The Holes brothers of Ardeley in the First World War

Five years ago I posted a note about a possible bomb being dropped somewhere near Walkern by a Zeppelin (DETAILS)  - and I am still waiting for someone to be able to tell me where it fell.

The evidence that something happened came from a postcard between members of the Holes family of Ardeley, and Nick has just contacted me to say that Albert (mentioned on the card) had been killed in the First World War. As a result I have added the following note to the bottom of the page referring to the Zeppelin raid.

Alfred's father, George Holes (1857-1914) died at Ardeley in April 1914 and Alfred married Ethel Maude Baker (1890-1956) in theSouth Stoneham area of Wiltshire in 1915, their only daughter Ivy M Holes (1916-2004?) being born in Wiltshire the following year.Alfred joined the 9th Battalion, London Regiment (419016), as a rifleman and was killed in action on 25 April, 1918, having only arrived in France on 10th April. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Poziers Memorial. He was posthumously awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal

During the war three of his brothers were also involved. George joined the Machine Gun Corps (39922) in 1916. James was a Private in the Berks Yeomanry (33929) and later in the Labour Corps (360192). Bertie joined the 6th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment (14144) and died of wounds in France 29 July 1916.

Latest Tring WW1 News: A Military wedding, a local casualty, 3 local men join Herts Regiment in France, Zeppelin warnings

Extracts from the Bucks Herald of 30th 

January, 1915

Edited from British Newspaper Archive

Previous week ~~~~ Tring News Index 

Tring Military War related matters were more prominent in this week's paper, headed by details of the wedding, with full military honours, of Herbert Hamilton, an officer in the Northumberland Fusiliers. The Hertfordshire Regiment is doing well at the front and 200 more territorials have joined them, including three men from Tring - Archibald Bishop (carpenter, son of Henry Bishop, carpenter, of Longfield Road), Frank Marcham (coach painter, son of Frederick W. Marcham, invalid, of Oakleigh, Western Road), and Fred Rodwell (son of William Rodwell, brewer, of Akeman Street). Tring War Memorial News is given of the death of Harry Poulton (married Clara Fountain, daughter of Joseph Fountain of Buckland Wharf, in 1913), of Tring, who has died fighting with the Highland Light Infantry. The Rev. Charles Pearce has been appointed as a chaplain for the troops currently stationed in Tring. In Wilstone a concert was held in aid of the Soldiers' Reading Room while the Wigginton Red Cross Society has sent "a parcel containing nightshirts, flannel jackets, surgical coats, bed socks, sheets, pillow cases, and hot-water bottle covers" for use by injured soldiers. Shortages of men due to the numbers who have gone to the front are mentioned the regular Agricultural Notes column, where the problem is being made worse by bad weather. Mr Bedford, of New Ground Farm  advertises for a ploughman in a Reading newspaper - presumably because he can't recruit locally, while Walter Rothschild now only opens his museum to visitors on Wednesday afternoon. Two news items would remind readers of the real possibility of German attacks on this country. The first was an announcement about the blackout precautions in the event of a zeppelin raid. The second was in a news item, reprinted from The Field, which discussed the possibility of the a number of the agricultural shows being cancelled. While it did not mention the German bombardment of Scarborough it points out that "the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Societies had virtually no alternative but abandon their shows, which, strangely enough, were both have been held within gun range of the sea." Tring Post Office was very much in the news as a postman, Fred Budd, was presented a testimonial by the Royal Humane Society for resuscitating a child who had been unconscious when pulled from a pond near Pitstone. The presentation was also an opportunity to welcome the new postmaster, Mr Charles Alfred Cole, to the town. Earlier the same day John William Thomas Morrison (a chemist and druggist whose shop was on the other side of what was the called Western Road, but which is now part of the High Street) was involved in an accident with a car. As usual the paper printed details of the service so be held at the Parish Church on Sunday, while the recently appointed organist and choirmaster, Arthur Henry Baker was advertising his services as a music teacher. At Wigginton the Church of England's Men's Society had a meeting about setting up a Diocesan Union. Every week the Estate agent and Auctioneer, William Brown & Co. of Tring and Aylesbury have a large advert and this week you could rent a 4 reception room, 7 bedroom house in the Tring area for 7 guineas a week (£7.35). I have also included details of one of his livestock sales - which includes the names of many local farmer. Surnames mentioned in the complete extracts: Anderson, Baker, Bedford, Bell, Bishop, Breadalhane, Broad, Brown, Budd, Capel, Cole, Curtis, Fells, Figg, Finch, Francis, Gaston, Gomm, Goulder, Grange, Hamilton, Hedges, Jesson, Lewin, Lowe, Marcham, Morant, Morrison, Ogilvie, O'Keefe, Pearce, Poulton, Puddephatt, Rodwell, Rothschild, Thomas, Woodman, Wakley, Waldock Winteringham Notes from usual genealogy sources - particularly census returns of 1901 and 1911)

