Tring News on 20th March, 1915

Military

While there were a large number of troops billeted in and around Tring the main military news in the local section of the paper was that there had been two concerts for their entertainment. One was put on by Mrs Williams at Pendley Manor and the other was arranged by the Soldiers' Entertainment Fund and held in the  Medical Inspection Hall (now the Victoria Hall). However in the main part of the paper, covering Aylesbury, there are indications that billeting is to end in April, and the soldiers will be moving on.

Old News

One of the soldiers, based in nearby Aston Clinton was before the court for driving a car with no lights and one can only wonder if the police were tightening up after the accident in which two soldiers had been killed a week or so earlier. One may also wonder if some of the road repairs deemed necessary were due to the wear and tear due to the number of troop movements in the area, and the construction of the camp at Halton.

Tring

In normal years local gardeners would be able to compete for prizes in events such as the Tring Agricultural Show, but many had been cancelled, However the Daily Mail had announced a grand show of vegetables in London in September, and Arthur Dye, of Tring Park Gardens, was co-ordinating entries for the area.

On the religious front the Baptist Church at New Mill had meetings supporting the Baptist Missionary Society while the Baptist Chapel at  Wigginton celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Sunday school.  There was also the usual order of services for the Parish Church.

Easter was being celebrated in a different was by W. Brown & Co, auctioneers - who were inviting entries to the Tring Easter Fat Stock Show and Sale - and they were also to sell off a baker's tools and trade utensils - including a dough mixer, a cake making machine, and a waggonette and a useful tradesman's horse.

Surnames: Ariston, Bagnall, Baker, Birch, Brooks, Brown, Clark, Curtis, Dell, Downes, Dye, Eggleton, Fulks, Gomme, Groome, Hazell, Heading, Hemmens, Hutton, Kirby, Kirk, Lang, Locke, Longman, Mather, Mullins, Page, Rothschild, Rowe, Sait-Knight, Swann, Taylor, Thorne, Ward, West, White, Wilding, Williams, Winterton

Extracts from the Bucks Herald of 20th March, 1915

Edited from British Newspaper Archive

Old Tring News - POW returns to England - Soldiers die in road accident - more urinals requried

    Extracts from the Bucks Herald of 27th February, 1915

Military

Compared with previous weeks there is more news about individual soldiers. Captain Edmund S. W. Tidswell, son of the previous vicar of Tring, has been mentioned in dispatches. Private F. Birch (Herts Regiment) of Wigginton, has been wounded. Private W. G. Mustill (1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers), of the Cow Roast Lock, Tring, had been earlier wounded and captured by the Germans, but he was part of a prisoner exchange, which he describes, and is now in a London Hospital. Also from Wigginton Harold Gurney is still in hospital at Oxford, while Albert Baker has returned to duty after coming home on sick leave.

Among the forces stationed locally the 15th Platoon, D Company, 8th Lincolnshire Regiment sent a wreath to the funeral of their late officer, Lieut. Wm. Crabtree, who was killed in a taxi-cab near Tring a fortnight ago. An Inquest is to be held on Private White and Thomas of the 12th Northumberland Fusiliers who were found dying by the side of the road at Aston Clinton - a matter which makes Captain's Icke's letter about who had done the fastest route march seem rather insignificant.

The number of troops in the area affects the provision of public services, and in nearby Wendover there was a discussion about the provision of public urinals. The Ruri-Decanal Conference at Berkhamsted (attended by many Church of England ministers and lay members) discussed the provision on intersession services, while the people of Tring were warned that the street lighting might have to be turned off because of the shortage of coal  (in part because so many former miners were now training at Tring?)

On the home front Tring was getting ready for a council by-election following the death of Dr Brown and William Smith, builder, and Edward Wright wrote letter to the paper addressing the electorate.Jack Grange, the son of Herbert Grange, the farmer at Grove Farm, was found to have advanced cancer while James Clark, a Post Office pensioner,  had a successful operation at the West Herts Hospital, at Hemel Hempstead. Both Lord Rothschild, of Tring Park, and J G Williams, of Pendley, won top awards at the Shire Horse Show at Islington. On a more mundane level Percy Mead, farmer of Gubblecote had mangolds for sale.

