Monday 11th November 1918

In billets at Terrossa.

News came through on the evening of 11^th that Germany had surrendered; the news was greeted with a mix of scepticism and delight. “We imagined that the whole world would rejoice, but out here in Italy we took it all quietly. There was a heartfelt sense of relief, too great for shouting, and a deep sadness that brought into our minds a sea of jostling faces of dead comrades”.

The signing of the Armistice elicited little or no comment in the official records, although there was later comment in the Divisional history, “Every year since 1914 it had been declared that peace was to come before Christmas. The prophetic optimist had perhaps a harder task during 1918 to convert others to his views than in any previous year. But peace now had really come, and his reputation as a seer had been vindicated. “What did I tell yer; didn’t I say last June that this ‘ere war wouldn’t last beyond Christmas?”. “Yes, he did that”, agree a chorus of enthusiastic converts; “E’s a wonderful thinker is Old Nobby!”. Now forgotten were Nobby’s prophecies at Aldershot in 1914 and at Bois Grenier in the following year; his visions of triumph after Le Sars, and his stout declarations in the misery of mud and shell fire on the Passchandaele Ridge that, “these Bosches are about finished; they’ll throw their hand in before Christmas”. Even if remembered, none will grudge him his place among the prophets, for Nobby, like the greatest of these, had not believed so much in the truth of these forecasts as in his power to raise the spirits of his comrades”.

2Lt. Bernard Garside (see 5^th November) recalled how some of the officers of the Battalion celebrated news of the armistice, “When we got to know that Germany had surrendered we were very excited of course. That night, as we sat in our Company mess, there was a banging on the door after dinner and in marched the officers of another company in fancy dress. They carried brushes and shovels ‘at the slope’ and all sorts of weird instruments and the fattest man of all was dressed up in the clothes of an Italian woman and he was also drunk – very merry and good tempered – but drunk. They trooped in, about six of them, and said, “Come on chaps, to the HQ mess. It’s up to the Colonel to stand a drink!”. We joined them, except the Company Commander, and settled in the officers of another company. Then we went down the hill to the HQ mess, formed up in a semi-circle around the door and sang,

‘There was a little hen and it had a wooden leg,

the best little hen that ever laid an egg.

It laid more eggs than any hen upon the farm.

And another little drink wouldn’t do us any harm’

Well, we had only sung one verse when the door opened and, instead of bringing drinks, there stood the Adjutant (Capt. Leonard Norman Phillips MC, see 9^th November) looking solemn. He said, “The Colonel desires you to return to your billets, gentlemen”. We saw we had done the wrong thing in the Colonel’s estimation and off we went. I’m afraid the others forgot the drunken man and I had to half carry him back up the hill. Wasn’t I tired!”

On the very day that the Armistice with Germany was signed, Thomas Perks received a telegram informing him that his son, Capt. Bob Perks DSO (see 7^th November), had been killed in action.

Image by kind permission of Janet Hudson

Capt. Dick Bolton MC (see 2^nd October) re-joined the Battalion following thirty days’ leave to England

L.Cpl. Martin Reddington (see 18^th August) was promoted Acting Corporal.

L.Sgt. George Heeley (see 20^th September) and Pte. Alfred Ellis (see 26^th August) were discharged from hospital in Marseilles and posted to the Base Depot at Arquata Scrivia.

Pte. John George Inshaw (see 8^th August), serving at the Trench Mortar School at Arquata Scrivia, was posted to 273^rd Employment Company at GHQ, Italy.

Pte. Stanley Barker (see 30^th September), who had been under treatment at Bradford War Hospital having been admitted, suffering from scabies, while on home leave, was posted to 3DWR at North Shields. However, he failed to report as instructed and would be reported absent without leave.

Mrs. Sarah Jane West, widow of Maj. Herbert St. John Carr West (see 27^th October), who had died of wounds on 27^th October, made a personal visit to the War Office in connection with her late husband’s estate. A note was made of the nature of the visit,

“Mrs Carr, widow, called to enquire about personal effects and will. She said that her husband made a will about two years ago, but that his solicitor (his uncle) hesitated to prove it in case there might be a later one. She seemed to think that for some reason her husband’s relations might try to get the better of her. Told her that I could not lay my hands on the papers, but that we would make enquiries and communicate with her later, adding that the enquiries would probably take some time. I understood her to say that the officer died in Italy on 27^th October. She thinks he was probably recorded as West, Carr being part of his Christian name”.