Harrogate Herald - 25th April 1917

To Our Boys on Service

Dear Chaps,

I am going to give you an abstract from the letter of a well-known local cricketer who has recently started to learn to be a Jack Tar. You know the man very well, and I wish I could tell you his name, but I cannot. I am not permitted.

"The service here this morning was reduced to a minimum, but I enjoyed it. half an hour all told. The Chaplain began his sermon thus : 'Sit down - the text. 'Be Strong'. Now put your strongest lozenges in your mouths, and stop that coughing, or I shall have to give you a long sermon. If you keep quiet I shall only take five minutes, but it there's any noise I go out for half an hour'. Result : A silence that could be felt. Every Jack would rather have choked than coughed. At the end of five minutes he got down, and amid audible laughter proceeded to awaken his brother chaplain, who was caught in the middle of forty winks".

From the vein in which I have started my letter to you chaps, you will realise that I am feeling pretty well and fully over my recent disposition. It is so good to be well, and I feel so elated I cannot resist telling you another. This is a true one from the Front : A Tommy in the trenches was seen to be busy stooping over his pedal extremities, much to the curiosity of his pals.

"What are you doing, Bill?", shouted one.

"Washing my boots", says Bill.

"What!", was the indignant protest, "washing your boots in the water we've got to sleep in!!!".

Here's another :

"What's this?", says Tommy, as he scornfully eyes the ninth part of a loaf offered to him in a front position during a great advance (the transport had been outstripped for the moment).

Sergeant : "That's your ration".

"Oh! I thought it was Holy Communion".

A boy was having trouble with his feet, and asked me for a light pair of boots. I asked some one for the boots in last Wednesday's Gossip, and very promptly received from Barber's boot shop in James Street a fine pair of new boots, which I ascertained were kindly sent to the order of Mrs Dyson Lister. I want to tell you boys how much indebted I am to Mrs Lister. I have several times been asked for something much out of the common way, and wondered whether I would succeed in getting them. Again and again the article has come of a quality that made me open my eyes. For instance, I haven't forgotten those thin undervests and pants for the chap in India; those fine warm woollens for another boy. All these and other things have come from Mrs Lister.

Soon after I received the above boots I was delighted to have an excellent pair from Inspector Jackson, of Harrogate. As you boys have not all had close relations with the police, I must explain that Inspector Jackson is our Harrogate Inspector of Police, of whom, by the way, we think highly. I have sent both pairs, because I know what a relief a welcome change of foot gear is.

You will be interested to know that regarding a certain soldier I mentioned last week who had not received a parcel since he went out a long time ago, and who is in Salonica, that I had all the things he required except the tea, sugar, tobacco, and cigarettes. Happily, I have very promptly got the last-named articles. Mrs Best, of Kent Road, whom you know by reading the lists of presents to soldiers, sent me the tea and sugar, and Mrs Malim, Dr Malim's wife (I forget his military title, for you know that he is at the Front), sent a nice pipe, some cake tobacco, and cigarettes. I am sure you will be glad to know that we have done something to make up to this boy for the absence of parcels in the past.

I have sent two large parcels of socks for Lieutenant Colonel J Walker's men. I hope, after my appeal in the Gossip, to be able to send another large parcel or two. The first two parcels went off on Friday. As they were overweight they were despatched by train and boat.

Cricket seems at present the sport of our ancestors; but two cronies, in an interval between reading the latest war news, happened to turn over in reminiscent mood the leaves of an old score book, and found two VC's and one DCM medal winners in the opposing teams during a game on a country ground very near Harrogate. I don't see why I shouldn't tell you it was a score book of the Beckwithshaw Cricket Club. It has been claimed that the Battle of Waterloo was won on the cricket fields of Eton. It may be true, or not; but we do know what cricket has done for our boys of the bombing parties at the Front, and football for their valiant charges. I don't think and one of the future will be inclined to grumble at our boys playing cricket and football after the efficiency to which our lads have attained through following those sports at home. I must confess that I have, sometimes in years gone by, feared that our young men spent rather too much time in sport and not enough in artistic and technical pursuits. I take that all back now! And recognise the wisdom with which everything has been ordered. Once I could not see that love of sports was directed by a Higher Power than any human agency. I can realise, now, that in every charge of our brave boys lads the spirit of the football field prevails.

