Saturday 1st February 1919

Billets at Arzignano

According to the Brigade War Diary, “Units of the Brigade carried out training during the mornings from 9am until 12 noon and the afternoons were devoted to recreational training. Educational classes were held each morning and units in turn had the use of Range W”. Pte. Harold Charnock (see 6^th January) recalled that, at some point in February, “The Battalion team, under Lt. Thomson MC (2Lt. Wilfred Frederick John Thomson MC, see 23^rd January), won the Brigade football cup”; the date and details are unknown, but it is known that Pte. Herbert Stott (see 17^th August 1918) was a member of the successful team.

Commemorative medal awarded to Pte. Herbert Stott

Images by kind permission of Barry Gartside

2Lts. Cyril Edward Agar (see 7^th December 1918), William Johnson Simpson MC (see above), George Clifford Sugden MC (see 1^st January), Edward Kent Waite MC (see 1^st January) and Mark Allan Stanley Wood MC (see 2^nd December 1918) were all promoted Lieutenant

Pte. John Gayton (see 28^th January) was posted to England to be demobilized; he would be demobilized from the dispersal unit at Purfleet.

2Lt. Thomas Walsh (see 31^st December 1918) formally relinquished his commission on grounds of ill health; he gave his address as 7 Brook Street, Clitheroe.

Sgt. George Richard Goodchild (see 6^th January) and Ptes. John Thomas Damant (see 2^nd January), Robert Page (see 8^th September 1917) and Kingsley James Reeve (see 2^nd January) were all formally transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z.

Sgt. Thomas Bulcock (see 3^rd January), who had been serving with 2DWR, was also formally transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z.

A/Sgt. Harry Brown, serving with the Royal Engineers, was also formally transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z. He had been an original member of 10DWR before (date and details unknown) being transferred to the Royal Engineers. In the absence of a surviving service record I am unable to make a positive identification of this man or to establish any details of his service.

Pte. Harold Parsons (see 18^th June 1918), who had been in England since June 1918 after suffering from psoriasis, was formally discharged from the Army as no longer physically fit for service due to his illness; he was awarded a pension of 5s. 6d. per week, to be reviewed after one year.

Clara Tempest, widow of the late Pte. Arthur Tempest (see 29^th April 1918), who had been killed in action on 20^th September 1917, married John Petty in Bradford.

Wednesday 31st January 1919

Billets at Arzignano

For 69^th Brigade as a whole the month had seen demobilization accelerating. In total, 10 Officers and 622 other ranks had been demobilized and a further 17 Officers and 404 other ranks had been struck off strength whilst on leave in England.

It was also noted at Brigade level that, “In spite of the difficulties caused by the demobilization of officers and other ranks acting as instructors, the Educational Scheme progressed very well. Units had classes each morning”.

Pte. Harry Leaper (see 11^th August 1918) was appointed Lance Corporal.

Lt. William George Wade (see 17^th June 1918), Sgt. Harry Holmes MM (see 15th October 1918) and Ptes. Harold Clifford Ashbrook (see 1^st January 1918), Robert Baldwin (see 10^th June 1918) and John Hargreaves (18009) (see 29^th May 1918) departed for England on two weeks’ leave, on completion of which they were to be demobilized.

Pte. John William Antill (see 5^th July 1917), who had failed to report for a return to Italy following a period of leave in England (details unknown), was handed over by the civil authorities in Chesterfield to the military authorities. In the absence of a more complete service record, it is unclear what further action was taken. 

Sgts. Josias Bailey MM (see 17^th January) and Harold Best MM (see 24^th January), L.Cpl. John Lamb Watt (see 17^th January, and Ptes. Vernon Barker (see 17^th January), Lewis Batey MM (see 18^th December 1918), Samuel Lawton Birtles (see 17^th January), Thomas Butler (see 17^th January), Edward Henry Chant (see 17^th January), Josiah Charles (see 17^th January), Thomas Eccleston (see 5^th October 1917), Moses Henry Jaeger (see 17^th January), Reginald James Nosworthy (see 17^th January) and Sam Shuttleworth (see 17^th January) who were in England on leave, were all struck off the strength of 10DWR. Ptes. Butler, Chant and Nosworthy were posted to 3DWR at North Shields, but the remainder were demobilized; Best from Ripon; Batey from Purfleet; Watt from the dispersal centre at Kinross; Barker from Clipstone; Birtles from Prees Heath, Shropshire, and Eccleston from Heaton Park.

Lt. John Robert Dickinson (see 4^th January) re-joined 3DWR at North Shields, having completed a one-month course in tactics and topography at no.1 Infantry Officer’s School. He was reported as having been, “A smart, keen and intelligent officer who has worked well and shown marked interest” and was considered fit to command a platoon.

Pte. Frederick Abbot (see 27^th November 1918) was transferred from hospital in Exeter to the Military Convalescent Hospital at Crownhill, Plymouth.

Lt. Andrew Aaron Jackson (see 18^th January), who had suffered wounds to his right shoulder during the trench raid on 26^th August 1918, and was still under treatment at at Lady Cooper’s Hospital, Hursley Park, Winchester, wrote, for a second time, to the War Office to make his application for a wound gratuity.

Lt. John Keighley Snowden (see 28^th November 1918), who had left 10DWR after being wounded in October 1916, formally relinquished his commission on completion of his service, giving his address as 24 Auriol Road, West Kensington.

Ptes. Walter Evans (see 2^nd January) and John Henry Fidler (see 2^nd January) were formally transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z.

Spr. Bedford Kilner was formally transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z. He was from Cumberworth and had been an original member of 10DWR, having enlisted aged 20. However, he had subsequently been transferred to the Royal Engineers; in the absence of a surviving service record I am unable to establish any further details of his military career.

