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ALOOKATTHEEFFECTSONFAMILYLIFE

INDERBYSHIRE’SHIGHPEAK

DURINGTHEGREATWAR1914-1918

JONATHAND’HOOGHE

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Thisworkisdedicatedtoallofthefamiliesandindividualswhoseliveswereinexorablychangedby

theeventsathomeandabroadduringtheGreatWar1914-1918.

ThewarmemorialatChapelenleFrith

TheideaforthisstudycamefromtheorganisingcommitteeoftheChapelenleFrithMaleVoice

Choir.Achoirformedin1918byreturningservicemen.

Thenewspaperarchivalresearchhasbeencarriedoutbymembersofthechoirduring2017and

2018,notably,SteveThomas,IanLaing,PeterBowes,PeterBaxter,BobMarsden,SteveBrownand

RichardFoulkesandtheresearchhasbeeneditedandwrittenupbyJonathanD’Hooghetoprovidea

snapshotoflifeintheHighPeakbetween1914-1918.

Ithasnotbeenpossibletotracethecopyrightownerofallofthephotographsused.Therefore,

pleasecontacttheChapelenleFrithMaleVoiceChoirshouldtherebeanyissues.Ourgrateful

thanksaregivenfortheiruseinthisnotforprofitwork.

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CHAPELENLEFRITHMALEVOICECHOIRFOUNDED1918

ANDTHEEFFECTOFTHEGREATWARONTHELOCALPOPULACE

Onthe4thAugust1914,GreatBritaindeclaredwaronGermanyafterGermanyrefusedtowithdraw

itsarmyfromneutralBelgium.SobeganBritain’sinvolvementintheFirstWorldWar,acataclysmic

eventthatwouldchangeorendthelivesofmillionsofpeoplearoundtheglobe.

OntheHomeFront,theestablishedcycleoflifechangeddrasticallyforallclassesandgender.Men

volunteered in their thousands through 1914/15 for the services and in 1916 conscription was

introduced for the first time.Asmen left theestablishedworkplace for theservices,women filled

theirroles inthe industrialandmunitionsfactoriesandonthefarms.Thesuffragistsgaveuptheir

strugglewiththegovernmentinreturnforapromiseforvotesforwomenattheendofthewar.

The introduction of theDefence of the RealmAct (DORA) in 1914 regulated the lives of ordinary

citizensinawaythathadneverbeenknownbefore.ThisnewlawgavetheGovernmentsweeping

powerstoactinanywayitthoughtfitandrestrictedthelibertiesofitscitizens.ItintroducedBritish

SummerTime,restrictedthesaleofbinoculars (!), regulatedthestrengthofbeerandforbadethe

ringingofchurchbellstomentionjustafewofthemanyareasitcovered.

The Liberal governmentofHerbertAsquith soon realised that themounting casualty lists of 1914

madeitimpossibleforthebodiesofthedeadtobereturnedtotheUK.Asthelistsgrewandwere

published in the newspapers, a wave of spontaneous street shrines and memorials sprang up

especiallyinurbanareas.

Thegovernmentattemptedtocontrolthisoutbreakof“memorialisation”andin1915TheCivicArts

Association was formed. One of its tasks was to promote good design in the production of war

memorials.However,suchwasthedesiretomemorialisethedeadthatthespeedatwhichprojects

tookeffectthwartedanyattemptatlegislativecontrol.

Althoughconflictcontinuedinmanyregionsintothe1920s, it iswidelyknownthatfightingonthe

WesternFrontofFranceandFlanderscametoanendwithanArmisticethattookeffectat11amon

11ofNovember1918.

GreatBritainanditsEmpireallieshadsufferedverynearlyonemilliondeathsinbattlewithasmany

as 2.5 million severely wounded, often amputees or with other life changing injuries, men and

womentryingtocometotermswiththeirdisabilities.

Therefore, post war community memorialisation accelerated rapidly and although there was no

central control,mostmemorials tended towards theChristian, conservative formof a stone cross

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oftensitedinthevillagechurchyard.Somecommunitiesoptedforafunctionalratherthanavisual

memorial,oftenanewvillagehalloraplayingfield.IntheHighPeak,alongsidethetraditionalwar

memorials,achoirwasborn.

Chapel-en-le-FrithMale Voice Choirwas formed in 1918 by youngmen returning from theGreat

War and was originally known as Chapel en le Frith Ex-Servicemen’s Choir. Soon afterwards it

widened its membership base and was given the name we know today. The first long serving

conductorwasTomLongson,whoheldthepositionforthirtyyears,until1949.Tom’snephew,Bert

LongsonalongwithGeorgeMuir,JoeLomasandJoePearsonweretheoriginalfoundingmembers.

Inthefollowingnewspaperextracts,wewillexaminetheeffectthatthewarhadontheHighPeak

communities and discover how the communities evolved through to 1918 and the return of the

survivingservicemen.

1914

TheBritishExpeditionaryForce(BEF)arrivedinFranceinmid-Augustandfireditsfirstshotsinanger

atMons. Life for those at homewas already starting to change; The Buxton Herald and Gazette

(BHG)reportedthat‘….eventstobeabandonedonaccountoftheWar[include]theannualshowof

theWhaleyBridgeHorticultural Societyand theannualexhibitionof theDoveHoles Society.’ The

waralsoaffected‘Chapel-en-le-FrithHorticulturalSociety,whichhasdecidedtoabandonthisyear.’

On22AugusttheBEFwasyettofacetheonslaughtatMonsbutDORAwasinactionathome.The

BuxtonAdvertiser(BA)reportedthat;‘OscarWeiss,aGerman,andemployedasaporteratStAnn’s

Hotel was charged, at a special court, with failing to register himself in accordance with the

regulations.’OscarhadbeenintheUKsince1900butsuchwasthesuspicionofforeigners,thathe

wasremandedintocustody.

In contrast, the BA stated that; ‘Last evening,music-lovers of Buxton had another delightful treat

providedbyHerrW.Iff’sOrchestra…..’–seemsthatahotelportermayhavebeenaspybutnotan

orchestraconductor!FurtherconcertswereheldattheOperaHouseandtheBuxtonHydroHotel,

theeventattheOperaHousebeinga ‘WarMatinee–AllOfTheProceedsWillBeDevotedToThe

WarFund’.

Inthe28AugusteditionoftheBHG,itwasreportedthat‘TheBuxtonRifleClubhaslargelyincreased

itsmembership,[as]somanyareanxioustolearnhowtouseandsightarifle.’

The initial patriotism shownby somany surfaced inmanydifferentways, theBHGagain; ‘MrEC

Stott has given sufficientwool to knit 100 pairs of socks for thosewho are on active service, and

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therearemanyladiesinBuxtonwhoarecleverwiththeneedles-itishopedthatthewoolwillsoon

bemadeup.’

On26August, theBHGwas reporting thenamesof the firstdeaths inbattleand that ‘FrithKnoll,

Chapel-en-le-Frith, the residence ofMrs Spencer, has been offered to the local branch of the Red

CrossSocietyasaconvalescenthomeforsailorsandsoldiers.’

BySeptember,thelocalcommunitieshadsetuppatrioticwarfundsandthoseoftenmoreaffluent

members of society were actively donating substantial sums. Their names appeared in the

newspapersforalltosee.TheBHGagain,2September;‘ThetotaloftheBuxtonWarFundtodateis

£2,3022s5d, including£112collected intheKingSterndaleparish.The listof furthersubscriptions

willappearintheHighPeakHeraldonSaturdayandtheBuxtonHeraldonWednesdaynext.’

The followingweek, theBHG reporteda stirring speechgivenby the local dominatingaristocratic

landowner, theDukeofDevonshire.Under theheadline; ‘ACallToArms.EloquentAppeals to the

YoungMenofPeakland–YourCountryNeedsYou.’TheDukestated ‘Theonequestionwhichyou

havetoaskyourselvesis“IsthereanyreasonwhyIshouldstaybehind.”‘

Inthe16SeptembereditionoftheBHG,thenewswasmixed.StoriestoldofaBuxtonladywhohad

forwardedbriarpipesandtobaccotothevalueof£100tobesenttothetroopsatthefrontandthat

twowellknownlocaljournalists;‘WEBrunt(Herald)andFStandbridge(Advertiser)’hadenlistedin

LordKitchener’sarmy.Thisoptimisticandpatrioticnewswasshroudedbythefirstannouncementof

a local death in battle. ‘Harry Langford, a foreman on the Chinley andWhaley Bridge Sewerage

Works,hasbeenkilled inactionat the front. Langfordwasa reservistbelonging to theShropshire

Regiment.’

Despite the mounting casualty lists, volunteers were still coming forward; ‘Stirring scenes were

witnessed at Glossop on Monday, when about 170 recruits for Lord Kitchener’s Army took their

departure from the town. Themenassembledat theDrillHall and, accompaniedby theWhitfield

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BugleBandandMrSHill-Wood1iMP,marchedtothestationwheretheyweregivenarousingsend

offbyalargecrowd.’

RecruitsleavingChapelenleFrithSeptember1914–Almosteveryoneinacaporastrawboater.

Althoughtheremusthavebeenasadnessinmanyfamiliesasthemenfolkmarchedofftowar,these

events also contributed to a sense of humour; the BHG reported that a lady entered a butcher’s

shopinBuxton“Well,missus,youlookmightycheerfulthismorning–what’sup?”askedthebutcher,

“Oh,it’sallright”shereplied,“Myoldmanhasbeencalledawaytothearmy,andI’mfeelingabitof

peaceasitwere–youunderstand!”

As the BEF and the French army retreated through September to theMarne, the BAwas able to

reportthelateseasonlocalcricketscoresandatthesametime,notethatBuxtonnowhaditsfirst

woundedman;‘AletterwasreceivedonTuesdaystatingthatWRSanderswasinBelgiumwounded,

inonekneeintheretirementfromMons.’

DespitethemountingcasualtiesoftheBEF(some15,000byearlySeptember)thewaveofpatriotic

fervour sweeping the country was kept alive by the propaganda reports of German atrocities in

Belgium.TheBApublishedadrawingofaGermansoldierwithaswordthreateningaBelgianwoman

with a small child whilst stating; ‘Massacre of Civilians – In Dinant Sur Meuse, the women were

1SirSamuelHill-Wood1872-1949.MPfortheHighPeak1910-1929.ServedasaMajorintheCheshireRegiment.FinancedGlossopNorthEndFCtotheFootballLeagueandwaslaterchairmanofArsenalFC.

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confined inconventswhilsthundredsofmenwereshot.Ahundredprominentcitizenswereshot in

thePlaced’Armes.’

These articles, which did report actual German atrocities were exaggerated to keep up the

momentumofrecruitment.LordKitchenerhadaskedfor100,000volunteersbutbytheendof1914,

some600,000youngmenhadvolunteeredacrossthekingdom.TheBAagain;‘Stepsarebeingtaken

withtheviewoffacilitatingrecruitinginNorthDerbyshire.ColonelBrooke-Taylor2hasbeendetailed

to Buxton and has taken up his quarters. Colonel Taylor will be glad to hear from any of his old

officersandnon-commissionedofficerswhowillhelphimgetintouchwithmenwhodesiretojoin.’

Thesameeditionreported‘TheSherwoodForestersForTheFront’–The46thNorthMidlandDivision,

a Territorial Force division which contained the 6th Battalion of the Foresters, recruited in North

DerbyshirewastoembarkforFrance.[Theyactuallyleftinearly1915].

Meanwhile in Glossop, the High Peak Advertiser (HPA) reported that Private A Moon had been

blindedbyshrapnelandthatPrivateJohnWhite3hadbeenkilledinaction;‘ThusanotherGlossoplad

hasgivenhislifeforhiscountry.’Alongsidethissoberingnewscamethestridentheadline;‘Women,

Whisky,MedicatedWines,MeatPiesandTobacco.WhatPoliceSawAtAGlossopClub.Constable’s

view through the keyhole and over the shutters.’GlossopWorkingMan’s Clubwas in trouble for

perceivedencouragementofexcessivedrinkingandimmoralbehaviour!

Whilsttheremayhavebeenscandalousbehaviour inGlossop,atthefronttheBritishcavalrywere

finding that modern warfare, machine guns and barbed wire in particular ensured that the old

methodsoftheArmeBlanchewereoftenanoutdatedandwastefultactic.TheHPAagain;‘Athrilling

storyoftheexploitsofthe4thDragoonGuardshasbeenreceivedfromCorporalTSims,aPeakland

Hero.’–‘…..ourcavalrybrigadewaspracticallywipedout.Wechargedinfrontofonehundredheavy

guns, while thousands of infantry kept up a terrific rifle fire. My squadron went into action 180

strong;afterourgallopacrossthatawfulvalleywenumbered70horsesandmen.’

Despitesuchtalesofslaughter,thepatrioticfervourofthenationremainedconstantthrough1914,

sothattheHPAcouldreport;PatrioticGlossopians–Over160menLeaveOnOneDayToJoinThe

Colours.’

Backathome,furtherdarkdoingswerereported;‘RobbingGlossopOrchardsandGardens.Thereis

aclassofpeoplewhomakewaranexcuseforalmostanything,andincludedinthisclassarethose

2ColonelHerbertBrookeTaylor.Hisson,LieutenantArthurCuthbertBrookeTaylorwaskilledatGallipoliJune1915.316406PrivateJohnWhite,sonofMaryandGeorgeWhiteofStMary’sRoad,Glossop.

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individualswhosystematicallyraidgardensandorchards,stealinganddestroyingthefruitsofother

people’slabour.Presumablyaneasiertaskwithsomanymenawaydoingtheirduty?

By October 1914, the German offensive had been held at the Marne by the French and British

armies.AconcertedcounterattackhadseentheGermanspushedbackfromthreateningParisand

inthenorthbothadversariesattemptedtooutflankeachotheruntiltheyreachedthenorthBelgian

coast.ThustheWesternFrontsettleddownintoastatictrenchroutinefromBelgiumtotheSwiss

frontier.

TheBEF found itselfmanningthe line from justeastofYpres inBelgiumacross theFrenchborder

and into thecoalminingareaaroundLensandLoos.TheGermans launchedonemore largescale

offensiveatYpres fromOctober19toNovember22.TheBEFheld the linewithmanycavalrymen

fightingasinfantryinthetrenchesbutasChristmas1914approached,theoriginalregularBEFwas

allbutdestroyed.ThefirstTerritorialForceunitsarrivedatthefrontandtheKitchenerrecruitswere

beginningtheirtrainingathome.

The Glossop Chronicle (GC) was able to report ‘Housewives Urged to Avoid Panic. The senseless

hoardingoffoodhasleftmanyprovisiondealersdepletedofstockandtoconsequentlyincreasethe

pricesofmanyarticlesoffood.’

DespitethecallformentojointheinfantrytheGCalsonotedtheneedformoreskilledmen;‘Need

of Doctors and Motor Cyclists’ cried the headline along with the need for blacksmiths, farriers,

drivers,artificers,electricians,coppersmiths,bakers,butchersandclerkstonamebutafew.

TheBAreportedinmid-DecemberthatChapelenleFrith’sNationalSchoolwasdrawingupaRollof

HonourforalloftheirOldBoyswhohadjoinedthearmy.‘ARollofHonourisbeingcompiledbythe

Headmasterandwillbehunginaprominentpositionintheschool.’

On 19 December it was reported that a; ‘Concert For Wounded Soldiers’ had been held at the

OctagonroomoftheRoyalExchangeBuildings.

AfurtherbatchofBelgianrefugeeswasexpectedtoarriveinGlossopinDecember1914andfurther

accommodation was sought within the community. Local footballer, Private S Doncaster was

reportedaswounded;‘…..StewartDoncasteroftheColdstreamGuards,whowillreadilyberecalled

astheformercentreforwardoftheGlossopFootballClub.’Andon18December, theGCreported

‘TheannualperformanceofHandel’sMessiah renderedby theNewMillsOrchestraandChorusof

120performers,wasgivenintheNewMillsTownHallonSundaylast.Theproceeds,whichrealiseda

largeamount,wereonbehalfoftheRedCrossSocietyandtheLocalReliefFunds.’

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ReturningtotheBHG,aletterfromGunnerJCopleytohisbrotherwasprinted;‘Iamverypleasedto

beable towrite this letter,hopingto findyouandeverything inBuxton in thepink.’Hedetailshis

actionsfromMons,LandreciestoYpresandconcludeswith;‘Isendmybestwishestoallmyfriends,

hopingtheymayhaveamerryChristmasandaHappyNewYear.’

