Friday, 2nd October 1914

The weekly edition of The Ilkley Gazette referred to a letter which had been sent from Pte. J.C.B. Redfearn to his father in Ilkley. It was said that Redfearn, "intimated that the Wharfedale men are making the best of things and getting accustomed to their new mode of life and circumstances generally. They are well provided with blankets and underclothing".

John Charles Brison Redfearn was born on 24^th July 1891 at Gosport, Hampshire; he was the only child of John and Elizabeth Redfearn. His father had been born in St John’s, New Brunswick in 1854 and his mother was a native of Guernsey. John senior had spent many years in the Army and the family moved in accordance with his career; in 1901 they were in Orkney where John was serving as a Company Sergeant Major in the Royal Garrison Artillery. Ten years later John senior had retired from the Army and he and his wife were living in Ash Grove, Ilkley, while John junior was training as a teacher at York Training College, Lord Mayor’s Walk, York.

 

John junior had completed his studies by the time that war broke out and on 11^th September 1914 he completed his attestation papers at Ilkley. He was one of the Ilkley contingent who had joined Tunstill's Settle recruits on Monday 21st September.

 

 

News of other letters from men of 'A' Company were also referred to in the pages of The West Yorkshire Pioneer. The newspaper reported that,

"Amongst those who have recently shown their patriotism is a group of well-known Barnoldswick gentlemen who have joined the Keighley Pals (sic.). They are Messrs. Tom Pickles, Harry T. Pickles, Harry Widdup, J. Bargh (a native of Bradford, but associated for some time past with the Craven Bank) and J. Birley. These friends are camping, together with their regiment at Frensham, near Farnham, Surrey, and in recent letters home they state that they are well and on the whole enjoy the new life. It is a singular fact that as yet there is not a rifle in the camp and many of the men are without uniform. Route marches, manoeuvres and drill appear to be the order of the day, but these, coupled with good wholesome camp food and the healthy atmosphere of the Surrey Downs are agreed on all hands to form excellent preliminary work for the more serious business of practical warfare to come".

 

This group of Barnoldswick volunteers were drawn from among the middle-class mill-owning families of the area. Three of them (the two Pickles and Widdup) were attached to Tunstill's Company before leaving Halifax.

Harry Thornton Pickles

Tom Pickles and Harry Thornton Pickles were cousins. Their fathers (Henry and Stephen respectively) were sons of Stephen Pickles snr., who had established a successful cotton spinning business in Barnoldswick after spending a brief period (with his family) in Massachusetts in the 1850’s.

Tom Pickles (aged 25) worked in the family business whereas Harry Thornton Pickles had pursued a legal career. He had been educated at Silcoates School, near Wakefield before attending The Victoria University, Manchester, where he completed both B.A. and M.A. qualifications. In 1910 he began to study law, and was articled to Messrs. Goulty and Goodfellow, solicitors, Manchester. Early in 1914 he secured the University degree of LL.B., with first-class honours. Shortly after leaving the University the authorities had selected him for a vacant lectureship in English Law and Jurisprudence. However, on the outbreak of war both he and cousin Tom had volunteered for the Army.

Harry Widdup’s father, John, had originally run a business as a coal merchant, but more recently had established a cotton weaving business. John himself had recently retired and Harry, along with his brothers, Ellis, Frank and John, had taken over the running of the business.

John Bargh was a 26 year-old bank clerk from Bradford. As yet I have been unable to make a positive identification of J. Birley.

An article was published in The Brighouse Echo describing conditions at Frensham Camp: 

YORKSHIRE TROOPS IN SURREY – SLEEPING ON HEATHER

The training of Yorkshire troops on Frensham Common, near Farnham, Surrey – amongst whom are the ‘D’ Company West Riding Regiment of Lord Kitchener’s Army – continues under very enjoyable conditions. During one or two nights last week there was a bite in the air which told of frost and of the approach of cooler days but a beaming sun from an almost cloudless sky has been the rule by day and the task of preparing troops for the field is carried out from 6 am until 6 pm with but little intermission except for meals which, by the way, continue to be first class. The tramp of so many feet is wearing the common bare of grass. Heather is also disappearing from the immediate vicinity of the camp, being cut and taken by the men to their tents to form a softer couch than a waterproof sheet affords. Of heather, however, there is enough and to spare, hundreds of acres of the Common being knee-deep of it. The beds of the men are being built up with more blankets, which have been generously given by residents of the neighbouring villages and townsa and from friends in Yorkshire, but stil more would be acceptable. The troops have been befriended in many ways, and by no-one more than by Mr. Morton Latham, of Hollow Dene, Frensham, who has presented cart-loads of fruit and through whose influence schools, institutes and various public buildings have been thrown open to the men of an evening. The weather on Sunday was Summer-like and the Common was thronged by large numbers of the general public, many attending in the hope of seeing the King, who was expected to pay a visit from Aldershot, but His Majesty did not appear. In the afternoon a drum head service was conducted by the Rev. F.G.D. Webster, the Chaplain, and, although attendance was not obligatory, a large percentage of the troops were present. The singing was hearty and reverential and was accompanied by a local brass band. Non-Conformist services were also held on the Common by local ministers at the same time.