I have received quite a budget of news from Pioneer H A Robinson, who has just been in to see me. He is the son of the late Mr and Mrs Robinson, 20 [?] Electric Avenue, New Park. The family have had a stall in the Market nearly thirty years, so they will be well know to you. Robinson could not leave for some time, as he is a telephone operator, and there was no one to take his place. He is now on leave for ten days. Robinson has put me through to London and elsewhere many a time when he was at the Harrogate Telephone Exchange. He is located at the headquarters of his lot. I am glad to say he has never had a day's illness since he went out, and has never missed getting his Herald. My visitor had seen Stephenson, whose father is a building contractor, and lives on Skipton Road. Robinson's pal at the telephone work is Donnison, of Ripon. They relieve each other on the same job. He thinks Donnison worked for us at one time, but I do not remember him. Donnison worked at Ripon in the printing business before he went out to the Front. The Ripon firm for whom he worked bought the business of Armstrong, Harrogate, and Donnison came to manage it. another local man he had seen was Firth, of Bradford, a cousin of Alderman W J Binns. Firth is not with him now, as he got blood poisoning, and had to be sent back to the base. He saw a Starbeck last a week ago, but had forgotten his name. The man was bringing up recruits. You may remember Robinson's father fractured his ribs, and then shortly after fell downstairs and was killed. My caller's wife is the youngest daughter of ex-Councillor H Abbott, who has been living the last eleven years at Whitley Bay. I often wondered that I never saw Abbott, and am glad to know now he is very well. He sees lots of Harrogate chaps where he is. Robinson's wife's youngest brother (Gunner W S Abbott) is in the Bath Hospital now with rheumatism. He was in that push of the 1st of September, and out at the Front up to January of this year. By then his battalion had been so knocked about that the doctor ordered it out of the line. Young Abbott came on a stretcher all the way from France. I am sorry to say that his heart is bad, too bad to undergo certain treatment for his rheumatism. He will be discharged, however, before long, and then I expect it is light duty for him. By the way, the RE Signallers, to whom Robinson belongs, beat the West Riding Casualty Clearing Station at football by 4 goals to nil.

Mrs J Ernest Powell called to see me, and told me she had had a letter from her friend Lieutenant Colonel J Walker, DSO, commanding a Division of Field Artillery. The Colonel had asked her if it was possible to send out for his men some socks, as they were badly in need of them. These men are just now in the thick of it, and would welcome the socks. Colonel Walker recruited a thousand men and trained them in Harrogate and Ripon. I had socks enough on hand to send a first consignment, and I am going to ask, in the Gossip, my Harrogate friends to contribute more socks, so that I may be able to send other parcels later. I shall retain in my office sufficient to meet the daily demand for a couple of pairs or so from boys at the Front and relatives at home who cannot afford in these war times to purchase for their lads.

I have had a letter from Lance Corporal C Foster, who is one of the Military Police in France, to say that he has come across the grave of Corporal B Elsworth, of the 5th West Yorks. He thought the dead soldier's friends at home would like to know that Foster intends to make arrangements to look after the grave when he is not able to do so himself personally. I give the full letter from Foster in the columns devoted to soldiers' correspondence.

I have not seen Corporal A Crowther since June last until Monday morning, when he came in to see me, on leave. You will remember, perhaps, he belongs to the Canadian Contingent, and went out to Canada seven years ago. He is the son of Mr J W Crowther, Ribston, and has been 19 months in France. It is fortunate that he is enabled to stop in England for three months, on some special service. Thus far he has got through without sickness or wound. Joined the Army in December, 1914. he has not met a single Harrogate lad at the Front where he has been.

I have received a nice letter from the officer who asked for a cricketing set for the boys on his boat, which, by the way, is one that did good service in the Jutland affair. He truly remarks that sailors haven't many shillings to spend on themselves, and so it was necessary to trust to the generosity of the good people at home. I should explain that the cricketing set was sent me by the Kursaal Orchestra, and one of their own, which had not been much used. You see, these sailors have a very monotonous time, and so now and again they are permitted to go ashore at some suitable spot and have a game of cricket; but they are subject to recall at any moment. Our jolly sailors find this game very stimulating. It goes a long way towards relieving the monotony of life afloat. I have retained this cricketing set until I could find suitable recipients. These were not forthcoming because of the lateness of the season when I received it. I am sure it could not have fallen into better hands.

For downright monotony I think a case I heard yesterday takes the case. It is a naval craft on special duty, and the men are never allowed ashore. You can imagine how hum-drum it is, waiting for exciting events to come along. Now, one of these boys has asked for a gramophone, and I am glad to say a lady visitor has procured a Pathe instrument, so only records are required. I am going to ask for them in the Gossip column, and I hope I shall have a prompt and numerous response. These particular sailor boys are a long way from home.

There are a good many German prisoners going through Harrogate to an internment camp further north. Some of the townspeople have seen saloon carriages containing officers, and on one occasion four of them were generals. How differently German prisoners are treated to our boys who are prisoners in Germany.

