Hidden away in St Barnabas Church at New Whittington, Chesterfield
on the side of the organ is a memorial to honour the fallen men of the village
in both World War’s. Arthur Wedgwood, my grandfather’s Uncle Arthur is amongst the 85 names on the memorial from World War 1.
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| Arthur (sitting) and his elder brother Ernest Wedgwood |
Arthur was the son of William and Emma Wedgwood. He was born on 23rd March 1898 at
19 Midland Terrace, Barrow Hill. He was
their fourth and last child; Arthur had a sister Maud and a brother
Ernest. Arthur was named after an elder
brother Arthur Robert who had sadly died as a baby in 1895. Arthur’s father William worked for the
Midland Railway as a goods guard and the family continued to live at 19
Midland Terrace, Barrow Hill until around the time of the Great War.
On the 1911 census just three years before the war began,
Arthur is recorded as being 13 years old and still at school. He attended Barrow Hill infant’s school which
was built in 1898 for 230 children. The
school was just a short walk from the terraces of Barrow Hill, alongside the
railway embankments. William must have received a
reasonable education as his letters that he wrote in his teens are neatly written and
grammatical. On leaving school Arthur gained employment at the Old Foundry working
for Staveley Coal and Iron Company Ltd.
England’s declaration of War against Germany on 4th
August 1914 was to change the lives of the Wedgwood family forever. At the time Arthur was just 16 years of age,
too young to join up. Chesterfield was
embracing the patriotic fervour which swept over England, encouraging men to
volunteer to serve King and Country, in the war which would be over by
Christmas. The Derbyshire Times included
articles from soldiers already serving, telling of their adventures. An article on 7th November 1914
from the 12th Cavalry Boys 18th Hussars stated “it will not do them any harm, to enlist,
even if they do not get to the front.
They will learn much and it will do them the power of good”. Another similar account from Private William
Johnson under the heading “Wounded but
happy” recalled details of a letter William had written to his mother on 27th
October 1914, in it he wrote “The Germans
are very good to us, and we are getting very good food, so we are quite happy”.
On 30th October 1914 a “Great Meeting” was called at the
Skating Rink in Chesterfield to appeal for recruits. Lord Charles Beresford was the host,
retorting “an appeal to the men of
Chesterfield and district to rally to the countries call for men”. He went on to state “the need is great, the issues enormous, the very existence of the
Empire and the safety of our kith and kin, of ourselves in fact”. The meeting was well attended by both
men and women, concluding with Bryan Donkin’s Orchestra providing the music
for a rousing chorus of "God Save Our King". There
is no wonder that in the week preceding the 14th November 1914,
Chesterfield was proudly announcing that the town had 130 new recruits
volunteered to the British Expeditionary Force.
Arthur, his friends and work colleagues probably attended
this meeting and the subject was sure to be the topic of conversation all
around Chesterfield. He is said to have
wanted to volunteer because his friends were and he didn’t want to be left
out. Honourable and very naïve
intentions, I am sure ones which Arthur probably had time to consider when he
was stationed in the muddy, rat and flea infested trenches in the months to
come.
Unfortunately for Arthur the minimum age for enlistment
was 18 years to serve in the United Kingdom and 19 years to serve abroad (1). Arthur was two years too young even for
enlistment for home service. He must
have thought his prayers had been answered, when in November 1914 a recruiting
party visited Chesterfield from the 3rd Battalion Training Company
of the Royal Scots Fusiliers, none of the officers would know who Arthur was;
unlike the local recruitment officers who may well have known Arthur or his
family.
And so, in November 1914 Arthur
told his lie about his age, they did not require a birth certificate for proof,
Arthur must have looked older than his years.
Family story says that his poor mother was beside herself and went to
the Officers to demand they refuse Arthur’s enlistment as he was only 16, but
alas he was readily accepted into the grown up world of warfare. It is not known exactly how many under age
men enlisted into World War 1, but the numbers were high. They became known as “Boy Soldiers”. At the Battle of Loos, of the 50,000
casualties and wounded 3,600 are known to have been under 19 years of age.
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| Arthur Wedgwood - Private 15894 1st Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers |
Arthur was sent to Scotland to undertake his
basic training. The 1st
Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers trained at Fort Matilda, which was west of
Glasgow and near to Greenock. The camp
was situated in a large area around the railway station and comprised of tents
and huts. One thing that is for sure, it
would have been mighty cold in the winter months of 1914/1915 when Arthur was
there.
Arthur wrote to his cousin Irene from the training camp and the letters still exist. He told of the time a Corporal from his Battalion fell from a train and died, Arthur and five other men transported the Corporal back home to Edinburgh. He described how the mother “nearly went mad” on seeing her dead son, this must have struck a cord with Arthur and how his own mother Emma would react if the same happened to him. There is also mention of a sweetheart of Arthur’s; he sends the message “just remember me to the Misses Johnson's next time you see them and tell Edie it’s a long time since I kissed her, but I hope it won’t be the last”. In January 1915 he tells Irene that it is said that they will be going to France on 24th February, but not to tell his parents or they will only bother about him. By now he must be getting some idea of the horrors that he is about to face as he mentions other men; a “chap named Shully, that listed with me is killed” and writes how “it’s a bad job for Cecil Wilson, I feel sorry for his parents”. The statement which is most telling is “the English have been ordered to kill the Germans and take no prisoners, because they have been killing wounded men”. This prospect must have surely scared a young lad half to death no matter how grown up he pretends to be. A stark contrast to the local newspaper's article’s reporting positive accounts of the war.