A ‘concert and dance’ were held in Giggleswick to welcome repatriated prisoners, including Pte. Robert Cresswell (see 30^th January). The event would subsequently be reported in the Craven Herald (7^th February). “To welcome home the repatriated prisoners of war of Giggleswick a concert and dance were held on Friday evening last for adults, and a tea party on Saturday to which the children and the old folks of the village were invited. Mr. A. Barran, J.P., of Holly Bank, presided on Friday and Lieut. Col. Birkbeck of Careholme, made a presentation to each of the four prisoners of war – Private J. Walsh, Private R. Cresswell, Private R. Silverwood and Private F. Threlfall – of a salver engraved with a suitable inscription. The Chairman thanked the villagers for their evident sense of gratitude and hearty welcome home. The concert was exceptionally good; the artistes being: Mrs. Francis, Miss Jean Bell, Miss H. Leaworthy, Miss Graham, Mr. T. Butler, Mr. H. Edmondson and Lieut. H.L. Hopkins. Mr. S.H. Francis officially accompanied. Messrs. A. Graham, A. Horner and B. Patterson played for dancing, there being a crowded attendance”.

The weekly edition of the Craven Herald carried an extended account of his period in captivity by Sgt. Harry Singleton (see 30^th December 1918); he was the brother of Robert Singleton (see 30^th December 1918).

Bolton-By-Bowland

MANY EXAMPLES OF GERMAN ‘KULTUR’

Many of our soldiers have been discharged, amongst whom are Riley Blezard, Tom Bleazard, Harry Geldard, John Life, Irvine Clark and Fred Robinson. The three prisoners of war, Serg. Singleton, Ptes. W. Moon and A. Harrison are also safely back. 

Sergt. Singleton, R.A.M.C., who has been released as a prisoner of war in Germany say: “I was captured on 5^th April 1918, in a trench between the villages of Bulquoy and Gommecourt. We had made an attack on the German trench system in front of us and had taken three lines of trenches and several hundred prisoners. Finding we were not strong enough to hold the position our boys had to retire, and during the retirement we were cut off in a short trench and soon found ‘Jerry’ on each side of us. We held them at bay for some hours until our stock of bombs ran out and they rushed us. We were marched to Bapaume that night and were billeted in what used to be the Drury Lane Theatre in that place. Here we were kept three days without food and were marched off every day to unload our enemy’s ammunition at the railway station. We also worked at an engineer’s camp, carrying sleepers for a light railway. We did not stay long at Bapaume but but were moved further on to Marquion and then to Demain, where we stayed another week in a camp, and were fed on mangold soup every day, and a very severe epidemic of dysentery set in, over 50 of our boys dying in a week. After a week of this I managed to get moved to a Veterinary Hospital where I had a good job looking after the sick of my company. The food here was very bad also and we lived for months on a very small quantity of black bread and imitation coffee, while our mid-day meal consisted of various soups. Sometimes it was ‘sauerkraut’ and at others, ‘sandstorm’, which was ground up mangolds and swedes, and it made a mixture something like sawdust and water in appearance. As the summer advanced we got fresh cabbage in the soup; more water than cabbage though. We used to get plenty of horse’s liver and lights whenever a horse died in hospital, but they always kept them too long and they were generally in a high state when we got them in soup. I got fed up with this and determined to escape, which I did on June 9^th, being retaken on June 15^th and brought back. Shortly afterwards I had a spell in hospital and had only just got out again when we were sent back to Germany, where I arrived on September 8^th. Things began to improve when I got settled, as we got some British food from the British Help Committee in Friedrichsfeld, and then we had the Armistice on us and all was excitement. We stayed behind with the sick until a hospital train arrived on December 21^st. We then collected from Dusseldorf, Duisburg, Oberhausen, Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Wanne, Munster and Wesel. We finally crossed into Holland at 9am on Christmas Day. We crossed on the S.S. Accrington to Hull and arrived Ripon on December 30^th, very glad indeed to get back to dear old Blighty once again”.

Thursday 30th January 1919

Billets at Arzignano

L.Cpl. James Allen (see 6^th December 1918) was promoted Acting Company Quartermaster Sergeant.

Cpl. Joseph Edward Robinson (see 17th May 1918) and Ptes. Joseph Blackburn (29722) (see 8^th December 1918) and Joseph Holmes (see 24^th November 1918) completed and signed their ‘Statement as to disability’ forms, which were a precursor to their being posted back to England. The completed forms, which confirmed that they did not claim to have suffered any disability in service, were witnessed for Robinson by Capt. Paul James Sainsbury (see 29^th January) and for Blackburn, and Holmes by Capt. James Watson Paterson (see 29^th January).

Ptes. David Doughty Glossop (see 7^th November 1918) and Robert Wilson MM (see 25^th January) were posted to England to be demobilized. Glossop would be formally demobilized from Harrowby Camp, Grantham.

L.Cpl. Horace Dunn (see 4^th November 1918) was evacuated to England from 57^th General Hospital in Marseilles; on arrival he would be admitted to 1^st Southern General Hospital in Birmingham.

2Lt. George Henry Roberts (see 10^th May 1918), serving with 3DWR at North Shields, was admitted to 2^nd Northern General Hospital, Leeds suffering from dyspepsia, vomiting and headache.

Pte. Sam Sunderland (see 17^th December 1918) appeared before an Army Medical Board at 4^th Northern General Hospital in Lincoln. The Board reviewed his case, noting that, “The patient noticed his finger was inflamed and reported sick. On admission, tip of right little finger was gangrenous and nearly separated. January 7^th, under general anaesthesia, necrosed second phalanx removed. Wound almost healed. No permanent disability; 20% disability for three months”. Five days later he would be transferred to Keighley War Hospital where he would remain for two days before being demobilized.

Sgt. Wilfred Fletcher (see 9^th January) was discharged from Cambridge Hospital, Aldershot and was officially struck off the strength of the Battalion, as a precursor to being demobilized.

Cpl. Alexander Wallace MM (see 17^th January), who was on leave in Scotland, was also officially struck off the strength of the Battalion, as a precursor to being demobilized.

Pte. Robert Cresswell (see 15^th December 1918), who had been repatriated in December having been taken prisoner in April 1918 while serving with 2^nd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment, gave written confirmation that he wished to relinquish the unexpired portion of his period of leave in order to resume his employment with the West Riding Constabulary.

Lt. Thomas Arnold Woodcock (see 25^th July 1918), serving with 3DWR at North Shields, was released from the Army, from no.1 Dispersal Unit at Ripon. He would take up his pre-war occupation and become a schoolmaster.

L.Cpl. Thomas Riding (see 10^th January) and Pte. Joseph Dagger (see 10^th January), who were on leave in England, were demobilized; Riding from from the Dispersal Unit at Heaton Park, Manchester, and Dagger from Chiseldon.

