.C.15.
Tragically, Arthur Tegg was
not the only loss to the family
during the war. Six months
earlier on 22nd October 1917,
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The Poppy by email
The last edition of The Poppy (September 2011, Issue 27) was the first to be
sent out automatically by email attachment to all members whose email
address is known to the editor. Apart from a few minor glitches, this new
approach proved very successful with about two-thirds of the membership
receiving The Poppy in this format.
Unfortunately, we still had to send out around 100 copies by post
because our records show that details of email addresses are missing for
about 35% of the membership. So, if you received the last edition by post
and have an email address (or have changed it recently) then please help
the Branch by informing the editor of your email details at lawsonm100@
aol.com as soon as possible.
Printed versions will continue to be sent out to those members, who do
not have an email address or who have specifically requested a ‘hard copy’
of the black and white version instead.
Please note that The Poppy can also be viewed online by simply going
to the WFA website at www.westernfrontassociation.com and finding it
listed within Branch Newsletters under WFA Branches.
First World War Memorial at Prospect School
The First World War Memorial at Prospect School, a large comprehensive
to the west of Reading, has just been completed and will be dedicated
on Armistice Day. This is the culmination of a great project begun in 2008
by David Ridgus, a History teacher at the School, and is the culmination
of research into one thousand names shared by students and staff of
men who died in the Great War. Those names are now recorded on the
memorial, designed by the students themselves. Armistice Day 2011 will
be a memorable day for staff, students and their families. It will be a day of
which they can be justly proud. (See page 6 of the March 2011, edition of
The Poppy, Issue 26, for details of the The Prospect 1000 Project)
Sale of the Branch Collection of Books and Maps
The final sale for the Branch collection of books and maps took place at the
Branch meeting on 27th October 2011 and it is pleasing to report that a
total amount of about £150 was raised from the three sales to help Branch
funds. The Branch Committee would like to thank members for their
encouraging support in participating in the sale.
November 2011
New Book Releases
‘War Diaries; A Chaplain at
Gallipoli, The Great War Diaries
of Kenneth Best’ edited by Gavin
Roynon, published by Simon &
Shuster Ltd., 304 pages, hardback,
ISBN: 9780857202253, RRP £14.99
This is the first of a series of
powerful, true-life diaries published
in collaboration with the Imperial
War Museum.
Kenneth Best was a First World
War chaplain who served at Gallipoli
in 1915, a campaign notorious for its
brutality and loss of life, even by the
standards of the First World War. In
his diary, Best records his efforts to
encourage frightened men before
they go over the top, to comfort the
wounded and, when the fighting stops, to bury the dead. His empathy for
the troops is matched by a forthright disgust for their leaders few of whom
share his insight into the horrific realities of trench warfare.
‘The Quick and the Dead: Fallen
Soldiers and Their Families in the
Great War’ by Richard Van Emden,
published by Bloomsbury Publishing
PLC, 352 pages, hardback, ISBN:
9780747597797, RRP £20.00
This book looks at the problems
of the missing and the dead and
the effect on wives and children in
particular. The Government’s response
is discussed and also the increasing
need to show understanding and
sympathy to the bereaved, culminating
in the brilliant idea of the Cenotaph
and the Tomb of the Unknown
warrior which had a greater and more
moving impact than might have been
expected.
continued from page 5
Arthur’s elder brother Charles Edwin Tegg, age 33, died
of wounds received during the Salonika campaign,
probably in the Capture of Homonodos on 14th October
1914, whilst serving as a Private with the 7th Bn. Royal
Berkshire Regiment, (78th Bde., 26th Division). He is
buried in the beautiful Karasouli Military Cemetery,
Políkastro, Thessaloniki, Greece, grave C.537.
Charles was born at Waltham St. Lawrence, near
Twyford in 1884 and in the spring of 1910 married Edith
Green from Clewer. The couple lived at 21 Bexley Terrace,
Clewer and had a daughter, Maud, born in 1911.
Both men are commemorated on the Clewer War
Memorial, Dedworth Road, Windsor.
