The Last Post

On 17 October 2013, the first post went live on the blog ‘First World War in County Durham’, which went on to become the Durham at War blog on 15 August 2014. It was created to support the Durham at War project and website, though it took a while before it settled into its weekly Friday postings, having included Movember Mondays, and Weather Wednesdays in the early days.

D/DLI 2/18/24(89) Sergeant Major Chaplin of the 18th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry taken at Cocken Hall, 1914

Just over five years later, on 21 December 2018, we are at the last post, no. 268. The Durham at War project was originally due to end on 31 December 2018, but HLF have allowed a small extension, to spring 2019, to tie up the project. The project staff will be staying on, but in a more limited capacity, and so the decision has been made to end the blog in line with the original end date. It will still be available to read, but there will be no more updates. 

I’d like to say a big thank you to you all for reading. Up to 18 December 2018, there have been 35961 page views, the two biggest days being on 10 September 2014, when Durham at War was officially launched, and 11 November 2018, the centenary of the armistice.

Over the lifespan of the blog, 82% of readers have been from the UK, with 75% of these being from the north east, though the proportions have varied in each quarter. The highest number of readers from outside the UK come from Canada and Australia. This is unsurprising as the project has shown how many people had emigrated from County Durham to these countries prior to the war. The USA and France also feature highly.

The topics over the five years have been wide ranging. It’s time to take a look back.

Volunteers have contributed 44 posts to the blog. These have been either on their personal research or their experiences. Sue T wrote about transcribing the prisoner of war diary of Captain PHB Lyon of 6th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry.  

In October 2015, Jean Longstaff wrote about what has become her specialism, researching the Canadian soldiers of County Durham. 

Candela Camiño López was an Erasmus intern who joined the project for three months at the end of 2015, and wrote a piece on her time with us. 

John Sheen, local military historian, wrote several blogs for us on topics such as the Tyneside Irish and the Somme, and the unexpected places his research has taken him. 

Carol and Andrea spoke at the 2016 Durham at War conference on their great-grandfather, Theodor Gotthilf Fiedler, who was a German pork butcher in Shadforth. In August 2016, they gave us a three part write up of their visit to Germany for the Pork Butchers’ Descendants Reunion. 

Frieda, Theodor Jr, and Caroline Fiedler, Theo Fieldler's children, from Carol Hunt's family collection

David D wrote about his cycling tour of the battlefields of France and Belgium. Volunteers are also responsible for many of the military posts that go beyond the Durham Light Infantry. David D also wrote about the boy sailors of the Royal Navy, and the Royal Naval Air Service. Fiona Johnson wrote about the Royal Flying Corps, in which I learned about Roland Garros, for whom the tennis tournament is named.

Steve Shannon wrote about the County Durham soldier who was killed during the Easter Rising in Dublin, while serving with the Royal Dublin Fusiliers. I looked at the Chinese Labour Corps, the Merchant Navy, and the WAAC and QMAAC.

D/DLI 7/424/2(28) Soldiers of the 6th Battalion The Durham Light Infantry standing beside a railway engine, en route to France, taken by PHB Lyon, April 1915

Of course, it wouldn’t be Durham at War without stories about the Durham Light Infantry. The blog covered a lot of the battles that the regiment was involved in:

Battle of Hooge

Second Battle of Ypres – this is one of the most viewed series of posts on the blog, looking at the territorial battalions of the DLI leaving the UK and going straight into battle in 1915. The series was written to coincide with an exhibition at the Record Office, and looked at the participation of each battalion in the battle.

Battle of Loos 

Battle of the Somme, entries include the DLI in the battle, and a personal encounter with a veteran of the battle.

Battle of Arras 

Passchendaele (Third Battle of Ypres)  

The German Spring Offensive, the beginning, the Battle of Estaires, and the Third Battle of the Aisne

The Hundred Days Offensive

Food has been a recurrent theme on the blog. From eating fresh oranges and milking a cow under shell fire to an unforgettable trench Christmas dinner recipe. Much of Captain PHB Lyon’s prisoner of war journal focused on food. 