Anti-Aircraft Guns in Hemel area in 1918

Some of Harry Chandler's memories of Hemel Hempstead during the First World War have been posted on Facebook. He mention the searchlight and anti-aircraft gun east of Randall Park. These installations are described in The London Gunner comes to Town as follows:

In the autumn [of 1917] the plans for the air defences of London included a ring of anti­-aircraft guns and searchlights which were stronger to the north and east of the city. Several smaller units were based in the Hemel Hempstead area and the Management and Estates Committee asked Waiter Locke to negotiate with the military authorities about the proposed searchlight station in Randall Park. This was the westernmost of a series of 3" 20cwt gun stations and searchlight posts which stretched across Hertfordshire. The western approaches to London were defended by searchlight stations armed with 18 pounder guns (a modified version of those being used by the Royal Field Artillery in France). These formed a line starting at Gadebridge. and running south through Boxmoor. Bovingdon and Flaunden. It seems very likely that these guns were never used in anger, as no later German it attacks, either by Zeppelin or aeroplane, came so far west.

Ten Little Zeppelins - First World War Poem by Winifred Cook

Ten Little Zeppelins
Ten little Zeppelins     Flying in a line, One got far out to sea,     Then there were nine.			Five little Zeppelin     Making such a roar, One exploded with a bang,     Then there were four.
Nine little Zeppelins     Flying rather late, One had a dreadful end,     Then there were eight.			Four little Zeppelins     Buzzing like a bee, The R.F.C. caused one to squirm,     Then there were three.
Eight little Zeppelins     Flying up to Heaven, One pilot had a smash,     Then there were seven			Three little Zeppelin     Bombing Sister Sue. She stuck a pin in one,    Then there were two.
Seven little Zeppelins     Admiring English ricks, One got hay-fever bad,     Then there were six.			Two little Zeppelins     Frightened by the gun, One made off for Germany,     Then there was one.
Six little Zeppelins      Made a swanky dive, One took it much too low,     Then there ware five.			One little Zeppelin     Feeling very lonesome, English gun shot high and sure     Gave it back its ownsome.

Schools

Military

Click here for background notes.

Following the interest in my earlier post Sing a Song of Zeppelins I have decided to publish further First World War School Poetry.

WW1 Nursery Rhymes - Sing a song of Zeppelins

Military

Schools

There is currently a lot of work being done in schools to make the pupils aware of what happened in the First World War, and many will be writing about it. But of course children were writing about the War a hundred years ago and there are references in the school magazines of the time.  The following comes from the December 1916 issue of The Mortonia which is based on "Sing a song of sixpence." 

Sing a song of Zeppelins --

How the monsters fly -­

More than twenty Germans

Rushing through the sky.

When our airmen bombed one,

How the people cheer!

Wasn't that a thrilling feat

For our gracious King to hear?

The King was in his Council room

Talking to V.C.'s.

The Queen was in the dining room

Serving soldiers' teas.

The Kaiser rushes East and West,

And curses as he goes.

Let's hope one of our "dicky birds"

Will soon peck off his nose.

[If you know of any examples of contemporary school work mentioning the war let me know as it could be of interest to people who are preparing teaching material for schools 100 years later.]

See later post Ten Little Zeppelins