Capt. Herbert Sparling MC (see 24^th September 1918), who had been severely wounded on 18^th October 1917, having his left leg amputated below the knee, formally relinquished his commission “on account of ill health caused by wounds”; he was awarded a ‘wound pension’ of £100. He would returned to his pre-war studies and gained an MA in 1919. He then attended Wells Theological College, where he studied to be an Anglican Minister and was ordained in 1921 (information from http://www.pro-patria-mori.co.uk/sparling.html).

A payment of £12 14s. 9d. was authorised, being the amount due in pay and allowances to the late Pte. George Bentley (see 12^th June 1918), who had been officially missing in action since 16^th October 1917; the payment would go to his widow, Daisy, for herself and her three children.

Wednesday 29th January 1919

Billets at Arzignano

L.Cpls. Louis Feather MM (see 3^rd December 1918) and William Robinson (see 27^th October 1918) and Ptes. Francis Barrett (see 9^th December 1918), James Grubb (see 8^th December 1918), Michael Church (see 29^th June 1918), Arthur Leeming (see 18^th August 1918), Frederick Patrick (see 23^rd September 1917), Frederick Sharp (see 22^nd September 1918) and Arthur Wood (29524) (see 20^th November 1918) completed and signed their ‘Statement as to disability’ forms, which were a precursor to their being posted back to England. The completed forms, which confirmed that they did not claim to have suffered any disability in service, were witnessed for Feather, Barrett and Church by Capt. James Watson Paterson (see 25^th January); for Robinson, Leeming and Patrick by Capt. Paul James Sainsbury (see 24^th January); for Sharp and Wood by Lt. Stanley Reginald Wilson (see 24^th January).

Pte. William Naylor (see 18^th November 1918), who was at the Base Depot at Arquata Scrivia following a period of illness, departed on two week’s leave to the UK.

Pte. Edwin Baldwin (see 14^th January), serving in France with the Motor Transport Section of the Army Service Corps, was posted back to England for demobilization.

Pte. John Foster (see 1^st January), who had been in England for the previous month, was discharged from 2/1^st Southern General Hospital, Birmingham.

Pte. William Brook (13846) (see 6^th October 1916) was officially transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z.

A pension award was made in the case of the late L.Cpl. Smith Hesselden (see 19^th October 1918), who had died of wounds on 10^th July 1918; his widow, Lily, was awarded 29s. 7d. per week for herself and her three children.

Tuesday 28th January 1919

Billets at Arzignano

According to the Brigade War Diary, “Units of the Brigade carried out training during the mornings from 9am until 12 noon; each Battalion in turn having use of Range W. The afternoons were devoted to recreational training”.

Pte. Charles Knight (see 5^th September 1918) was reported for a breach of discipline (details unknown) which would see him awarded 14 days’ Field Punishment no.2 by Lt.Col. Francis Washington Lethbridge DSO (see 17^th January).

Pte. John Gayton (see 28^th July 1918) completed and signed his ‘Statement as to disability’ form, which was a precursor to his being posted back to England. The completed form, which confirmed that he did not claim to have suffered any disability in service, was witnessed by 2Lt. Samuel Whitaker (see 22^nd October 1918).

Capt. John Edward Lennard Payne DSO, MC (see 24^th January) was posted back to England.

Pte. John Edward Atkinson (see 22^nd December 1917), serving in France with 17^th Labour Company, Labour Corps, was posted back to England for demobilization.

L.Sgt. George Alma Cook (see 9^th January) was discharged from Connaught Hospital, Aldershot and posted to 3DWR at North Shields.

Sgt. Joseph Maddison MM (see 23^rd December 1918) and Ptes. Israel Burnley (see 23^rd December 1918), Edwin Collins (see 23^rd December 1918), John Craven (see 23^rd December 1918), John Walter Gethen (see 23^rd December) and John Griffiths (see 23^rd December 1918) were formally transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z.

Sgt. Allan Wharton (see 1^st November 1918), who had been one of Tunstill’s original volunteers but had been transferred to 8^th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers, was also formally transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z.

Pte. William Smith (30333) (see 26^th August 1918), who had been in England since having been wounded in August 1918, was formally discharged from the Army as no longer physically fit for service due to wounds suffered in action; he would be awarded a pension of 10s per week.

Monday 27th January 1919

Billets at Grumolo and Montecchia di Crosara

The Battalion marched nine miles north-east to their former billets at Arzignano; the march route was via Brenton, but the transport moved by the more circuitous, but less steep route via Ronca and Montebello Vicentino.

Pte. Lewis Greenwood (see 22^nd January 1918), serving with 3DWR at North Shields, was reported as having been, “Improperly dressed, ie wearing civilian boots in Bells Terrace about 10.45”; he would be confined to barracks for seven days.

Capt. Alfred Percy Harrison MC (see 23^rd December 1918), serving with 3DWR at North Shields, appeared before a further Army Medical Board assembled at Tynemouth. The Board reported that the wound to his left foot “has improved slightly since last Board; still has corns on plantar aspect of great toe. Limited movements of the joint which is very much thickened and enlarged. He complains of stiffness and pain in his foot” and that the wound to his left calf “no longer constitutes a disability”; he was instructed to re-join 3DWR.

2Lt. John Davis MM (see 14^th January), who had been on light duties with 3DWR in England since having been wounded on 7^th June 1917, was officially released from the Army.

2Lt. John Davis MM

L.Cpl. Richard Cleasby Chorley (see 21^st December 1918), employed with the Ministry of Labour, based at Northern Command Depot, Ripon, was formally transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z.

Pte. James Barker (25964) (see 30^th December 1918) was also formally transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z.

Sunday 26th January 1919

Billets at Grumolo and Montecchia di Crosara

2Lt. James Henry Midgley (see 27^th October 1918), L.Cpl. Benjamin Tetley (see 18^th January) and Ptes. William Atkinson (25980) (see 18^th January), Jesse Ferns (see 18^th January), Robert Hitchen (see 18^th January), William Kershaw (18282) (see 18^th January), Joseph Pickles (see 18^th January), Sidney Powdrill (see 18^th January), Thomas Alfred Simpson (see 18^th January), Harold Wall (see 18^th January) and Herbert Willoughby (see 18^th January) were posted to England to be demobilized. Tetley, Ferns, Hitchen, Kershaw, Pickles, Simpson, Wall and Willoughby would be formally demobilized from Clipstone; Atkinson from Prees Heath; and Powdrill from Grantham.