Corporal Williams of the Royal Engineers also wrote home and his letter was in the BHG of 30

December;‘AfewdaysagowewereinspectedbytheKing.Heventuredquiteclosetothefiringline.I

couldeasilyhavetouchedhimwithmyhand.’Hewentontosay;‘Everysupplytrainbringsboxesof

giftsfromhome,andtheonlydifficultyiswheretoputitall.WehavehadChristmaspuddingsandall

thesmokerssay theyhaveneverhadsomanycigarettes. It is sonice to receiveall thesethings, it

makesonefeelallthemorelikescrapping.’

1915

OnJanuary61915theBHGcorrespondent‘Atticus’notedthatanotheryearhadrunitscourseand

thateverythinginBuxtonandDistrictwasovershadowedbythewar.Hewentontosayhowwell

thelocalmenhaddoneinjoiningupinlargenumbersandthattradeathomewaspickingupand

therefore;‘….theNewYearopensbrighterinthatrespect.Weareallhopingthatthewarwillbe

over,andPrussianmilitarismdefeated,beforeanotherNewYeariscelebrated’.Sadly,howwronghe

wasasduringthesameweekitwasreportedthat;‘CorporalWalterWellshaddiedfromwounds

receivedinthefightingatYpres.…..foraboutthreeyearsasapoliceman,hemadeChapelenleFrith

hishome.’4

Thefollowingweek,theHeraldnotedagainthepowersofDORA.‘9O’ClockClosing–Buxton

LicensedVictuallersHardHit.-……anorderwassigneddecreeingthatallpublichouseswithincertain

areasshouldcloseat9pm,andfurthermorethatmembersofHisMajesty’sForcesshouldnotbe

allowedonlicensedpremisesexceptbetween12noonand1pmand6pmand9pm.’Althoughtrade

washardhit,thepaperstatedthat;‘….Buxtonpublicansare,Iamsure,patrioticenoughandanxious

tohelptheircountryatthisgreatcrisis,sonodoubttheywilltaketheserestrictionsas“allforthe

best”andwiththehopeofbrighterdaystocome.’

Restrictionsondrinkinghoursornot,stillthedesireto‘doone’sbit’prevailed;‘Fifteenmoremen

leftWhaleyBridgeonWednesday-recruitsforKitchener’sArmy.’

Inmid-Januarycamethe first reportsof the infamous1914ChristmasTrucenearPloegsteert. Ina

letterhometohisparents,SergeantHABarrsstated;‘OnChristmasEvebothtroopsweresingingto

one another, and on Christmasmorning, after some shouted conversation across the open space

4Mostprobably9962LanceCorporalWWells,RoyalWarwickshireRegiment.

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between the trenches aGerman shouted “Be British and come halfway” and out goes one of our

officers. He shooks [sic] hands and exchanged cigars and cigaretteswith theGerman officer. The

Germansuggested“Younoshoot.Wenoshoot.”Thatstartedtheballrolling,andtheyallcameout

andhadaspree,exchangingsouvenirsandautographs.’

Lieutenant Colonel Goodman had been appointed the commanding officer of 6th battalion the

SherwoodForestersinpreparationfortheirmoveoverseas.HewroteviatheBAtosay;‘Sir,Willyou

allowmetoexpressonbehalfofall ranksofmyBattalion,ourgrateful thanks toall InDerbyshire

whosokindlycontributedto theenjoymentof themenduringtheirnecessaryabsence fromhome

thisChristmastide.’5

On16JanuarytheBHGpublishedacomprehensivelistof‘DerbyshirePrisonersinGermany.’Allthe

men listed were from the 2nd battalion Sherwood Foresters. Although it must have been some

comforttoseeyourman’snameonthelist,littledidanyonethinkthatitwouldbefourlongyears

beforetheywouldberepatriated,butweretheyinfacttheluckyones?

ManyBelgianrefugeefamilieswerestillhousedinBuxton.TheBuxtonBelgianFundwasreportedas

having spent£93812sbetweenSeptemberandDecember1914, all fromdonations.Ahomeat7

Rock Terrace had been given to the Fund rent free and many families rallied round to provide

furniture.

Kindnesswas also in great evidencenot only for the refugeesbut thewoundedand convalescing

soldiers inthearea.TheBAreported; ‘ConcertforWoundedSoldiers– IntheOctagonroomatthe

RoyalExchangeBuildingstheweeklyconcert,givenonTuesday,waswellattended,andthelongand

attractiveprogrammewasgreatlyenjoyedbyourBelgianguestsandourSoldiers.’

IntherunuptotheembarkationofthelocalTerritorials,theBAnotedthefollowingpromotions;‘6th

Battalion the Sherwood Foresters – The undermentioned Second Lieutenants to be Lieutenants

Temporary,datedDecember1914. :WilliamTMarshall, JohnDBSymonds,RonaldDWheatcroft,

Gilbert S Heathcote, Harry DOrr and John HMarsden. Captain V J E Langford has been officially

appointedtotheAdjutancyofthe6thBattalion.’

However, all themilitary preparations could not stop life at home continuing as normal; ‘Charles

Wheeldon belonging to Fairfield, Buxton was charged with burglariously entering the Swan Inn,

Bolsoverandstealingtwopacketsofcigarettesandthreehalf-ouncepacketsoftobaccovalued1s…’

Itwasalso reported thathehadbroken into theBlueBell Innand theCarrValeHotel too.There

werealsohappierevents;theBAagain; ‘Aweddingofconsiderable local interesttookplaceatthe

5LtCol.GodfreyDavenportGoodmancommandedthe6/SFuntilNovember1916whenhewaspromoted.

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Abbassia Garrison Church, Cairo, on the 5th ult., when Captain A L Spafford, adjutant of the 6th

LancashireFusiliers,whohasalargecircleoffriendsintheHighPeak,wasmarriedtoMissMarjorie

Heap…’6

DespitethegrowingcasualtylistsincludinglocalmanPrivateJohnShallcrossWard,theBAwaskeen

toreportonthenumberofwoundedsoldiersmakingafullrecovery;‘…theenormousproportionof

completerecoveriestestifiestothehumaneness[sic]ofthemodernbulletandtothegreatskillofthe

surgeons.Ifthewarisofalongduration,themajorityofwoundedmenwillreturntothefront.’Iam

surethatallofthemotherssleptwellafterreadingthat!,butnotMrsGreenofBuxtonwholearnt

thatherson,SergeantTomGreenoftheGrenadierGuardshadbeenkilledinBelgium.7

In late January, the BA carried an article confirming that a HomeGuard for Derbyshirewould be

formed. ‘Theobjectoftheregiment istoprovideameansbywhicheveryablebodiedmanoutside

thefightingyears(19-38)canfindscopeforhisenergiesandnaturaldesiretoservehiscountryatthe

presenttime.’Everyonewasexpectedtodo‘theirbit’.

TheTerritorialinfantrybattalionswerereorganisedinJanuaryfromtheold8Company’s,A-H,intoa

4 Company organisation, A-D and at the end of February 1915, the 46th (NorthMidland) Division

becamethefirstcompleteTerritorialForcedivisiontoarriveatthefront.Thisdivisionconsistedof

infantrybattalionsfromNottinghamshire,Derbyshire,Leicestershire,LincolnshireandStaffordshire.

The6thbattalionSherwoodForesters(6/SF)recruitedinthePeaklandareaandacrosstoChesterfield

andcontainedmanymenfromChapel,Buxton,Glossopandsurroundingvillages.

Theyweremobilisedinthesummerof1914andhadbeentraininginthesouthofEnglandreadyfor

their embarkation. On arrival their first stint of trench life was in the Ypres area but they soon

movedsouthreadyfortheBattleofLoosinSeptemberandOctober.

6ArthurLangworthySpaffordwaskilledatGallipolion7thAugust1915.73487PrivateJohnShallcrossWard,King’sLiverpoolRegiment.SonofWilliamandEllenWardofTownEnd,ChapelenleFrithand15922LanceSergeantThomasGreen,sonofJamesandJaneGreen,22DarwinAvenue,Buxton.

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TheNewMillsBandwaswiththe6/SFinEssexandafterplayinginEpping,theyreceivedaletterof

thanksfromtheUrbanDistrictCouncil;‘MyCouncilaredesiroustoexpresstheirappreciationofthe

musicwhichtheBandattachedtoyourBattalionwasgoodenoughtoprovideinthetownlast

Sundaymorning.’WrotetheClerk,MrJGCreed.

Theclamourfornewrecruitscontinuedapaceanditwasalsosuggestedthatacompetitionbeheld

foralllocalvillagesandtowns.Thewinningcommunitywouldbethecommunitythathadsentthe

highestpercentageof itsavailablementotheservices.Thewinning localitywouldreceiveastone

crossdesignedbySirGeorgeFramptonwhichwouldbe ‘a tributetomenwhoheardthecall,who

turned out from the peace of the countryside to go out and save their country from the ravaging

Huns.’

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Withmostoftheablebodiedmenjoiningtheservices, farmerswerefindingdifficulty inobtaining

sufficientlabour.Theywereturningtooldagepensionersandboysbutinduecourse,thisshortage

of labour in the fields and the factories,wouldheraldnewopportunities forwomen tobreak the

pre-warshacklesandstarttogooutandearnawage.

NCO’sof6/SFatHarpendenbeforeembarkationtoFrance.

JustasthePeaklandTerritorialssetoffforFrance,aletterwaspublishedintheBAfromalocallad,

nowaPrisonerofWar,WalterShirtwhowasinternedinWeser,aprovinceofHanover.‘Ihavebeen

inafewhailstorms,alsoleadonesjustassevere,andhowIlivedtotellthetaleIdon’tknow,butI

amherewithoutascratch.’hewrote.Onesoldierfrom6/SFwhowouldnotbegoingoverseaswas

PrivateJohnBowerwhodiedinChinleyIsolationHospitalhavingcontractedTyphoidFever.8

CongratulationswereextendedtopoliceconstablesNormanandBaileyofChinleyandChapelwho

hadenlistedinthearmy.OntheotherhandDrKennedywrotetotheChapelBoardofGuardiansto

say that hewouldn’t be enlisting butwould remain a civilian doctor; ‘…to attend to Dr Bennett’s

workandmyownasoriginallyarranged.’InalettertotheBAfromarecruitingofficer,MajorBrown,

he stated that; ‘The standardof height has been lowered formany infantry regiments to 5 feet 1

inch, and this gives an opportunity for the shortermenwhichmay not long remain open.’ In due

81739PrivateJohnBower6/SF,sonofJohnandAnnieBowerofpeakForest.

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course, this gave rise to the ‘Bantam’ battalions ofmenwho usually through their poor diet and

povertyhadnotgrowntotheoldstandardof5feet5inches.Everyonewasrequired.9

‘The needle seems an insignificantweapon beside the rifle and the bayonet, yet no history of the

presentwarwillbecompleteunlessitdoesfulljusticetotheparttakeninitbythewomenofGreat

Britain who sit at homewielding these tiny weapons, hour after hour, day after day, in the self-

imposed taskofprovidingall sortsof requisites for theArmy.’Sowrote theBAas thedevotion to

duty and patriotism on the Home Front remained strong into 1915. In another example, it was

reported that; Fully 200,000 eggs are required weekly [for wounded soldiers]. Locally, the

arrangementsare in thehandsofMrJ JHodgsonofPineappleHouse,Bakewell.’There followeda

long list of names of all those who had contributed eggs in the previous week, in class order of

course!–‘LadyFitzherbert,Brooklands,Bakewell,MrsHoyle,HolmeHall….’.

Thewarofcourse,wasnotonlyonland.LocalBurbageman,HarryMillwardwasa1stClassStoker

onboardHMSCarnarvon.Hewrotetohissister;‘…wemettheGermanChinaSquadronandwegave

themagoodfightandcameoffvictorious.….theGermanflagshipwentdownheadfirstandnoneof

our ships could stop to pick up survivors. Therewas just about 3000 hands lost between the four

ships[we]sunk.Tellmothernottoforgetthetwowoodpipes,forIamsmokingaverysmallportion

ofapipeatpresenttime.’Despitesuchadeathtoll,Harrywasjustaskeentomakesurehereceived

hisnewpipeinduecourse.

TheChapelenleFrithBoardofGuardianswerenotedasaskingforadditionalfarmerstotenderfor

the supply of milk and it was reported that Mr Hall had not yet supplied any of his contracted

potatoes.Suchwasthedailyhumoflifebackathomebutoccasionally,thereweremomentsofhigh

drama. Following a German air raid in Essex an unexploded bomb was discovered in a field.

Sherwood Foresters, PrivateGoodall fromRowsley andCorporal Large fromBakewell; ‘…placed a

stickthroughthehandleandproceededtocarrythemissiletotheriver.Onthewaythebombburst

intoflame,butthemenranonwiththeirburdenandimmerseditintheriver.’Theyreceivedasilver

watchandasilvercigarettecaserespectivelyfromBraintreeUrbanCouncil.

BythebeginningofMarch1915,thepaperswerereportingthattheRoyalNavywereattemptingto

forcetheDardanelles.ThiswastheseaborneactionthatprecededthealliedlandingsatGallipolion

April25th,nowcommemoratedasANZACDay.

OnMarch6theBAstatedthatPrivateRichardJohnsonwhohadbeenapoliceconstableatMonyash

washomeon leaveandthatWilliamHillofBakewellhadbeencommissioned fromtheranksasa

secondlieutenantintheArtillery; ‘Hehassetanexamplewhichothersshouldstrivetoemulate.’ It

9The18thbattaliontheSherwoodForesterswasformedatDerbyasaBantambattalioninJuly1915.

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wasalsoreportedthatJackWhelanawell-knownChapelfootballerhadenlistedintheArmyService

Corps.Ofcourse,notall the localheroesweremen.TheBAagain; ‘Following isanextract froma

letterwrittenbyaBuxtonladyservingasanurseinFrance.Shesays:-Weareverybusyandhavenot

nearlyenoughnurses.Astocomfortwearemuchbetteroffthanothersinthisrespect,butofcourse

onedoesnotexpectcomfort;ifonecangetthenecessitiesoflifeoneisthankful.’

WiththeNewMillsBandawaywith6/SF,theBurbageBandwerenottobeleftbehind.On13March

itwasstatedbytheBAthatthebandhadjoinedthe6thbattalionoftheCheshireRegimentandthat

ameetinghadbeenheldtosanctionthemtakingtheirinstrumentstowarwiththem.Atthesame

time,oneofthefirstreported6/SFdeathsappearedintheBA;‘Lc.-Corpl.AllanRedfernhadmethis

deathat thehandsofaGermansniperwhilst layingcommunicationwires.’Thissombrenewshad

notdeterredfurthervolunteerswhointheadjacentarticlewerepicturedasagroupofBuxtonLads

–PrivateOGoodwin,PrivateHarryBagshaw,PrivateGordonandLance-CorporalHunter.Thelocal

ladies were also still keen to get in on the act and it was also reported that a Company of the

Women’sVolunteerReservewastobeformedinBuxtonandthateightCompanieswouldbeformed

acrossDerbyshire.10

Althoughhundredsof localmenhadwillinglyvolunteeredforactiveservice,thepressureonthose

stilltovolunteerwasincreasing.AfurtherseriesofmeetingstopromoterecruitmentacrosstheHigh

Peak District were advertised at Buxton and NewMills where speakers would include Major Sir

AlexanderBannerman,RE,Bart.,DSO,MrWillCrooksMPandtheDukeofDevonshire.

This need for more recruits came about following the disastrous attacks by the BEF at Neuve

Chappelle,March10–13,AubersRidge9Mayandat Festubert15-25May. Localisedgainswere

made in the opening attacks but further attackswithout sufficient artillery support led to a huge

increaseincasualties.

Lieutenant Colonel Mosley, commanding 5/SF felt the need to write to the BA following Neuve

Chappelleto;‘…contradictthestatementthatcasualtieshaveoccurredinourbattalion.’

Back at home as springmoved towards early summer, the Belgian Refugee’s Clothing Committee

appealed for lightergarments forwomenandchildren,and theSherwoodForesters’ casualty lists

appearedalongside. ‘Diedofwounds,underdate15March: Lieut.RHStrange,Ptes.HBagnall, F

Bilson,FHatherley,WMansell.’

TheHighPeakNewshadchristenedthelocalTerritorialsasthe‘WildMen’andinanarticlepraised

theirarrivalatthefront;‘HowtheWildMengotintothetrenchesandgottheirbaptismoffireiswell

101478LanceCorporalAllen[sic]Redfern6/SF,sonofMrandMrsRalphRedfernof26ByronSt,Buxton.

17

known throughout theWildMen’s country, for lettersgalorehavebeenpouring in from the front.