There were other stories of DLI men in prison camps, such as Henry Wilkinson who kept a list of all the books he read, and Arthur Leggett, who escaped from a camp in Wermelskirchen, Germany. 

Stamps from one of Connie's postcards home, The Leybourne Family

Angus Leybourne, an officer with the DLI, was one of the first prisoners to be sent to Switzerland for internment. Another popular series of posts concerned the story of his, and Connie Kirkup’s, Very British Romance. The couple’s letters were loaned to us for the project, and volunteer Margaret Eason, who helped transcribe them, was so taken, that she wrote a 14 part series which the blog featured over a year. 

The blog also included posts about prisoners of war in County Durham. After I did some research into the men who died at Harperley Camp, in April 2016, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission corrected the name of one of the soldiers after reviewing evidence submitted from parish records held at the Record Office. There was also the two German soldiers who escaped from a camp in Wales and were found in Hartlepool. 

Other stories from the home front included Munitionettes football, a volunteer's post on conscientious objectors, and another volunteer on the Quakers. 

Over the years, the blog covered events such as International Women's Day, International Nurses' Day, and 100 years of women being able to vote. The blog looked at the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death in 2016, by reporting on events held in Sunderland in 1916 to mark the tercentenary. 

There were several posts on summer, from 'The Edwardian Golden Summer' of 1914, to what to do with the children during the school holidays in 1918. In 2016, the blog covered the introduction of British Summer Time a hundred years' previous. 

D/DLI 12/5/3/2 Crop from 34th Division's Christmas card, 1916

At the other end to summer, and timely for this post, there are a lot of entries about Christmas. 

The blog has still more stories than this trip down memory lane covers. I have learnt so much from writing the blog over the last five years, and I hope you have learnt something too. Once again, thank you for reading. 

Young Soldiers

D/DLI 7/839/11 Young Soldiers, 52nd Battalion, Durham Light Infantry, mounting guard at a sentry post outside the town guardroom, Cologne, Germany, 1919, Private Thomas Brown, front row, extreme right

In 1917, the system for training conscripts was changed with Young Soldier and Graduated battalions being formed. Under this system conscripts aged 18 years and one month were first sent to a Young Soldier battalion and then, after basic training, moved into a Graduated battalion to complete their training. Every three months, this system produced a company of (about 200) trained 19-year-old soldiers ready for active service overseas. 

In October 1917, the War Office decided that the Young Soldier and Graduated battalions should, once again, be linked to a parent regiment. And so the 51st and 52nd (Graduated) Battalions of the Durham Light Infantry (DLI) were born, whilst the old 17th (Reserve) Battalion DLI was reborn as the 53rd (Young Soldier) Battalion. 

In March 1919, these battalions would go on to replace older soldiers, such as those in 20th Battalion DLI who had not yet been demobilised, but were in Cologne, Germany, as part of the British Army of the Rhine (as named from January 1919). 

Map showing the zones of the Allied occupation of the Rhineland (NZ Government)

Conditions of the Armistice included the German Army withdrawing its forces across the Rhine, creating a demilitarised buffer zone between Germany and France/Belgium. In order to enforce this until the Peace Treaty was ratified, the four Allied armies, France, Belgium, Great Britain, and America, each had a zone of the Rhineland. Great Britain had Cologne and the surrounding area.

Germany had been given a time frame for its withdrawal, and Allied forces were not allowed to cross the Rhine until 13 December 1918. 20th DLI spent Christmas and the New Year in Belgium, 50 miles from the German border. They entrained for Germany on 6 January 1919.

The 51st and 52nd Battalions arrived in Cologne on 6 and 8 March 1919 respectively. The 53rd arrived on 4 April, but were almost immediately disbanded, and the men posted to the 51st and 52nd. The battalions were billeted at Rhiel Barracks, and much of their activity was to carry out guard duty in the city. Sometimes there would be warnings of civil disturbances, and reinforcements would be required.