(Ed. The Clewer War Memorial also lists Tegg J and it is
possible that this could be the third brother of the family to die
during the Great War namely, James Frederick Tegg, who was
born at Waltham St. Lawrence in 1881. Although he does not
appear on the CD ‘Soldiers Died in the Great War’ the CWGC
website does show 39806 Pte. J.F. Tegg, 1st/4th Bn. Hampshire
Regiment, who died on 15th November 1918 and is buried
in Tehran War Cemetery. Should anyone have any further
information on Pte. James Frederick Tegg then kindly inform
KaraSouLi MiLitary ceMetery, poLíKaStro, theSSaLoniKi, Greece
the Editor, Mike Lawson)
Issue 28
The PoPPy
7
Ysselsteyn German War Cemetery
Mike Lawson
who lived near the German
and Dutch Border but
were evacuated to Vught
Concentration Camp near
‘s-Herzogenbosch towards the
end of the war and died there.
In May 1945, in accordance
with the Geneva Convention
which stated that all soldiers
who fall in foreign lands have
the right to be buried there, the
new Dutch authorities ordered
local communities around the
country to make an inventory
of local war graves in their
areas. After the inventories had
been collected and processed it
was decided to allocate just one
burial location for the central
collection of all the German
war dead. It was considered
practical to find a suitable place
near to the German border, not
ySSeLSteyn GerMan war ceMetery with firSt worLD war pLot in foreGrounD
particularly to facilitate visiting
relatives from Germany but
mainly due to logistical reasons. Most German war graves were
Ysselsteyn German War Cemetery is situated only 12 miles from
found in the east and south-east of the Netherlands and locating
Germany on the provincial border between Noord-Brabant and
the German cemetery in the south-east would also considerably
Limburg in the woody Peel district of southern Netherlands and
shorten the logistic challenges for the around 3,000 dead to be
is the only German War Cemetery on Dutch soil.
transported in from the Ardennes and Hürtgenwald battlefields.
The cemetery is vast, covering some 85 acres in four huge
The place chosen was a wooded area in the municipality of
sections totalling 116 plots containing the graves of 31,598
Venray called “de Paardenkop”, in the neighbourhood of the
German soldiers, airman and sailors who died mainly in the
young village of Ysselsteyn, founded in 1921.
Netherlands during the Second World War.
The Dutch Army, with the help of former German POWs,
The cemetery also contains the graves of 85 Germans who
began constructing the cemetery in 1946 in utmost secrecy,
fell during the Great War and whose bodies ended up in neutral
behind hedges and barbed wire, with the remains of dead bodies
Netherlands by floating down rivers, mainly the Meuse or were
and thousands of coffins arriving daily by the truckload from all
washed ashore on the Dutch coast. They were re-interred here
over the country to the cemetery.
during the 1950s from Maastricht and other Dutch communities.
The First World War graves are located next to the entrance to
the cemetery and are placed
around a memorial stone in three
double row arcs.
After the Second World War,
virtually all German graves in
the Netherlands were brought
to Ysselsteyn (Ijsselsteijn) plus
a few thousand men killed in
the Ardennes and Hürtgenwald
battlefields during the last
months of the war. The only
exceptions are those to be found
at Vorden General Cemetery,
near Zutphen in eastern Holland,
where 10 German airmen and
soldiers, who died end of March
1945, lie in a collective grave.
This is a private mass grave,
bought by the father of one of
the airmen killed, and therefore
their remains were not removed
to Ysselsteyn.
The cemetery also contains
the graves of several German
firSt worLD war pLot, ySSeLSteyn, GerMan ceMetery
civilian women and children,
8
The PoPPy
November 2011
MeMoriaL to LoDewijK johanneS tiMMerManS,
ySSeLSteyn GerMan ceMetery
The local inhabitants were not informed about what was
mysteriously being constructed so close to their village and were
not officially allowed to enter the cemetery until 1952. They had
assumed that mortal remains of German soldiers buried in the
Netherlands would have been repatriated to Germany during
the course of the following years.