Howsplendidly theWildMenstoodthe test is recognisedeverywhere,andhowproudtheOfficers

wereoftheirmen isknowntothosethathavebeen intouchwithHeadquarters.Theheartsofthe

veteranWildMenathomehave swelledwithprideas they read the reports.’Whowouldn’thave

beenswayedbyreadingsuchjingoismandsurelyallmenathomewouldwanttojointheirfellowsat

thefront?

TwofurtherlettersintheBAinAprilagainshowedhoweveryonewasdoingtheirbit.Thefirstfrom

FrankSawdon,commandantoftheBuxtonVoluntaryAidDetachment(VAD)appealingforbilletsto

beprovidedforconvalescingofficers;‘…theywillrequirenospecialnursing,andIwouldsuggestthat

invitationsbelimitedtoaperiodofthreeweek.’AndthesecondletterfromMAShawofWhitehall

nearBuxtonnotedthatnothingstopsabulletlikeabagofloosesandandthereforeastheweather

warmsup,sewersshouldturntheirattentiontosewingsandbagsratherthanwarmclothingforthe

men!

TheRedCrossSocietyfornursesappealedforafurther3,000membersofVAD’s;‘Inanticipationof

the largenumberofwoundedexpectedshortly toarrive.’AndtheHomeGuard,now in full swing,

lookedtomorevolunteersfromtheoverforties.

‘AstirringlittlescenewaswitnessedattheMidlandrailwaystationonTuesdaymorning,thisbeing

thesendoffoftheMissesCoxandDuncan,whoseservicesasnursesatthefronthadbeenoffered

and accepted.’Reported the BA alongwith news that a BuxtonHero, A P Linaker had been shot

throughtheneckandwasinhospitalinFrance.

General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien commanding the 2nd Army in France wrote to the BA in April

commending the sterling work of the Sherwood Foresters 1st and 2nd battalions and noting the

arrivaloftheTerritorialForce5th,6th,7thand8thbattalions.

AtEaster1915,concertswerearrangedattheEmpireBarracksandattheHippodromewhereatthe

end of the performance, Lieutenant Brindley of the Gordon Highlanders was given the stage to

appealforfurthervolunteers,explainingthatitwasthelastdayofhisoneweekleavefromFrance.

Aweeklater,theBAreportedthatBuxton’shospitalwasnowafullyfledgedmilitaryunitandinits

maineditorial, thepapernotedthatDavidLloydGeorgehadstartedto introducemeasuresacross

the country toensure that theBEFwouldbe fully suppliedwith sufficientammunitionand shells,

however,thiswasnottobethecaseintheautumn.

18

Themounting local casualty lists from the fighting inMarch were also now appearing and sadly

covered more than one column in the BA, but such news was tempered to a degree, by the

publicationofnewsofconcertsatthePavilionandattheDevonshirehospital.

Backatthefront,5/SFhadanewcommandingofficer,MajorCoke,replacingColonelMosleydueto

illhealthbutsuchnewsrarelyaffected themen in the trenches.Their thoughtsweremoreabout

home comforts. Private Mackintosh of 6/SF writing to Mr G Duncombe wanted a pack of cards

sending out and noted that; ‘..when theywere in the trenches, theywere only 30 yards from the

Huns,butthatthe6thbattalionweretheboys-singingandkeepingitupallthetime.’

Pre-war,theSherwoodForestershadconsistedoftworegularbattalions,tworeservebattalionsand

four Territorial battalions, but such was the influx of volunteers and later conscripts, that the

regiment eventually consisted of more than thirty battalions, although not all of them served

overseas.TheBAannouncedtheformationofanewbattaliontobeformedinthePeaklandtobe

knownastheChatsworthRifles.‘…thefactispatentthattherearehundredsoffitandcapableyoung

men inthetownsandvillagesandamongstthehillsanddaleswhohavenotyetseriouslythought

whatthe“call”means.Heightstandardnolongerservesasabarrier, it isnowthechanceofthose

from5ft3in.to5ft6in.toshowofwhatgrittheyaremade.’11

Atthesametimeasthecallwasbeingmadeformorevolunteers,itwasreportedthatthefirstdeath

hadoccurredofamanfromDoveHoles. ‘Sergt. JohnHerbertFletchermethisuntimelyendatthe

handsofaGermansniperwhilstenteringthetrenches.’,anditwasalsoreportedthatPrivateGeorge

HulleyofBeeley,aveteranoftheBoerWarhadbeenkilledwhilstservingwiththeGrenadierGuards

and that,WilliamBagshawofBuxtonhadbeenkilled inactionwith theNorthumberlandFusiliers;

whilstMrsMullins of PeakDale learned that her husband, PrivateGeorgeMullins; ‘….did not die

instantaneously,butneverregainedconsciousnessandsufferednopain.’Onecanonlysurmisewhy

shewantedtohavethispublishedinthenewspaper.12

On the wider home front, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, David Lloyd George gave an upbeat

statementtotheHouseofCommonssuggestingthatBritain’sfinancialpositionwasingoodhealth

when compared to the effect of the naval blockade on Germany’s economy but Mr Austen

Chamberlain stated that; ‘..we are not going towin thewar by economic arguments but by hard

fighting.Andforhard fighting,everyavailablemanwillberequired.’ Inhindsight,wecanseethat

thiswas the start of themove towards conscription as volunteer numbers dwindled and casualty

11TheChatsworthRiflesformedinApril1915becamethe16thBattalionoftheSherwoodForesters.16/SF.122364SerjeantJohnHerbertFletcher6/SF.8698PrivateGeorgeHulley,GrenadierGuards,sonofMrandMrsBHulleyofBeeley.3072PrivateWilliamEwartGladstoneBagshaw2/NF.9144PrivateGeorgeMullins,DCLI.

19

listsrose.IncludingthosereportedinMayforthe1st,2nd,6th,7thand8thbattalionsoftheForesters;

‘Killed:Ptes.JAllchin,JFerguson,HHardy,LHJackson…………[etc]’

ThosemoreelderlyorlessablealsofeltthebruntofthepenthroughtheBA’sletterstotheEditor;

‘Sir,willyouletmehavearapatthescoresoflocalablebodiedmenoverenlistingagewhohavenot

joined the Home Guards. Their abstinence suggests cowardice…’ wrote one disgruntled

correspondent.

ItwasalsoinMaythatthefirstnewsappearedofthesinkingoftheLusitania.Initially,navalcensors

downplayed the fatalities. Eventually the news was released that there were; ‘…1502 Victims’

amazinglyaBuxtonwoman,MissMayMycock,hadbeensavedafterfourhoursafloatinthesea.

InNewMills,Mr Schofield of the Labour Exchange was ‘busily engaged in placing local ladies in

positionswhere they can render assistance now that somanymen have enlisted. …. [those of a]

superior class as Clerks, others have been appointed to duties on the farm and various other

occupations.’

With the news that another 27 localmen had joined the Chatsworth Rifles, came the news that

PrivateHenryGordonAdams had died in a Prisoner ofWar camp inGermany. His father, an old

soldier,alsohadanothertwosonsservingatthefront.PrivateSamuelMuirfromChapelenleFrith,

servingwiththeForestersalsopassedawayinMaywhilstinhospitalinBoulogne.13

Allofthislocalbadnewssandwichedasmallreportoflifeathome.‘RobbingAPoorBox–thepoor

box at St. James’ Churchhas thisweekbeen emptied by someonewhohadno right to annex the

contents.’Aswagesincreasedalongwithwartimeproductivity,soinflationhittheeconomyhurting

thepoorestmembersofsociety.Nevertheless, thosemorewell todowereencouragedtodonate

fourshillingstotheTuckforTommiesfund.‘Every4ssentprovidesalargeTuckboxforTENBritish

FightingMen.’TheboxeswerepreparedandpackedbyELazenbyandSonsLimited,whonodoubt

weredoingverywelloutofthescheme.

Of course, not all of the reported deaths came form the working class. The death of Second

Lieutenant Geoffrey Bagshawe from a noted county family of Ford Hall, Chapel en le Frith was

reported aswas the death of Lieutenant Arthur Railton ofWoodburn, Buxton, and in contrast, a

letterfromIvanPayneC.Coy6/SFtohisparentsnotedthebirdlifeathisbivouac;‘..aMeadowPipit

has a nest of half fledged youngsters….there is a nightly serenade of a Nightingale not 30 yards

away…..andjustnowacockBlackieisperchedonthetopofaneighbouringtreewhistlingasthough

132109PrivateSamuelMuir6/SF,sonofWilliamandHannahMuir,TownEnd,ChapelenleFrith.

20

hislifedependedonhisvocalefforts.Itseemsalmostimpossibletorealisethatnothalfamileaway,

thereisaruinedvillage,aspecimenoftheMasterHuns’Kultur.Itmakesmewishitwasallover.’14

Althoughanydeathwasatragedyforthebereavedfamily,thepoorerfamilies,couldwiththedeath

ofafatherorason losemostoftheir income.Therefore,organisations liketheBuxtonWarRelief

Fund could providemuchneeded assistance – but not always as theBA reported; ‘The deaths of

three soldiers killed in action were reported at the meeting. The cases of their dependants were

brought to the notice of The Royal Patriotic Fund Corporation, who at once sent a grant for the

widow.Inthethirdcase,asthedeceasedsoldierhadnotmadeanallotmentofhispay,andhadnot

otherwise contributed a regular sum towards maintenance, as required by the regulations, the

Corporationwerenotabletomakeagrant.’

Althoughinflationroserapidlyduringthewar,hittingthepooresthardest,manyworkingmenhad

alreadyleftBritainbeforethewartoseekoutbettereconomiccircumstancesabroad.Itisestimated

thatabout35%ofallmenservingwiththeCanadianforceswereinfactBritishemigres.Therefore,it

isnosurprisethattheBAwasabletoreportthat; ‘NewshasbeenreceivedinChapelenleFrithto

theeffectthatPte.TFrithhasbeenwounded.Heformerlyresidedinthetownbutseveralyearsago

hewentouttoCanadaandjoinedtheCanadianforcesontheoutbreakofwar.’

Despitethegrowingcasualty lists, life inmanyareasathomecarriedonasbefore.Thepaperwas

abletowriteabouttheforthcomingsummerseasonatBuxtonPavilion,critiquethelatestplayatthe

OperaHouseandreportthatatthePoliceCourt;‘…RobertRamsdenwassummonedforthathedid

unlawfullyopenhispremisesfortheconsumptionofintoxicatingliquortomembersofHisMajesty’s

ForcescontrarytoanordermadebyacompetentmilitaryauthorityundertheDefenceoftheRealm

Consolidation Act 1914.’ Although he faced a maximum penalty of a £100 fine and six months

imprisonmentwithhardlabour,thebenchnotedthatitwasthefirstsuchcaseintheareaandthe

finewassetat£5butaseverewarningwasgiventoallothertownlicensees.

Inthefirstweekof June itwasreportedthat408newvolunteershadenlisted inNottsandDerby

and from Belgium came news that the Sherwood Foresters [territorial] band had played the 7th

BattalionoftheCanadianExpeditionaryForceoutofthetrenches;‘….thesolocornetinthebandwas

aBuxtonpostman,PrivateFanshaw.’

TheCanadianforceshadheldthelinenearYpresthepreviousAprilwhentheGermanshadusedgas

asaweaponforthefirsttime.Therefore,itisnosurprisetoreadofthefirstlocalcasualty.‘Lce.-Cpl.

GeorgeBagshaweofWhaleyBridgehasfallenvictimtothetreacherousGermanpracticeofgassing.’14SecondLieutenantGeoffreyHamiltonBagshawe,1st(Royal)Dragoons,SonofErnestandAliceBagshawe,FordHall,ChapelenleFrith.LieutenantATRailton4/SeaforthHighlanders,sonofJosephandAliceRailtonofLightwoodRd,Buxton.

21

Thecasualtylistswerenowaweeklyoccurrenceinthelocalpapersbutstillvolunteerscontinuedto

enlist,albeitataslowerrate.AsLordKitchenerappealedforanother300,000menandLloydGeorge

oversaw the increase inmunitions production the paperwas able to note that another 7 Buxton

menhadjoinedtheChatsworthRifles,oftentoavengethedeathofalovedoneorafriendsuchas

PrivateRBall6/SF–killedinaction–‘HisLifeForHisCountry’statedthenewspaper.15

ABuxtonianwhohademigratedtoAustralia‘sometimeago’,wrotetotheBAabouthisexperiences

servingwiththeAustralianImperialForce(AIF) landinginGallipoli. ‘…thebulletsweresplashingin

thewaterandthefellowinfrontofmewasshotintheneckandabullethitmyear.Thebeachwas

onlyabout10yardswide,andtheshrapnelwasveryhot.’ ItwasalsoreportedthatPrivateGeorge

KirkhamoriginallyfromBurbagebutnowservingwithNewZealandforceshadbeenkilledinaction.

Thuswecan see that themenof theHighPeakwere serving inall theatresand inall armiesand

although the local Territorial battalion, 6/SF, had only been in and out of the trenches on their

regularrotation,areportnotedthattheyalreadyneeded500moremenasreplacements.16

Withthefightingcontinuingonseveralfrontstherewerealsoopportunitiesforvalourandawards.

‘FairfieldManWinsTheD.C.M–ResidentswillbeproudtolearnofthehonourbestoweduponPte.E

Fairbrotherofthe3rdColdstreamGuards.’WrotetheBAalongsidearticlescallingformorefinancial

assistanceforBelgianwoundedandnewsofanotherconcertatThePatrioticClub.

Itwas during July that a particularly sad blow fell upon the localmenof the Sherwood Foresters

Territorials.AsingleGermanshellfellamongstapartycomingoutofthetrenches,ninemenwere

killedandaroundfifteenotherswerebadlywoundedincludingPrivateBertLongsonwholostboth

legsattheknee.Withsomedifficultyhewasabletowritetohismother;‘DearMother,Justalineto

prepareyouforsomebadnews.Abigshelldroppedinthemiddleofuskillingandwoundingtwenty.

Ihavehadbothmylegstakenoffbelowthekneesandsohavedonemyfighting.Good-byeforthe

present.Hopingyouareallwell?’BertLongsonsurvivedhiswoundsandbecameafoundermember

oftheChapelMaleVoiceChoir.Heremainedawellknownlocalmanformanyyearsafterthewar

runningaroundonhismotoriseddisabilityscooterandwasstillactiveatthe50thanniversaryofthe

choir.

152140PrivateRobertBall6/SF.168/1082PrivateGeorgeKirkham,OtagoRegimentNZEF,sonofGeorgeandSarahKirkhamofWarslow,Buxton.

22

BertLongson, frontrowfourthfromtherightsittingonhismotorisedscooteratGeorgeV’sSilver

JubileecelebrationsinChapelMarketPlace,1935.

Despitethebadnews,someaspectsoflifeathomecontinuedasbefore.Theweddingwasreported

of Miss Winifred Durkan, daughter of Superintendent Durkan of Chapel and Mr J Beechinor a

CustomsandExciseOfficer.‘Thecoupleweretherecipientsofaverylargenumberofhandsomeand

costly presentsand these includedapair of silver candlesticks from thePoliceof theDivision. The

honeymoonisbeingspentintheLakeDistrict’notedtheBA.

Others stillathomewerebeseechedby theDukeofDevonshire tomake themselvesavailable for

the work required in filling in all of the necessary forms for the introduction of the National

Registration Act 1915. 17 WhilstW Stevenson, the General Superintendent and Secretary of the

DevonshireHospitalalsoappealedformotordriverstomakethemselvesavailableto ‘…togiveour

soldierpatients(numberingabout100),amotorrideonBankHoliday,August2nd.’

Asthefirstanniversaryoftheoutbreakofwarapproached,TheDukeagainwasinstrumentalasthe

President of the Derbyshire Committee of The Central Committee for National Patriotic

Organisations, in organising meetings in every community on August 4th to ‘….strengthen public

opinion to prosecute the war with unabated vigour, and so hasten the day when an honourable

peacecanbeattained.’Therewasnolet-upinthenationalapproachtodoingone’sduty.

17August1915broughtBritaina“RegistrationDay”,anextraordinarycensuson15Augustrecordinginformationabouteverymanandwomanbetween15and65foranewNationalRegister.Itspurposewastofindouthowmanymenofmilitaryagewerestillcivilians,howmanycouldbesparedforwarworkand,morepressingly,howmanycouldjointhearmedforces.