Surnames this week: Bagnall, Baker, Beal, Bedford, Beech, Birch, Boswall, Brackley, Brown, Bull, Cartwright, Cattell, Clark, Cockburn, Crabtree, Craufurd, Dale, Eccles, Evetts, Ewing, Farran, Field, Finch, Francis, French, Gaussen, Gilbert, Grange, Greey, Gurney, Halsey, Hart-Davies, Hastings, Hilderley, Hodgson, Holland, Houchen, Houseman, Hutton, Icke, Lea-Wilson, Lendrum, Ling, Moore, Lowe, Mead, Muntz, Mustill , Norris, North, Penny, Pope, Ridley, Rolfe, Rothschild, Smith, Smith-Dorrien, Spark, Thomas, Thring, Tidswell, Ward, Weston, White, Williams, Wood, Wright.

Military Funeral of Private Crichton and other Tring News from 1915

Extracts from the Bucks Herald of 20th February, 1915

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

The big event of the week was the funeral of George Crichton, of  "D" Company, 13th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, who had been billeted with Mr and Mrs J. Shephard of Lonbgfield Road, Tring, and who was buried, with full ceremony, in Tring Cemetery.

The religious needs of the troops were also to the fore. The Right Rev. Bishop J. Taylor Smith, Chaplain-General to the Forces gave a service, In addition to the regular church parades some soldiers had joined the parish church choir, and the Y.M.C.A. put on an event in the Gem Picture Palace. More everyday needs were supplied by the Rothschild children who gave 300 lbs. of tobacco and 2,300 packets of cigarettes to the men stationed in the town and surrounding villages.

The letter in last week's paper about the verse "The Lads of Halton Park" produced a response from the author, G. Patterson, who was billeted at New Mill, Tring, complaining that it had been reprinted without permission on post cards in Aylesbury and Leighton Buzzard - and he hopes that any profits are donated to charity. The camp was also in the news because work on the butts was nearing completion.

Other news was that Frederick Plumeridge, who worked on the Grand Junction Canal, had died - and the vicar of Marsworth had left and his replacement had not yet been named.

Surnames this week: Anderson, Atkins, Clarendon, Clissold, Crichton, Essex, Francis, Hampden, Holdaway, Kirk, Lang, Mullins, Palmer, Patterson, Pearce, Plumeridge, Prior, Pickett, Rothschild, Sheppard, Smith, Wright

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)

Tring News 23rd January 1915 - Wartime activities and killing sparrows.

Military

Extracts from the Bucks Herald of 23rd January, 1915

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

Tring The training of the men in the 21st Division continued, and they remained in local billets while the construction of the Halton Camp (described in detail) continued. The Y.M.C.A. facilities for the troops billeted in Tring continued with an evening of entertainment in the Museum annex. The Bucks Herald also reported details of the concert organised by the Aldbury Choral Society. One of the singers was Captain Vivian D. Williams of the 5th Dragoons, who was back in England recovering from wounds he had sustained in France. Two soldiers from the 13th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers (who were billeted in the village) also preformed. At the Parish Church the Rev. Rainbow gave a talk describing the Church Army's contribution to the war effort. There was a recruiting advertisement showing the Royal Field Artillery in action, and it may well be that the number of men joining up explains why Herbert Grange and James Honour of Grove, Tring, were both trying to recruit grooms. The St John Ambulance Association was planning to set up a local Ambulance Division and the paper lists 13 local men who recently qualified for a first aid certificate, carefully failing to name the one in the class who failed. The Tring and district Sparrow Club held their annual meeting at the Rose and Crown and it was reported that during the year bounty had been paid for 9,302 sparrows heads. There was a big wedding at All Saint's Church, Long Marston when  Miss Edith Ives, eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. Roberts, married Mr. A. Proctor, the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. John Proctor - and there is a long list of those who gave presents. Mrs J Batchelor died and was buried only a week after the death of her husband. Another death was that of Alice Osborn of 70 Akeman-street, Tring. A new organist was appointed at Tring Parish Church, and there was a fund-raising talk on the  Baptist Missionary Society at the High Street Baptist Church.

