Monday 14th September 1914

Recruitment Meeting at Bolton-by-Bowland

After resting on Sunday, the focus of Tunstill’s efforts moved further west in the district, towards the border with Lancashire. The meetings resumed on Monday, this time at Bolton-by-Bowland. Here, a public meeting was held in the schoolroom, and, despite pouring rain, there was a good turnout from the locals. The meeting was chaired by Mr. J. Haworth Massey (owner of the Closes Hall estate), and other local dignitaries, including Mr. Charles Booth Elmsall Wright, Canon Wilson and Mr. A.C. Milne-Redhead, were also in attendance. A number of speeches were made, and many patriotic songs “heartily sung” before Tunstill made his address and appeal for recruits. The Craven Herald report conceded that, “there was a slow response at the beginning” but no fewer than fourteen men came forward to volunteer. From the list of those who enlisted it is clear that the local estate workers, whether by inclination, camaraderie or pressure from their employers, were prominent among the recruits from a meeting which was addressed by their masters.

 

The 14 volunteers were named as:

• James Coates (known as 'Jim'); a 27 year-old local man, working as a gamekeeper for Mr. Massey on the Closes Hall estate.
• Robert Singleton; was 23 years old. His family came originally from East Lancashire but had more recently farmed land near Bolton-by-Bowland. Robert's elder brother, Harry, had worked as a gamekeeper with Jim Coates and had already enlisted in the RAMC.
• Edward Victor Grubb (known as Victor); was 22 years old and originally from South Shields. He too had been working on the Closes Hall estate, as a gardener.
• Richard Davies Ellison; was 19 years old. He was originally from Rawtenstall, where his father worked as a market gardener. Richard had recently gone to work as a gardener at Bolton Hall, Bolton-by-Bowland. The Hall was then owned by Mr.Wright, and employed a staff which at times exceeded one hundred.
• Edwin Brotherton; aged 20, also worked as a gardener, though it is unclear on which of the local estates.
• John W. Parkinson; was 18 years old and working as a groom on one of the local estates (though which one is unknown). His father was the village blacksmith.
• Richard Howell; a local man and one of the older volunteers , at the age of 34, he worked as a farm labourer
• Robert Irvine Clark (known as Irvine); was the son of the sub-postmaster in the village. He was actually only 17 years old when he enlisted.
• Joseph Chapman Syers; aged 19, was originally from Hellifield and worked as a farm labourer.
• James Wilkinson; was 19 years old. His father farmed in the area and was also landlord of the Coach and Horses in the village.
• Harold Greenhow; aged 22 and originally from Kirkoswald, near Penrith, worked as a footman for Mr Massey at Closes Hall. He had benn brought up by his great-aunt, having been born to an unmarried mother.
• James Kayley; was 21 years old and working as a farm labourer. He was originally from Long Preston and his elder brother, Job, had enlisted to serve with Tunstill's Company at the meeting held in Long Preston (see 9th September).
• Norman Carey; was 21 years old and worked as a farm labourer. His father Alfred had, for a long time, been butler to the Parker family at Browsholme Hall (Geraldine Tunstill was related to the Parkers of Browsholme), but was now licensee of the Copy Nook Hotel in Bolton-by-Bowland.
• George.Bland; I am, as yet, unable to make a positive identification of this man.

Bolton Hall, Bolton-by-Bowland