Saturday 19th September 1914

Tunstill’s recruiting campaign came to its climax over the weekend, with the assembly of the new Company in Settle, ahead of their planned departure to begin their training. The events were extensively reported in the Craven Herald. 

STIRRING SCENE AT SETTLE 

Last weekend was a stirring time in Settle as for the first time in many a long year it witnessed the assembling and departure of a company of recruits for the regular army. Mr. H.G. Tunstill concluded his successful tour, which he had undertaken for the purpose of raising a “Settle Company” for Lord Kitchener’s Army, on Friday evening (18^th September), and the men were instructed to muster at Settle on Saturday (19^th September). They met at the Victoria Hall where they were passed by Captain Tee and other officers. After a brief interval they again assembled on the cricket field where they were instructed in a little elementary drill. 

Tunstill's Men on the cricket ground in Settle

 


The man indicated by the arrow is Harry Metcalfe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A body of ten local gentlemen banded themselves together to entertain the recruits and offer them a little hospitality with a view to showing their appreciation of the men’s patriotism. At 6.30 dinner was provided at the Ashfield and Golden Lion Hotels for a company of 113. Mr. Walter Morrison presided at the former place and Mr. W. Simpson (Catteral Hall) at the latter. During the meal a spray of white heather, given by Mr. J. Harrison, was presented to each man, and mineral waters were given by Mr. Thomas Rawson. At the close only two toasts were given – “The King” and “Success to Mr. Tunstill’s Settle Company”. 

After cigars (presented by Mr. and Mrs. Green) had been smoked, a procession headed by the Settle Brass Band, and comprising the recruits, a small body of Territorials home on leave, and the hosts, wended their way to the Victoria Hall. Before the programme commenced, the band played the National Anthems of each of the Allied nations. 

At the entertainment Mr. Morrison made a few spirited remarks, and an excellent musical programme was given by a talented company, comprising Messrs. George Herd, E. Handby, C.A. Milford, Frederick Lord, Edward Lord and W.W. Thornber. Brief addresses were given by Mr. Tunstill and Colonel Birkbeck. An interval was utilised for the purpose of presenting to each man a neat parcel containing a shirt, a handkerchief and a pair of bootlaces (all given by Mr. and Mrs. W. Dawson, except 24 shirts from Miss Carter), a pair of socks, a briar pipe and a four ounce tin of tobacco from the Local War Relief Committee, a tin of boracic powder from Mr. Calvert, a Testament from Mrs. Farrar and fruit from Mr. W.F. Clark. The distribution was prefaced by a few appropriate remarks from Mr. John Moore, the Chairman of the Reception Committee, and the parcels were handed round by Messrs. J.W. Butterworth, C.J. Lord, A. Stockill, J.L. Brayshaw, Dr. Hyslop and the other hosts. During the evening four more recruits were sworn in**, two of them on the platform so as to emphasize the serious nature of the obligations entered into by the men. A vote of thanks to the performers, proposed by Mr. Simpson, brought an enjoyable evening to an end. Before leaving each man received cigarettes from Mrs. Lovegrove and Mrs. J.W. Hesleden. 

 

** Three of these four men can be positively identified; they were:

• Richard Butler; aged 20, he was the younger brother of Benjamin Ashton Butler, who had already volunteered to serve with Tunstill (see 15^th September). Prior to enlisting, he had been working as a labourer at Paley’s Farm, Langcliffe.
• Ernest Campbell; 20 years old and Settle born and bred (though his father was originally from Scotland) he had been working as a farm labourer.
• Thomas Walsh; was 25 years old and working as an insurance agent. He was one of nine children who had been brought up in Settle by their father, Joseph Walsh, following the early death of their mother. The family came originally from Bakewell, Derbyshire, but had lived for some years in Settle and latterly in Giggleswick. Thomas Walsh had served eight years with the Territorials and at least two of his brothers had also been in the Territorials.

Meanwhile, similar preparations were being made for the departure of other contingents who would become ‘adopted’ members of Tunstill’s Company. These were reported in the Craven Herald and the Ilkley Gazette:

 RECRUITING IN THE DALES

The eloquent appeal for recruits which was made in Grassington on September 12^th by Captain Tee, Captain Lansdale and Captain Minchin Mercer, has met with a ready response among the young men of the district. On Saturday last (19^th September)  Captain Tee was able to assemble 18 men in Grassington School, where he addressed them and accepted them as part of an Upper Wharfedale Company which will form part of the West Riding Regiment.

 

The Grassington recruits

 

 

MORE RECRUITS LEAVE ILKLEY

ANOTHER ENTHUSIASTIC SEND-OFF

Thirty-nine men were enrolled by the Ilkley Recruiting Staff and these were paraded at the Ilkley Drill Hall on Saturday afternoon for the purpose of receiving the gifts with which all the recruits from the Ilkley district have been presented prior to leaving.

The money for the presents was collected by Mrs. C.E. Jones, and each man on Saturday received at her hands a wood pipe, ¼ lb tin of tobacco, and a housewife’s friend, the latter being presented on behalf of the children of the members of Ilkley Soldiers and Sailors Needlework Guild. In lieu of tobacco, the non-smokers received a 1lb bar of chocolate.

Sergeant Baker, drill instructor, thanked Mrs. Jones on behalf of the men, for whom three hearty cheers were afterwards given.

 

 Meanwhile, preparations for the organisation of the new 10th Battalion Duke of Wellington's (West Riding) Regiment, of which Tunstill's Men would become 'A' Company, began to gather pace, with the appointment of a number of officers to key posts:

Colonel George Rainier Crawford C.B., ex-Indian Army, was re-instated in the Army and appointed to command the newly-formed 10^th Battalion.

Crawford was 52 years old and had served 30 years in the Army before recently retiring and setting up home with his wife, Katherine (Bladen), in Cheltenham. Following the outbreak of war he had applied for reinstatement but had been deemed unfit for active service.

 
Lewis Ernest Buchanan was granted a temporary commission, with the rank of Captain, to serve with 10^th Battalion; he would later be promoted second-in-command, under Col. Crawford.

At the age of 45 Buchanan had long military career behind him. He was from an Irish Protestant background and had been first commissioned in the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in 1888, rising eventually to the rank of Major. He had retired from the Army in 1908 and had set up home in Omagh, County Tyrone, with his wife, Constance, and their three daughters. He served his local community as a J.P.  


Harry Robert Hildyard was granted a temporary commission, with the rank of Captain; he would become Company Commander of ‘A’ Company, with Gilbert Tunstill as one of his Company officers.

Harry Robert Hildyard was the son of barrister Robert Hildyard, and his wife, Dinah. Harry had been brought up by his mother following the early death of his father and had taken up a military career. He had joined the West Riding Regiment as a Second Lieutenant in 1891 and had served for six years before resigning his commission in 1897. Shortly before leaving the Army he had married Edith Vivian Hersee. Their only son, Robert Aubrey Hildyard, was born in August 1897. It is not clear what occupation Harry followed after leaving the Army. In the 1901 census, he and Edith were living with Edith’s parents, with Harry stated to be, “living on his own means” and to date I have not located the family in the 1911 census (though Robert was a boarder at a prep school in Folkestone).