The first years of construction proved by far the most
challenging for the burial and identification teams. Around
8,000 German dead were unidentified as a direct result of
both belligerents being neglectful during the last months of
the war, in burying the dead without proper identification.
This caused the Dutch recovery teams to bear the burden of
identifying the numerous bodies but eventually the identification
specialists managed to name around 7,350 of these, which
must be considered a remarkable achievement in a pre-DNA
identification era.
In 1948, former Dutch army Captain, Lodewijk Johannes
Timmermans was appointed to the post of Administrator
to the cemetery. He was responsible for the management of
the cemetery including burial operations, preservation and
maintenance, identification of dead bodies, guidance for visiting
groups and providing information for relatives. He remained
as Administrator for a further 28 years, until 1976. Strangely,
Timmermans had not only fought the German invaders in May
1940 but had also continued to fight them during the war as
a member of the resistance. In 1945 as a member of a mineclearing unit he stepped on a mine and was temporarily blinded.
Timmermans was treated at a Canadian field-hospital with
other Dutchmen, Belgians, Canadians, Americans and Germans
and made friends with a slightly wounded young German
soldier from Lake Constance who cared for Timmermans
during his recovery. Step by step both men realised that the
prejudices they had against each other were flawed, particularly
when Timmermans learned that many young Germans had
been forced to join the German army. He played a big rôle in
Dutch-German reconciliation after the war and considered his
assignment an honourable one. He attended to his duties in
such a diligent and respectful way, that after his death in 1995
the German authorities sanctioned his last request to have his
ashes dispersed over the terrain that he had kept so diligently
throughout his life. A memorial stone to Captain Timmermans
has been erected close to the memorial at the centre of the
cemetery.
The Dutch army finished constructing the cemetery
in 1950 and handed over responsibility of the site to the
German War Graves Commission, the Volksbund Deutsche
Kriegsgräberfürsorge, in 1976.
Occasionally German remains are still being found in The
Netherlands today during construction projects or aircraft
fLuGMeiSter frieDrich GröSchKe
recovery operations and the cemetery is used for the burial of
these newly discovered remains. As recent as May 2010 another
batch of identified German dead were buried at Ysselsteyn and
for the first time since the Second World War were interred with a
modest military ceremony.
Among the Second World War casualties, buried next to
each other, are two German Night Fighter aces from European
aristocratic descent, Major Heinrich Alexander Ludwig Peter
Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein and Major Egmont Prinz zur LippeWeissenfeld.
Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein was born on 14th August 1916
in Copenhagen, Denmark and killed in action on 21st January
1944 at Lübars, Germany but was buried at Deelen Air Base,
Netherlands. He was posthumously awarded the Knight’s Cross of
the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords and at the time of his death
was the leading fighter pilot with 83 aerial victories.
Prinz zur Lippe-Weissenfeld was born on 14th July 1918 in
Salzburg, Austria and was killed in flying accident at St. Hubert
in the Ardennes on 22nd March 1944. He was awarded the
Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves for 51 aerial victories.
Other notable burials are those of General-Leutnant Kurt
Schmidt (born on 9th April 1891 in Frankfurt, Germany and died
at Aalsmeer, Netherlands on 3rd March 1945) commander of the
526th Reserve Division, who also fought during the First World War
and Major-General Friedrich Kussin, (born on 1st March 1895
in Aurich, Germany), commandant of the German garrison in
Arnhem, killed in his car after being ambushed by No. 5 Platoon,
‘B’ Company, 3rd Parachute Battalion, 1st Airborne Division, on
17th September 1944.
Among the First World War graves are two airmen of
Seefrosta 1, Flugmeister Friedrich Gröschke and Flugmeister
Issue 28
The PoPPy
9
Grave of oBerLeutnant zur See johanneS LohS,
ySSeLSteyn GerMan ceMetery
oBerLeutnant zur See johanneS LohS
Fritz Dauke and a U-Boat Commander, Oberleutnant zur See
Johannes Lohs.
