Reunited with my Gr. Uncle's last letter from the Somme July 1, 1916

[Colin_Fraser]

This is probably the greatest (and best) web coincidence I have experienced. I was doing some family research in November and trying to find out a little more about a Great Uncle I knew had been killed in WWI. After finding some basic info on CWGC, I plunked his name into Google and was taken to a site that had a picture of his headstome and a letter. The letter had been uploaded by Jackie Watrers of Liverpool, the Great Niece of the recipient of my Uncle's 1916 letter. After corresponding with her for a few days, she was amazingly generous. She sent me the letter saying that it belonged in my family rather than hers.

The letter is from Private George L. Ingham to his work mate Alf Plater, and it describes the first day on the Somme, where George's battalion, the 3rd Salford Pals (19th Service Battalion Lancashire Fusliers) went over the top on the morning of July 1 in an attack on the Leipzig Redoubt just south of Thiepval. Only 2 and a half companies were committed but the battalion took 50% casualties in 2 hours fighting, most before they even got to the front line jumping off trench. My Uncle's company (A) lost all 4 of its officers and casualties were probably in excess of 80%. In the letter he is almost matter of fact.

I have been researching the heck out of the 3rd Salfords and I now know that from the Bn war diary my Uncle was mortally wounded on July 14 in front of Ovillers in hand to hand trench warfare, likely by a sniper. He died a day later. He was 19.

You can see the letter at:

http://www.lancs-fusiliers.co.uk/gallerynew/19thBN/19thBn.htm

There is also an interesting article below it on his platoon CO Lt. Edward Deakin Ashton, KIA July 1.

Its also cool that the war diary for the BN was kept by the Intel. Officer Lt. Geoffrey Bache Smith, JRR Tolkien's best friend and the man generally credited with instilling an interest in poetry and literature in Tolkien the linguist.

And yes I will be doing a figure or bust of George Ingham when I get the research together.

Colin

 

[Ferris]

Fascinating story Colin. The marvels of the web and the power of Google do not fail to amaze....!

Cheers,
Adrian

 

[housecarl]

I don't know if you've tried The Western Front Association Colin. http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/
His house is on Street view.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=&r...code_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CCMQ8gEwAA
Look forwards to the figure,
Carl.

 

[polyphemus]

A few years ago our local radio station broadcast on Armistice Day a special on the Accrington Pals. Part of the broadcast was a poignant letter written by one of the Accrington Pals to his mum. It was only at the end of the letter I realised it had been written by a Harry Nutter and after asking around found that he was my grandfather's brother and he had died on the opening day of the Battle of the Somme. All those years and I never knew.

Geoff

 

[John Bowery]

Colin,
What a great find.
Cheers
John

 

[Tommy's War]

That's a great story and the letter is really interesting. For me the human aspect of the first world war is one of most fascinating. Its for our generation to keep the memories of men like George alive and to pass them on.

Thanks for sharing the link

 

[polyphemus]

I've found the following reference to my great uncle in a despatch of the North Lancashire branch of the Western Front Association;

http://www.wfanlancs.co.uk/despatch/May09PDFs/FinalMay09.pdf

I knew my grandfather who was also a boxer but never knew there was an older brother who was also a boxer.

Geoff

 

[Don]

What a wonderful story Colin, to find out so much about your Great Uncle from using Google is amazing.
Also nice to have some communication from the lady who had the letter and for her to send it to you. I notice you mention a figure or bust of your Uncle George when you get the information. I wonder if the lady who sent it to you would have an intrest in one (painted) from you along with the details you find as it was her uncle who received the original letter.

Don

 

[Colin_Fraser]

The letter is a family treasure for sure. Interestingly enough I collect historical paper and have some very rare signatures like Napoleon, Stauffenberg etc. I value George's letter above them all. Its also given me a reason to research WWI, a war that had previously zero interest in. I always thought it was a war fought with mindless tactics by regiments with unintersting generic uniforms. Now that I have done some research, I see that I am all wrong. Reading the battalion war diaries was a complete eye opener.

The thing that gets me about the letter is the calmness portrayed. A 19 year old who had never been away from home writing to a friend after seeing the worst day in British military history and the loss of all his officers and many chums. And no drama at all. Its also very literate. The reference to the German saw bayonets brings across the Tommy's view of the Somme to me. I was told by someone on Great War Forum that the British army would not take prisoner any German found in posssession of one.

Darren, your Tommy's War range has taught me how wrong I was on the boring uniforms preconception.

Housecarl - thanks for the street view pic of his house. I found from the 1911 census that the whole family lived there - 7 people. George was a full time mill worker at 14.

Geoff - your story parallels mine. Have you done any detailed research on the Accrington Pals? I got a book on the Salfords by Michael Stedman and I believe there is a detailed study of the Accrington unit in the same series.

Don - Jackie was the personification of generosity. She is an historian herself, running a company called Memory Catchers. I offered to buy the letter when I first saw it but she sent it no charge. She just wanted to get it back to the family. very classy. I would certainly like to do more for Jackie but don't want to insult her generosity either. She believes that many artifacts (letters medals etc) currenlty traded should be reunited with the family. That only works if someone in the family cares and too often that is not the case.

One of my wife's favourite songs is "The Green Fields of France" written by Eric bogle and sung by the Corries. The 19 year old in the song, Willie McBride. was in my Uncle's division is buried quite near to him. That did her in when I told her.

"Well, how do you do, young Willie McBride,
Do you mind if I sit here down by your graveside?
And rest for awhile in the warm summer sun,
I've been walking all day, and I'm nearly done.
And I see by your gravestone you were only 19
When you joined the great fallen in 1916,
Well, I hope you died quick and I hope you died clean
Or, Willie McBride, was it slow and obscene?"