Other activities included training, parades, and sports. Though this was a comparatively quiet life, the DLI battalions still left some of its men behind in the cemeteries of Cologne. These appear to be due to illness or accident.


Extract from a letter to the father of a deceased young soldier

It is difficult to trace the young soldiers, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission provides the names of those who died, the Absent Voters List of 1918 also gives some leads. 52nd DLI's war diary has a nominal roll of officers, but these are men with prior service. Even with names, it can be hard to trace them. As they did not fight in a theatre of war, or go abroad until after the armistice, the young soldiers were not entitled to any medals. What's more, for the service records I have found, the ink is extremely faint.

There are at least two names from the men buried in Cologne whose service records include inquiries into their deaths. The witness statements are very faded in some parts, but it is possible to piece together what happened.

On 7 April 1919, 110098 Private Thomas Hyde, 52nd DLI, of Dudley, Staffordshire, died in an accident, aged 19. A statement by 110344 Private TH Luckwood, also of the 52nd, describes what happened in Reihlerstrasse. 'I was in the grounds watching the swing boats. At 18 hours, I saw Private Hyde was in one of the boats in company with another soldier, fall out of it. I went up to him and found he was unconscious and bleeding from his head. A captain of the Royal Army Medical Corps came up shortly afterwards, and had him removed in a motor ambulance'. Private Hyde died in 44th Casualty Clearing Station. The service record states the clearing station as being in France, but by this time it had moved to Cologne.

102626 Private John Ridley, 19 years old, from Langley Moor, Durham, had enlisted back in June 1918. He was called up in the September and posted to 3/5th DLI at Sutton-on-Hull (Humber Garrison). In April 1919, Ridley arrived in Germany and was posted to 52nd Battalion. In June 1919, both 51st and 52nd DLI moved to Wermelskirchen, 20 miles north east of Cologne, for two weeks. Here, Private Ridley lost his life.

The date given by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, 26 June 1919, is contradicted by Ridley's service record. This states that he died on 21 June when he 'went into the open air swimming bath at Wermelskirchen. Although a good swimmer, he was seen to disappear under the surface. He was eventually brought ashore (having been immersed about four minutes) and removed to No.7 Field Ambulance'. 113969 Private Rollinson's (51st DLI) conduct was noted in the inquiry. He made several attempts to rescue Private Ridley, and persevered until he was successful in bringing him to the surface. The text of the inquiry is extremely difficult to read. P1716 Corporal A Redall, No. 3 Traffic Control Company, is also noted for his conduct. A reference to artificial respiration being given to Private Ridley is made, and it could be this was provided by Corporal Redall. Private Ridley's cause of death is given as syncope and asphyxia.

The war diaries for both 51st and 52nd DLI end in June 1919, as the battalions returned to Cologne, and then left Germany for home. 

Sources:
Wearside Battalion, The 20th (Service) Battalion, Durham Light Infantry, John Sheen
The Watch on the Rhine, The Military Occupation of the Rhineland, Margaret Pawley
51st Battalion, DLI, War Diary, The National Archives, WO 95/1438/12
52nd Battalion, DLI, War Diary, The National Archives, WO 95/1438/13
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
British Army Service Records, Ancestry

There and back again

Shortly after the centenary of the Armistice, we were contacted by someone who wanted to share the story of his grandparents, George Yuille Caldwell, and Ellinor Caldwell (nee Walton). 

Ellinor was born in Crook in 1887, the daughter of a successful building contractor. She attended a boarding school at Saltburn, before going to the Conservatory of Music in Leipzig to study piano. She graduated from there in 1906. In 1910, she took part in a recital in Middlesbrough, with the borough organist.

Ellinor Caldwell with patients at Etherley With many thanks to John Yuille Caldwell

At some point after this, Ellinor went to work as a governess in America, first in Seattle, then in Honolulu, but by the outbreak of war, she was back in Crook. When the 17th Durham Voluntary Aid Detachment Hospital was created at Etherley, both Ellinor and her sister went to volunteer as nurses. Her sense of adventure was still with her, and she later went to serve at a base hospital in Etaples, France. During her time there, the hospital was bombed twice. 