23

Back in Belgium, Dr Bennett wrote home about his experiences at the front and the German

prisonershehadseen.‘Wecapturedatrenchafteraterrificbombardmentandblowingupamine.I

thenwatchedsomeGermanprisonersgoby-overahundred.ThoseIsawlookedveryfit.Somewere

between20and30andotherswereolder.Iheardthatoneoftheprisonerswasaboyof14andhe

threwhisarmsroundoneofthemen’snecks,hewassogladtobeoutofit.Inonetrenchtakenby

the“Jocks”twomenwerefoundchainedtotheirguns….’18

Twomore localswere in thepaper the followingweek.BuglerHallamof6/SFwas reportedkilled

and Private Clark of Fairfield was reported as being wounded but recovering in the Devonshire

Hospital.19AtthesametimeconcertsatThePavilion,TheOperaHouseandattheHippodromewere

well attendedandenjoyedbyall and itwasannounced that; ‘MrHarry Lauderwill appearat the

Buxton Hippodrome. This greatmusic hall comedian has not appeared in Buxton before, and the

termswhichhecancommandaresuchthatanopportunityofhearingMr.Lauderinourtowndoes

nothappenfrequently.’20

Unfortunately, life has to go on even in the saddest of circumstances. It was reported that

Hubberdale Farm, thepropertyof the lateCaptainHodgkinsonofBaslow,whohadbeenkilled in

actionsomemonthsbefore,hadbeensoldatauctionfor£2,305.Incontrast,CorporalJUptonofthe

SherwoodForestershadbeenpresentedwith theVictoriaCrossby theKing formostconspicuous

braveryonMay91915.

InstructionswereprintedintheBAgivingdetailsofhowtofill intheCensusformfortheNational

RegistrationActandthenewChancelloroftheExchequer,MrRMcKenna,inanadvertextolledthe

nationtoinvestinTheWarLoanandreceiveinterestattherateof5%perannum.Hesaid;‘Theman

berichorpoor,islittletobeenviedwho,atthissuprememoment,failstobringforwardhissavings

forthesecurityofhiscountry.’

TheDukeofDevonshire,everactiveinhisrole,inspectedtheHighPeakHomeGuardatFairfieldat

theendofAugust;andLordRadstockasPresidentoftheBritishandForeignSailorsSocietyappealed

forfundsforthoseciviliansurvivorsofunarmedshipssunkbyGermanU-Boatsduringtheirpolicyof

unrestrictedwarfare. The U-Boat campaign had sunk a number of American vessels and the first

rumoursappearedinthepresssuggestingthatneutralAmericawouldenterthewaronthesideof

theAllies.However,PresidentWilsondidnotactat this timeand induecourse,Germanybacked

down from its policy of sinking all shipping on sight. Although backing down with this policy,18ManytalesweretoldofGermanmachinegunnersfoundchainedtotheirweapons.Infacttheywereoftenfounddeadattheirgunswiththecarryingstrapsaroundtheirshoulders.192142Drummer[Sic]FrankHallam6/SF,sonofSarahHallamofFairfield,Buxton.20HarryLauderwrotehismostfamoussong–KeepRightOnToTheEndOfTheRoad–afterhissonwaskilledontheSommein1916.

24

Germanydidcontinue touseseveral formsofpoisonousgason theWesternFront.At theendof

Septembera letterwasprinted fromawell-knownBuxtonianwhowasalsowellknowntoChapel

residents explaining how they had been instructed in the use of the latest smoke helmets

(rudimentarygasmasks).SecondLieutenantGreenhalghwrote;‘…wehadtoputourhelmetsonand

entertheroominwhichtherewasacylinderofgas.Thetapwasturnedonandthoughtheygaveit

usmuchstrongerthanitispossibleforyoutogetitintheopen,wecouldonlyjustsmellit.’

AttheendofSeptemberthefirstdeathofaKitchenercitizenvolunteerfromChapelwasreported.

Private J W Tinsley was serving with the 11th (Service) Battalion Sherwood Foresters (11/SF).

Although Kitchener’s New Army did not receive its full first blooding until 1916, some units,

considered to be up to scratch arrived at the front in the autumn of 1915. One of his comrades

wrotetohiswife;‘..hewassnipedbytheGermans.PoorJoeisthefirsttodieinthebattalion,andI

canassureyouthatallthemenjoininsympathywithyouandyourfamily.’21

Therateofattritioninthetrenchesbysnipers,trenchraidsandrandomartilleryfirewashorrendous

andthishadpromptedtheBritishtosendthefirstcitizenvolunteerbattalionstothefront.Thefirst

large scaleBritishoffensiveof thewarwasdestined to takeplace in the coalminingareaaround

Loos.TheBattleofLoos,September25to15OctoberalsosawtheBritisharmyusepoisongasfor

the first timeand itwouldmark the firstmajorattackby the46th (NorthMidland)Divisionat the

HohenzollernRedoubtonOctober13.

Asthemenfolkpreparedforbattlesotherewasno letup intheeffortathome. ‘WarServiceFor

Women’ cried the BA, ‘All women having special qualifications such as cooks (trained), Domestic

Economists, Typists, Bookkeepers, Laboratory Workers, Dispensers, Clerks (especially those with

experience of Army Forms andmethods), are invited to send their names as their serviceswill be

required in the immediate future by the St. John Ambulance association.’ The same edition also

carriednewsof thetown’swoundedBelgiansreturningtothefrontandtheplans for theautumn

fundraisingforBelgianrefugeesandsoldiers.

WithinaweekoftheopeningsalvoesbeingfiredatLoos,thelocalpresswerereportingmorelocal

casualties; Second LieutenantWilliamBrownwas killedwith7/SF and Second LieutenantMaurice

Greenhalgh22waskilledwithinamonthofarrivingatthefrontinhisfirstmajorbattle.Ofcourse,it

was not only officers whose deaths were reported; ‘Pte. Hugh Bagshaw23 of the 6th Sherwood

Foresters of Higher Level,Whaley Bridge was killed in action. The late soldier was but seventeen

2117991PrivateJWTinsley,11/SF.22SecondLieutenantWilliamLeonardBrown,6/SF.SonofMajorandMrsAbrahamBrownofHardwickSt,Buxton.SecondLieutenantMLGreenhalgh,King’sLiverpoolRegiment.232881PrivateHBagshaw,6/SF.SonofHarrietBagshawofRailwayCottages,WhaleyBridge.

25

yearsofage.’Asmoremenweresoontobeneeded inFrance, trainingcontinuedathomewhich

includedorganisedsportsevents.TheChatsworthRifles(16/SF)wonallofthe100yardsheatsbut

notthefinalhowever‘Pte.Smith,ChatsworthRifles,beatPte.Carlos,Hampshires,inthefinalofthe

blindfoldboxing’–thismusthavebeengoodpracticefornighttimetrenchraids!Althoughthemain

actionwasaroundLoos,casualtiesoccurredatallpartsofthelineanditwasatthistime,October5,

thatPrivateEdwardYatesof2/SF,thesonofFrederickandMaryfromDoveHoleswaskillednear

Ypresagedonly16.24

Concerts and fund raising continued apace inOctoberwith events advertised at the Pavilion, the

OperaHouse,theHippodromeandthePictureHouseandfundsbeingallocatedfortheBelgiansand

also‘TuckforTommy’,aboxcontainingchocolate,sardines,sausage,Bovril,sweetsandatinopener

tobe sent to soldiers in the line.The far sightedcivic leaderswerealso turning theirattention to

Christmas.‘ThisChristmastidethefathersofmanychildren,insteadofbeingathometoassistinthe

fillingofthe littlemites’stockings,willbefightingfortheircountry’scause.Therefore,anyscheme

whereby those who remain at home can brighten the lives of these children of our fightingmen

shouldbewarmlywelcomed.’

Incontrasttothis,therecruitingdrivecontinuedasitbecameclearthatmoreandmoremenwould

be required and that thewarwould not be of a short duration. TheDuke of Devonshiremade a

lengthy address calling for more volunteers and suggested that conscription was on its way and

Major Brownof Buxton recruiting officewrote; ‘A recruitwho comes forward now isworth three

whocomeafterChristmas.Agreatnumberofmenofeligibleageinthedistrict,whoseworkcouldbe

dispensedwithorcouldreadilybedonebywomen,areavailable.’Ananonymouswriter,‘OneWho

Knows’,waslesspolite.‘IlookaroundtheoldtownofTideswellandseesomany–Iwillnotusethe

mild term of shirkers to them, but I will correctly designate them as what they in reality are,

cowards.’

The reluctance to joinupwasdirectly linked to theever increasing casualty lists appearing in the

newspapers.ThelatestcasualtyreporttoappearinlateOctoberwasunfortunatelynowtellingthe

taleofthefailedattackbythe46th(NorthMidland)DivisionattheHohenzollernRedoubt.Thedead

werefromStaffordshire,Lincolnshire,LeicestershireandofcourseNottinghamshireandDerbyshire,

althoughthe6/SF,beinginreserve,weresparedtheworstoftheslaughterattheredoubt.The46th

Division had suffered 180 officers and 3583 men killed, wounded or missing. The 6th Sherwood

Foresters had 13 men killed, one man missing believed killed and Sec. LieutenantsPercival and

Gardiner and 48 men wounded. Amongst the casualties reported was; ‘Lieut. B W Vann, 8th

2420287PrivateEdwardYates,2/SF,uncleofChapelMaleVoiceChoir’slongestservingmemberandlifelongresidentofDoveHoles–EdwardGreen.

26

Sherwoods,recentlyawardedtheMilitaryCrossforconspicuousgallantry,hasbeenwoundedforthe

thirdtime.25

AnunexpectedfilliptorecruitmentcamewiththesadnewsoftheexecutionbytheGermansofthe

Britishnurse,EdithCavell.Thiswasseenasanactofhorrorcarriedoutbybarbariansandwasused

bypropagandiststoaidenlistment.26KingGeorgeVmadeacountrywideappeal;‘Iaskyou,menof

all classes, to come forward voluntarily and take your share in the fight.GeorgeRI.’Thedeathof

Cavell and the King’s appeal had the desired effect in Buxton. The BA again; ‘Boom In Recruiting

Continues. The boom in recruiting at the Buxton office continues. Over 200 men have joined the

Colours sinceOctober 20th. Up to date, the totalwho have enlisted is 1640, and over 50 are now

waiting to join different units.’ There then followed a long list of local names who had enlisted

together with news of a Military Cross for Second Lieutenant Innes of Buxton and the death of

SapperLeeke.27

Asthedebateragedacrossthecountryastowhetherconscriptionshouldbeintroduced,LordDerby

cameupwithahalfwayhousecompromise.TheDerbyschemeallowedmentoenlist immediately

andchoose their regimentor toenlistand thenreturn to theirhomesand jobsuntil such timeas

they were required and then they would report for initial training wherever they were needed.

ArthurBarlow,HerbertFord,WilliamBrocklehurst,MasonCooper,CharlesElementandmanyother

Chapelmentookadvantageof this scheme, theyusuallydidn’thave long towait for theircallup,

suchwastherequirementfornewmenatthefront.Thisneedpromptedthecommandingofficerof

6/SF,Lt.Col.GoodmantowritetotheBAquestioningwhysofewlocalmenwerechoosingtojoin

thelocalbattalion?Hewrote, ‘Icanpromisearecruitthatafterthenecessarytrainingathomehe

willbesentwithallspeedrightintothefiringline,andwhatcanasoldierwantmore?’

OnNovember22, theDefenceof theRealmAct (LiquorControl)Regulationscame into force.The

most drastic restrictions yet seen for publicans. Thenew regulations set openinghours for public

housesat12–2.30pmand6–9.30pm(9pmonSundays).Thepaperreportedthat;‘Thetermsofthe

Orderareofadrasticcharacter.TreatingisprohibitedundertheOrder,sothatitwillbeanoffence

foranyperson topay foranydrink supplied toanother.Credit isalsoprohibited, so that the rural

“slate”willno longerdoduty.Landlordsarenotpermittedtobegenerousbygiving“longpulls” in

ordertoattractcustomandspiritsmaybediluted.’Restrictionsonthelawabidingcitizensthathad

25Vann,apre-warclergyman,wouldrisetotherankofLt.Colonel,commandabattalionatthefront,winasecondMilitaryCross,theCroixDeGuerreandaposthumousVictoriaCrossafterbeingkilledon4thOctober1918.26ResearchtodaysuggeststhataswellasnursingthewoundedofbothsidesinBelgium,shewasundoubtedlyshelteringandhelpingBritishsoldierstoescapecaptivity.2750313SapperCLeeke,90thFieldCompanyRoyalEngineers.

27

neverbeenseenbeforewerenowcomingintoforceandthiswouldeventuallyleadtofurtherbelt

tighteningandeventuallyrationing.

WhilstBuxtonhadprovidedover1600menfortheforces,soeverysmallcommunitydiditsbittoo.

By November 1915, the 100th man from Dove Holes had enlisted and the paper also noted the

namesofthe5menfromDoveHoleswhohadmadetheultimatesacrifice.‘WilliamLomas,William

Watts,EYates,HarryFletcherandJHerbertFletcher.’

Novemberalsosawtheannouncementofgallantryawardsfortheattackthepreviousmonthatthe

HohenzollernRedoubt,thisincludedtheawardofaVictoriaCrossandaMilitaryCrossforofficersof

theSherwoodForestersTerritorialbattalions.

VICTORIA CROSS - ‘Sec. Lieut. (temp. Capt.) CHARLES GEOFFREY VICKERS, 1st/7th (Robin Hood) Bn.

SherwoodForesters(NottinghamshireandDerbyshireRegt.)T.F.–formostconspicuousbraveryon

October 14th 1915, in the Hohenzollern Redoubt. When nearly all his men had been killed or

wounded,andwithonlytwoavailabletohandhimbombs,CaptainVickersheldabarrier forsome

hoursagainstheavyGermanattacksfromfrontandflank.Regardlessofthefactthathisownretreat

wouldbecutoff,hehadorderedasecondbarriertobebuiltbehindhiminordertoensurethesafety

of the trench. Finally, he was severely wounded, but not before his magnificent courage and

determinationhadenabledthesecondbarriertobecompleted.Acriticalsituationwasthussaved.’28

VictoriaCross

MILITARY CROSS - ‘Lieut. (temp. Capt.) VICTOR OWEN ROBINSON, 1st/6th Bn. Sherwood Foresters

(NottsandDerbyRegt.)T.F. –ForconspicuousgallantryatHohenzollernredoubtbetweenOct.13

and15,1915,whenhiscompanywassentforwardtothesupportofanotherbattalionandplacedin

aportionofthefrontlinetrench.Hewascontinuouslyondutywithoutrest,andwasindefatigablein

28LaterSirGeoffreyVickers1894-1982.

28

organisingthedefence,showinggreatcoolnessandjudgement.CaptainRobinson’snamehastwice

previouslybeenbroughttonoticeforgallantry.’

MilitaryCross

BackinChapel,aNoveltywasdeclared!‘LadyPostman’trilledtheBA;‘Necessityisacreatorinitself,

andatChapelenleFriththelackofmenowingtothewarisbeingkeenlyfelt.Thewomenfolkare

comingforwardingreatnumberseverywheretodischargedutieswhichhaveformerlybeencarried

outby themen.MISSCHAPMANtakes themorningdelivery,andcommencesabout6.30, finishing

aboutnineo’clock.Weareinformedthatthelettersaredeliveredmostexpeditiouslyandonthis,all

will heartily congratulate Chapel’s latest postal recruit.’ It seems amazing today to read such an

articlebutthewarreallydidpavethewayforfemaleemancipation.

AsChristmasapproached, theDukeandDuchessofDevonshireandthe local townmayorsmetto

agree another fund raising appeal to provide Christmas gifts for the troops at the front. It was

agreedthatasumof£3,000wouldberequiredtocoverthecost.Whilstthetroopslookedforward

tothearrivaloftheirChristmasparcels,CorporalFStandbridgewrotetotheBAoutlininglifeinthe

trenches. He stated that being an infantryman was themost dangerous occupation as you were

subjecttoallmeansofdeathbut;‘…thatabayonetchargeisquitetheworstordealthatamanhas

tofaceinawarofthisdescription.’Ithinkwemightagreewiththiseven100yearslater.

Christmas,howeverdidnotstoptherequirementformentoenlist.Atthesametime,industryand

agriculture also needed labour. Chapel’s farming community formed a committee and sent a

stronglywordedmessagetotheWarAuthoritiesBoardofAgriculture.‘Thesonsoffarmersandfarm

labourersarebeingpressed toenlist,whichmeant that therewouldbenoone lefton the farmto

sow,reapordoanythingelse.Theauthoritiesshouldrememberthatthecountryandthetroopsas

well are dependent upon farms for produce and that could not be got unless therewas sufficient

labouronthefarmstoworkthem.’Thisdebatebetweentheenlistmentofworkingmenandthose

beingthesonsoffarmersexemptedfromservicegrewin1916whenconscriptionwasintroduced.

