This Week in World War One, 8 January 1915

Berwick Advertiser title 1915

8 JANUARY 1915

CHRISTMAS DAY ON THE BATTLEFIELD

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SAPPERS INTERESTING LETTER

Mr W Howe, High Street Berwick, has received the following interesting letter from his friend Sapper W. Cromarty, Royal Engineers, who is serving at the front:-

27086

2nd Division Signal Co.

Royal Engineers

Expeditionary Force

30 December

Dear Will: – Well old chap how goes it now? Very many thanks for your kind letter and cigarettes not to mention the good old “Berwick Advertiser” Good gracious what a shock to see my letter in that place of honour, but if I had known you really meant to publish it I should have been a bit more careful in my grammatical expression, etc. However, the Berwick folk are forgiving and I am pretty certain any discrepancy will be passed over lightly.

Christmas 1914, is now a thing of the past, but I must confess that although on active service, I along with my comrades in the detachment managed to enjoy ourselves very much. I started celebrating Christmas on the 24th. On Christmas Eve we had a musical evening. No one was downhearted at all so “King Ragtime” was re-awakened with a vengeance. Ragtime, however, didn’t reign too long. We had solos, some good old fashioned songs (not forgetting the Scotch ones) and last but not least – carols. It was a time of uncertainty, none of us knew how soon we might have to move, but trust the Tommy to make the best of a bad job, or at least I should say making the best use of any opportunity such as we had.

We were determined to have some kind of Christmas celebration and we had it. However, I couldn’t take too much part in the sing song as I had to commence duty at 1 a.m. on Christmas Day, so I had a little sleep before commencing, knowing full well I would stand little chance of getting any when finishing about breakfast time. I started Christmas Day very well indeed, having bacon and eggs for breakfast, the bacon we got supplied, the eggs were procured – from where I cannot say.

After breakfast we all helped to make things as comfortable as possible and then our thoughts turned instinctively to dinner. We then organised what is known to the Tommy out here as a “scrounging” expedition and by the time everyone had returned we found we could manage a very good dinner. Pork chops, potatoes and plenty of vegetables were in our possession and having the means of cooking them alright I can safely say the dinner when finished wouldn’t have caused a murmur from the most severe critic.

Christmas wouldn’t have been complete without a pudding, so I may mention we had Christmas pudding too. We burnt it in the customary way, wished each other compliments of the season and then – exit pudding. I don’t think there was one of us who didn’t feel perfectly happy after dinner. Although our surroundings were none too homely, we felt thankful for being able to get our dinner in peace. Naturally our thoughts were far away at home, wondering how our old folk were faring and doubtless wishing we had been able to fill the vacant chair which could be vividly pictured by the mind’s eye. “Ah well chaps we’ll be home for next Christmas” was one fellow’s consoling remark, to which I heartily said “Roll on”.

I was on duty again after dinner, but was fortunate enough to be present at tea time. What a revelation tea time was! Most of the fellows had had parcels from friends at home, with all manner of good things suitable for tea and so by “mucking in” (another soldiers phrase, we had a real good “bust up” sardines, cakes, scones, butter and bread and jam were all abundantly represented so it does not need an extraordinary intelligent person to understand how much we enjoyed ourselves.

Ralph Dodds & Son tea advert
Advert from Berwick Advertiser 8th January 1915

At night we had another concert, which lasted till very late at night and so ended my Christmas Day on the battlefield. It would be unfair not to mention our two officers, who, I am sure, were partly instrumental in lightening our work as much as possible so as to give us a good time. They are both “two of the best” and I consider myself extremely fortunate in having such fine fellows in charge. It is now very close to the New Year, 1914 is closing down its black and warstained pages. Let us hope that 1915 will bring us victory and that very soon we will see the tone of war closed and clasped never to open again.

I was very sorry to hear how our “cultured” friend had visited the East coast and- as is his usual way –taken such a heavy toll of innocent lives. You will have seen many photographs showing the damage caused by the short bombardment of the three towns. You will perhaps be able to grasp some idea as to what a town or village will look like after being bombarded day and night for some time. I have seen villages completely ruined; whilst one town the Germans bombarded very close to where I was working can boast of only a few undamaged buildings. It was a town much larger than Berwick, possessing a beautiful cathedral and some very imposing civil buildings. “Kultur” however, got to work with its big guns and now very little remains but broken jagged walls on the once beautiful buildings. The people at home will now understand and comprehend the martyrdom of the Belgians and French, and I‘m sure instead of having the desired effect of intimidation that act of vandalism will stimulate the people to a sense of duty which will, I am sure, be beneficial to the country.”

