Formation of the Volunteer Rifle Corps in 1860

Poem on the Volunteer Rifle Corps Meeting at Berkhamsted

 In January 1860 there were  meetings at Ashridge, Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted and Tring to form a combined Rifle Corps. For details (and the full poem) click on the poem.

For the historic background see Wikipedia

The RAMC in the Watford Area in 1914

Heather has kindly supplies a picture, taken by Harry Cull, of Watford, which used to adorn her grandfather's desk. He was Pte Vincent Lamb - and may be the man behind the horse's head.

More WW1 and other pictures by Harry Cull

More Information about James Humphries (Herts R.F.A.) of Watford

The Military

Four years ago I purchased a faded card of a military camp posted by "J" from Watford in 1909 - and as the result of a lot of detective work was able to identify him and outline his military career with the Territorial Army (DETAILS).

Paul Chapman has now written to say he was a relative and has provided information on his death, and that of his widow. It is always nice to hear when people find their relatives mentioned on my site.

An Aeroplane Lands at Britons Camp, St Albans, in 1915

A Maurice Farman MF-11 Shorthorn plane at Britons Camp, St Albans. These French planes were used for training and reconnaissance in the early part of the First World War. The cap badges show that most of the men were from the Lincolnshire and Leicestershire Regiments, who were at Britons Camp in the summer of 1915.

Unfortunately the picture provides no clues as to exactly where Britons Camp was situated. Can you help?

More Information on Britons Camp

Death of 2nd Lieut. Crabtree and other War News from Tring on 13th February 1915

Extracts from the Bucks Herald of 13th February, 1915

Edited from British Newspaper Archive
Previous week ~~~~ Tring News Index

The only "local" military casualty connected to Tring this week was the death of 2nd Lieutenant William Crabtree of the Lincolnshire Regiment in an accident on a sharp bend between Startops and Tringford Reservoirs at Tring Ford. A taxi taking two officers an an unidentified lady from London to their unit in Leighton Buzzard crashed. The detailed report of the inquest ends with the coroner, Lovel Smeathman of Hemel Hempstead, recommending "The turn in the road was a dangerous point, and a notice warning drivers should be placed there." The corner is still dangerous, with no sign, and now car are going much faster than 10 mph! Some of the early press accounts of the paper incorrectly reported that he died in a motor cycle accident.

Tring at War - Latest News 19th December, 1914

Christmas in Tring is looking good, as the the decision to based the headquarters of the 21st Division in the town, and the billeting of some 3,000 men now means that the shops are busy, although they would be even busier if local people shopped locally rather than in London. The paper was full of Xmas adverts and Tring Consolidated Charities distributed tickets for bread and coal. Over £25 was raised at the Tring Stock Sale for the Belgium Relief Fund and the big local news was the death of Dr Brown. There are brief mentions of the success of  Evelyn A. Freeman and Norah Jeffery in music exams, the vocalists at the Gem cinema, a lecture by the Rev. E. J. Whitman at the Baptist Chapel at Wigginton,  and the fact that Mr. H. W. Bishop, of Pendley, was a judge at the Smithfield Show.

     The military plans to use the High Street Schools as a military hospital were  progressing, which will allow them to vacate the Victoria Hall. Several Councillors launch an appeal for Xmas gifts for the soldiers in the hospital. Meanwhile military training carries on in the area. The nearby village of Marsworth provides a list of men from the parish serving in the armed forces. The very rainy weather was causing problems in the construction of the large army camp just over the county boundary at Halton, where "The continual heavy rains have, if anything, added to the wretched conditions that prevail, and the roads in the vicinity of the camp are almost impassable to anything but heavy motor vehicles." These problems may be why James Putnam was offering 30/- a week, plus lodgings, for "Pair and Single Horse Drivers" to work at the camp. Elsewhere in the paper there is a mention of the problems farmers are having with preparing the fields for the crops because so many farm workers have volunteered for the forces. [Later in the war a single track narrow gauge line was built between Wendover Station and the camp]

     Bombardier P. Seabrook, 35th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, son of Mr. Edwin Seabrook, of Albert-street, wrote home and while such letters do not normally mention the location or the fighting he can report that "Yon can read of my Battery in the Daily Mail of Nov. 26th. The heading 'Sticking to the Guns.' and 'The Heroic Defence of --- by a Single Battery commanded Major Christie.'" [Has anyone got a copy???]

