Harrogate Herald - 3rd October 1917

To Our Boys on Service

Dear Chaps,

Some friends of a wounded soldier asked me to endeavour to get him removed to a Harrogate hospital. I complied with the request, but a letter had come from the authorities at the institution where this soldier now is saying that he does not wish to be removed to Harrogate. If any of you boys should happen to get the Blighty, I hope you will let your friends at home know if you are content where you happen to be, or do desire transference to Harrogate. I can imagine there may be reasons occasionally why you should remain where you are. At all events I do not wish to give those good friends who are doing their best to bring Harrogate wounded to our town any unnecessary trouble. Without labouring this point you will understand. Another soldier for whose transference I applied is too near complete recovery for him to be moved. In the ordinary curse he will get his sick leave.

I haven't seen any of the Petty boys for some time. The other day Driver Harry Petty called, and I was able to hear something of his brothers. You know Harry Petty is the son of Mr & Mrs J R Petty, of 21 Nidd Vale Terrace; the father of an old Volunteer and a good rifle shot up to advanced years. Petty had seen Dr Dimmock's chauffeur, but he couldn't for the life of him remember his name. Petty has been in touch with his brother Ellis Petty for about seven months, so this has been pleasant for him. Ellis Petty is with Ernest Usher, commonly called Dick Usher, son of Mr J Usher, and brother of Harry Usher, the DCM winner. Ernest has received a commission in the Heavy Machine Gun Corps, which includes the Tanks. George Petty, the quarter-master, is at Whitley's; he, you may know, has been wounded. Fred Petty is at Sunderland, wounded and unfit. Dick Petty has joined his old battalion, the 10th; John Petty is in St Nicholas Hospital, Harrogate; Harry Petty is the fourth son. This completes the fine record of the family's service.

Second Lieutenant J Fell, late of the Midland Railway, you will see by the rank I have mentioned, has been promoted. This occurred last August. Ward, a son of the carriage inspector at the Railway Station, is with his lot. Fell has kept in good health, and is doing remarkably well. He is still engaged in highly useful work in connection with railways. You will remember 2Lt Fell was in the Midland Railway Office in Crescent Road, and it was him that many of us frequently applied for information as to trains. He always had a smile for us, and we miss him now very much, although we have our good friend, Mr Wilkins, to serve us as cheerfully as ever.

Last Wednesday there was a big War Aims meeting at Leeds, when Mr Asquith delivered a very powerful and comprehensive address. Quite a number of Harrogate men went over to hear him, and were tremendously impressed.

My son, 2Lt L D Breare, finished his leave, and left Harrogate last Wednesday night for France. On Friday morning my old friend, the late Tom Hindell's son, just looked in to see me, but as I happened to be pretty much engaged just then he is coming again. I was struck by the likeness of the lad to his father. I shall not forget a very pleasant time I spent with the late Mr Tom Hindell at Ventnor, Isle of Wight. It happened in this way. I was an Assistant Overseer at the time, but was obliged to go away for my health. It was necessary during the time that I should sign certain documents, and as I could hardly travel back, my friend Tom was good enough to come over and get them signed. We spent a very pleasant night and some hours of daytime together. Judging by appearances I should say the son is a chip off the old block.

You will have sweet memories of Farrah's toffee, therefore will be interested to know that owing to the Sugar Order this can only be sold during restricted hours. A good deal of this wholesome sweet goes out to the boys, and I made the discovery about the restrictions because I was contemplating sending some abroad. You will remember Mr Armitage, the managing director of Farrah's. Well, I see him almost every morning as he goes to catch his train for Bradford. He is looking very well, but the loss of his dear boy still weighs heavily upon the parents. We, his friends, have pathetic twinges at the heart when we recall him to mind. This heart-ache applies in respect to all our dear heroes, for after all it is those who are left who suffer most. At other times the sunshine of pride in their achievements comes, and we feel the gentle, healing hand of Time.