Tring at War - 16th January, 1915

Military

Extracts from the Bucks Herald of 16th January, 1915

Edited from British Newspaper Archive

Previous week ~~~~ Tring News Index 

Tring This week's news included two reports from local soldiers fighting overseas. Arnold Ward, M.P. for West Hertfordshire, was with the Hertfordshire Yeomanry in Egypt. Sergeant E C Whiskin, of the Queen’s Westminster Rifles, described the Christmas Truce. News of the troops billeted was limited. Soldiers in the Northumberland Fusiliers were given a lecture on the history of their Regiment, and Private David Long was prosecuted for stealing money at the Half Moon Public House at Wilstone. The Aylesbury Motor Car Company was planning to provide a service between Aylesbury, Tring , Halton and Wendover - and it seems likely that most of their customers would be connected with the troops in the area, and the camp being erected at Halton. The big local news was the death of Mr John Batchelor of Hastoe Villa, together with his funeral, where the chief mourners are listed. There was also references at the Council meeting to the contribution of Dr James Brown made to the town (Death & Funeral reported earlier)  The council also considered Housing Inspection, the Hospital, A pond in Grove Park, Tenders for Tar, andvarious reports from council officers. Other items involve Fulks' Winter Clearance Sale and J. Gander and F. W. Bright's fox terriers wining classes at the National Dog Show.

Tring at War: Latest News 2nd January, 1915

Extracts from the Bucks Herald

Tring

The section headed "TRING in 1914" starts with the words "The most memorable year which this generation has known or is likely know. has just come to an end. Tring at the beginning of 1914, was an obscure little country town, pursuing its quiet, uneventful way. To-day it is a centre of military activity." and much of the current week's news is typical what one might expect of an obscure little country town. The Churches did what churches do at Christmas, the local Slate Clubs paid up, three girls passed their music exams. Lord Rothschild distributed hampers to the children in nearby Marsworth (just over the county boundary into Bucks). Hunting was still continuing as normal, S.C.Holdaway was selling a full range of Horrockses striped and plain flannelettes and you could buy Harrison's Hair Colour Restorer from A. G. Wright. And of course there was a funeral to report, Mrs Percy Mead having died at her home in Gubblecote.

Military

While the soldiers were still in town, and are mentioned in the review of 1914, the only current events described are the Christmas gifts of cigarettes to the soldiers in the two military hospitals, and the concert in the Tennis Court at Pendley Manor. Some of the soldiers seemed to have missed out on parcels from the mining towns in Northumberland - but to learn of this Tring problem you needed to read the Newcastle Journal.

While the military camp at Halton was in Bucks, the 21st Division H.Q. was in Tring, but for the latest news relating to the poor state of the roads to the camp one has to look under the High Wycombe News.

Because the newspaper straddles the county boundary it is weak of more general news relating to Hertfordshire and the Bucks Herald did not mention the following report which appeared in a number of papers, such as the Liverpool Daily News:

HERTFORDSHIRE CASUALTIES Official communication was received yesterday at the headquarters of the First Hertfordshire Regiment (Territorials), at Hertford announcing that Lance-SergeantT. E. Gregory, of Watford, and Private Percy Suggins, ofWare, were killed in action on Christmas Day. The fighting took place at a point where only twenty yards separated the British and German trenches. This is the second time the Herts Territorials have been under fire.

Extracted from the Bucks Herald, 2nd January, 1915

See the Latest Old Tring News

Other Tring "Old News .  

Tring at War: Latest News 26th December, 1914

A quiet week, as the excitement (and adverts) anticipating Christmas of previous issues are no more. The biggest event was the funeral of Dr. James Brown which was described in detail, including the names of people attending. The report on the effects of the troops on the town are briefly reviewed and mentions that the Constitutional Club had thrown is doors open to the troop, many of whom also attended the cinema, which had been showing a film called "The Black Chancellor." Locals would have been glad to here that the while the soldiers could not be served after 8.30pm the locals could still get a drink up to 10pm. Three other papers had items of local interest. A number of the soldiers billeted in the area were miners from Northumberland and Capt. D. Graham Pole wrote a letter in the Newcastle Journal saying the men were  in urgent want of mufflers, shirts, socks, pants, gloves, etc.  The Chelmsford Chronicle reported that the Rev T. A. Adkins is to be Roman Catholic Chaplain to the Forces based in the Tring area. The Bedfordshire Times reported that the Rev. G. W. Field was coming to the curacy of Aldbury, while Rev. G. W. Russell is to be curate at Berkhamsted and Rev. N. Miller is to be a master at Berkhamsted school.

Extracted from the Bucks Herald, 26th December, 1914

See the Latest Old Tring News

Other Tring "Old News .  

Halton and the Northumberland Fusiliers, WW1

I have posted a new view of Halton House from a post card from 1914. While the date is not clear the card was sent to Northumberland and in August 1914 the Northumberland Fusiliers were based in Berkhamsted but after a couple of weeks moved to Halton. Later in the war it became a flying school - and part of the Royal Air Force.

In addition to the card I have also added to the Halton page thumbnail links to a number of modern pictures of modern Halton.