Pte. John Malcolm Starbuck (see 5^th January 1918) was also posted back to England. It is unclear whether he was simply posted back in preparation for demobilization or for dental treatment, as he would subsequently have a claim rejected for an army pension for ‘defective teeth, aggravated by military service’.

A/Sgt. Thomas Anthony Swale (see 27^th November 1918), who had been in England since having been wounded on 27^th October 1918, was posted to 3DWR at North Shields.

Pte. Fred Jackson (12367) was formally transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z. He had been an original member of 10DWR but at some point (date and details unknown) had transferred to the Machine Gun Corps. In the absence of a surviving service record I am unable to make a positive identification of this man or to establish any further details of his service.

Saturday 25th January 1919

Billets at Grumolo and Montecchia di Crosara

Pte. Joseph Hartley (see 17^th October 1918) was ordered to undergo 14 days’ Field Punishment no.2; the nature of his offence is unknown.

Cpl. Cecil Lloyd (see 26^th August 1918) and Ptes. Clarence Hubert Bolt (see 22^nd November 1918),  John Bundy (see 17^th January), Ernest Heyhirst (see 22^nd March 1918), George William Jameson (see 25^th August 1918), John Starling (see 18^th November 1918) and Victor Alexander Wildman (see 16^th October 1918) completed and signed their ‘Statement as to disability’ forms, which were a precursor to their being posted back to England. The completed forms, which confirmed that they did not claim to have suffered any disability in service, were witnessed by Capt. James Watson Paterson (see 16^th January). Similar forms were completed and signed by Pte. David Doughty Glossop (see 7^th November 1918) who was at 16^th Convalescent Depot in Marseilles, having been wounded on 27^th October 1918. 

2Lt. Bernard Garside (see 17^th January) and Ptes. Fred Atkinson (see 22^nd January), Stanley Hirst (see 23^rd January), Leonard Hurley (see 18^th August 1918), Douglas Mercer (see 13^th December 1918) and Harry Orchard (see 23^rd January) were posted to England to be demobilized; they would all would be formally demobilized from Clipstone Camp.

2Lt. Garside later recalled his departure,

“I was still Battalion Musketry Officer when I got orders, to my immense delight, to prepare to go home to be ‘demobbed’ on the next of the demob trains which were running as an opportunity occurred. I was due for early release as a student at the University, but there had been talk of students being removed from the top of the demob list to the bottom. I soon got notice of the exact time and day I was to go and packed, feeling happy as a king. Then, the very morning I was to go, a note came from the Adjutant (Capt. Leonard Norman Phillips MC, see 19^th January), saying the train was cancelled and I must wait. He didn’t say how long. I felt perfectly miserable and went off to the mess. There I found the Company Commander had orders to instruct me to report to the Adjutant on the musketry range we had been examining. The range was the best available, but dirty and water-logged. This finished me off. I flared up and said, “You can tell the Adjutant to go to Hell and go with him for anything I care!”. The Company Commander, called Paterson (Capt. James Watson Paterson, see above), looked at me and went out. “Oh dear!”, I thought, “Now I’m for it.”. I went off quick to the range and wondered what the Company Commander would report to the Adjutant when he saw him. That lunchtime I waited for the Company Commander to turn up in great anxiety. Should I be court-martialled and kept in the Army? He came in and I looked at him. He smiled and said, “Well, Garside my boy, you were in a bit of a temper this morning weren’t you?” Oh, what a sigh of relief! Actually, I had not to wait long and presently was seated happily in the train and off for ‘Blighty’ and demob.

One of the last things I got was my ‘character’ from the Colonel; a copy of his report on my service. I felt very proud as I read ‘gallant in action’. I forget the rest; nothing extraordinary but nothing at all bad, as far as I remember.

I remember little of the journey back except two things. One of the men on the boat (from Cherbourg I think) tried to frighten us about the mines floating in the Channel. It seemed so horrible to be mined on our demob boat. The second thing was the huge sausage roll amongst the food they gave us to eat in the train going to the Centre at Clipstone where we were to leave the Army; I could not get my mouth round it! Then Chepstow and home and the war was over for us”.

L.Cpl. Albert Nixon (see 11^th January), who was on leave in England, was officially struck off the strength of 10DWR as a precursor to being demobilized.

Pte. Newton Dobson MM (see 24^th January) failed to report to 3DWR at North Shields on the expiry of his leave having been discharged from hospital. He was reported “absent off hospital leave” and would not report to the Battalion until 5.45pm on 3^rd February; he would forfeit nine days’ pay and be ordered to undergo nine days’ Field Punishment no.2.

Cpl. William Foulds (see 7^th December 1918), serving at the Regimental Depot in Halifax, completed and signed his ‘Statement as to disability’ form, which was a precursor to his being demobilized. He stated that, “I was admitted to hospital on June 15^th 1918 and was operated on for swollen glands in the neck, the result of which gives me earache and headache”. The examining Medical Officer reported that Cpl. Foulds had, “A thickened scar to the right side of the neck; some pain in neck” and assessed his disability at less than 20%.

Capt. Frederick Lowther Dawson Barker (see 22^nd January) and 2Lt. Keith Sagar Bain MC (see 18^th December 1918) formally relinquished their commissions and were released from the Army.

Friday 24th January 1919

Billets at Grumolo and Montecchia di Crosara

Ptes. James Henry Innes (see 18^th December 1918), George Mather (see 5^th January), Arnold Robson (see 4^th April 1918) and Robert Wilson MM (see 18^th October 1918) completed and signed their ‘Statement as to disability’ forms, which were a precursor to their being posted back to England. The completed forms, which confirmed that they did not claim to have suffered any disability in service, were witnessed, for Innes by Capt. John Edward Lennard Payne DSO, MC (see 22^nd January); for Mather and Robson by Lt. Stanley Reginald Wilson (see 18^th April 1918); and for Wilson by Capt. Paul James Sainsbury (see 18^th January) .