Friedrich Gröschke was born in Heilinghafen in 1897 and
became a member of Seefrosta 1 in August 1918. His time there
would not have lasted very long, as during a flight with Seefrosta
1 (Becht, Hubrich, Buhl and Gröschke) and Seefrosta 2 ( Cranz,
Freimadl, Achilles, Kairies, Engelfried and Kutschke) on 21st
August 1918 he was shot down over the sea west of Zeebrugge. He
was able to set down his Fokker D.VII to the water (according to
a land based observation post), but a subsequent search for him
was without result. A few days later his body was washed up on
the beach near Vlissingen. Apparently, Gröschke had drowned
while attempting to swim ashore. The German Consulate in The
Netherlands arranged for him to be buried in Holland with full
military honours
Johannes Lohs was born at Einsiedel, Sachsen on 24th June
1889 the son of plant owner Oswald Lohs. He attended his
first school in his home village and later a grammar school in
Chemnitz. Lohs entered the Kaiserliche Marine on 1st April, 1909
and had several commands as Fahnrich zur See, serving on the
cruiser Strasburg from 1st October 1912 on which he saw half of
the world.
He saw action for the very first time on 28th August 1914
and was promoted Leutnant zur See in the autumn of 1915. Lohs
moved to the U-Bootschule and got his first U-Boat command on
UC 75 of the Flandern Flottille on 17th March 1917 and took that
boat on nine patrols off the British coast.
On 2nd January 1918 he became CO of UB 57, taking over
the command from another legendary U-Boat commander, Otto
Steinbrinck. For his innovative ideas on U-boat warfare and new
tactics he received the Pour le Mérite in April 1918. On 3rd August
1918 he sailed from Zeebrugge for the last time. The last contact
he made with base was on the evening of the 14th August 1918,
whilst homeward bound on UB 57 in the area of the Sandiette
Bank, east of the Straits of Dover. Nothing more was heard and
it is believed that UB 57 struck a mine. Ships sunk on this last
patrol were the Clan Mac Vey (5,815 BRT), Glenlee (4,915 BRT)
and City of Brisbane (7,094 BRT).
During his career Oberleutnant zur See Johannes Lohs
accounted for 76 ships sunk (147,110 GRT), 1 warship sunk (1,200
tons) and 16 ships damaged ( 89,369 GRT) and apart from the
Pour le Mérite was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class, Hausorden
von Hohenzollern and the Iron Cross 1st class. On 4th October
1937 the 111 Unterseebootflottille was named after him at Kiel.
Lohs’ body washed up on shore a week later and was initially
buried in the military cemetery at Vlissingen.
Branch Photographic Competition
Last call for entries!
This year’s competition will again be held at the November branch
meeting and just to remind you of the rules; up to a total of four
photographs may be entered, each to a maximum size of 7” x 5”. Please
send your entries to Mike Lawson, Stewards Field, Mill Road, Dilham,
North Walsham, Norfolk NR28 9PU by Monday 21st November 2011
at the latest.
Members’ Contributions
Articles from members for publication in The Poppy are most welcome.
Should anyone have a contribution they wish to share with the
membership then please send it, preferably by email attachment (Word)
to Mike Lawson at or by post to Stewards Field, Mill Road, Dilham, North
Walsham, Norfolk NR28 9PU or hand it to him at any branch meeting.
10
The PoPPy
November 2011
A Place of Pilgrimage
by Bridgeen Fox
Swardeston lies a few miles south of Norwich. It is a rather unassuming
village but it has become a place of pilgrimage for those who honour
the memory of Edith Cavell, the English nurse who was in charge of a
hospital in Brussels at the beginning of the First World War and who
helped over two hundred allied soldiers to evade the occupying enemy
forces and escape to freedom in Holland. Eventually she was betrayed,
court-martialled by the Germans and executed by firing squad on 12th
October 1915. Her story was told in Issue 25 of ‘The Poppy’ and mention
was made of a biennial Cavell Festival held in Swardeston in early October.
One of the dates this year was 8th October so, as we were both in Norfolk,
Mike Lawson and I decided to go and find out more about Edith Cavell’s
birthplace, about the Festival and why Swardeston is important to so many
people.