29

AtBuxtonLimeWorks,everymanwasadvisedbytheManagingDirector,TRyan,toenlistunderthe

Derbyscheme.Thosewhowereunfit forwarservicebutwhocould remainatworkor those that

wereexempted fromwar serviceweregivenabadgeandanarmlet, so thatothers in thecivilian

populationdidn’tviewthemasshirkersorhandthemawhitefeather–thesymbolofcowardice.

OnChristmasDayitwasreportedthatCaptaintheReverendTomMiddleton,theChapelWesleyan

ministerwashomeonleaveafterfivemonthsatthefront.HepreachedattheTownEndWesleyan

Chapel before returning to France. Several soldiers had their Christmas thanks and good wishes

printed in the paper; ‘Pte.W Bywater says: I wish to tender my sincere thanks for the parcel of

cigarettesIreceived.Icanassureyoutheyareheartilywelcomedbyeverysoldier.Pte.DREvans:I

receivedtheparceltoday,wishingyouallaVeryMerryChristmas.’–Othersinthetownreceiveda

lesswelcomeChristmaspresent;theircalluppapers.‘TheDerbyRecruits–Notimehasbeenlostin

callinguptheDerbyrecruits–fourgroupswillbeneededonthe20thofnextmonth.Thegroups in

questionare2age19;3,20;4,21;522.ThenoticewasconveyedbyRoyalProclamation,whichwas

postedupinLondonearlyonSaturdaymorning.’Theonlygrouptoescapewasgroup1,thosetoo

youngtoserveoverseas.

As1915cametoaclose,theWesternFrontinFranceandFlanderswasatabloodystalemate,the

Gallipoli campaign had been a disaster and the peninsular was being evacuated. At home,

government restrictions were starting to bite. Women were beginning to find their place in the

worldasthemenwentofftofightandyettherewastobemorebadnews in1916asKitchener’s

citizenvolunteerarmywassenttotheSomme.

1916

As January arrived, the High Peak Advertiser (HPA) carried an advert for Naval recruitment. It

intimatedthatconscriptionwasonthewayandtherefore,ifachapwantedtochoosehisbranchof

theservice,thennowwasthetimetoenlistintheNavyortheRoyalMarines.Socalledcushytrades

such asWriter or Steward’s Assistants had been closed but in particular demand were Ordinary

Seamen and Stokers. ‘Skilled men are also needed for Service as Electrical and Engine Room

Artificers.’

FollowingavociferouscampaignbytheDailyMailandothers,theMilitaryServiceactwaspassedin

late January.Conscriptioncame intoeffectonMarch2andwasextended tomarriedmen inMay

1916.Bytheendofthewar,theageforconscriptionhadbeenextendedto51.Some750,000men

applied for exemption, especially farmers and their sons and over 16,000 stated that they were

ConscientiousObjectors,althoughmanyservedinanon-combatantrole.

30

The Glossop Chronicle reported; ‘The Nightmare of Conscription’ but the editorial was very pro

conscription stating; ‘Thedreadedmeasureofwholesale conscriptionpaintedby theagitatorshas

turnedoutinactualfacttocontainnothingmoreterriblethanthegrantingoflegislativesanctionto

an Act which every patriotic Briton has itched for months past to do with his own hands – the

hauling-offofpubliclyconvictedcowardsandslackerstodotheirduty.’

There was also printed a list of patients in Moorfield Auxillary Home Hospital, Glossop and a

selection of letters from Glossop soldiers and sailors thanking the town and in particular, the

MayoressfortheirChristmasparcels.‘WhatatributetheyallpaytoourworthyMayoress,theselads

ofGlossopanddistrict.Andhowrichlymeriteditis,forMrsHPartingtonisindeedtheLadyBountiful

of our town,and froma full andgenerousheart thehonouredwifeof our chief citizen, hasnobly

playedherpartandsparednotherpurseorherselfinhereffortstohelpthenation.Itisworkofthe

kindMrsPartingtonandherhelpersaredoingwhichnervesourladsforthefightandwillenableour

noblesonstofightonandonuntilthecruelmightoftheHunsisforeverbroken.’

Atypical letterreadlikethis; ‘TotheMayoressofGlossop,-Onbehalfofmyselfandmychum,we

thankyouforthegrandparcelswehavereceivedfromyou.Wewere inthetrencheswhenwegot

them.Wewereup to the knees inmudandwater, and theparcelwas verywelcome, forwehad

nothingbutabitofjamandcheese,andyourparcelwasquiteatreattous.’Itwassignedby;‘11519

Pte.LAllcockofDintingGlossop[and]10723Pte.EWBowden,14WoodStreet,Glossop.’

Atthesametime,theGlossopChronicle(GC),printedapenpictureoflifeatthefrontaswrittenby

Sergeant W V Furniss of Glossop and also reported on a fine concert held at Hadfield by The

Throstleswhichcleared;‘thesumof£14inaidoftheHadfieldbranchoftheRedCrossSocietyfunds.’

31

Withsomanymenaway,itwasinevitablethatlocalsportsteamswouldseetheirfixturescurtailed

butthiscouldalsoleadtofinancialhardshipfortheclubinvolved.GlossopweretoplayStalybridge

Celticbutcouldonlyfieldninemensoborrowedtwoguestplayers.TheHPAreportedthat; ‘There

are thosemenwhoare determined to keep the old club going, and are hoping for better times. I

understandthatMrSHill-WoodMP,hasagainpromisedtohelptheclub.Onewouldnotliketosee

theoldDerbyshireclubdisband,orevenclosedownforaseasonasitshistoryisamosthonourable

one.’

InMay,theGlossopandDistrictcricket leaguewasabandoned indefinitely.TheHPAstated; ‘Since

theoutbreakofthegreatwarmanyofthegallantladswhowerewonttodisportthemselvesonthe

greenswardwhen their favourite summergamewasplayed,havedonned theirkhakiandarenow

bravely doing their bit for their King and Country.’However, it was hoped that a couple of fund

raisinggamesmightbeplayedduringtheseason.

Sport was hampered and discontinued but another worry on the home front was the increasing

bombingofciviliansbyZeppelins.Thiswasthefirstwarwherecivilianshadbecometargetsfromthe

air. TheHPA reported on an unnamedMidlands town that had recently been bombed and three

menwerekilled.Theytherefore,gaveadvicetothepopulation; ‘WhatToDoTominimiseAirRaid

Dangers’rantheheadline;‘Oneofthethingsthathouseholdersarestronglyadvisedtodoistoturn

off thegasat themeter. Thebest course toadopt is to reduce riskby shuttingoff the supplyand

resortingtocandles.Inhouses,shopsandofficesthereshouldalwaysbeanamplesupplyofbuckets

filledwithwater.’

GlossopTownCounciladdedZeppelinraidstotheiragendainFebruaryandtheMayorstatedthat;

‘..further lighting restrictions are necessary.’ The Lighting Committee and the Watch Committee

werebothinstructedtomeettoagreetotheseadditionalrestrictionsassoonaspossible.

In April the GC noted the performance at Glossop Palace of Linga Singh, the Famous Hindoo

Sorcerer. ‘The performance contributed by Linga Singh, being one of the most mystifying ever

witnessedbyaGlossopaudience.Inthecourseofabriefaddress,LingaSinghemphasisestheloyalty

ofthepeopleofhisnative landtoEngland. India’smessagetothiscountrywas,hesaid,“Indiafor

theKingandto----withtheKaiser”.’

Easter1916hadseenafailedbutbloodyuprisinginDublinagainstBritishrule.TheGCinitsEditorial

hoped for a speedy reconciliationbetweenall partiesbut toed theestablishment line. ‘The tragic

farceoftheSinnFeinrebellionhasmadeeveryloyalistinIreland,whetherNationalistorUlsterman,

earnestlydesiresomespeedysettlementoftheoldpoliticaldifferenceswhich,bysplittingthe loyal

majorityofthepopulationintowarringfactions,gavethedisloyalminorityitsrecentopportunityof

32

mischief.’ It isan interestingconcepttodaytothinkthataproportionof IrishNationalistswere, in

timeofwar,stillloyaltoKingandEmpire.

AlthoughtheHPAreportedextensivelyaboutlifeathome,itdidreportonthemainmilitaryactions

ofthewar.OnMay31,themightyDreadnoughtbattleshipsoftheRoyalNavyandtheGermanNavy

met for the first and last time at the Battle of Jutland, off theDanish coast. Some 250 ships and

100,000menwereinvolved.TheBritishNavysufferedthemostsinkingsbutsuchwasthedamage

donetotheGermanfleetthatitreturnedtoportanddidnotleaveagainforthedurationofthewar.

Thus the Royal Navy kept control of the North Sea and could enforce the blockade that would

eventuallybringGermanytoitsknees.

With so many men involved, it was inevitable that the HPA was able to write that; Engineer

Lieutenant Commander N Roberts goes down with his ship. Many Friends in Glossop and district

learnedwithgreatregretthatEngineerLieutenantCommanderNRoberts,ofHMSNestor,has lost

his lifeinthegreatestnavalfightofthewar,andofallhistory,whichwaswagedlastweekoffthe

coastofJutland.’Whilst;‘FrankBridge,sonofMrandMrsCharlesBridgeofStMary’sRoad,Glossop

displayed such coolness, courage and daring, that he, along with several others of the crewwas

recommended by the Commander for that coveted award for bravery, the Distinguished Conduct

Medal.’

FightingonlandwasnotconfinedtoFranceandFlanders.TheGCwashappytoprinta long letter

fromPrivatesCartwright andBroadbentwhowere serving in Salonica [Sic]. ‘Dear Sir, - Just a few

linestoletyouknowwearehavingaroughtimejustnow.Theplacehereisonemassofmountains

andtheworstpartofthewinterisjuststarting.Todaythereisablizzardon,andwearesnowedup.’

InthebesttraditionofEnglishmen,theyfinishedtheir letterwith;‘Well, it isgettingnearteatime

now,soweshallhavetoclose,thankingyouoneandallfortheparcelsyousokindlysent.’Whilst,

CorporalWTurnerwrote to theGCappealing for localmen toenlist ‘…to thememoryof the late

PrivateJComerford’,alocalladwholeftbehindawifeandfourchildren.29

Morebadnewsappearedonthe5JuneafterHMSHampshire,anarmouredcruiser,hitamineand

sankwiththelossofover700livesincludingLordKitchenerwhowasonhiswaytoRussiatobolster

supportfromtheTsar.TheGCbelievedthathewas;‘…thepivotofthewholeofourwarmachinery,

ashewasindeed,thebesttrustedmaninthegovernment.’

July1916sawtheopeningdayofthe‘bigpush’ontheSommeinanefforttorelievethepressureon

thebeleagueredFrencharmyatVerdun.DavidLloydGeorgebecameSecretaryofStateforWar.On

1JulytheBritishArmy,includingmanybattalionsofKitchenerPalssuffered57,000casualties,with

292061PrivateJJComerford,6/Cheshires.

33

19,000 being killed betweenGommecourt andMaricourt on the Somme, including 853 from 46th

(NorthMidlands)Division.Laterintheyear,theciviliansathomewouldflockintheirthousandsto

watchforthefirsttimeaspeciallymadefilmaboutthebattle,butalreadytheGlossopPalacewas

screeningPatheNewsand‘largeaudiencesnightlypresenthavefollowedwiththeclosestattention

thefilms.’

Withthenewsofthedisasteron1Julyandwiththeeverincreasingcasualtylists,theMayoress,Mrs

PartingtonpublishedaletterreceivedfromtheMinistryofMunitions.‘IamdirectedbytheMinister

ofMunitionstoencloseherewithacopyofastatementmadebythePrimeMinisterintheHouseof

Commons on Thursday, 13th July,with reference to the postponement of theAugust holidays. The

Minister is of the opinion that it is of great importance at this present time to maintain an

undiminishedoutputofmunitions. For thispurpose it appearsnecessary thatall holidays,andnot

merelythoseofworkmendirectlyengagedonmunitions,shouldbepostponed,andthatanythingin

the nature of a holiday atmosphere should be avoided.’ Nevertheless, for those better off and

retired,holidaysinBlackpoolortheLakeDistrictwerewelladvertisedinthepaper.

DespitetheterriblenewsfromFranceincludingthereporteddeathsoflocalmen,PrivateJEtchell30

andGunnerWBramhall,MrWinstontheeyesightspecialistwaspersuadedtospendanotherweek

in Glossop. ‘Mr. Winston has found during the past week that the strenuous work the war has

thrownuponwomenhasconsiderablyaffectedtheireyesandhasproducedinnumerouscasesthose

terribleheadachesfromwhichsomanywomensuffer.Hehasinamajorityofcasesrecommendeda

pair of lenses to use when they are at work, but which they need not use and – as they think-

disfigurethemselvesafterwards.’Thewarprovidedmanyavenuestomakeabobortwo!–Including

thegrowthinSpiritualismandSeances.

With so many bereaved families, many well-meaning and often fraudulent people set up as

Spiritualists offering to connect the bereavedwith their recently departed soldier husbands, sons

andfathers–forafee.Thiscontrastedwiththe‘official’SpiritualistChurchwhichalsosawahuge

growthinitscongregationduetothemountingdeathtallyandalthoughtherewerenumerousways

in which individuals profited from the war, the country’s bill was also growing. The Chancellor

reportedinJulythatthewarwasnowcosting£6,000,000adaybut;‘..thathisestimatehadbeenout

bymore than £1,000,000. As a consequence his borrowing powerswere becoming exhausted.’ So

wasAsquith’sgovernment.

30Mostprobably11801PrivateJohnBenjaminEtchell,ColdstreamGuards.4034GunnerWallaceWoodBramhall,RGA,sonofRobertandMarthaBramhallofSheffieldRd,Glossop.

34

Therisingcostswerenotallaboutmunitionsandguns.Bylate1916,thecivilianandmilitarypostal

service was handling some 15,000,000 letters and parcels a week in a very efficient manner.

‘Generally itmay be assumed that letters sent from England to the Expeditionary Force in France

takethreedays to reachmen inbilletsand fourdayssoldiers in thetrenches.’–remarkedtheGC.

Receivingregularmailandlocalnewspaperswasaveryimportanttoolinmaintainingmoraleatthe

front,especiallyforthecitizenvolunteers.However,notallofthemencouldstandthestrain,theGC

again;‘AsoldierunderescortattheChesterfieldGreatCentralStation,atnoononSaturday,jumped

onto the line in front of an approaching train and had one foot practically severed. His name is

PrivateGeorgeCarline,oftheSherwoodForesters.HewasbeforethelocalmagistratesonThursday

asanabsentee,thisbeinghisfifthappearanceasadeserter.’

JosephJepsonfelt theneedtowritetotheGCaftervisitingtheMagnet InnatGamesley.Herehe

hadseentheframedportraitsof28youngmenfromthevillagewhohadallenlistedvoluntarily.He

alsonotedthatthevillagehadnotyetsufferedadeathinaction,butthisdidnotapplytoGlossopas

three more local lads had their obituaries in the same edition; ‘Private Robert White, Private J

McCann and Private Frank Wharmby.’31 The death was also reported of Herbert Partington,

Glossop’sMayorwhohaddiedintestatewithanestateworth£141,500.[£5.6Min2018]

InOctoberitwasreportedthatCharlieChaplinwouldbereturningtotheGlossopTheatreRoyal,no

doubthewouldprovidesomelaughteramongstthegloomandneverendingcasualtyreports.Also

on thebright sidewas thenews that ‘PrivateHarry Leehasbeenawarded theMilitaryMedal for

GallantryintheField.Thisisthefirsthonour,webelieve,thathascometothevillageofTintwistle,

and the news has givenmuch satisfaction, though it was far from thewish of the gallant young

soldierthatitshouldreachthepress.’

MilitaryMedal

313/35478PrivateFrankWharmby,10/Cheshires.Possibly36988PrivateJosephMcCann,10/Gloucesters,fromReddish,Stockport.

35

Despite the war, some traditions could not be extinguished. ‘A trial unique in the history of

Derbyshire lead mining, carried on since the time of the Romans, took place on Friday last at

Castleton.’PresidedoverbyMr.HASanders,StewardoftheMinesundertheDuchyofLancaster,

thecaserevolvedaroundtheclaimbytheplaintiff,MrWEyrewhoclaimeddamages for trespass

fromMrAWHeginbotham.MrEWCleggacting for theplaintiff said; ‘…the casewasoneof the

greatestimportanceandwasthefirstofthekindthattheMiner’sCourthadhadtodealwithforat

leastthirtyyears.’Certainaspectsoflifecontinuedunabated,warornowar.