2Lt. Stephen Brown Airey (see 19^th April 1918), CSM Alfred Dolding (see 17^th January), Cpl. Frank Revell (see 30^th October 1918), L.Cpl. William (Billy) Hoyle MM (see 15^th January) Ptes. William Henry Cleaver (see 16^th January), Bertie Gooch (see 17^th January), John William Holroyd (see 15^th January), George Ingle (see 15^th January), Richard William Johnson (see 17^th January), John William Procter (see 17^th January), Harry Squire (see 16^th January), Matthew Stone (see 9^th December 1918), Tom Wade (see 26th August 1918) and Charley Wadsworth (see 16^th January) were posted to England to be demobilized. Airey, Revell and Hoyle would be formally demobilized from North Camp, Ripon; Dolding and Cleaver from Wimbledon; Gooch from Thetford; Holroyd, Ingle, Squire, Stone and Wadsworth from Clipstone; and Johnson from Chiseldon.

2Lt. Archibald (Archie) Allen (see 31^st July 1918), who had left the Battalion after suffering severe shrapnel injuries to his left arm and chest on 21^st June 1918, appeared before an Army Medical Board assembled at 1^st Southern General Hospital in Birmingham. The Board reported that, “Condition exactly the same as at last Board. He is still in this hospital and is to be operated on next week. Officer detained in hospital pending further instructions”. Two days later 2Lt. Allen would write to the War Office, 

“I have the honour to submit this, my application for a further wound gratuity for your consideration. I was wounded 22^nd June 1918 whilst on a raid near Asiago, Italy, causing a disablement to my left arm and a severe chest wound for which I have had a part of my rib removed, and my lung was grazed by the wound. I have undergone hospital treatment since being wounded, having two operations and another I have to undergo on Tuesday 28^th. My last Medical Board, on 24^th, advised me staying in hospital for two months”.

The Ministry of Labour recommended that Lt. Cyril William Wildy (see 13^th November 1918), who was on an officer training class at the Signal Service Training Centre in Bedford, should be released from the Army at the earliest opportunity.

A/Sgt. George William Keeling MM (see 10^th January), Cpls. Stephen Grady (see 10^th January) and Walter Smith (18428) (see 10^th January) and Ptes. William Andrew Leiper Long (see 11^th January), Joe Noons (see 8^th January) and William James Nunn (see 10^th January), who were on leave in England, were officially struck off the strength of 10DWR, as a precursor to being demobilized. Formalities for Keeling, Grady, Long and Smith were completed at North Camp, Ripon; for Noons at Purfleet and for Nunn at no.1 Dispersal Unit in Wimbledon.

Pte. Richard Marsden (see 20^th November 1918), who had been on leave having been repatriated to England in November 1918, after being a prisoner of war in Germany, was posted to 3DWR at North Shields, before being re-posted to the Regimental Depot at Halifax.

Pte. Franklin Colbeck (see 21^st June 1918), who had been serving in England with 11DWR since having been wounded in June 1918, was formally transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z.. 

Pte. Edwin Lightfoot, who had been serving with the RAMC, was formally discharged from the Army as no longer physically fit for service due to sickness; he was the father of Cpl. Edwin Lightfoot (see 19^th March 1918), who had himself been discharged in March 1918.

The London Gazette published notice of the Military Medals awarded to men of 10DWR for the raid on 26^th August 1918. Those awarded the Military Medal were:  

CSM Stanley Vyvyan Golledge (see 4^th January).

Sgt. Wilson Allinson (see 29^th December 1918).

Sgt. Frank Brierley (see 27^th October 1918); he had been killed in action on 27^th October 1918.

Sgt. Richard Everson (see 27^th October 1918); he had been killed in action on 27^th October 1918.

Sgt. William Allen Sayer (see 30^th October 1918); he had died of wounds on 30^th October 1918.

Sgt. Harold Best (see 17^th January).

Sgt. James Walker MM (see 12^th January).

Cpl. Charles Stuart Carrack (see 11th September 1918). 

Cpl. Harry Wood (see 3rd October 1918).

L.Cpl. Arthur Clark (25966) (see 26^th August 1918); he had been officially missing in action since 26^th August 1918.

L.Cpl. William Dennison MM (see 2^nd January).

L.Cpl. John Henderson (see 2^nd September 1918).

L.Cpl. John Smith Hodgson MM (see 17th January).

Pte. Newton Dobson (see 15^th January)

Pte. Richard Harrison (see 16^th January).

Pte. Thomas Charles Jaques (see 16^th January).

Pte. Albert Jeffrey (see 2^nd January).

Pte. Thomas Edward Laycock (see 10^th October 1918).

Pte. Charles Frederick Marsden (see 26^th August 1918).

Pte. William Francis Murphy (see 26^th August 1918). 

Pte. Ben Pedder (see 17^th January).

Pte. James Percival (see 23^rd January).

Pte. William Noel Simpson (see 16^th January).

Pte. Herbert Sloane (see 26^th August 1918).

Pte. John Robert Weightman (see 26^th August 1918).

Pte. Smith Stephenson Whitaker (see 2^nd January).

Thursday 23rd January 1919

Billets at Grumolo and Montecchia di Crosara

Ptes. Stanley Hirst (see 17^th May 1918) and Harry Orchard (see 8^th December 1918) completed and signed their ‘Statement as to disability’ forms, which were a precursor to their being posted back to England. The completed forms, which confirmed that they did not claim to have suffered any disability in service, were witnessed by 2Lt. Wilfred Frederick John Thomson MC (see 17^th January). Similar forms were completed and signed by Cpl. Stanley Arthur Bones (see 27^th October 1918) who was at 16^th Convalescent Depot in Marseilles, having been wounded on 27^th October 1918. 

CSM Edward George John Cooke (see 23^rd August 1918), serving in France with 43^rd Garrison Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, was posted back to England for demobilization.

L.Cpl. Edmund Peacock (see 18^th October 1918), serving in France with 1^st/4^th DWR, was posted back to England for demobilization.

Maj. Robert Harwar Gill DSO (see 20^th December 1918) appeared before a further Army Medical Board at 3^rd London General Hospital, Wandsworth; he was granted a further extension of leave, to 22^nd February, on the expiry of which he was to return to hospital. He was also awarded a gratuity of £375 in respect of the loss of his right eye.

Maj. Robert Harwar Gill DSO

2Lt. Frederick Griggs MM (see 8^th July 1918), who had been in England since having been kicked by a horse while serving in France with 2DWR, was formally released from the Army.