Ellinor lost one brother to the war, but another, Frederick, was commanding 6th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry, by 1918. Their mother died of Spanish Flu in 1918. 

One of the doctors who worked at Etherley VAD Hospital was George, originally from Scotland, graduating from the medical school at the University of Glasgow in 1904. He married Elise Lake in her home town of Plymouth, then moved to Crook where George set up a surgery. They had two children, born in 1909 and 1911. George stayed at the VAD hospital until 1917 when he gained a commission to the Royal Army Medical Corps, and went to serve in Salonica.

George Caldwell in Salonica, seated on left With many thanks to John Yuille Caldwell

This was a sad time for George, he had lost a brother in January 1917, and another died as a prisoner of war in 1918. When George went abroad, Elsie and the children went to stay with her parents in Devon. In September 1917, she gave birth to their third child, however, he died of pneumonia aged only three months. In March 1918, Elsie committed suicide. 

When George was demobilised in 1919, he returned with his children to Crook. Ellinor was a family friend, who having also worked as a nurse and a governess, helped George to look after his children. In 1920, Ellinor and George married at St Catherine’s Church, Crook, and had two children of their own, born in 1921, and 1924. 

Ellinor was a keen photographer, taking and developing her pictures, and had a camera with her both on her pre-war travels, and in Etaples. You can see some of these photographs and read more about Ellinor and George, on Durham at War. 

It abounds with names

The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing (Public Domain)

In August 1928, Charles Hunt, who had served with both 6th and 5th Battalions of the Durham Light Infantry (the former whilst only 17), revisited the battlefields of France and Belgium. Known as the Great Pilgrimage, the British Legion organised for 11,000 veterans, and the mothers and wives of those that didn’t return, to make the trip which included the Somme and Ypres, and the Menin Gate memorial, which had been finished the previous year. Ninety years on , the pilgrimage was recreated by the Royal British Legion earlier this year.

In his account (Accession 8873), written for the Whickham and Swalwell Branch of the British Legion, Charles writes that he was one of 550 leaving from Newcastle Station. They made their way to Dover, then sailed for Calais, then ‘at last the French trains, but greatly improved. No horseboxes this time’.

The first port of call was Arras, which would be their base for the next few days, arriving late in the evening. ‘The last time I saw Arras was when I was laid on a stretcher in Station Square and ‘cursed’ the orderlies because Jerry was shelling and the Blighty I was looking forward to seeing in a few hours seemed to be dissolving itself into a wooden cross’. Despite the hour, they were welcomed by the Mayor of Arras and a rendition of the Marseillaise, and other songs.

British and French Soldiers outside an Estaminet, Brasine, October 1914 (Q53337 © IWM Non Commercial License)

‘We went back to the old places. I honestly believe that many of the lads felt that they were back to 1917, and just back for a rest. The estaminets were open all night… The mothers of our dear chums were out again too. They wanted to participate in any and everything that their loved ones had ever done, and though I have no doubt but that many hearts were breaking yet their heads were held high and they smiled proudly’.

Many of them were up early to visit the cemeteries around Arras before returning for breakfast and to catch the train to Vimy. Here, the pilgrims received a box with ham, bread, cheese, and a bottle of beer. The veterans set to eating theirs as soon as the mayor’s welcome was over, ‘the womenfolk were amazed but I guess they wished they’d ate theirs before they got to the top of [Vimy] Ridge. Of course the knife and fork, and bottle opener, went into our pockets. More souvenirs. Habits die hard and it came as a matter of course ‘scrounging’ the implements’.

After climbing the ridge and looking around the area, they moved onto the Canadian National War Memorial (Vimy Ridge was a significant battle for the Canadian Army). Nearby, they also saw France’s tribute to the Moroccan troops.