The weather was overcast and damp but that did not deter the many
visitors who came to remember their heroine. There were several stalls
set up on the green opposite the church, a long simple building of Saxon
and Norman origins, dedicated to Benjamin the Bearded. Colourful flower
arrangements, on the theme of ‘Double Take,’ filled the church and in the
north-west corner hung Edith Cavell’s portrait. Also on display were two
chalk drawings by Edith of reindeer, dated 19-10-82. The most poignant
item in the church was the shaft of the cross on Edith’s makeshift grave at
the Tir Nationale in Brussels, a stark reminder of the fate she had suffered
at the hands of the enemy. The east window of the church provides a
beautiful memorial to Edith. It was created just before the end of the
First World War by Ernest Heasman and shows her in her nurse’s uniform
kneeling at the foot of the cross. Behind the vicarage is the small Sunday
School for which Edith and one of her sisters raised some money.
eDith eDith caveLL with SoMe of
her nurSeS in BruSSeLS
StaineD GLaSS winDow in St.
Mary the virGin, SwarDeSton
the caveLL’S vicaraGe in SwarDeSton
Next to the church is the Vicarage, a magnificent Victorian building
which was financed by Edith’s father, the Rev Frederick Cavell. Whilst it was
being built the family lived in a nearby farm house, now known as ‘Cavell
House,’ and it was here that Edith was born on 4th December 1865.
In a marquee, there was the premiere of a fifteen-minute DVD,
entitled, in Norfolk parlance, ‘She Did Different,’ showing scenes from the
life of Edith Cavell. There was memorabilia, too, including photographs,
newspaper articles and several of her delicate and sensitive paintings, but
for us the highlight of the afternoon was a presentation by Mme Delheusy,
formerly a senior nurse at the Cavell Hospital in Brussels. Now retired, she
was wearing her nurse’s uniform and she had brought along a selection
of dolls which she had dressed in the uniforms of Edith Cavell’s time, all
differentiated according to their particular speciality. She had given them
the names of the staff and singled out for particular mention Nurse Wilkins
who was especially close to Edith. Mme Delheusy presented the dolls to
Ian Francis for inclusion in the Edith Cavell archive. She had brought along
a copy of the last moving letter that Edith wrote to her staff and a copy of
the baptismal certificate of the child of a distant Cavell relative who had
recently travelled from Canada to Brussels so that his baby could be born in
the Cavell Hospital.
Swardeston is important for the many people who come to honour
Edith’s memory; who like to see the place where she grew up and where
her early education fostered in her the qualities of responsibility, duty and
patriotism which became so important to her during her years in Brussels
and especially when facing death at the hands of the enemy.
MMe. DeLheuSy in conteMporary nurSe’S uniforM
MMe. DeLheuSy’S DoLLS DreSSeD
conteMporary nurSeS’
uniforMS
SwarDeSton war MeMoriaL
Issue 28
The PoPPy
11
The Iron 12
Mike Lawson
The inauguration of the Iron Memorial and Commemorative Plaques in
Guise took place on Saturday 17th September 2011 (See page 3 of the
September 2011, edition of ‘The Poppy’, Issue 27). Branch Chairman,
Bridgeen Fox together with Committee Members, Don Farr and Mike
Lawson and branch member Aruna Kanadia attended the ceremonies that
lasted the whole day.
The day commenced at 10.00am with the unveiling of a
commemorative plaque at Guise Château where the Iron 12 were executed.
This was followed by a 20 minute walk to Guise Communal Cemetery (St.
Médard Cemetery) for the unveiling of the commemorative tablet at the
grave of Vincent Chalandre, the local Frenchman, who was executed with
the British soldiers for sheltering them. The mornings’ activities concluded
with a Vin d’Honneur at Guise Town Hall.
After lunch, attendees reassembled at the site of Logez Mill, on the
outskirts of Iron, some five miles from Guise, where the men were sheltered
in 1914/15. This was followed before by a short walk to the centre of the
village for the unveiling of the new memorial. At the conclusion of the
ceremonies participants moved to the Salle de Fête to view the exhibition
on ‘Resistance in the North during the First World War’ where a Cocktail de
Clôture was offered.