Pte. James Percival (see 10^th December 1918), who had been serving at the Infantry Command Depot at Catterick, was formally transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z.

L.Cpl. Joseph Simpson (see 3^rd January), serving in England with 52^nd (Garrison) Battalion, Notts. and Derbys., completed and signed his ‘Statement as to disability’ form as a precursor to his being demobilized. He stated two disabilities: ‘gunshot wounds’ and ‘heart trouble’. He had been wounded in France in September 1915, which had resulted in the ‘amputation of second and terminal phalanges of the right hand’. However, he was now also suffering from ‘mitral valvular lesion, dyspnoea on exertion’.

A grant of probate was issued in respect of the late Lt. Col. Ashton Alexander St. Hill DSO (see 6^th January), C.O., 11^th Northumberland Fusiliers, who had been killed in action on 27^th October 1918; probate of his estate, valued at £1,182 10s. 2d. was granted to his widow, Lilian Jane Eva St. Hill. 

I also have a photo postcard, of Italian origin, featuring two DWR NCO’s, almost certainly of 10DWR, bearing the date 23^rd January 1919. However, I am, as yet, unable to identify the two men. Handwritten to the front of the card is “Sincerely yours, W. Town, Italy 23.1.19” and, on the reverse side is written an address, “Cpl. W. Town, 31 Keighley Road, Silsden, nr. Keighley, Yorks”. The card is not stamped and bears no message on the reverse. The ‘signature’ on the front (W. Town) is not that of Maj. William Norman Town (see 14^th January), who seems always to have signed himself ‘W.N. Town’ and whose signature is quite different. There are records of a Wilfred Town living at the address in 1911, and in the 1919 electoral register he is marked as an ‘absent voter’, suggesting that he was in military service at the time. However, I can find no evidence that Wilfred Town ever served abroad, as he appears to have no medal entitlement. 

Wednesday 22nd January 1919

Billets at Grumolo and Montecchia di Crosara

Pte. Alfred Charles Dolphin (see 24^th November 1918) was admitted to 71^st Field Ambulance, suffering from scabies.

Pte. Fred Atkinson (see 26^th December 1918) completed and signed his ‘Statement as to disability’ form, which was a precursor to his being posted back to England. The completed form, which confirmed that he did not claim to have suffered any disability in service, was witnessed by Capt. John Edward Lennard Payne DSO, MC (see 18^th January).

Capt. Frederick Lowther Dawson Barker (see 15^th January), 2Lt. Tom Hawson (see 23^rd October 1917), Cpls. James Hotchkiss (see 15^th January) and Percival John Munn (see 16^th January), L.Cpl. Alfred Hanson (see 27^th August 1918) and Ptes. James Cowie (see 15^th January), Harold Richard Denny (see 15^th January), Thomas Henry Fearn (see 15^th January), John Straton Graham (see 15^th January), Thomas Edward Sear (see 16^th January), Abraham Sunderland (see 16^th January), John Edward Varley (see 15^th January) and Erwin Wilkinson (see 15^th January) were posted to England to be demobilized. Cpl. Hotchkiss would be formally demobilized from the Dispersal Centre at Prees Heath, Shropshire; Cpl. Munn from Chiseldon Camp, Wilts.; L.Cpl. Hanson and Pte. Varley from Clipstone; Ptes. Denny and Sear from Wimbledon; and the others from North Camp, Ripon.

Pte. Wilson Hepworth (see 8^th August 1918), on attachment to 23^rd Division HQ, was also posted to England to be demobilized, from North Camp, Ripon.

HQ, British Forces in Italy wrote to HQ, 23^rd Division, forwarding “450 souvenirs of the Battle on the Asiago Plateau, 15^th June 1918, for distribution to the British officers under your command who were in the Forward Area on that date”. Whilst not directly involved in the fighting of 15^th June, 10DWR had been in reserve on the Plateau, and a number of men had been wounded by Austrian shelling. It is not known which, if any, officers of the Battalion received the ‘souvenirs’.

Tuesday 21st January 1919

Billets at Grumolo and Montecchia di Crosara

Pte. Arthur Wideman (see 14^th December 1918), serving in France with 2DWR, was posted back to England for demobilization.


Following three months’ treatment Pte. John Sunderland (see 19^th October 1918) was discharged from Keighley War Hospital; he was posted to a Dispersal Centre (details unknown) prior to demobilization.

L.Cpl. Alfred John Davis (see 23^rd December 1918), who had returned to England after serving in France with 179^th Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers, was formally transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z.

Lt. John Redington (see 1^st December 1918), who had been on secondment with the Ministry of National Service, was formally released from the army.

A pension award was made in the case of the late Pte. Ernest Taylor (29168) (see 7^th October 1918), who had died of wounds on 27^th July while serving in France with 1^st/6^th DWR; his widow, Elizabeth, was awarded 37s. 11d. per week for herself and her five children.

Sunday 19th January 1919

Billets at Grumolo and Montecchia di Crosara

A Special Order of the Day (dated 17^th January) was received from General The Earl of Cavan, Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces in Italy:

“Soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force, tomorrow I hand over the command to Lt. Genl. Sir J.M. Babington, after more than a year in Italy. I want to thank every Officer, NCO and man of you for your pride in your units, which is the essence of discipline, and for all the unforgettable work that you have done in the mountains and on the plains. No Commander ever had his task made so easy for him, owing to the loyalty, steadfastness and enthusiasm of you all.

I wish you all the happiest possible furlough on return to England – good football, good beer, good friends – and, after a holiday, a real good job.

With all my heart I thank you and hope you will not forget the hospitality and kindness of our Italian friends”.

The new Corps Commander, Lt. Genl. Babington inspected all ranks of the Brigade who were entitled to the 1914-15 Star (ie, having served overseas before 1^st January 1916), of whom there were 31 Officers and 1,413 other ranks. He also presented medal ribbons to those who had been awarded honours in the New Year Honours List.

10DWR was selected to represent 69^th Brigade in the ‘Italian Expeditionary Force Horsemanship and Transport Competitions’ and finished in third place, and first in the 23^rd Division.