Memorial to the First Canadian Division, at Vimy Ridge (H06959 Australian War Memorial Public Domain)

After visiting several more cemeteries, and after supper, Charles made a special visit to Aubigny, where the cemetery had also been extended ‘…here again as in all the cemeteries I had visited, I found everything beautiful. Any of you who have loved ones buried in any of these parts need not worry as to their graves’.

The next day’s excursion included Bazentin-le-Petit and Martinpuich, and the South African War Memorial and Thiepval. ‘One couldn’t resist a peep into Delville Wood. Here I found the clearing up is still going on and I was informed that even today bodies are being found’.

The following morning, at 6:30am, the group left for Ypres, ‘…for the ceremony we were all yearning for yet dreading… round the turn and at last Suicide Corner, the Menin Road. The road we came back many a time weary and fed up. And a few hundred yards away, proudly towering above the noble pile stands the British lion, guarding the gate as the men of Britain guarded it of you… ‘To those men of the British Armies who fought here and to their comrades who have no known grave’. And one thinks of those men. Do they see us? What do they think? Those 33000 whose names are carved on the Menin Gate’.

At the memorial, a service was held with an address by the Archbishop of York, and attended by Lady Haig, and by HRH Prince of Wales, who laid the British Legion’s wreath. This was followed by a march past, lasting an hour and a half. The march was led by 25 Victoria Cross holders, and followed by the women, many wearing their loved ones’ medals, and then the men. ‘The Menin Gate is beyond description. It abounds with names in different panels. Every place was almost covered in wreaths but I reverently placed yours in the one empty space below the tablet which records the names of the officers and men on the Durham Light Infantry who are missing’.

The next excursion took in Tyne Cot cemetery, and the sites of fighting around Sanctuary Wood, Zonnebeke, Kemmel, St Eloi, La Clytte, Hooge and more. Then ‘silently, we waved goodbye to Ypres. Look well after our dead, you people of Belgium’.

The group returned to Arras before setting off for home, via brief visits to Etaples and Boulogne, where they sailed from. There were crowds to meet them at Dover, but also the customs officers, ‘they shared my box of cigars out, very kind of them’. The return rail journey to the north east was made over night, and the pilgrimage arrived in Newcastle at 10am.

‘I have very little to add… the main item of interest to many of you, I have no doubt, is the war graves. To every man, woman, or child in this county, some grave is dear… the care of the last resting places of our soldier dead is a gladly borne responsibility. Charles goes on to describe the formation of the Imperial War Graves Commission (as it was then), and the work they are carrying out. ‘All graves are equal… the beauty of these places cannot be surpassed, nor could I possibly describe them to you’.

‘And let us not forget, whilst paying homage to those who sleep in the Western Front, that a great multitude of our men, who died for the same cause, lie in every country of the world, and under all its seas’.

New stories

Durham at War

Over the centenary of the Armistice, we had a number of stories submitted to Durham at war by members of the public. Here are links to a few of them:

Gunner George Prince, Royal Field Artillery, of Hetton-le-Hole, died July 1918
http://www.durhamatwar.org.uk/story/14750/

Gunner Thomas Wilfred Brown, Royal Garrison Artillery, of Middleton-on-Teesdale, survived
http://www.durhamatwar.org.uk/story/14768/

Private Frederick Bartram, Yorkshire Regiment, of Shildon, survived
http://www.durhamatwar.org.uk/story/14783/

Private Fred Lummas, Royal Army Medical Corps, of Stanley Crook, died September 1918
http://www.durhamatwar.org.uk/story/14772/

Francis Ernest Nye, Merchant Navy, of South Shields, died October 1918
http://www.durhamatwar.org.uk/story/14767/

Private John James Barker, Durham Light Infantry, of Felling, survived
http://www.durhamatwar.org.uk/story/14777/

Remembrance Day 2018

As mentioned in last week’s Armistice post, Jo and I were successful in the Heritage Lottery Fund ballot for places to attend the National Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armistice, on the evening of 11 November. Sue Tallentire, one of our volunteers was also in London that weekend, having won a place in the People’s Parade, past the Cenotaph, that took place earlier in the day. Here, she describes her weekend.