IntheMagistrate’sCourt,DORAwasattheforefrontonceagainasGeorgeShuttleworthwasfined

fivepoundsforbeinginpossessionofacigaretteandamatchinaprohibitedareaatGreenfieldMill.

Thismillwasproducingbleachedcottonwastewhichwasusedinthemanufactureofguncottonand

itwasstatedjusthow‘…dangerousitwasifalivematchwasinthebleachedcottonwhensuchwas

transferred fromGreenfieldMill to themunitions factories.’Poorold Shuttleworthhad topay ten

shillingsimmediatelyandthensevenshillingsandsixpenceaweekuntilthefinewaspaidoff.

Withthearrivalofthedarknightsagain inNovember,theHPAstatedthat ithadbeendecidedby

the; ‘…TownCouncil thatthe lowerportionsofstreet lampsshallbepaintedwhiteduringthedark

nightsofrestrictedlighting.Butwhereisthesense,wewouldrespectfullyask,ofwhiteningthestreet

lamp pillars, and leaving the electric standards standing in their garb of funereal blackness?

Residentsoutatnightcandodgethelamppillarsandthengocrashintotheelectricstandards.Ifitis

notthedutyofanyonetoseetothis,thenitshouldbemadesomebody’sduty,andthesoonerit is

doneandthebetterforthoseofuswhouseourstreetsatnight.’

IntherunuptothethirdChristmasofthewar,SirDouglasHaigmadeanappealformagazinestobe

senttothemenatthefrontandtheGCheraldedwiththeheadline; ‘WhatSortofChristmasShall

Our Soldiers and Sailors Spend?’ Unfortunately, some would not be spending Christmas at all,

includingtheBuckleybrothersfromHadfield,SamkilledinAugustandWilliaminearlyDecember.32

Atthistime,thePrimeMinisterHHAsquithresigned,weigheddownbythestrainofthewar,the

introduction of conscription, the large casualty bill and by the loss of his son, Raymond, on the

Somme the previous September. A government of National Coalition between the Liberal and

Conservativeparties,headedbyDavid LloydGeorge came topowerwith thepromiseofpursuing

thewar vigorously to a victorious conclusion. This was the last time that a Liberal Conservative

coalitionruleduntil2010.

3229190PrivateWilliamHadfield,1/EastLancs&20882PrivateSamHadfield,10/SF,sonsofCharles&SarahHadfieldofHayfield,Stockport.

36

Christmas1916arrivedandawarwearinesshadbynowsetinamongstthepopulation.Therewas

noend in sight to thedreadful carnageand slaughterand inaeditorial comment, theHPAnoted

that;‘Thereseemstobeamockeryinthesingingofthewords“Peaceonearthandgoodwilltowards

men”,whenthousandsarebeingslainbytheirfellow-men.’

1917

Theyear1917startedas1916hadfinishedwithmorelocalcasualtiesbeingreported,thistimeby

theHighPeakNews(HPN).‘OurreadersintheDoveHolesandChapelenleFrithdistrictwillbesorry

tohear thatoneof themostpromisingyoungmenthedistricteversent forth towarhas fallena

victim, namely, Lieutenant Ernest Howe, MB, RAMC.’ Dove Holes also lost at this time, Private

ClementFordoftheKing’sOwnRoyalLancasterRegiment.33

The Longson family was in the news again in late January with a report that Frank had been

woundedintheeyeandthatWilfredwashomeonleaveafterspendingaconsiderabletimeatthe

front. It was now expected that Wilfred would go to an officers’ training course and receive a

commissioninduecourse.

Asthewarcarriedonitsneverendingpath, lifeathomeretainedacertainamountofdailyorder.

Chapelen le Frithmagistrates, finedHaroldHill for speedinganddrivingdangerously through the

town,despitehimhavinganurgenttelegramfromtheMinisterofMunitionstoreportinLincolnfor

workvitaltothewareffort.

InFebruarytwogypsylads,SamuelandJosephBrownwereapprehendedbythepoliceinanisolated

barnandplacedbeforeatribunalundertheMilitaryServiceAct.Neithercouldreadorwrite,their

births had never been registered and they did not know how old theywere. Alderman G Slater,

headingthetribunal,asked; ‘Didtheyknowtherewasawaron?Theysaidthatwas justaboutall

theydidknow.’TheTribunalhandedthemovertoamilitaryescort.Noonewasimmunefromdoing

theirduty.

The Picture House at Buxton took a large advert in the HPN to advertise “With The Empire’s

Fighters”. Described as the; ‘Greatest of all War Films, Photographed and described by H D

Girdwood,BA,FRGS.Trenchwarfareat closequarters.WaveafterwaveofGurkhas charging.The

Leicesters going over the top. Capture of German trench. The Staffords advancing. – The thrilling

story of these wonderful pictures graphically told by H D Girdwood, the man who actually faced33LieutenantErnestHoweRAMC,sonofjohnandAnneHoweofDoveHolesandhusbandofGertrude.20066PrivateClementFord,3/King’sOwn(RoyalLancasterRegiment),sonofJohnandSarahFordofMeadowLane,DoveHoles.

37

deathtogetagoodfilm.’–andmakemoneyfromtheexperience!!Thepublic’sappetitefornewsof

theirlovedoneswouldensurethateveryseatwassoldandtherewerefourscreeningsperday.

Percy Goddard also placed an advert; ‘Whilst Percy Goddard is servingwith HisMajesty’s Forces,PianoTuningwillbe carriedonASUSUALat theMusicWarehouse,59SpringGardens,Buxton.’ Itwasimportanttoletfolksknowthatyouweredoingyourbit.Whilst,attheOperaHouse,PygmalionwasthestarattractionforearlyMarch.

Thewarcontinuedtoprovidebusinessopportunitiesforthosewithaflairandanimagination.

HawkerandBotwoodofLondonadvertisedtheirnewproduct–CORVUSINEDG–‘CORNiswanted

tofeedthenationNOTTHEBIRDS.’Howmanylocalfarmersweretemptedtobuy,isnotrecorded.

However,withtheGermansresumingunrestrictedsubmarinewarfareinearly1917,anactwhich

wouldleadtotheentryintothewaroftheUnitedStates,thecountrywasrunningshortoffood.The

newPrimeMinister,LloydGeorge,appealedtothenationforeverysparemanstillathomewithany

knowledgeofgardeningorthecountrysidetovolunteerforNationalServicetohelpfarmerstoplant

everyavailableacreofland.‘AreYOUgoingtoletthosepreciousweeksslipby?Ifyoucanusea

spadeorahoe;ifyoucanmanagehorses,-youMUSTvolunteer.Itwillbetoolatetobesorrywhen

YOUarefacedwithanemptylarder.There’sstilltimetoplantandsowthefoodthatYOUwillneed.

Comeatonce.Backupthemeninthetrenches.’

Thepressuretoservewasrelentless.ApoemintheHPNfromanunnamedFairfieldsoldiersummed

upthefeelingverywell.

‘FancysocksoftheStayathomes,Whatareyougoingtodo?

ThereareblanksinthefilesofthebloodstainedmilesOfthetrenchesweholdforyou!

FancySocksofthestayathomes,

Girdonyourmanhood,do;We’llfightforthelivesofyourgirlsandwives,

Butwhyshouldwefightforyou?

Fancysocksofthestayathomes,Doubleouttothefightingline;

Dareyoudisgraceafightingrace?Dareyouthejobdecline?

Fancysocksofthestayathomes,

Toyourbrothers,Obetrue!We’llfightforthefameofoldEngland’sname,

Butwhyshouldwefightforyou?

Womenintheworkplacewasnowbecomingacommonsightbutwasnotwithoutitsrisks.‘Whilst

following her employment as assistant to Mr. F Butler, butcher, Miss Florence Mellor had the

38

misfortune to injure her finger rather severely in a mincing machine. She was attended by Dr.

Nightingaleandisnowmakingfavourableprogress.’

In April, the Picture House was advertising The Beast but the real beast of April was the British

offensivenorth,eastandsoutheastofArras.LikemanyBritishoffensivesbetween1915and1917,

initial success was achieved but the inability, due to the conditions, to bring up fresh men,

ammunition and the artillery left theexhausted attacking troopsopen toGerman counterattacks.

Thisoffensive,whichwasinsupportofthedisastrousFrencharmyNivelleoffensive,ontheChemin

deDames,hadonemajorsuccess,thetakingofVimyRidgeprimarilybytheCanadianCorps.

ThisCanadiansuccess,whenalloftheirdivisionsfoughtsidebysideforthefirsttime,issaidtohave

heraldedthebirthofthenation,andtherefore,itisnosurprisetoseeanadvertintheHPNinMay

forthe‘CelebratedCANADIANMILITARYBANDofReserveArtillery’whowerebookedtoplayatthe

PavilionGardens,Buxtoneverydayfrom26to30May.

InearlyJune,BertLongson,whohadlostbothofhislegsinactionin1915wascalledupformedical

re-examination.Theseongoingmedicalchecksweretoascertainthelevelofdisabilityincurred,soas

todecideonthelevelofwarpensionthataninjuredmanwasentitledto.Itwasalsonotedthatthe

well-knownfootballer;‘Sgt.ErnestHallam,oftheTerritorials,washomeonleave.HewenttoFrance

inFebruary1915,andhasbeenwoundedonce.Hismanyfriendswerepleasedtoseehim.’

TheHPNon9June1917,containsaveryinterestingletterfromawritersigninghimselfVoxPopuli.

HenotesthattalkhasalreadystartedaboutthepostwarerectionofatownwarmemorialinChapel

enleFrithandthatMrFroodoftheHerbertFroodCo.Ltdhadofferedtounderwritethecost.The

writerisperturbedthatthemeetingheldtodiscussthisissuewasnegativeinitsoutlookandwould

notcountenancean importantpublic locationforthememorial.Hestates; ‘Icontend,Sir, thatthe

verybestandmostpublicpositioninthetownfortheerectionofthismemorialistheleastthatcan

bedone,andthateveryotherconsiderationshouldbesubservient to it.…..andthat it shouldbea

substantial permanent memorial, with all the names of those fallen inscribed upon it.’ As was

commoninmanypartsofthecountry,temporarystreetshrineshadsprungupandChapel’swasat

theParishChurchandunfortunatelythere;‘…arenow73namesofmenwhohavefalleninbattleon

theWarShrine.’

39

InJune,theHighPeakwasinvadedbyaplagueofcaterpillars,allegedlycausedbythedestructionof

birdlife so as to save food for human consumption but June also saw the start of the Battle of

Messines,aBritishsuccessinFlanderswhen19largemineswereexplodedundertheGermanlines

aftermonthsoftunnelling.Thisattackwasapre-cursortoHaig’sgrandplanforabreakouteastof

Ypres the followingmonth. The 3rd Battle of Ypres,whichwould start on 31 July is known today

betterbythenameofitslastphase,Passchendaele.

The losseson theSomme in1916andatArras, YpresandCambrai in1917would test theBritish

Army’sresolvetothefull.DouglasHaigbelievedintheoffensiveandLloydGeorgewhilstpolitically

supporting the military was horrified by the butcher’s bill and started a policy of keeping new

recruitslongerathome.Thispolicywouldverynearlylosethewarforthealliesinthespringof1918

butin1917,thesearchforeveryavailablemancontinued.

‘Justice’,aletterwritertotheHPN,summeduphisfeelings.‘Arealloureligibleyoungmencoming

forwardresolvedtodotheirdutyinthisgravehourofnecessity?I,asaTideswellian,unhesitatingly

sayNO.Thereareaboutthirtyyoungmenwhoarequiteascapableofperformingmilitarydutiesas

thosebraveladswhovolunteeredatthecommencementofthewar.Thereistoomuchbadgehiding

for one thing, andwhenonehearsoneof these contemptible shirkers, openlydeclare thathehas

obtained badge exemptionwhich affords him exemption andwhich he asserts, he intends only to

retainuntiltheendofthewar,onecannotbutfeeldisgusted.’

In late June it was reported that Sergeant Longson and Gunner Arthur Barlow had both been

awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) and that haymaking had started on Colonel

Barlow’sfarm;‘..welearnthatthecropisaheavyone.’

40

TheDistinguishedConductMedal

In August, the weather had turned against hay making but heavy downpours led to good trout

fishingbeingavailableinboththeWyeandtheDerwentoncethewaterhadcleared.Afishof3lbs

hadbeenkilledatDarleyandtheHPNstated; ‘LastSaturdaywasthebestdayof1917forbottom

fishingandprospectsareexcellent.’

Bylate1917,itwaspossibleforamantohaveservedatthefront,bedischargedduetowoundsand

nowbeactivebackincivilianlife.ThisappliedtoLieutenantFJHickwhohadservedforayear,been

wounded twice, discharged andwas now the bankmanager atWilliamDeacon’s bank in Chapel.

Hickusedtheopportunitytodisplayhiswarsouvenirsatthebank,theHPNdescribingthedisplayas

a ‘most interesting littlewarmuseum.’Thearticlecontinued; ‘Wewereprivilegedto inspectLieut.

Hick’s collection [which] includesaGermanBayonetandaGermanhandgrenade, capturedon10

March1916aftertheHunshadmadearaidontheBritishtrenches.Therearealsoseveraltypesof

nosecaps,apieceofshell,shrapnelbullets,piecesofglasstakenfromAlbertCathedralanddifferent

kindsofgashelmets.OtherinterestingthingsareaFrench75[mm]shellcase,aquantityofFrench

bullets,aBelgianbayonet,andaveryfinecollectionofpostcards.’

Warpensions,previouslymentioned,werenotverygenerousandamanwithawardisabilitymay

not be fit for a return to normalworking life. Therefore, it often required some imagination and

talenttogetby.TheHippodromeatBuxtonhadoninSeptemberforoneweekonly;‘TheKhakiBoys

– Ten Wounded and Discharged Soldiers in a Brilliant Entertainment. Direct from their London

Success.’

Whilstcrowdswould flock to theHippodrome, thepaperscarried theirgrimtaleof thedesperate

fightinginFlandersastheBEFinchedtowardsthevillageofPasschendaeleinthesameAugustrain

thathadbeensogood for the localanglers.LanceCorporalWillisEvansandSapperLeonardRiley

were reported as wounded whilst TomWorthy and Louis Crowder were killed. Crowder was an

exceptionalandwellknowncricketerandbilliardsplayer; ‘Oneofthemostskilfulexponentsofthe

gameinthePeakDistrict’,statedtheHPN.34

ThetankhadfirstbeenusedinactioninSeptember1916butwasinitiallyunreliableandasanew

weapon,itwasnotunderstoodbythetacticianswhatitwascapableof.BylateNovember1917,the34204551PrivateTomWorthy,1/RoyalScotsFusiliers,sonofMrandMrsPWorthyofScarthin,MatlockBath.25801LanceCorporalLouisCrowder,16/SF.

41

newMarkIVtankwasmorereliableandavailableinlargenumbers.Followingtheclosingdownof

the3rdBattleofYpreswiththecaptureofa largepartofthePasschendaeleRidge,theTankCorps

believedthatawayfromtheapocalypticmudofFlanders,thetankcouldshowwhatitwascapable

of. A quiet sector of the front, less damaged by shell fire outside of the German held town of

Cambraiwas chosen for amajor tank, infantry, artillery and air force combined offensive. These

newallarmstacticsprovedsosuccessfulonNovember20,thata largeholewaspunchedintothe

Germanlines.ThiswashithertounheardofontheWesternFrontandasaresulttheBritishfailedto

exploitthesituationandtheGermanseventuallyrecoveredtheirposition.However,thelessonwas

slowlybeinglearntalthoughthemanpowershortageswerestartingtobite.

As the tank came of age, so in November the HPN reported that; ‘There is now urgent need of

womenover20yearsofageformotortractorwork.Thetermsofferedarefreetraining,outfitand

travellingexpenses.Aftertrainingthewageswillbe24s[shillings]aweekforthefirsttwoweeks,30s

perweekthereafterandabonusof1speracreploughed.’

BylateNovemberasthefourthChristmasofthewarapproached,thepaperswereadvertisinggifts

includingthe1917PearsAnnualpricedat1s,whichwouldinclude‘5NewStoriesand3Magnificent

Plates[pictures]–GiveYourOrderNowToYourNewsagentSoThatYouMayNotBeDisappointed.’