Postscript

We are trying to find out additional information about Sapper W Cromarty (27086). We think he survived the First World War and know that he must have had a connection with the North Northumberland area. If anyone can tell us anything else about him, please post a comment or contact berwickarchives@woodhorn.org.uk

Redpaths clearance sale advert
Advert from the Berwick Advertiser 8th January 1915

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Week in World War One, 1 January 1915

Berwick Advertiser title 1915

1 JANUARY 1915

BAMBURGH

WHIST DRIVE

To raise funds to provide comfort for our troops, a whist drive and dance was held in the school room, Bamburgh.  The following were the prize winners:- Ladies – 1st, Miss D Littlefair; 2nd, Miss Mamie Weatherstone, 3rd Miss J I Lawson; 4th, Miss A Graham; sealed prize, Mrs A Campbell; consolation prize, Miss Sinton.  Gentlemen – 1st, Mr W Clark; 2nd, Mr G Herbertson, 3rd Mr W Carse, 4th, Mr Jas Nesbit; sealed prize, Scout Geo. Oswald; consolation prize, Scout A Hird.  The Scouts and Territorials doing duty locally were entertained to dinner by Mr and Mrs Little of Bamburgh Castle Inn, and Miss Smith, of the Victoria Hotel, has provided a similar treat for them.

 

Berwick Advertiser 1915 Jan 8th pg1 Paxton and Purves-BLOG
Advert from Berwick Advertiser
1st January 1915

NORHAM

TROOPER’S LETTER

The following letter has been received from Trooper A Charlton, Northumberland Hussars (brother of Mrs Brown, School House, Norham), who is at the front:-

“December 20th, 1914,- The mince pies were champion.  Jim and I and the boys had a jolly good tea; no use waiting until Christmas Day, as we are into business any moment. The North East Coast raid will have scared the people of Norham, and mind what a champion target your house and church will make, so look out for future events. Bob and Jack will have a lively time in the trenches at Blyth, but they ought to see ours, waist-deep in water, then we are liable to depart this world at any minute.  Black Marias came within a few yards of our billet the other day, and last night hundreds of our guns were playing on the German trenches, the fire lighting up the whole line. What a lovely sight to see; but should not have liked to have been within, as their loss must have been enormous. I fully expected to be at home by Christmas, but am afraid we shall consider ourselves lucky if we manage by next Christmas.”

 

The Life of a Northern Cyclist – James Willie Wood (1892 – 1972)

James was born in County Durham, but brought up in Northumberland. At the age of three, he was with his mother at Red House Farm, Monkseaton and by age seven, he was living with his grandparents in Ashington where he attended the Hirst North Boys School until leaving at twelve years of age. His first job was as a lather boy at a local barber shop and at age fourteen he was working at Woodhorn Colliery, Ashington.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERABy December 1914, James had enlisted and was placed in the Northern Cyclists 2/1st Battalion, ‘C’ Company, commanding officer Captain Alister Hardy. The Cyclists Battalions were primarily a Home Defence Unit and also provided trained men for the regular Army – usually the infantry.

‘C’ Company was billeted in Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland, for training and for coastal defence both south and north of the Castle. Christmas Day, 1915, saw the Norwegian barque Lovespring floundering off shore with the crew being rescued by the steamer Copsewood and as the Lovespring broke up, some of the cargo was salvaged by C Company.

Early 1916 saw ‘C’ Company being relocated to Chapel St. Leonards, near Skegness, Lincolnshire, where once again, they were used for coastal defence, building trenches and outposts in readiness for a possible invasion. It was here that James met his future wife, Mahala Hunter

Somerset Light Infantry cap badgeIt wasn’t long before James found himself being transferred into the regular Army; he was placed in the Somerset Light Infantry and was shipped to the Western Front. Like many infantrymen, he was wounded and was returned to England for recuperation. When declared fit, he returned to France as a Corporal where for a short time he was a guard at a POW camp.

Mid 1917 found James back in England where he was placed in the Labour Corps – a common practice for soldiers who were deemed to be unfit for service at the front line. It is thought that James never fully recovered from the wounds he suffered in 1916. James was stationed in Seven Oaks, Kent and in November 1917 he was allowed to return to Mahala’s home village where they married in the local church. After a very short time together, James returned to his unit in Seven Oaks and remained there until the end of the war.

After demob, James returned to Mahala in Lincolnshire and then in late 1919, he brought his wife and his two young daughters back to Northumberland where they lived in Hollymount Cottages, Bedlington with James working at a local colliery. Circa 1923 found the family moving across to Ashington and to a newly built house in Garden City Villas with James working at Woodhorn Colliery where he worked until retiring at age 65.

Every year in late October / early November, James’s old commanding officer, Captain Alister Hardy, (now a Professor in Marine Biology and later to be knighted in 1957) hosted a reunion dinner for surviving members of ‘C’ Company. James attended each and every year with his final attendance being in 1971.

James passed away at his home in Garden City Villas in December of 1972, having been survived by his wife, Mahala who later died in 1977.

James Wood with C Co. of Northern Cyclists

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Allan Robinson in supplying this article for the Northumberland At War Project.