This truly exceptional and emotional day was superbly organised by
Professor Hedley Malloch, Chair of the Iron Memorial Fund, with around
200 people attending the special events throughout the day.
A full account of the events on the day can be found in the latest
edition of ‘The Bulletin’ on page 8.
coMMeMorative pLaque on Grave of vincent chaLanDre at
St MeDarD ceMetery, GuiSe
coMMeMorative cereMony at Site where the
iron 12 were executeD in GuiSe chateau,
on 25th feBruary 1915
unveiLinG cereMony for the iron 12 MeMoriaL at GuiSe,
17th SepteMBer 2011
Sculptor Unveiled for Trooper Potts Memorial
A sculptor who specialises in bronzes of famous Liverpudlians
has been chosen to create the proposed memorial to the Reading
war hero, Trooper Frederick Potts.
Tom Murphy, whose work includes statues of John Lennon
at Liverpool’s John Lennon airport, Ken Dodd in Lime Street
Station, and Bill Shankly at Anfield, will design the Trooper Fred
Potts memorial destined for Forbury Gardens (See page 10 of the
September 2011, edition of ‘The Poppy’, Issue 27)
The Potts VC Memorial Trust, which is raising funds for the
sculpture, announced its decision at a meeting recently.
Trooper Fred Potts of the Berkshire Yeomanry won the
Victoria Cross in August 1915 after saving the life of fellow
Reading Trooper, Arthur Andrews. Despite being wounded, he
stood by his injured comrade for two days under enemy fire at
Gallipoli before dragging, him back behind British lines using an
entrenching shovel as an improvised stretcher.
The statue will be unveiled in August 2015 to celebrate the
centenary of Fred’s courageous act. John Chapman, chairman
of the design and implementation committee, said more than 20
sculptors had submitted bids and that “Tom Murphy was chosen
from a very prestigious list of four. We are delighted that Tom has
agreed to work with us to develop our ideas for this important
project.”
Trooper Potts’s granddaughter, Anne Ames, from Earley,
said “I am delighted at the progress being made with the
commemoration of my grandfather. He was a very modest man.
Many people in Reading feel strongly about the need to ‘right the
wrong’ by finally recognising this event after such a long time. I
am very pleased an artist of Tom Murphy’s standing has been
selected to help us on this project.”
12
The PoPPy
November 2011
Programme for 2012
Our Speakers up to Easter 2012
Details of our 26th season are set out
below. Hope you agree that this new
programme offers a wide variety of
different subjects to meet most interests.
However, should you have any comments
on the programme or suggestions for
future topics and speakers please let us
know.
All meetings are held at the Berkshire
Sports and Social Club, Sonning Lane,
Reading on the last Thursday of each
month (except December) commencing at
8.00 p.m.
January 2012
PROFESSOR GARY SHEFFIELD MA PhD FRHistS FRSA was educated at the University
of Leeds (BA, MA) and King’s College, London (PhD), and taught in the Department
of War Studies at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. He now holds the Chair of
War Studies at the University of Birmingham and was previously Professor of Modern
History at King’s College, London, a post he held concurrently with that of Land Warfare
Historian on the Higher Command and Staff Course at the UK’s Joint Services Command
& Staff College. His recent publications include, Douglas Haig: War Diaries and Letters,
1914-1918 (co-editor with John Bourne, 2005; Paperback 2006). Gary is working on a
study of Douglas Haig and the British Army, (due to be published in 2010) and Citizen Army;
a study of the experience of the British and Commonwealth Soldier in the Second World War.
He is on the advisory board of the Journal of the Royal United Services Institute and
is Regimental Historian of The Rifles. Gary is also a regular broadcaster on radio and
television and writes for the National Press.