Arthur saw active service in the Flanders theatre of war,
around the Ypres area in Belgium which was the scene of heavy bombardment on
both sides and many losses were sadly reported on a day to day basis within the
battalion’s war diaries. Arthur and his
comrades in the 1st Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers were part of the
9th Brigade, 3rd Division Infantry Unit. In letters home he told how he had been in
the trenches for 20 days and nights before being relieved. He also mentioned one battle where they went
into combat 900 men strong but only 130 returned to answer the roll call.
On 22nd April 1915 Chlorine gas was first used
by the Germans during the 2nd Battle of Ypres.
Even if Arthur did not witness this, the trenches would have been
buzzing with talk of its terrible effects, how in the evening of the 22nd
a strange yellow/green coloured cloud was drifting towards the French and
Algerian troops on the front line. The
chlorine gas would attack the respiratory tract within seconds of inhalation,
causing choking and respiratory difficulties which were often fatal.(2)
During the month of June the Battalion were in the
trenches at Bellewaarde. On 15th
June they were given their orders to take part in the first phase of attack in
the first Battle of Bellewaarde. They
were to gain the German front line trenches as far as Railway Wood. By midnight
the battalion; 18 officers and 839 men were assembled in the trenches. At 2.50am on 16th June their
trenches were slightly damaged by the Germans bombardment, but by 4.50am the
attack had ceased and the battalion was able to advance and win their
objectives of the front line trenches.
Unfortunately, this victory was short lived as their being unsupported by
extra troops at 6.30am they were forced to retire along the same route back to
their original trenches. Continuous
shell fire lasted all day from both sides and heavy losses were incurred – 36
men were killed, 199 men wounded and 202 men were reported missing in
action. This battle may well have been
the battle that Arthur mentioned in his letters home.
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| Arthur's Rosary Beads |
As if the first Battle of Bellewaarde was not horrific
enough for Arthur and his comrades, orders were again received for a second attack
on Bellewaarde. The purpose of this
attack however was diversionary to occupy and distract the German Armies in and
around Ypres and leave them off guard for a further attack later that day – the
Battle of Loos. On 25th
September at 3.00am Arthur and his friends and comrades led the attack and
began an artillery bombardment against the enemy. By 4.20am the platoons were advancing every 5
minutes, but by this time the Germans were returning with heavy bombardment and
there were heavy casualties on the battalion’s side. At 6.23am it was reported that the enemy’s
bombardment was less severe and by 7.00am the men had captured their position
and were now under severe shell attack and bombing. Unfortunately, by
1.20pm the men could hold their newly captured position no more and were forced,
along with the 4th Gordons to evacuate enemy trenches and fall
back. After a day of long bombing combat
the 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers “held
their own till the very last and not until the men on their flanks had been
forced back had they retired”. Two
days later General Allenby was to congratulate the men on taking one of the
strongest positions on the enemy lines, “they
had stuck at it through an inferno of machine gun, bomb and shell fire in a way
that would have been a credit to any regiment”.
Sadly Arthur was one of the men who sacrificed his young
life to fight for King and Country at the 2nd Battle of
Bellewaarde. It is most probable that he
was one of the 161 men who were reported missing in action on that fateful day
of 25th September 1915, there is no known grave to mark his
death. Arthur was killed in action aged just
17 1/2 years old; six months too young to legally join the British Army.
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| Menin Gate, Ypres where Arthur is remembered |
Back in Chesterfield news was soon heard regarding the death of
Arthur, although it does seem that there was some confusion as Arthur’s family
were told different accounts of his whereabouts. A letter from a Private Charles Wardell of
the same regiment had told that “young
Wedgwood had gone under” but confirmation from the War Office was not
received by William and Emma Wedgwood until the following month. The Derbyshire Times Obituary dated 23rd
October 1915, states incorrectly that Arthur was killed at the Battle of Loos
in France. It also includes a photo of
“boy soldier” Arthur proudly wearing his Royal Scots Fusilier’s cap at its
jaunty angle. The family now lived at 222 South Street, New Whittington, Chesterfield.
The death must have affected the family very badly, Emma is said to have been mortified and never really recovered from the shock. She died on 24th June 1922 of liver cancer. William remarried shortly after in 1923. Arthur’s elder brother Ernest joined the Sherwood Foresters Regiment to seek revenge on the Germans that took his young brothers life so tragically. His sister Maud was married and had three young sons by now, her fourth son who was born on 17th July 1916 was named after his heroic Uncle Arthur. Maud kept photos of her beloved brother and even has a post card of the memorial in the Church at New Whittington, a testament I believe to the love and sadness the family held for their beloved “boy soldier” young Arthur Wedgwood.
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| The Royal Scots Fusiliers named on the Menin Gate memorial - Arthur is on the right hand side |
Arthur received the Victory medal, British medal and 15
Star for his bravery and sacrifice. He
is remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres alongside the many thousands who
also gave their lives in the Great War.
At 8pm every night of the year the Menin Road is closed to traffic and
the Ypres Fire Brigade play the Last Post to honour these men. I have had the honour of visiting the
memorial and paying my respects to my Great Great Uncle Arthur Wedgwood, Private
15894, Boy Soldier.
Sources -
1st Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers Regimental War Diaries
Regimental History of the Royal Scots Fusiliers - John Buchan
Commonwealth War Grave Commission
Derbyshire Times Newspaper
Family papers and letters
GRO Birth & Death certificates
Medal Rolls World War 1