I had a startling experience on Friday night. It was 11.30, and I was just going off to sleep when I heard a piercing scream from a female, the sound of a collision, and a crash of glass. I was sure that some poor woman had been run over by a motor car, and my mind was filled with alarming thoughts. I hastily dressed and went out. Over towards the White Hart, near the lamppost which stands at the left hand side of the building front, I saw a little group and the light of a motor vehicle. I approached, but found nothing disturbing, so I asked if there had been an accident. The motor bike was in charge of a soldier, and with him were two girls. The elder female flippantly remarked : "Only run over a cat", but there was a gleam of gloss on the causeway and gutter. The party did not seem communicative, so I walked away. For some time after I got to bed I could hear the noise of metal against metal in the form of hammering, and with this monotonous lullaby I went to sleep. I walked over next morning to see if there were traces of a collision, but found nothing but broken glass. It was a beautiful night, almost light. We were not the only ones alarmed, for lights went up in houses all round the basin of Low Harrogate. I was glad to know that nothing serious had happened.

We have a genuine grief in the death of Sydney Lowsley, who, until he joined the RNAS, was deputy Borough Engineer of Harrogate. It seem while undergoing two months' training he contracted double pneumonia and pleurisy. We had only just heard that he had turned the corner when news of his death came. He had a great deal of municipal experience at Wolverhampton, in the City Engineer's office at Westminster, at Lewisham, and then he came to Harrogate. He was a past master of the Claro Lodge 1001, and member of the Haywra Mark Lodge, and principal this year of the Royal Mark Masons. He leaves a widow and two children. This is but another pathetic case of one who desired to serve his country, but could not stand the strain of training.

The voting coupons, on the change of the name Kursaal, since I last wrote to you have steadily come in, and all with very few exceptions are strongly on favour of doing away with the Hun title. I am continuing the voting papers to give everybody a chance. Besides numerical weight, those who have voted against the name are substantial people with something at stake, and men and women whose opinion is of the greatest value.

Many of the business establishments of Harrogate are helping various war causes. The staffs of many of these have regular weekly collections. I have just received £1 17s, per Miss Colmer, from the employees of Messrs Edward J Clarke. This money will be put to good use relieving urgent calls which admit of no delay.

Some of you may know Bob Leeming, of Harlow Hill. He is in Mesopotamia. I had the pleasure of reading two letters from him the other day, and they were most entertaining. It seems that letters do not regularly reach Mesopotamia owing to probably some losses of mails. Anyway, it takes a long time for letters to go. I mention this so you may not worry if you hear that nothing has been heard of certain boys out that way for a considerable time. Leeming is very well and cheerful. Standing the hot weather like a brick.

The response to my appeal for ladies and gentlemen to deliver the envelope appeal for children of blind soldiers, has been very good so far. It is rather a big job, so I shall ask individual readers to get the assistance of their friends in this work.

We are having good weather, and I think I can say there has been little difficulty, apart from the scarcity of labour, in getting the crops in. The allotment garden holders are a proud lot just now. Their plots have done well. I was speaking to Mr Tom Roberts. You know him. He told me that on one root he gathered 3.5lb of potatoes numbering three and a number of smaller ones. This is a very good record, and I hear of similar good fortune all over the district. Mr Kemp, Sanitary Inspector, not long ago got six pounds from one root.

A Nonconformist minister, who is now a prominent YMCA man, addressing his flock at the harvest festival, and speaking of his experiences in the Army, said : "I don't think that all soldiers are angels, neither do I think all of you here are. I know you too well".

You are quite good enough for me, dear boys, if you remain as good as you are.

It is Sunday morning, just twenty minutes past nine. I am in my room talking to the Dictaphone. Mr Tom Roberts is sitting with me, and he has just given me some interesting information. You know Corporal Fred Wood, he with the good tenor voice, who before the War was a member of Trinity Church Choir? Well, as perhaps you know, he is in France, and just now engaged in making up a pierrot party, of which he is the first tenor. We shall very likely see him soon, because he has to come on ten days' leave for the purpose of selecting appropriate music. He will be in his element once more in music, and I am sure his efforts will give the boys on rest occasions of much pleasure. He married the eldest daughter of Mr Roberts, and a brother of Arthur Wood, one of the famous conductors of London. Both are sons of George H Wood, whom you will remember as a violinist and viola player. His sister is Connie Wood, likewise a professional musician. I understand that his officer was anxious that he should take a commission, but evidently it has been considered that his tenor voice will be of much service, and the pierrettes help to supply the much appreciated music at the Front. Men of pronounced vocal talent are carefully sought out. You remember I told you that Frank Dickinson, the deep bass, is engaged singing to the boys, and there are others doing this useful work.