I was lucky enough to have an email saying we had places in the People’s Procession on Sunday 11th November. I wanted to do this for my paternal grandfather. I proudly wore a First World War Army Cyclist Corps badge. My Dad was a Bevin Boy so I also wore the Association Badge. I have since learnt from the Ministry of Defence that he went into the Royal Artillery, but was too late to find a badge to wear.

Torches in the moat of the Tower of London, (photo Victoria Oxberry)

As I write this, we have just come back from an amazing weekend in London. Friday 9th November we made our way to The Tower to see the Lights in the moat and what a wonderful sight. 

Saturday we went to the Albert Hall afternoon service and I found it very emotional. We were asked to stand and hold photos of the dead. Having done work for Durham at War diaries etc. I felt as if I knew these soldiers. 

Sunday 11th we were up and out early, waiting a few hours before we started to march. What an honour and a privilege. One of the most moving times was when the veterans had marched and were returning as we all waited, we clapped and cheered them. Very touching. 

Unfortunately the BBC coverage stopped as we reached Admiralty Arch and turned down Whitehall. All our family and friends never got to see us. 

We completed our weekend and visited the Shrouds of the Somme. Another emotional experience and spoke to the artist who had created them. 

Altogether a whole weekend’s experience I will never forget. All this starts from my volunteer work on the First World War and transcribing diaries.

Victoria's Weekend

On the Saturday night, I was staying with a friend about 15 minutes’ walk from the Tower of London and also saw the torches lit up in the moat. I decided that I would return to the Tower for 11am the next day, avoiding the crowds at the Cenotaph. 

On Sunday morning, down at the Tower, I stood by the Thames, and the wind blew the strains of The Last Post across the water from HMS Belfast. Until that point, it had been a cloudy and drizzly day, but at 11am, the wind got up and blew the clouds along, and the sun shone brightly in a blue sky. It was strange walking back, thinking that from that moment, 100 years ago – as I have so often written of on the blog – the fighting was over. 

Later that afternoon, it was time to get ready for the service at Westminster Abbey. As you can imagine for an event attended by the whole Royal Family, the Prime Minister Theresa May, and the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, there was strict security. The security checks were to begin at 4:30pm, closing at 5:30pm to ensure guests were seated before the arrival of the dignitaries. Jo and I were staying right by the Abbey so met to leave at 4:30pm, only to find the end of the queue was several streets away. We managed to bump into the people attending from the North East War Memorials Project, and I saw an old manager of mine from when I worked at a different archives.

Westminster Abbey after the service (photo Victoria Oxberry)

After passing though security, and being welcomed into the Abbey, it was a bit haphazard finding where to sit. We were told to head one way, and then someone else took us back, which you can actually see in the very first interior shots of the BBC coverage of the service. We were right the first time though, and found seats at the back row, in the upper half of the nave. 

Much of the service took place inside the choir, sanctuary, and high altar, which wasn’t visible from the nave, even if you were sat on the front row. There were screens mounted onto the columns which showed when someone was doing a reading. The choice of words were very interesting, in particular the address by Archbishop Justin Welby (and former Bishop of Durham), who spoke about the political events in the aftermath that led to the Second World War. The music came from the organist, the wonderful choir, and the magnificent Band of the Royal Air Force Regiment.

The order of service and commemorative book

Whilst it was undoubtedly an honour to attend the service, now that I have been able to watch it on the television, I have a greater sense of the occasion. 

The anniversary of the Armistice may now have passed, but the Durham at War project will continue for a little while longer yet. The fighting might have been over, but there was still much to be done.

Great Rejoicings

Headline from the Shields Daily News, 7 November 1918 (British Newspaper Archive)

In early November some people knew that peace could be imminent. Reports were saying there would be a meeting of Allied and German representatives on 8 November 1918 to discuss the terms of an Armistice. Many of these reports appeared in newspapers of 7 November, but some papers also reported another story, emphasising that it was not confirmed by the Foreign Office. The Liverpool Echo’s late edition read:

‘At four o'clock this afternoon, Reuters issued a statement based, apparently, on an official American message, to the effect that Germany's representatives signed our armistice terms 2:30 this afternoon. This news was at once issued in stop press form, but about five minutes later, the message was cancelled.’