69^th Brigade also won the Division Point-to-Point Cup; the team of four included Capt. Leonard Norman Phillips MC (see 12^th January)

Pte. William Havery (see 15^th November 1918), who had been on on attachment to 71^st Field Ambulance, was posted back to England for demobilization.

Pte. James Arthur Markinson MM (see 4^th January), who was on leave to England from 2DWR, was officially demobilized from North Camp, Ripon.

Monday 20th January 1919

Billets at Grumolo and Montecchia di Crosara

Pte. Harry Jackson (24186) (see 11^th January) was discharged from hospital in Eastleigh; he would have ten days’ leave before reporting to 3DWR at North Shields.

Lt. Philip Howard Morris (see 15^th November 1918) and 2Lt. John William Pontefract (see 19^th December 1918), serving with 3DWR at North Shields, were formally released from the army.


Pte. George Hudson (see 6^th October 1916), who had been serving with the South Notts. Hussars, was formally discharged from the Army as ‘surplus to military requirements (not having suffered impairment since entering the service); he was, however, also awarded the Silver War Badge.

Saturday 18th January 1919

Billets at Grumolo and Montecchia di Crosara

L.Cpl. Benjamin Tetley (see 4^th August 1918) and Ptes. William Atkinson (25980) (see 29^th September 1918), Jesse Ferns (see 31^st January 1918), Robert Hitchen (see 8^th July 1918), William Kershaw (18282) (see 9^th November 1918), Joseph Pickles (see 25^th August 1918), Sidney Powdrill (see 27^th November 1918), Thomas Alfred Simpson (see 25^th October 1918), Harold Wall (see 18^th November 1918) and Herbert Willoughby (see 6th October 1918) departed completed and signed their ‘Statement as to disability’ forms, which were a precursor to their being posted back to England. The completed forms, which confirmed that they did not claim to have suffered any disability in service, were witnessed, for Tetley, Atkinson Ferns, Kershaw and Willoughby by 2Lt. Stephen Brown Airey (see 17^th January); for Hitchen and Simpson by Capt. John Edward Lennard Payne DSO, MC (see 6^th January); for Pickles and Wall by Lt. Herbert Edwin James Biggs (see 15^th January); and for Powdrill by Capt. Paul James Sainsbury (see 16^th January).

2Lt. Christopher Longstaff (see 29^th August 1918), serving in France with 9West Yorks, departed on two weeks’ leave to England.

L.Cpl. Harry Bailey (25248) (see 15^th December 1918) and Ptes. Alfred Fishlock (see 17^th December 1917) and Tom Smith (see 7^th January) who were on leave in England, were officially struck off the strength of 10DWR, as a precursor to being demobilized. Formalities for Bailey and Smith were completed whilst at North Camp, Ripon; the details for Fishlock are unknown.

Lt. Andrew Aaron Jackson (see 18^th December 1918), who had been in England since having suffered wounds to his right shoulder during the trench raid on 26^th August 1918, underwent a further medical operation (details unknown).

Pte. Fred Kershaw (see 8^th September 1918), who had been at Bagthorpe Military Hospital in Nottingham since having been wounded in August 1918, was medically examined prior to being discharged. The medical report found that, although he complained of ‘pains in the right leg when walking’, his wounds were now healed and that he had suffered no disability as a result; he would be discharged from hospital for demobilization two days later.

Friday 17th January 1919

Billets at Grumolo and Montecchia di Crosara

L.Cpl. John Bundy (see 2^nd September 1918) was reported by 2Lt. Wilfred Frederick John Thomson MC (see 12^th January) for “drinking rum which had not been issued”; on the orders of Lt.Col. Francis Washington Lethbridge DSO (see 14^th January) he would be deprived of his Lance Corporal’s rank and reduced to Private.

The issue of drinking was not confined to to the men, as noted by 2Lt. Bernard Garside (see 15^th December 1918) among his more general reflections on this period, 

“There were some uncomfortable moments, however, in those days. The men were restless to be home and averse to much training. In some units there were refusals to do things and rough treatment of NCO’s and even officers. But not in ours. We all felt impatient and a little irresponsible. I remember drinking got heavier. A VC in our Battalion, a Captain Kelly (Capt. Henry Kelly VC, MC, see 12^th January), dined in our mess one night and drank rather a lot and then wouldn’t let anyone go with him to his own mess. Next morning his batman came to ask if he had left his knee boots with us! We laughed and said, “No – why?”. He said Capt. Kelly had arrived without them and couldn’t remember why. It turned out that on his way home he had felt very sleepy and had seen a nice quiet alley way and gone to sleep there. But he had wakened up cold and had gone off, forgetting he had taken his boots off before going to sleep. They found the boots later!”.

CSM Alfred Dolding (see 12^th January) and Ptes. Bertie Gooch (see 27^th March 1918), Richard William Johnson (see 10^th September 1918) and John William Procter (see 17^th October 1918) completed and signed their ‘Statement as to disability’ forms, which were a precursor to their being posted back to England. The completed forms, which confirmed that they did not claim to have suffered any disability in service, were witnessed by 2Lt. Stephen Brown Airey (see 19^th April 1918).

Sgts. Josias Bailey MM (see 24^th August 1918) and Harold Best (see 7^th January) and Ptes. Vernon Barker (see 21^st September 1918), Samuel Lawton Birtles (see 26^th November 1918), Thomas Butler (see 23^rd September 1918), Edward Henry Chant (see 5^th December 1918), Josiah Charles (see 5^th December 1918), Thomas Eccleston (see 5^th October 1917), Moses Henry Jaeger (see 21^st March 1918), Reginald James Nosworthy (see 13^th December 1918), Ben Pedder MM (see 26^th August 1918) and Sam Shuttleworth (see 22^nd July 1917) departed for England on two weeks’ leave. 

Cpl. Alexander Wallace MM (see 27^th October 1918) and Pte. Walter James Biddle (see 12^th January) were posted to England from the Base Depot at Arquata Scrivia.   

L.Cpl. John Lamb Watt (see 16^th October 1918) serving (details unknown) at Tortona, north of Genoa, departed for England on two weeks’ leave.

Lt. Col. Robert Raymer (see 15^th December 1918), commanding 5^th (Pioneer) Battalion South Wales Borderers, departed for England on two weeks’ leave.

