Harrogate Herald - 7th April 1915

Harrogate men who are serving with the colours at the Front, and are in the Harrogate Herald list to receive papers every week.

Musician W S Shipman, 61 Mess, HMS Africa

Corporal L Shipman, 9235, A Company, 2nd West Yorkshire Regiment, 23rd Brigade, 8th Division

Harrogate Herald - 25th April 1917

Letters

Second Lieutenant L Shipman writes : 

I thought I would write and let you know my present address, so that I may have your valuable paper sent on to me. You will see that I am now commissioned in the Lancashire Fusiliers. I joined for duty on the 12th April as Second Lieutenant. I know you will be pleased to know this, and I am confident that I will get on well. You will know that I have gone right through the ranks, which has been a bit of a struggle. Still, it has given me experience, and that will be useful to me now as an officer. Wishing you every success.

Harrogate Herald - 23rd May 1917

W H Breare letter

Second Lieutenant (Acting Captain) Lawrence Shipman is home on ten days' leave, and called to see me. He is of the Regular Army, and has worthily been promoted from the ranks by steady stages. I have exceeded my space, and so will reserve further references to him until my next letter.

Harrogate Herald - 30th May 1917

W H Breare letter

I hadn't much time to refer to Lawrence Shipman, who has been granted a commission in the regular Army. You will remember that for some time previous to that he had been doing very useful work as an instruction officer in the bombing school. I remarked at the time that the anxiety of that work was visible as a strained expression of the eye. I was pleased to see that he had recovered from this nerve tension, and was looking exceedingly well. He has two brothers in the Navy and one in the Army somewhere in the East. I am glad Shipman has obtained a commission, for he has worked hard throughout the years of his life in the regular Army, and thoroughly deserves it. I am sure his will be a brilliant career.

Harrogate Herald - 17th October 1917

W H Breare letter

Many of you know my friend Second Lieutenant Laurie Shipman, who rose from the ranks some little time ago. Well, he has been wounded in the face by gunshot and is in hospital. A brother of his named Tony Shipman is again in hospital with malarial fever. I forgot to say that Laurie is going on nicely.

Roll of Honour

Lieutenant L Shipman, Northumberland Fusiliers, son of Mrs Shipman, 26 Willow Grove, Bilton Estate, Harrogate, has been wounded with gunshot in the face and is in hospital in France. Gunner Shipman, his brother, is in hospital again with malaria.

Harrogate Herald - 14th November 1917

W H Breare letter

On Saturday I had a visit from my friend Second Lieutenant Laurie Shipman. I was pleased to hear that two weeks ago he was presented with the Meritorious Service Medal in London. He is now in the Furness Hospital, Harrogate, which you will remember best by its old title - the Grand Hotel. He came last Wednesday. His wound was dangerously near his eye. If he had happened to turn his head it might have penetrated deeper and been his end. The same bullet also hit his Platoon Sergeant. Shipman, you will remember, has had long service in the regular Army. You may imagine then with what pride I heard from him expressions of the greatest admiration for those citizen-soldiers who had fought with him. Their bravery was a marvellous revelation. They were as cool and confident as they could be, and although they had not before been under fire they went forward with cigarettes between their lips, smiling and determined. He could not believe that men who had not been under fire could have advanced and fought so courageously. Shipman's manner is calm and quiet. But if you could only have heard the convincing tone of his voice those words of his would have carried further significance to you.

Harrogate Herald - 9th January 1918

W H Breare letter

Other Mons heroes include Harry Petty (RE), son of Mr and Mrs J R Petty, who were about one of the first patriotic families we had the pleasure of chronicling; Driver Donald Currie, son of Mrs Currie, of Denmark Terrace, who had five or six sons serving, one being killed, and Donald is a prisoner in Germany; Sergeant-Farrier J Bowgett, a Starbeck man, who, I believe, was a policeman at Bridlington prior to joining the Colours; Private John G Swales(Royal Scots Greys), of Russell Street, Oatlands Mount, who has been wounded twice and is now in hospital at Halifax; Private Richard Carter, Coldstream Guards, who is a prisoner in Switzerland, and whose sister, Mrs J T Johnson, resides at Bachelor Gardens; Cadet H Bryant, who landed at Ostend in October, 1914, and was with the 7th Divisional Column up to Ghent; Private G Graham (KOYLI), who was wounded and taken prisoner at Mons. He is the son of Mrs E Graham, 10 King's Road, and now at Chemnitz; Private H G Smith (Dragoon Guards), who is now in hospital in Leeds; Second Lieutenant L A Shipman, who also received the meritorious medal, son of Mr and Mrs Shipman, of Willow Grove, Bilton, who have other sons in the Army and Navy.