Extracted from the Bucks Herald, 19th December, 1914

See the Latest Old Tring News

Other Tring "Old News .  

The Queens Westminster Rifles at Leverstock Green

Military

I have just posted extracts from The War Journal of Bernard Joseph Brookes which I recorded in 1994 when I was drafting The London Gunners come to Town. It covers the period from August 1914 to the beginning of November, 1914.

My original notes are shown unchanged (apart form some minor formatting differences) but I have added some brief biographical details and a portrait photograph of Bernard taken later in the War.

One interesting a feature is that in 1994 I added a footnote about Military Firing Ranges which reads:

The firing range used was probably in the grounds of Mr Secretan's house, The Dell, at Bennett's End, presumably a disused brick pit. The main military ranges were at Gorhambury, and at Chalk Hill, Westfield Farm, St Stephens. However work on constructing these ranges only started towards the end of September and the earliest record I have found of them being used in November, after the Queen's Westminster's had left Leverstock Green.

So I had the answer to the question "Where is the Chalk Hill firing range?" all along - but in an obsolete format - which my searches were not recognizing it!

Report on St Albans at War 1914/5 Conference

A Full House at the Conference

St Albans

 at War

1914/15

20 September 2014

Dagnal Street Baptist Chapel, St Albans.

An Inns of Court Photograph by Newman of Berkhamsted

Help Desk

Jane sent this photograph which contains her grandfather, Charles William Bowell, because she knew very little about his involvement in the First World War.

Military

The picture was taken by James T Newman of Berkhamsted. The cap badges are of the Inns of Court Regiment, which during the War were an officer training corps based at Berkhamsted. It would appear from what Jane said that Charles failed to get his commission.

More Information.

Is this a Hertfordshire Regiment Summer Camp?

Military

I am currently investigating some soldiers who were members of the Hertfordshire Regiment (Territorial Force) in the Waltham Cross area prior to the outbreak of war and fought through the war. This post card shows an army camp at Eastbourne and I suspect that it shows the Herts Regiment at their summer camp shortly in the early 1920s - (not 1920 when they were at Yarmouth). Does anyone know which year (if any) the Hertfordshire Regiment had a camp at Eastbourne.

The Ashridge Training Camp, 1914, and the Outbreak of War.

Military

When War was declared in August 1914 the Territorials in the Hertfordshire Regiment were at their annual training camp - which was being held at Ashridge. The latest Dacorum Heritage Trust Newsletter (Summer 2014) includes details of the the camps as published in The Gazette on 1st August 1914, and what happened using information published on 8th August, together with some contemporary pictures.

The newsletter also says that on August Bank Holiday (Monday 25th August) Dacorum Heritage Trust will have a WWI themed display at the Lions Fete at Berkhamsted Cricket Club ground. Come and visit us in the marquee.

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At Ashridge Camp - Summer 1914

Hemel Hempstead

For further information on what was happening in the Hemel Hempstead area when war broke out see my book, The London Gunners come to Town, and the many pictures at higher resolution at Military Camps - Ashridge Park July 1914. More of the background is included in my talk The Terriers in West Herts in World War 1.

Soldiers leaving Camp at Ashridge,  Summer 1914

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Click here for pictures of earlier camps.

Troops in Abbots Langley area - London Scottish casualty identified

Military

One of the reasons I have a lot of photographs of WW1 troops on my web site is so that they can be remembered 100 years later. This photograph, one of a number on my "London Scottish" page, had been provisionally been dated to August/September 1914.

I have just had the following letter from Andrew Waterston, who writes: The young man in the coveralls sitting on the bucket at the front of your picture is my Great Uncle, 1847 Pte George Alexander Waterston.  He joined the London Scottish in 1913 and was posted to G Company.  He had grown up around army horses as his father had been awarded the DCM serving in the Royal Horse Guards and had gone on to run the canteen above Horse Guards in Whitehall, so the coveralls suggest he may have been employed looking after the officers' chargers - or he may have just been a messy eater!