24th November 2011 – Chris Baker
The role of the Portuguese Expeditionary Corps
is perhaps one of the least-known aspects
of the war on the Western Front. In terms of
significant fighting its contribution was short
and tragic, with the 2nd Portuguese Division
being destroyed on the morning of 9th April
1918. The event is laden with myth, much of
which stems directly from a dismissive British
attitude. In his talk, Chris Baker will examine how
and why the Portuguese came to be in Flanders;
how their commitment and excitement were
soon dashed after a political coup at home;
what really happened on that fateful day near
Neuve Chapelle and how the echoes of the fight
continue to this day.
15th December 2011 – David Rowland
This is the story of the four sons of Amelie and
William McCudden, all of whom served in the
Royal Flying Corps. The second son, James, is
usually the focus of historical attention. He was
a regular soldier and an air mechanic at the start
of the War, rising to the rank of Major by 1918,
before becoming the proud recipient of the
Victoria Cross.
February 2012
SIMON JONES is a freelance military historian, specialising in the First World War. He
was Exhibitions’ Officer at the Royal Engineers Museum 1987-1994 and Curator of the
King’s Regiment Museum, Liverpool, 1994-2004. Simon is a Battlefield Guide for Holts
specialising on the Western Front, Normandy, the western Desert and Canada. He has
taught First World War history at Liverpool and Lancaster Universities and is author of
World War I Gas Warfare and Tactics and Equipment Osprey 2007 and Underground Warfare,
1914-1918 Pen and Sword 2010.
March 2012
PROF. RICHARD GRAYSON is Head of History at Goldsmiths, University of London
where he is also Professor of Twentieth Century History and has been at Goldsmiths
since 2004. Richard taught history/politics for four years at Oxford University, UEA,
Buckingham and the Open University. His First Class BA (Hons) in English and
American History was from UEA in 1991 and his doctorate in Modern History was from
Oxford University in 1995. Since 1996 Richard has had a number of main academic
works published including Belfast Boys: How Unionists and Nationalists Fought and
Died Together in the First World War (Continuum, 2009, revised paperback 2010). He
is currently working on an edited volume, With the Irish Division: The Letters of J.H.M
Staniforth, 1914-18 (forthcoming, Pen and Sword, 2011) and a study of Dublin during the
First World War. Prior to working on Ireland and the First World War he published books
on inter-war British foreign policy and party politics and has also published widely on
contemporary public policy and politics.
26th January 2012 – Prof. Gary
Sheffield
Douglas Haig’s period in command of First
Army in 1915 has received comparatively little
attention from historians. Those writers who
have examined his role have tended to be
critical of Haig’s generalship. In his talk Gary
Sheffield will review the evidence and argue
that, although ultimately unsuccessful the
path Haig chose in 1915 was not the product of
irrationality or stupidity but in some ways laid
the foundations for later successes.
23rd February 2012 – Simon Jones
Mining was an ancient method of siege warfare
which was developed to an extraordinary
extent during 1914-1918. By 1916, thousands of
men were working underground beneath the
Western Front in conditions of extreme danger
and adversity. This talk looks at the techniques
of mining and assesses the significance of the
Tunnellers’ achievements.
29th March 2012 – Prof. Richard
Grayson BA, D.Phil
Belfast’s Loyalist murals depict many images
of the First World War. The 36th Ulster Division,
in which so many forebears of today’s Ulster
Loyalists fought and died, is a regular theme
for these gable-end remembrances. Alongside
the 36th was the 16th Division, which recruited
Irishmen from Belfast, England and elsewhere.
The 36th contained many members of the Ulster
Volunteer Force (UVF) and the 16th included
many of the pro-Home Rule Irish Volunteers. Yet,
instead of fighting it out in a civil war on the
streets of Belfast, the UVF and the Volunteers
fought together at the Somme. While the 36th
is heavily remembered, the 16th merits no
equivalent memorialising among Nationalists.
The 36th Division, with its strong associations
with Protestant Belfast, is the chosen symbol
of the Unionists’ war-time sacrifices. The 16th
reminded Nationalists of their service for Britain
and her Empire but, when British troops were
in Northern Ireland, they had no desire to
commemorate the fact.
26th April 2012 – Paul Cobb
31st May 2012 – Ian Cull
28th June 2012 – Jon Cooksey