TheTripleAllianceofBritain,FranceandRussiawasnowbroken.TheGermanssecretlybankrolled

theRussianrevolutionandthenewBolshevikgovernmentsuedforpeacewiththeGermans.With

theendingofthefightingontheEasternFront,theGermanswereabletomoveover500,000men

fromtheeasttothewestinreadinessforonelastrollofthedicein1918–amajoroffensivetowin

thewarbeforethemightofAmericacouldbebroughttobearagainstthem.Thehomewareffort

wentonunceasingly.‘HaveYOUHelpedYourCountry?’–Afinalpleain1917forthepopulationto

buyWarBondstobankrollthenation’sfightforsurvival.

1918

OnJanuary2theBuxtonHeraldandGazette(BHG)reportedtheproceedingsoftheDerbyshireWar

PensionsCommittee. ‘During1917 the totalamountofgrantspaidwas£2956s7d;postagesand

stationery£35s2d–Totalexpenditure£29811s9d.Numberofsoldierswivesandwidowsassisted,

52; reports on discharged disabled soldiers 36; grants made by civil Liabilities Committee to 42

persons;yearlyamount£94810s.Deaths recordedofsoldierskilled inaction in theBuxtondistrict

44.’

42

Despitethesadnessthatmanyfamilieshadincurred,theBHGwasupbeataboutBuxton’sprospects

for1918.ItseditorialsuggestedthattheSpa,theentertainmentcentresandthepublicparksshould

remainopenandbe;…madeasprettyaspossiblebyhavingarichprofusionoffoliageandbloomin

the flower beds &c. Painting of garden seats, railings and shop and house fronts must not be

scrimped. “It is an ill wind that blaws naebody guid” – and consequently we look forward with

optimismduring1918.’However,suchoptimismcouldn’tstoprationingbeingofficiallyintroducedin

earlyJanuary,sugartostartwithfollowedbymargarine,meat,flour,milkandbutter.

The adverts at the endof 1917 forWarBonds seemed to have the desired effect. For theweek-

ending22December,Buxtoniansbought£6,320againstasetquotaof£5,000andinthefollowing

week, ina fitofpatriotism; ‘theamount realisedwas£13,035.WelldoneBuxton!’Thoseathome

able tobuybonds couldalso carryonwith theirdaily lives. TheBHGagain; ‘Amarriagehasbeen

arrangedbetweenMr,SydneyEllis(TrenchWarfare),MinistryofMunitionsandPetronillaKathleen

Ryan, Sherbrook, Buxton.’ There were no such luxuries for Buxton soldier, Co. Sgt. Major Peter

KavanaghinSalonica,who;‘…hasbeenmentionedinDispatchesbytheGeneralOfficerCommanding.

Hehasbeenoutover twoyears.Weallwishhimasafe return.’Ahappywedding inBuxtonmust

haveseemedamillionmilesawaytoKavanagh.

Anoriginalpantomime,AliceInPeaklandwasbeingperformedattheOperaHousewithallreceipts

beinggiventotheBuxtonandDistrictCottageHospitalandotherlocalcharitiesbutwhilstallofthis

seasonalenjoymentwasavailabletothoseathome,thesearchformorefitmencontinued.TheBHG

again;‘Theneedformenforthearmyofallgradesisnowverygreat,andtheauthoritiesareurging

Recruiting Officers and Military Representatives to do all in their power to procure every man

possible.Itisurgedthatmenwhoformerlymighthavebeenconsideredindispensable,couldnowbe

releasedwithoutseriousdislocationofbusiness.’

Everyone,military and civilwere awareof the impendingGermanSpringOffensivebutpolitically,

theGovernmentwereholdingbacknewrecruits inBritain.TheBEFatthefrontwasstretchedand

thispositionwasexacerbatedwhenLloydGeorge,withoutdiscussionwithhisgenerals, agreed to

theBEFtakingoveranadditional30milesof frontfromtheFrench.Despitethisstateofaffairs in

France,thewheelsofDORAcontinuedturningathome.TwoSwisssubjects,werechargedatBuxton

ofhavingfailedtoregisteratthepolicestationasAlienswhilstonholidayatHaddonHallHydro.It

wasfoundthattheywere;‘…friendlyaliens.TheChairmansaiditwasaveryseriousmatterfailingto

register,andtheywereliabletoapenaltyof£100.ThebenchhadtakenintoconsiderationwhatMr.

Oramhadsaid,andwouldonlyinflictafineof10seach.’

43

Inflation was by now, raging in the economy. Wages at home had risen but foodstuffs were

expensiveand inshortsupply.Amidst thisscenario,a letterwasprinted in theBHGasking foryet

more public generosity for ‘The Sherwood Foresters Prisoners of War Appeal.’ – Just under 900

SherwoodForestersareprisonersinGermanyandTurkey.Someofthesemenhavebeenincaptivity

for over three years and have endured severe privations andmany cruelties at the hands of their

captors. The Sherwood Foresters Prisoners ofWarRegimental Care Committee are responsible for

the welfare of all these men, and have to arrange for each man to have six parcels of food per

month,andaregularweeklysupplyofbreadfromBerne.Thelattercosts7s6dpermonthforeach

man.’ The letter concluded; ‘The committee believe that, in spite of the heavy calls upon the

generosityofthepublic,theywillnotappealinvainforpromptandliberalhelpforthesebravemen,

whohavelosttheirlibertyindefendingours.’

Food,orthelackofit,wasnowamajordailytopicanditspawnedthishumorousdittyamongstthe

men;

‘TheBrigadierlikesturkey

TheColonel-hegetsduck,

Theofficershavehamandeggs;

Andthinkthemselvesinluck;

Thesergeantstheyhavebreadandcheese,

Andmopupalltheycan,

ButallthepooroldTommiesget

Isbreadandblankeyjam’

Whilst Tommy Atkinsmay have thought himself hard done by, it was nothing to that which the

German army was now suffering and the German people at home. The Royal Navy’s continual

blockadeofallGermanportswasbynowhavingasevereandincreasingeffectonGermanmorale.

Thiswouldexacerbateastheyearwenton.

MilitaryTribunalswereconstantlycombingoutmenathomeforwarservice,includinga41yearold

coalporter.Hisemployerexplainedthathewasthelastablebodiedmanhehadwhocouldfilland

liftasackofcoal.MajorBuckley,forthetribunalasked; ‘Couldn’tamanwithawoodenlegdoit?’

Despitehisemployer’spleas,themanwasorderedtoreportforserviceonApril17.Suchalocalman

wasWalterHydewhoserved in theSherwoodForestersbut losta legdue togangrene.Hewasa

44

mainstayoftheBirchValeMaleVoiceChoirafterthewar,livinguntil1976.35Economyoffoodand

economyofexpensewastheorderoftheday.ItwasreportedthattheHeraldwouldnolongerbe

availableattheFreeLibrary,soastosave1d[onepenny]perweek.Thispromptedaresponsefrom

the public and several generous citizens sent donations to ensure that the paper was not only

available at the Free Librarybut also at theDevonshireHospital.At the same time theHighPeak

HospitalCommitteemadeadecisionnottotreatGermanprisonersfromthePeakDaleInternment

CampasmanyhadDiphtheriawhichcouldbepassedtoothers.

With food in short supply, Captain EG Fairholme, Chief Secretary of the RSPCA, in response to a

speechbyaMrProthero,whichsaidthatallcarriageandpleasurehorsesshouldbekilledorputout

to grass, suggested that the new humane killer be used. ‘The RSPCA humane killer is being

successfully used in thousands of slaughterhouses, and has now been adopted by the military

authorities for slaughtering at theMetropolitan CattleMarket, the horses to be used for human

consumption.’

Onthesametack,aBHGeditorialstatedthatreportsofshortagesathomeweretroublingthemen

atthefront.‘…theirlotishardenoughwithoutbeingtoldthattheirwivesandchildrenathomehave

notsufficientfood.Iwouldaskthemtoputacheerfulcourageon,andwhilethemenatthefrontare

doing their partwithout complaining, let us at home rememberwe aremuch better off than our

enemies.’

OnMarch21,theGermanslaunchedthefirstoffourmajoroffensivesagainsttheAlliesinaneffort

to deliver the knockout blow andwin thewar. The first attackwas against the British 3rd and 5th

Armies southofArrasdownbeyondStQuentin. The5thArmywasvery shortofmen for the long

lengthoffront itwasexpectedtoholdandrapidlyfellbackwhichmeantthatthe3rdArmyhadto

complyorleaveitsflankintheair.BytheendofApril,allofthegroundsobloodilywonsince1916

on the Somme had been lost and the German’s were within sight of Amiens and further south,

threateningParisbuttheGermanarmyhadsustainedhugelossesinthefaceofstaunchdefenceand

wasrunningoutofsteam.

However,backathomeitwasannouncedthattheBoardofAgriculturehaddecidedthathenswere

toberationedtooneounceofgrainadayanditwassuggestedthatownersseeknaturallyavailable

foodslikeacornsanddandelionstofeedtheirflock.Foodbecameadailytopicofconversationand

the newspapers were full of comment about the worsening situation caused primarily by the

35BirchValeMaleVoiceChoiramalgamatedwithChapelMVCinthe1950s,Walter’stwosonsandoneofhis

grandsonsarecurrentmembersofChapelMVC.

45

GermanU-Boatcampaign.Thetopic,wasnotwithoutitsmomentsofhumour,theBHGreportedan

overheardconversationabouthorsemeat;‘Myhusband,SaidMrsAtoMrsB,Swearshewon’ttouch

it. So doesmine repliedMrsB, But he’s eaten it twicewithout knowing it, and if there’s noother

meattobehadtonighthe’llgetitagain.’

At the end ofMarch an editorial comment appeared as the scarcity of food really started to hit

home; ‘Wesay that themanwhogrows twoacresofwheatorpotatoes foreveryacrehegrewa

year ago, is doing fine service for the country, for he is helping to combat theU-Boatmenace as

surelyasthemenwhohuntthefood-shipsinkersontheocean.’Unfortunately,noteveryonecould

see that farmer’s sonsexempted frommilitary serviceweredoing theirbit by stayingathome to

growfoodstuffs.Derbyshire,itwassaid,grew21,400tonsofpotatoesin1917butconsumed65,600

tons,anditwasthereforeimperativethatanyonewithanallotmentoragardenplantedadditional

potatoesin1918.

Itwasnotonlythefarmer’ssonswhowereexemptedfrommilitaryservice,inAprilsolicitorswere

givenexemptiontoo,butitwasannouncedthatmilitaryservicewouldnowbemandatoryforthose

agedupto51andfitandable.TherealsoappearedintheBHG,instructionsastohowtouseyour

rationcouponsinthelocalshopsandthepopulationwasextolledto; ‘Eat less;breathemore.Talk

less;thinkmore.Rideless;walkmore.Clotheless;bathemore.Worryless;workmore.’Asthestate

of thehome frontworsened,DORAwas still inoperationasaMrsMabelHewitsonwas fined ten

shillingsforhavinganakedlightonshowfromherwindowintheevening.

FollowingthesuccessinFairfield,asecondNationalKitchenwasopenedinBuxtonbythemayor.He

said;‘TheNationalKitchenwasnotacharitybutapurelybusinessproposition,wheretheycouldget

goodnutritiousfoodwell-cooked,cheaperthantheycouldgetitathome,andthemorepeoplewho

usedthekitchenthecheaperwouldthedishesbecome.Themainobjectsweretosavefoodandfuel,

atatimewhenbothwerebecomingdifficulttoobtain.Theyhopedtohavetwomeatdishesaweek,

anditwouldbenecessaryforanyonerequiringaportionofthosedishestobringtobringtheirmeat

tickets-halfacouponwouldbesufficient,andthatwouldbedetached.’

AttheendofApriltheexhaustedGermansandthebeleagueredBritishonceagaindugin,some50

mileswestwardsandstatictrenchwarfareresumed.Thenewspapersnotedtheshortageofmenbut

requested; ‘Fifteenhundredare requiredatonce for theRoyalMarinesLabourCorps forservice in

North French ports loading and unloading ships. This gives a chance for men above the present

military age to volunteer…’ It was also reported that one of the first war memorials had been

unveiled inChapelchurch. ‘Amarble tablet inscribed,“He loveddutymore thanhe feareddeath.”

46

has been erected to thememory of Acting-Sergeant Harold HWalker, of that town, who died of

woundsreceivedinthebattleoftheSomme,andisburiedinRouencemetery.’36

CallstoarmsanddutyintensifiedfromthePrimeMinister,RudyardKiplingandDouglasHaigamong

others,newspaperswhippedupthefrenzyandthepropagandawarcontinuedapace.TheAmerican

presenceontheWesternFrontwasgrowingandtheAllieswere looking foranewopportunity to

renewtheoffensiveaftertwomonthsofretreat.

Notonlywereoldermen ingreatdemandbut sowereolderwomen.Theageatwhichyouwere

expectedtodoyourdutywasincreasingandwiththewomen’spushforequalitycamethenecessity

for an equal share of the burden, although it was noted that bymid-1918 nine out of every ten

employedinthemunitionsfactorieswasawoman.Tobacco,wasastapleproductforthemajorityof

the population at home and in France andwas also in short supply. ‘Tobacco costs usmore, but,

thanksalways to theBritishNavy,wedoget tobacco to fill ourpipes, even inwar time. It is very

different inGermanyandAustria.’stated theBHG in June. Itwasalsobeing reportedat this time

that during the German offensive of lateMarch, their troops had stopped advancing when they

overranBritishsupplydumps,soastoenjoycigarettes,beer,chocolateandfoodstuffsnotavailable

tothemforoverayear.

Although itwasnot recognisedat the time, the tidewasabout to turn in theAllies’ favouras the

Germans,shortofsupplies,shortofyoungmenandshortonmoralefacedaneverincreasingAllied

response.

Despitethearrivalof fitandfreshAmericantroops,Britainstill required itsmanpowertodotheir

duty and in June the BHG published the expected news that; ‘The Director General of National

Service has issued anOrder dated 15th June 1918, directing that every reservist born in the years

1867,1868and1869,whoisintheReserveshallreporthimselfatsuchplaceandonsuchdateashe

mayberequiredbyacallingupnoticetobeservedonhim.’Thusa51yearoldcouldsuddenlyfind

himselfdirectlyinvolvedinthewareffortoverseas.

ThearrivingAmericans,althoughyoungandfit,werenothardenedtobattleandstillhadthenaivety

thattheBritishhadin1914beforethehorrorsofthewarwereapparent.TheBHGagain;‘Atroop

trainwaspassingthroughladenwithAmericansoldiersoneofwhomputhisheadoutofthewindow

andinquiredwiththeutmostnonchalance“Isayboys,whatisthislittle‘scrap’youhavegotoninthe

old country?” I suspect that he found out soon enough, as would many of the black American

soldierswhohadenlisted.AsBritainwasa verywhite society100years ago, thenews thatblack36HaroldHadfieldWalker,SonofJohnGeorgeandSusanWalker,ofMarketSt.,Chapel-en-le-Frith,Stockport.Enlisted8thSept.,1914.WasamemberoftheStaffofTheManchesterandCountyBank,Ltd.(PiccadillyBranch),Manchester.Died11thAugust1916.

47

soldierswereontheirwaytothefrontwasenoughfortheBHGtocomment;‘Whatsortoffighting

stockcanbeexpectedtocomeofasavageandslaveancestry?EverystudentoftheAmericanCivil

Warknowstheanswer.Someofthebesttroopsinthatterriblestrugglewereblacks.Itisnotinthe

ranksalonethatthenegrofighterisfound.Thereare650commissionedofficers,allmenofcollege

education….and,inaddition,225negroesareservingasdoctorsanddentists,whichimpliesthatthey

holddiplomasfromcolleges.’

Still the strugglewent on for additionalmanpower both at home and abroad. The BHG carried a

large advertising article for more women to join the Land Army; ‘To make England entirely self-

supporting, and to release even more men for the Front and more food ships for American

transports,theLandArmyisappealingfor30,000recruits.’Intandemwiththisappealwasafurther

callonthepopulationtoinvesttheirsavingsinWarBonds–itwasnowafighttothefinish.

On July4at LeHamel, theAustralians,with fourAmericancompanies, inoneof the firstall arms

offensives,drovetheGermansbackoveramilein90minutes.Thiswasapreludetotheopeningday

oftheBattleofAmiensonAugust8,whereacombinedallarmsoffensive,includingsome500tanks,

on a wide front broke the German lines east of Amiens. This, said German commander Erich

Ludendorff,was the ‘BlackDay’ for theGermanarmy.Thisdayheralded the final100daysof the

warthatwouldleadtoanAlliedvictoryandtheArmisticeinNovember.

DespitetheturnofthetideontheWesternFront, lifecarriedonathomeandBuxtonmagistrates

foundthemselveshearingacaseagainstoneoftheBelgianrefugeeswhohadsettled inthetown.