Perhaps you remember John Fallon, who was in the Bilton Church Choir. Well, he married Mr Roberts' second daughter, and is now in Mesopotamia. A skilled electrician, he is engaged in what is know as the shop there. Through Fallon's effort another Harrogate man is busy in the same shop. He is a brother of Mr Phillipson, of the Music Warehouse here. Rather nice for the two of them to be together, isn't it? and at the same time feel that they are able to do important work which every man is not competent to perform. I tell you all this because I know you like to hear about the chaps you know and what they are doing. Your range of vision and news is very limited, I know, thus I am trying to make to you for that.

On Saturday I had a most interesting visit from Petty Officer S A Maddock, who is home on a month's leave. You will wonder at the length of furlough, and perhaps imagine that his health has something to do with it. Nothing of the kind. He has been twenty-two months on trying service, and it is his turn for leave. Maddock has been to Russia, Turkish Armenia, than back to Russia, next to Persia, then to Russia, rushed into Romania, to reach which took six weeks on the train. He is with what is termed the Russian Legion, which is commanded by Commander O Locker Lampson, MP, whose name will be familiar to you. It was good to hear Maddock speak of this distinguished officer, who has done such marvellous work in the East. I do not suppose there is a man in the whole British Army (or is it the Navy he is connected with?) who is more deserving of the highest gratitude and honour. I cannot tell you all that Maddock told me, but his lot have passed through some very trying ordeals. On one occasion it was Lampson who held up a huge force of retreating, demoralised Russians. The Lampson and his men were the very last to retreat, always fighting rearguard actions, often without much Russian assistance. From Roumania they went back to Russia into Galicia, and took part in the battle of Brzanzy, the village where they were engaged being named Leityutin. I have omitted to tell you, but you will suspect that when I mention the name of Lampson, it is armoured cars that I am speaking about. This force was the very first of the British to reach Russia, and the reception they had was something extraordinary. German spies and intriguers, however, are doing their utmost to undermine the popularity of the British, but I have no doubt that everything will come right in this respect, and that shortly. I think I should have no difficulty in writing an interesting book on matters which Maddock related to me, and yet all the time he gave nothing away that was not ripe for utterance.

Rumour has been current in Harrogate that Corporal O Dawson is wounded and missing. It is not correct, I am glad to say, as regards missing. He was wounded on the 15th February 1917, and taken to a casualty clearing station, then to Rouen, where he stayed eighteen weeks; next transferred to Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow, then to Beckett's Park Hospital, Leeds, and is now been seven weeks at Escrick Red Cross Hospital, York. He has been dangerously ill as a result of gun shot wounds in the back and chest, the left lung being penetrated. He is recovering, but very slowly. By the way, Mr Richard Dawson, the father, is a member of the Leeds Volunteer Bearer Company, and will be pleased to visit any wounded Harrogate soldiers in Leeds hospitals.

Many Harrogate people know Private J Wood, of the Middlesex. He was head postman in Harrogate, and had only been out the Front six months, when he lost leg, had shrapnel wounds in the back and a damaged shoulder. He has been transferred from 2nd Canadian Hospital, France, of which he speaks highly, to Leicester, and I am glad to say he is now getting on well. Wood will be remembered in Harrogate and the Dales as a well-known Wesleyan local preacher. I am sure his friends will rejoice to know that he is recovering so satisfactorily.

We have had another severe blow, in the death of Percy Raworth, whom you will remember as of the Tanks. He is the only son of my friend Councillor Raworth, with whom and his family, I am sure, you will have every sympathy. Many of you boys know from experience what a fine character he was - modest, energetic, always cheerful, as brave as a lion, and one of the best of pals. You will also know that he was one of our most brilliant footballers, and a sportsman through and through. We often speak of "the flower of young British manhood". Percy Raworth was a typical example. I am so grieved at his death that it is painful, just yet, to speak of him. His personality and character need no words of mine. It is written large in the memory of all who knew him, particularly those who had the privilege of his friendship. He has not only died for his country, but that we may have a memory that will ever remain precious and a stimulating example.

W H Breare