Friday 30th October 1914

Cpl. Edward Hunter was promoted Sergeant; he was a 43 year-old clay miner, originally from King’s Lynn, but had been living in Halifax. He had previously served 12 years in the regular army and, having re-enlisted on 16^th September in Halifax, had immediately been appointed Corporal and posted to 10DWR.

Cpl. George Barber (see 11^th September) reverted to the rank of Private.

George Clark, who had been absent without leave from Frensham earlier in the month and had subsequently been returned to the military authorities (see 20^th October) was formally discharged as being “not likely to become an efficient soldier”.

Three more members of Tunstill’s Company were also discharged as being medically unfit, but without any additional information being given as to the reason. Johnny Hoyle was one of the Cowling volunteers who had been added to Tunstill’s original recruits. He did subsequently re-join the Army (he was recorded as an absent, military, voter in 1919 and was referred to as ex-Lance Corporal when he married in 1919), but details of his service are unknown. Harold Cooper had been one of the Ilkley volunteers; he had enlisted on 10^th September. Cooper was originally from Ware, Hertfordshire, but, aged 25, had worked for some years as a Salvation Army Officer in various parts of Yorkshire. On discharge he gave his address as being that of his mother, Fanny Cooper, at 25 Tabley Road, Holloway, London. The third man discharged was Henry Ellison, who had volunteered in Haworth on 18^th September. He was one of the contingent of 50 Keighley men who had joined the Company on their arrival in the town on 21^st September. Ellison was 19 years old and originally from Bicester, Oxfordshire, but had been working as a fitter in an ironworks and living at 23 Alma Street, Haworth. 

The weekly edition of the Craven Herald published an extract from a letter which had been written a few days previously by Tunstill’s Man Norman Roberts (see 28^th October):

AT FRENSHAM CAMP: “HAVING IT VERY ROUGH”

Lance Corporal N. Roberts of “A” Company, 10^th Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment, son of Mr. Edwin Roberts of Skipton is located at Frensham Camp, Farnham, Surrey. Writing home this week, he states “We are having it very rough. It is ‘drill, parade, drill’ and so on all day long. I have hardly any time for letter writing we are so rushed. Our tent has just ‘come down’ from three weeks isolation, and we are a bit backward in company drill, but all the same I have been made an N.C.O. … The N.C.O.’s have been doing bayonet drill this afternoon; quite hard work and very business-like. There is a marine instructor here and he nearly frightened us all to death; we dared not move our eyes. It is a bit wet now, but a lovely country”.

Lance Corporal Roberts mentions Private S. Elks of Skipton and Walter Hales, who, he hears, is in Belgium; says he saw a piece of shell last week and ‘it looked deadly’; and assures his friends he is alright but would enjoy a bit of ‘Chairman’ tobacco which he cannot get at the camp.

Capt. Thomas Lewis Ingram, serving with RAMC, arrived in France. He was the elder brother of Robert Stewart Skinner Ingram, who was one of the officers serving with Tunstill’s Company. In August, Thomas had written to influential friends in order to secure Robert’s appointment to a commission (see 22^nd September).