‘JosephGorremans, a Belgian Refugee, employed at HaddonHall Hydropathic Establishment,was

chargedwithstealing94preservejarsandbottlesofthevalueof£5,atBuxton,onAugust5th.’The

FairfieldMilitaryTribunalalsomettohearthecaseofa; ‘Joinerandundertaker,46,Grade2,’who

was; ‘..given temporary exemption until November 1st, conditional on his doing work of national

importance.’

AlsoinfrontofthemagistratewasErnestRedfernaged12,RalphRedfern13,andHerbertCarter12.

Theywereaccusedof stealingeggs from thehen-coteofaMrMarkendale.Unfortunately for the

boys,theownerhadmarkedtheeggsandtheboyswerecaughtred-handedboilingtheminapanof

waterovera fire. ‘MrRedfern, the fatherof twoof theboys,saidhewasverygladtheyhadbeen

caught,orlatertheymighthavebeenthereforsomethingworse.TheChairmansentencedtheboys

toeachreceivesixstrokesof thebirch, theparents topay thecostsbetweenthem.’Therewasno

mercyattributabletohunger.

As the Allied armies continued their daily advance and for the first time there appeared to be a

possibilitythatthewarmightendin1918,certainaspectsoflifeathomereturnedtonormal.Ithad

48

beenforbiddenin1914forparishchurchbellstoberungandtheonlytimethishadbeenrelaxed

hadbeenafter theopeningdaysuccessesof theBattleofCambrai inNovember1917,but in late

AugusttheBHGwasabletoreport;‘ForthefirsttimeatChapelenleFrithtwoladieswhoarestaying

in the neighbourhood took part in ringing the Parish Church bells for both morning and evening

services.Theparishionersofthisancienttownwerehighlygratifiedtohearoncemoreapealofsix

bells.’

InLondonthepoliticalshakedownwasalsounderway.Thewartimenationalcoalitiongovernment

headedbyDavidLloydGeorgewaslookingtocementitspositionbyholdingasnapgeneralelection.

Manyquestionsremainedunanswered, includingvotes forwomen,giventheirsterlingwarefforts

both at home and in France and Flanders. TheMarquis of Hartington announced that he would

standforNorthEastDerbyshireasaCoalitioncandidatebut ‘ColonelHarlandBowden,thepresent

representativehasannouncedhisintentionofopposingtheMarquisofHartington,andthathehas

manyConservativesympathisers.’TheBHGnotedthatthe;‘…politicalsituationiscurious,andfuture

developmentswillbefollowedwithdeepinterest.’

Inanuncannyomen,theBHGhadataleofthreebrotherswhowerereunitedforthefirsttimesince

November1914.LieutenantAFRLinaker,LanceCorporalABLinakerandFlightCadetGSLinaker

wereathomeandthepapernoted;‘..itisthefirsttimethebrothershavemetsincetheNovemberof

thefirstyearofthewar,andpeopleofasuperstitiousturnmightbeinclinedtoacceptitasanomen

thatthepresentmayprovethelastyear.’

InSeptember,theBHGwasstillabletowriteaneditorialexhortingthelocalmenofadvancedyears

tojointheNationalserviceandmadeitplainthatmenovertheageof45inGrade2andGrade3

(fitnesscategories)nowhadtheopportunityofcarryingout lessphysicallydemandingworkand if

theyenrolledforthiswork,theywereunlikelytohavetoappearbeforeoneoftheServiceTribunals.

Inanothersignthattherewasoptimismthatthewarwouldshortlyend,organisationsforveterans

started to spring up. Eventually these organisations, with many different objectives and political

persuasions, would come to together to form the British Legion but in September 1918 it was

announced that a branch of the Comrades of theGreatWarwould be using rooms at the Spring

gardensinBuxton‘…toperpetuatethememoryandstoryofthegallantmenandwomenwhodied

fortheircountry,andtopromoteaspiritofcomradeshipamongstdischargedmenofeverybranch

oftheservice.It isalsoamainobjectoftheSocietytolookafterthepensionsofallex-membersof

theForces,andtowatchandsafeguardtheirinterestswhereverpossible.’37

37OtherorganisationswereTheNationalAssociationofDischargedSailorsandSoldiersandTheNationalFederationofDischargedandDemobilisedSailorsandSoldiers.Allwereformedin1917.

49

BylateSeptember,theGermanshadbeenforcedbacktotheir ‘impregnable’HindenburgLineand

thebynow,largelyyoungconscript,BritishArmywaspreparingtobreakthis line.Technologywas

playinganeverincreasingroleandtheBHGnotedthat,‘Theinventionof“tanks”hasbeenoneofthe

most valuable of thewar. There is nothing like the tank for clearing out nests of enemymachine

guns, and they have been the direct means of saving the lives of many thousands of British

soldiers.’38OnSeptember29,the46th (NorthMidland)Division includingthe6/SFbecamethefirst

BritishdivisiontobreaktheHindenburgLinewhentheStaffordshire’scapturedintact,theRiqueval

Bridge.Ontheirleftflankwerethe27thand30thAmericandivisions.

Although the Germanswere now in full flight, theywere able to put up long periods of staunch

defenceandastheirhomefrontcollapsedintonearstarvation,sotherewaslessfoodavailablewith

which to feed the prisoners they were holding. The BHG again had to appeal to the British

populationforhelp;‘Therearenow2,442SherwoodForestersprisonersofwarinGermany,andthe

cost of sending parcels through the Care Committee of Derby is £6,330 per annum. As there are

severalBuxtonboysamongst them, there isanobviousdutyhere forallofus tocontribute to the

fundallwecan.’39

Therefore,itisnosurprisethatTheMinistryofFoodtriedveryhardtocontrolthesituationtostop

Black Market racketeering. A notice in the BHG under the Defence of the Realm Act in mid-

SeptemberplacedfurthercontrolsonsuchdiverseproductsasJam,PoultryandGameBirds,Peas,

BeansandPulses,GrainPrices,CannedSalmonandalso; ‘TheRatsorder,1918,givespowertothe

Local Authorities to take such measures as may appear necessary to them with regard to the

destructionofrats.’

DORAwasstillactiveinotherfields, includingthoseofentertainment. ‘Billiardsaloonswillhaveto

closeathalfpasttenintheeveningthiswinter.Astheyconsumealargeamountofgas-sixlightsto

a table- the Coal Controller is of opinion that that hour is reasonable enough time for sporting

amusementofthatkindtoclose,andtheywillreceivefuelandlightrationsaccordingly.’Everyone

wasurgedtosavecoal;‘Don’tletthefireburnfiercely.Don’tmendafirelateatnight.Takeoffthe

coalwhengoingtobed.Don’tusethepoker.’OpinedtheBHG.

Asthewarnewsimproved,albeitwithsubstantiallosses,sothepoliticians,evereagertomakethe

rightimpression,laidonaseriesofPropagandaTours.TheBHGagain;‘Inorderthatpeopleinevery

38BrakesforBritishtanksweremanufacturedbyHerbertFrood’scompanyFerodoinChapelenleFrith.AfterthewarthecompanywaspresentedwithatankcourtesyoftheWarOffice.39Theconstantappealtothegeneralpopulationhastobelookedatincontext.By1918,thepoorestfamiliesdidnothavesufficientincometouseupalloftheirrationcouponsandgenerally,familieswereconsumingonlyfour-fifthsofthemeattheyhadconsumedin1912andbyJuly1920thecostoflivingwas152%higherthaninJuly1914.

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part of the United Kingdom, including the most remote villages, may obtain a fuller picture

knowledgeoftheeventsofthewarandwhywehavestilltocontinueit,anumberofcinematograph

motor-carshaveleftLondontoshowfilmsthroughouttheland.’

ByOctober,theGermanswereactivelyseekinganArmisticebuttheirterms,relayedtotheAlliesby

intermediaries,wereunacceptable.IthadtobesurrenderontheAlliestermsorafighttothefinish.

ThePrimeMinister’saddressfora‘JustandDesirablePeace’waspublishedthroughouttheland,he

soughttheknowledgethat;‘ThePrussianmilitarypowermustnotonlybebeaten,butGermanyitself

mustknowit.’

IntheBHGof16Octoberitwasreportedthat;‘OnSundaymorningthenewsspreadlikewildfirein

Buxton and the surrounding villages that the war was over.’ Such thoughts were still a little

premature.However,astheGerman’spredicamentworsened,theydidstartrepatriatingwounded

prisonerswhotheycouldno longercarefor, includingBuxton lad,Corporal JWMitchellof2/6SF

who had been wounded and captured in the German Spring Offensive of 21 March. ‘He lay for

fifteen hours before being picked up by a German stretcher party; his woundswere then given a

roughfielddressing;andhereceivednofurtherattentionuntil1stApril,elevendayslater,andafter

gangrenehad set in,whichnecessitatedamputationof the left armabout three inches below the

elbow.’ The story continued with a direct quotation from Mitchell; ‘The treatment of prisoners

behindthelineswassomethingdisgraceful,andcouldnothavebeenworseifourcaptorshadbeen

savages;infact,weweretreatedmorelikecattlethanhumanbeings,butwhenwegottoGermany

proper, we were not so badly done to, although we were frequently without food; but then the

Germanshave very little for themselves, let alone forprisoners, and youmaybe sure Fritz always

camefirstwhenitcametodistribution.Ofcourse,wegotparcelsthroughfromEnglandwhichkept

usgoing,andwealsohadbreadparcelsfromSwitzerlandandHolland,whichwereveryacceptable.’

TheserepatriationswerecarriedoutwiththeassistanceoftheInternationalRedCross.

AsNovemberarrived,thefightingcontinuedbuttalkofpeaceincreasedandthispromptedtheBHG

to report thewords of The Parliamentary Secretary toMunitions, he said; ‘..if there be notwork

enoughforeveryoneafterthewar,thewomenmuststandasideandmakeroomforthemenwho

come back. The men from the front must be in front of the queues of civilians, whether it is a

questionofworkorpay,foodorfuel.’Hethenwentontosay;‘..afterthefirstinevitableconfusion

ofsortingandreturningsoldiersandprisoners,womenwouldbereabsorbedintoindustry–thatisto

say,theywillbewantedtoworkformakinganewworldafterthewar,justastheywerewantedto

workforvictory.’

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TheHippodrome, ThePictureHouseandTheOperaHouseall had full programmes toperform in

earlyNovemberbutalsototheforewasthenewsthatjamwasnowtoberationed.‘…retailerswill

bepermittedtoselljamtotheirregisteredcustomersonly,andcouponsmustbedetachedfromleaf

5ofthecustomer’srationbook.Therationbooksofpersonsbetweentheagesof6and18contain

extrajamcoupons,butthesearenotavailableforuseuntilfurthernotice.’

At the monthly meeting of the Buxton Council, one item on the agenda was the proposed war

memorial.CouncillorBuckleysaid; ‘Theyallbelieved theywere rapidlyapproaching theendof the

war,andthatbeingso,therewerecertainthingsthatshouldbedone.Thetimehadcometoconsider

theadvisabilityofpreparingplans for theerectionofamemorial to thosemenofBuxtonand the

HighPeakwhohadfalleninthewar.’

Eventually,worndownbytheRoyalNavy’sblockadeofitsportsandtheeverincreasingpressureof

the Allied advance in France and Flanders, the Germanmilitary government fell from office, the

KaiserabdicatedtoHollandandanArmisticecameintoeffectat11amonthe11November1918.

The fighting had ended but the war would not officially end until the summer of 1919 with the

signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Localised warfare in many regions continued but three great

Empires had fallen, theRomanovs in Russia, theHohenzollerns inGermany and theHapsburgs in

Austro-Hungary. Many smaller countries escaped from these Empires and looked forward to

independencebutofmostconcernwasaworldwidepandemicof‘SpanishFlu’thatinfectedathird

oftheworld’spopulationandisbelievedtohavekilledbetween20and100millionpeople,noexact

recordsexist.

However,back inBuxton celebrationswere thenameof thegame. ‘News that theArmisticewith

Germany had been signed and the cessation of hostilities was received in Buxton early in the

forenoonofMonday,andwithinaveryshortperiodthetownunderwentacompletemetamorphosis.

FromtheTownHall,hotels,hydrosandotherpublicbuildingswerehoistedtheUnionJackandflags

of theAllies-buntingandbanneretteswhichhadbeen storedaway for yearswerehastily dragged

out,andweresoonflutteringfromprominentpositionsonnearlyeveryhouseinthetown.’

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Despitetheendofhostilities,thedailygrindandshortageoffoodwastocontinue.ABHGeditorial

stated; ‘Now that theArmistice is signedandwemayhope that the last shotofArmageddonhas

beenfired,manypeoplemaybeunderthe impressionthatallwehavetodo is to“resumenormal

conditions”.Normalconditionswillnotresumeformanyadaytocome.’Someonehadtoshoulder

theblameforthisstateofaffairsandofcourse ithastobethe losers.ThePrimeMinisterstated;

‘AfterVictorycomesthejudgement;thetermsofpeacemustincludepunishmentforthevilecrimes

and criminals which the war has found in the German ranks.’ The Treaty of Versailles not only

carvedup theworldat thebehestof theVictorsbut inflicted terrible financial reparationson the

beatenGermansandtheirailingeconomy.40

PeaceDay1919TheCrescent,Buxton.

40IthasbeensuggestedthattheverytermsinflictedupontheGermansatVersailles,ledtotheeconomicandsocialconditionsthatwouldallowAdolfHitler’sNationalSocialismtorisetopowerinthe1930s,andtherefore,ratherthanbeingtheWartoendallWars,itwasinfactthepre-cursortoWWII.

53

Bytheyear’send,thereturningsoldiers,asexpected,startedtofindemployment.LieutenantJosiah

Taylorof6/SFwasrecommendedtobecometheClerktotheGovernorsofCavendishHighSchool,

theFoodControllermadeanorderfixingthepriceofeggsat5s6d(fiveshillingsandsixpence)per

dozenandthedateoftheGeneralElectionwasconfirmedasbeingDecember14,withcountingon

the28DecemberandtheNewHouseofcommonssittingforthefirsttimeonJanuary21.Buxton’s

patrioticcitizensboughtanother£3,345worthofWarBondsintheweekendingNovember16.

Somewhatsurprisingly,giventhatwomenofgoodstandingandagedatleast30,wereabletovote

forthefirsttime,therewasa‘PollingDayApathy’,theBHGstatedthat;‘Itwasdifficulttorealiseon

SaturdaythataGeneralElectionwastakingplace.Nobodywantedit,andaswasexpecteditwasthe

dullest and most common-place contest in the memory of even the oldest elector.’ David Lloyd

George’s rulingNationalCoalitionwonhandsomelybut in Ireland,SinnFeinnationalistsmade the

largestgainsbutrefusedtotaketheirseatsinWestminster.

Christmasarrivedonceagain,thistime inpeacefulconditionsbutastheBHGeditorialnoted; ‘The

signingoftheArmisticeandthecessationofhostilitieshasbroughtrealpeacetomanythousandsof

families,butthereare,unfortunatelymanyhomeswherejoywillbetingedwithsadnessasmemory

recalls some loved one – father, husband, sweetheart, brother – who has made the supreme

sacrifice,whose body reposes in a soldier’s grave in a foreign land;whose presence in the family

circle would have made for brightness and have filled the cup of happiness to the brim this

Christmastide.Then,also,hastobetakenintoaccounttheravageswroughtbyinfluenza,whichhas

beenprevalentinepidemicforminallpartsofthecountry;andwhich,eveninourtownanddistrict,

hasexactedaheavytollofcomparativelyyounglives.Thecomingseason,therefore,willberobbed

inverymanycasesofthemerrimentwhichhasbeenassociatedwithitfromtimeimmemorial.’

On Christmas Day came the notice of the posthumous award of the Victoria Cross to Lieutenant

ColonelBWVannVCMC;‘..whocommandedtheChesterfieldTerritorialsandtookpartintheheroic

crossing of the Canal Du Nord (September 29). He was killed a few days later when leading his

battaliontotheattack.’

SoendedtheFirstWorldWar.Thefirstindustrialworldwar,thewarthatsawkillingtakentonew

levelsof technicalachievement– thewar thatspawnedthemassuseofautomaticmachineguns,

quick firingartillery,highexplosiveshellswithdetonationon impact,gaswarfare,war in theskies

andtheinventionofthetank.LifewaschangedforeveryfamilyinGreatBritainbutoutofsadness

and hardship, ailing economies, unemployment and disability, came a spirit of optimism and

renewal.TheendofthewarsawthebirthoftheChapelenleFrithMaleVoiceChoir,whichtodayin

2018,celebratesonehundredyearsoffellowshipthroughsinging.

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©JonathanD’HoogheMA