L.Cpl. John Smith Hodgson MM (see 13^th December 1918), who was in England having been wounded in October 1918, was admitted to Keighley War Hospital; he would be discharged after six days and was to be demobilized shortly thereafter.

L.Cpl. John Smith Hodgson MM

Image by kind permission of Andy Wade and MenOfWorth

Sgt. Ellis Rigby (see 26^th November 1918), who had been in training for a commission at no.16 Officer Cadet Battalion at Rhyl, was posted to the dispersal centre at Codford, Wilts., in preparation for demobilization.

CQMS Edgar Shuttleworth (see 29^th December 1918), L.Cpl. Frank Dodgson (see 29^th December 1918) and Ptes. Edward Anderson (see 29^th December 1918), William Harper (25972) MM (see 8^th December 1918), Arthur Newton (see 29^th December 1918), Frank Patterson (see 18^th December 1918), Herbert Williams (see 29^th December 1918) and Norman Woodhouse (see 29^th Decenmber 1918) who were on leave in England, were struck off the strength of 10DWR and demobilized Shuttleworth, Dodgson, Anderson, Patterson and Woodhouse were demobilized from Ripon; Harper from the dispersal centre at Wimbledon; Newton from Grantham, and Williams from Prees Heath.

Spr. Joseph Ibbitson, serving with the Royal Engineers, was was formally transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z. He had been an original member of 10DWR before being transferred (date and details unknown) to the Royal Engineers. In the absence of a surviving service record it has not been possible to make a positive identification of this man or to establish any more detail as to his service.

Pte. Leonard Pickles (see 23^rd June 1917), who had been wounded while serving with 10DWR in June 1917, and who had subsequently served with 2DWR, was formally transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z. In the absence of a surviving service record it has not been possible to establish any more detail as to his service.

The weekly edition of the Craven Herald included an extended article detailing the experiences of Lt. Norman Roberts MM (see 28^th November 1918) as a prisoner of war.

THE BRUTAL GERMANS  - SKIPTON OFFICER’S EXPERIENCES IN PRISON CAMPS

A story of abominable treatment and brutality to British prisoners of war by their German captors was narrated to our representative on Monday by Second Lieutenant Norman Roberts, of the Machine Gun Corps, son of Mr. Edwin Roberts of 3 Upper Union Street, Skipton. Like thousands of other fine young Englishmen, Lieut. Roberts, who, in civilian life was a policeman at Hellifield, quickly responded to the call for men when the war broke out. He enlisted in September 1914 as a private in the 10^th Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding) Regiment and went out to France the following August. In due time he rose to the rank of sergeant and was afterwards granted a commission and transferred to the Machine Gun Corps. He was captured by the Germans during the fighting in March last year, and was first taken by his captors to a lonely little village and afterwards behind the lines at Cambrai. He did not complain of ill-treatment here, but it will be readily understood that the position of prisoners near the fighting line is anything but pleasant. After four or five days he, along with others, was removed to a camp at Rastatt in Baden, where the treatment was systematically cruel. Seventy English officers were placed in a hut about the size of those at Raikes Camp, and the sleeping and sanitary arrangements were, to say the least of them, crude and insufficient for civilised human beings. The food was only fit for pigs and there was very little of it. For breakfast there was usually a slice of black bread with some substitute or acorn coffee; dinner consisted of boiled rice and vegetable leaves chopped up; and tea was similar to breakfast.

Lieut. Roberts was kept at the Rastatt Camp until May, when he was removed to Mayence. This necessitated a three-days journey in a slow travelling train, and during the whole of this time his food consisted of one bowl of soup. Whenever they pulled up at a station the German people jeered at them and at one place a German soldier, on his way back to the Front, spat in his eye and called him a swinehunde. On arrival at Mayence they were provided with a good meal and the English officers were in hopes that it was the forerunner of better treatment. Their hopes were quickly dashed to the ground, however, for their treatment was no better than it had been at the previous camp. Their food consisted of the same old distasteful substitute for coffee, black bread and what in England we should describe as vegetable refuse. A loaf of bread was given out to each man once every five days, and more often than not the famished Englishmen ate the loaf at the first meal and then went without bread during the next four days. Not content with pining their prisoners, the Germans practised all kinds of devilish tricks upon them, and the Englishmen in particular were subjected to petty annoyances of every description.

Through lack of proper food Lieut. Roberts contracted dysentery in the summer months and was sent to hospital. Here again the treatment was a disgrace to any civilised nation and a large number of officers died simply for want of proper attention and treatment. To stop the bleeding wounds and to numb the pain of the suffering soldiers the Germans had to fall back upon the use of opium. Not until the Red Cross parcels from England began to arrive did matters improve, and even then the prisoners did not get the full benefit of the arrangements made for their comfort in this country. For the past few years practically every village, town and city in England has been sending out parcels of comforts for our soldiers in Germany and it is now an established fact that the majority of the parcels were purloined by the inhuman Germans. Out of over 50 parcels sent to him, Lieut. Roberts received 31. All of these were opened by the Germans and many useful articles, particularly anything in the shape of clothing or boots, were extracted. The prisoners’ parcels and letters were also delayed as much as possible with results that were most annoying. Sometimes the Englishmen had parcels sent from Berne in Switzerland containing white bread, and more often than not the parcels were so delayed that when the prisoners received them the bread was green outside and yellow inside.

Asked by our representative if he had tried to escape, Lieut. Roberts said it was almost impossible to do so, and told of several cases where English prisoners obtained clever disguises and succeeded in getting away only to be recaptured on the “last lap”. Lieut. Roberts said that the captured officers were allowed to purchase certain things, but the prices, he added, were almost prohibitive, being more than three times the amount charged the Germans. For instance, a bottle of wine would cost 25 marks.

Lieut. Roberts was still in Germany when the revolution broke out and the German officers had their swords broken and their epaulettes removed by the soldiers and sailors council. Four days after the signing of the armistice he was set free along with other prisoners, and travelled by train via Metz and Nancy, to Paris and then to England. The journey occupying a week. At a place named Worms he saw a sight which was enough to make the heart of an Englisman ache. Between 3,000 and 4,000 Tommies had been collected together and every one of them, he says, was a walking skeleton, their bones protruding through their skin. They had been turned loose by the Germans without food of any kind and were utterly unfit to travel. When they ultimately got into the hands of the French they were sent in to hospital and cared for.