Yours is the last photograph we have of him. He transferred to D Company and was killed less than 3 months later on the night of 31st October 1914 in the attack on the burning Windmill at Messines.  He was 20 years old.  His elder brother, Will was killed at Festubert in May 1915, unaware that his younger brother was already dead.

The London Scottish were the first territorial battalion, from those who trained in Hertfordshire, to see action. Some senior officers in the 2nd London Division felt that they had insufficient training and after the high casualties on 31st October (undoubtedly involving other as yet unidentified soldiers in the picture) most of the other battalions did not go to France until March 1915.

Many people in Hertfordshire are researching Hertfordshire men who fought and died in the war. Let us not forget the many others who came to Hertfordshire to train or to recover from their wounds. Any postcards (as digital images) and other information about these "forgotten" heroes would be welcome - as every extra clue could help identify both the military units and individual soldiers.

Herts WW1 Post Cards at Sky High Prices

Military

A number of excellent post cards have appeared on ebay at pretty fantastic prices, but if you are interested you better take a quick look before they sell.

The 11th with bridge over the River Lea

Three show the 11th London Regiment (The Finsbury Rifles) and the posting date of June 1915 suggests they presumably relate to the reserve Battalion as the 1st Battalion went to France in March 1915. One show a bridge they built over the River Lea. 

The 11th marching from St Albans to Hemel Hempstead

One shows a route march to Essendon, and another leaving St Albans on a route march to Hemel Hempstead.

Four more cards (all unposted) relate to the 23rd London Regiment (East Surrey). Three relate to the troops arrival in Hatfield in 1915. The other is undated and shows the the troops marching to South Mimms with the title "The Return to Hatfield". This would suggest it was the reserve battalion returning to the place where the 1st Battalion trained - undoubtedly including some men (for instance older officers) who had not gone to France with the 1st Battalion, but had stayed behind to train the reserves.

The 23rd on "The Return to Hatfield"

All photographs were taken by E. Kentish of Hatfield (possibly Edward William Kentish, son of John Kentish, baker, of Hatfield).

Identifying WW1 post cards of soldiers in Hertfordshire.

The Military

Before Christmas I posted Something for you to do over Christmas to raise money for charity - the idea being to try and identify more soldiers who were in Hertfordshire from old post cards and other pictures. I report on three responses below.

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8th London (Howitzer) Brigade, Royal Field Artillery

The First is a post card showing soldiers grouped round a howitzer. Fiona tells me that the officer standing behind the gun is Eustace Nugent Fitz-George de Radcliffe Cooper. This confirms that the picture shows the unit which was based at Apsley, Hemel Hempstead between August 1914 and March 1915. As a result I have posted an old newspaper report from 1914 which mentions several soldiers who were members of the Brigade. Because a number of names are on record it should be possible to identify further officers and men who are in the picture - but I put this up as a challenge for visitors to this site.

More Information

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2/14th Battalion, London Scottish at North Mimms

Peter has kindly provided five digital images of the London Scottish on a musketry course at North Mimms in August 1915, Information on the back of one of the post cards allows the soldiers to be identified as part of the second line battalion, the first line battalion having been one of the first battalions to see action in October 1914. While there is not definite evidence it seems likely that the musketry course involved shooting on the Chalk Hill Firing Range..

More Information

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Jon has suggested that this picture of the Imperial Service Division at St Albans shows them on parade on the former St Albans School playing fields at Belmont Hill. The large house in the middle background with multiple chimneys would therefore be Torrington House - close to the site of Holywell House owned by the Marlboroughs/Spencers well into the 1800s. It would have been close to the White Hart HQ.

More Information

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Donate Here

I am still interested in any further information on troops who were based in Hertfordshire in the 1914-1919 period - and as promised in the earlier post I have made a donation of £20 to support the Mentally ill in Hertfordshire.

Have You Used the Forces War Records web site?