In prep for the model, I would like to find a photo of George. I asked the Rochdale Obbserver to have a look but no luck. I do have a pic of his Dad in Lancashire Fusiliers Territorials dress.

Thanks for the comments.

Colin

 

[Colin_Fraser]

Geoff - and thanks for the reference to the Lancashire Branch of the WFA. I will have to spend some time looking at this.

Colin

 

[polyphemus]

Colin, I do have the book on the Accrington Pals. Strangely the primary school I attended was attached to a church which was the battalion church for the Accrington Pals. So many questions arise from this but the relatives I could have asked are now all gone. So much pertinent history to my relatives about which I knew nothing until recently.
Have you tried contacting the Lancashire Fusiliers Museum in Bury?

www.fusiliermuseum.com
www.lancs-fusiliers.co.uk


Geoff

 

[Don]

Colin I do agree with Jackie, medals should be returned to and stay in the family in memory of those who earned them, sometimes at great cost to themselves. I have my fathers MBE which you could not get out of my hands with a bulldozer, makes me mad when I see people on antique shows selling medals.
Wife has a good taste in music, I know The Green Fields of France well and often wondered "why Willie McBride" Mr. Bogle had millions to pick from.

Don

 

[housecarl]

A slight change of subject. There's info on The Green Fields of France here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Man's_Land_(Eric_Bogle_song)
Carl.

 

[Don]

Thenks Carl, not a good time to be named Willie McBride. Just had a listen to the Pipes of the Royal Irish play it. Strange that a Scottish Australian amongs all his anti war songs should write a song about Irish soldiers.

Don

 

[housecarl]

Probably a comment on the impending Irish partition Don. The Fureys Gallipoli, is a little more direct.
Not wishing to jump all over your interesting thread Colin.
Carl.

 

[Colin_Fraser]

No worries. I don't know Gallipoli but will chase it down. I do like Bogle's "And the Band Played Walting Matilda." Interesting to see the wiki on Willie McBride. Stedman's "Thiepval" says the one Bogle based the song on is buried in Authuille Cemetary before Thiepval but no evidence is presented as I recall.

Colin

 

[Colin_Fraser]

Started the model. I'm plannning a two-figure trench vignette of my Gr. Uncle being debriefed by lt G.B. Smith late on July 1. He will be holding a captured German saw bayonet. I'll post it under WIP when I get far enough to show some progress. Scale will be 75mm scratch in sculpey firm.

Colin

 

[tonydawe]

Great stuff Colin,

I too have a letter from my Great Great Uncle Walter who died at Messines in 1918, which reapperared in a bunch of old letters found in my Aunty's house a few years ago. In the letter Walter thanks his sister for sending him a parcel of gifts for Christmas 1917, although he regrets that a small container of powder used to kill lice spilled out and ruined what would have been a lovely batch of biscuits.

Now that all living links to WW1 have been broken, treasured memories like this take on so much more significance, and remain a great source of inspiration for figure modellers.

 

[Colin_Fraser]

I love historical paper. For me, looking at handwriting from a famous person or from a lowly private when its known to be written at a specific relevant place and item is a virtual time machine. I would take a signed document over any other piece of militaria any day. And Tony you are right, a letter or other document can act as an amazing inspiration for modelling.

Tony, have you researched the specific circumstances surrounding Walter's death?

Colin

 

[tonydawe]

Yes Colin I certainly have.

The Australian War Memorial carries a huge library of contempory records, unit diaries, letters, photos and personal artefacts of servicemen from all conflicts, and most of this is available online. Through the website www.awm.gov.au I found photos of Walter taken just before he embarked for Egypt in 1916 as one of the reinforcements to the 5th Div AIF, photos of him just after being promoted to corporal and completing JNCO's training at Salisbury in 1917, and most poignant of all, a photo of Walter with fellow NCO's taken the day before he was killed by a shell at Messines in February 1918.

There are also reports written by his fellow soldiers indicating that Walter and five other members of B Company 32nd Bn were killed by a single shell blast as part of a carrying party that was bringing up small arms ammunition to the front mines. Walter was acting Company Sergeant Major, and was in charge of the party when it was hit. All six men died instantly, or so the records report.

He was 29 years old and prior to enlisting was a Methodist Minister in Kadina South Australia, where his parishoners were mainly Cornishmen working on the copper mines near Moonta. While he was serving in the trenches, Walter was known to conduct prayer services for his fellow Diggers, and continued preaching the gospel right up until his death. Part of his personal artefacts that survived the war include a religious medal that was worn around his neck and a communion bag containing his bible, both of which are now kept in Canberra in the War Memorial collection (see attached pics). Sadly his personal effects were lost when the ship carrying them, and apparently hundreds of wounded men back to Australia from France, was torpedoed and sunk in the Indian Ocean.

Back in 2009 I took my wife and kids to Messines where Walter is buried and spent a lovely morning at the small local war museum in the village. I spent a wonderful couple of hours chatting to the Museum Curator who was very interested in learning about Walter and the circumstances of his life and death. I subsequently sent him a photo of Walter, which now appears on the wall of the museum along with a brief biography of him that I wrote.

He's one of over 500 Australian soldiers buried in that small cemetry at Messines. As I walked through that cemetry and stared at the endless rows of white headstones, I was reminded that behind each one was a grieving mother and father, distraught friends and family members, and as yet unborn relations who would continue to mourn and remember their sacrifice almost a century later.