The Huns are making a dead set against hospital ships. On Monday morning we read that two had been sunk, and on one at least was a large number of wounded Germans. The torpedo penetrated the ward where the Germans were, and many were killed. This is very much like a righteous judgement upon them, isn't it? the behaviour of the German officers and men when the hospital ship was beyond words. The cowardliness and utter disregard for other passengers were enough to make a graven image blush. Whilst the craven Huns were making an exhibition of themselves, our boys were actually laughing and joking. You see the difference.

We are not reducing the size of the Herald this week, but sailing as near the wind as possible. If the reduction of size comes, it will arrive suddenly, I fancy; but we are holding on as long as we can to the present arrangements.

Mr H Spencer Toy, who was our chief reviewer, I told you was called up. He is serving in the Army Ordnance Corps. Last Wednesday he was put on the draft to go to France, and made no complaint. It happened, however, that he was withdrawn out of the draft on account of his education and training, and appointed to a vacancy in the main office. Mr Toy has already been able to realise the supreme value of the soldiers' clubs run by various churches and institutions. He thinks those who organise them to have no idea what a great work they are doing, for it is impossible for any civilian to realise what these places mean to the soldiers. The clubs preserve the boys from temptations of public-houses. Mr Toy says, "Tell the Harrogate people to keep it up; it is a thousand times worth while". The soldiers feel it is a supreme expression of nobility. It seems so simple, yet it means so much.

The young countries teach us much, do they not? A Bill has been introduced by the Honourable T W McGarry, Ontario Treasurer, to exempt from succession duties the estates of soldiers whose deaths, directly or indirectly, are due to the war.

I have a letter from Corporal J H Forth, who tells me he is almost too weak to write, and is still in hospital, where he has remained since March 24th. He has not been up yet, and is still in bed. His temperature is up, therefore he has nothing to eat, but is kept going on brandy. Forth thinks it is fever he has but he cannot get to know. He is in good hands, he declares, and well cared for. Keep your heart up, Forth, and you will win through by sheer willpower which may otherwise be interpreted - abiding faith in Providence.

Signalman J W Noble looked in on Monday. He is a son of Mr and Mrs Noble, of Crab Lane, Bilton. He was in to see me last January, and is now again on leave, [..] days, perhaps a little more. Noble was as well and jolly as ever. I was pleased to see him. You know these naval lads are silent chaps. They have plenty to tell, but they are not allowed. I've mentioned Douglas Lee, who was his chum. Lee, if you remember, went down in the Jutland Battle. Noble has been in the navy four years; prior to that he was in the grocery department of the Co-operative Stores in Harrogate.

Bertie Willie wasn't his name, but it will do. Bertie had been four days a non-commissioned officer. Bertie has a distinct, high, soft, alto voice. Perhaps that why the boys call him Bertie Willie. There was nothing stiff and stand-off in the way he have his first command. He simply said in casual tones quite matchless :

"Now, then, you boys, let's get on. Form fours!"

A deep voice from the ranks rumbled : "Haven't numbered off yet"

Bertie was not a bit a put out, but in his most dulcet tone : "Well, bally well do it, then!"

I had a surprise visit this afternoon from my friend H Crossley, of the RAMC. He had just arrived from Canada, where they had delivered a ship load of Canadian wounded. His experience on the home journey, I should think, is a record. I am sure it will fill everybody with surprise when I tell the tale. They came back from Canada with 60 Canadian sisters who were coming over on nursing duty. About a day's sail from Liverpool they were stopped by a German submarine. The captain of the transport sent the first officer to the submarine, which was about 500 yards away, with the ship's papers and to answer questions. The commander of the German submarine examined the papers, and seeing soldiers' caps on board the transport said : "You have soldiers there". The first officer replied that they were RAMC men only. To the enquiry of who else they had, he replied. "Sixty Canadian sisters". The submarine officer pondered for a moment, then said. "You can go on and best of luck to you!" Hope it will soon be over". The submarine then circled round the ship, showing three flags, which denoted bon voyage. As the transport sailed away the German crew gave three cheers, and the submarine disappeared beneath the waters.

On the voyage to Canada, Crossley met a Harrogate man called Lenevaitre, whose mother lives at 20 Glebe Road, Harrogate. His father is chef at the Royal Hotel. Crossley kindly went to see the mother of [f ?] Lenevaitre, who was delighted to hear news of her boy, especially when it was that he had been safely landed and all right. Out in Canada a lady gave him a portrait group in which was her son, who was shortly to be discharged from service with the Canadians in that country and to return home. She gave him the photograph so that he might pick him out if he happened to be on the same transport when her lad comes home. This boy's name is S G [?] Whittall, C Company of a Canadian battalion. Crossley's term of seven years' service expires next November.

I am anxious to assist in getting Corporal Sawbridge, who has been wounded. Transferred to Harrogate. I am writing to Mr Titley again to ask his good offices.

W H Breare