Military

The Forces War Records Web site looks interesting and quite a few of the messages I get have a military interest. Would people find a review of this site useful? As an example,  I could see how easy it was to get information on a Hertfordshire relative who fought in the Boer War, and also some background information about some of the soldiers (and their units) who were based in Hemel Hempstead during the First World War and are mentioned in my book The London Gunners come to Town. The problem is that it is a pay site and to keep costs down I need to plan my approach carefully. If you have any experience of the site (good or bad) let me know by commenting below so that I can plan my review to include areas of interest - and if no one has any comments or suggestion I can move the review to the low priority list.

Something to do over Christmas

Valerie's grandfather was in the London Scottish Regiment and she has kindly supplied a picture of some of the soldiers who were trained in Hertfordshire during the First World War, photographed by the Watford photographer, Harry Cull, who took so many photographs of troops training in the area. The negative number suggests that the picture was taken after the first line of the London Scottish went to France, and this picture may show new recruits of the second line. 

Such contributions to this web site can help to make it more useful to more people. So how can you help over the Christmas Holidays?

My current plans are to significantly increase my coverage of the First World War in time for the anniversary of the outbreak of war in August 1914. I would like to include one or more pictures of soldiers in each of the units who trained in Hertfordshire, and also of the military hospitals. and not just Napsbury, but some of the many smaller Military Hospitals based in large private houses, such as those at Boxmoor, Gustard Wood and Kings Walden. Pictures of camps such as Britons Camp and the one at Hitchin, and of military training will be included when I can get them.

If your ancestor was in the First World War and was trained in Hertfordshire, or was a member of the Hertfordshire Regiment, why not.over the Christmas holiday, look out any relevant photographs to add to the online Centenary collection I am preparing. Tell me what you have, and I will send you instructions for sending digital copies - and I may be able to tell you more about what he was doing or what the picture shows. Simple information, such as the address where he was billeted can be useful, while messages home on the back of post cards can be most helpful in revealing .

In addition, if you know of web sites or books which have World War 1 pictures of troops training in Hertfordshire tell me the URL or book details. The more information you can let me have the better we can celebrate what our ancestors did to protect this country in 1914-1918.

Another Post Card solves the Mystery with a Kiss!

5th Howitzer Battery in Action, Lydd Camp, 1909

Last November I reported on a very faded post card of of guns at a military camp, sent to a Miss M Rowe by "J" and suggested the likely identities of  Miss "M" and "J". 

Now another card has turned up, showing guns at Lydd Camp, also sent from Watford to Berkhamsted. This shows that the "M" I suggested was Miss Margaret Rowe was called "Madge", while the "J" I provisionally identified as James Humphries was called "Jim." In addition Jim attended a "drill" which supports the idea that he was in the Territorial Force. For more details see Mystery Military Photo

However I also discovered I had missed a clue with the original card - by not wondering why the stamp had not been stuck on straight. When the second card turned up with the same configuration I started to investigate and it turns out that in the "Language of Stamps" a stamp stuck on in this way can mean the equivalent of "love and kisses."

Lydd Army Camp - where the Watford based RFA went in 1909

Tintown Camp, Lydd, circa 1910

I have updated the investigation into the post card send by "J" to "Miss M. Rowe" by including three pictures of the gunnery training camp at Lydd, Kent, that the Watford Batteries used for training in the summer of 1909.
See Mystery Military Post Card.

Identifying an Army Postcard - A Detective Story

  

This very faded post card, with no title, shows an army camp and I recently purchased it on ebay. I decided that I would use it to demonstrate how even an apparent "dead loss" post card can tell an interesting story. The questions that came to mind after a quick look at the card are:

• What army unit is shown?
• Where, when and why was the camp being held?
• Why was the card posted in Watford?
• Who was "M" (Miss M Rowe) to whom the card was sent?
•    ... and why could she not be found in the census at the address given?
• Who was "J" who sent the card?
•   ... and how was he related to the lady in question?
• Was Watford Football Club playing at home on Saturday, 20 November, 1909?

Click here to see how I set about trying to answer these questions. To confirm my finding I still need to look at some records (perhaps you can help) but the clincher evidence that ties everything together may be in the Watford Observer newspaper at the end of August 1910!