This became known as the False Armistice. Colonel Hubert Morant, originally commanding officer 10th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry, now 147th Brigade, received a letter from his wife, Helen, dated 7 November 1918 which suggests that she must have read one of these reports. While we don't have this letter, Morant's response on 12 November says, 'In your letter of the 7th you say you are 'thrilled at the signing of the Armistice', a bit previous wasn't it?'

For those in the army, the fighting would continue until they were told to stop. The war diary entries for 11 November 1918 vary in their acknowledgement of the Armistice. It had an immediate impact on those in the front lines, such as 20th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry in Belgium. Their diary entry reads:

‘Battalion continuing in pursuit of the enemy and formed an advance guard to the 124th Brigade. Message received about 10am that an Armistice was signed and that hostilities would cease at 11am; as a consequence, the battalion occupied billets in the vicinity of NEDERBRAKEL. An outpost line was formed east of Nederbrakel. One other rank accidentally wounded whilst on outpost duty.’

9th Battalion were in France, working on bomb craters. Their war diary entry says how the battalion was presented with a bouquet and address from civilians.

Colonel Morant wrote in a letter to his wife on 11 November, 'Peace! It sounds incredible and one can't now even believe it. I wonder what it will mean that we'll have to do, we know nothing so far.'

D/DLI 7/424/3(32) ‘Here is the photo, taken after [the theatrical] dinner. I [Captain PHB Lyon] am completely invisible, except for one ear and one eyebrow, on the floor at the back’, Graudenz, Germany, 18 November 1918

It was different for those in prisoner of war camps. Captain Percy Lyon of 6th Battalion, DLI, had been in a camp on the northern coast of Germany since May 1918. His personal diary entry reads:

‘Last night rumours grew more frequent and more ominous every hour. Most of them have since proved false, noticeably that which said that the people had revolted and among other things pinched 600 of our parcels! There certainly seems to have been disturbances, but none of them were serious, and this morning things are quiet again... The Armistice appears to have been at last signed, and all we know really about it is that it provides for the immediate return of allied prisoners. The feeling here is absolutely indescribable. It is like a dream come true. All our forebodings vanish at the appearance of about 500 [food] parcels early in the morning.’

For the family of Private James Hodgson of Lanchester, who served with 15 DLI, it was a different story. When British prisoners of war began to return home, James Hodgson was not amongst them. His aunt wrote to the War Office seeking news, eventually hearing that James had died in a German hospital near Aachen on 11 November 1918.

At Harperley camp, here in County Durham, where German military prisoners of war were held, 27 men died of Spanish Flu between the 7 and 23 November, including five on Armistice Day.

Also on the home front, a student at St Hild’s College wrote:

‘When the bells at last rang out there was a rush of about 10 staff, 129 students, 19 servants, and one dog (Kerry) to the Chapel. We sang oh! how we sang! Later peculiar noises were heard emanating from the dormitories and a procession of up-turned basins beaten by tooth-brushes and dustpans beaten by brooms, etc. passed my door. In the evening we had a dance in the Gymnasium with all the lights on and later we ate all the chocolate we had stored in the cellars for air-raids.’

Many local newspapers were published weekly, so when the Armistice was declared on Monday 11 November, the papers had several days to prepare reports on the local celebrations that occurred all over the county. The following are from the County Chronicle and Auckland Chronicle, both of 14 November.

Headline from the County Chronicle, 14 November 1918 (D/WP 4/42)

In Durham City

‘The official message was made known to a vast concourse of people assembled in Durham Market Place in the early afternoon by the Mayor... Addresses appropriate to the occasion were made... cheers were raised, and re-echoed again and again round the old Market-square... and the Durham miners, and the Band of the 52nd Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers interspersed the memorable proceedings with patriotic and popular airs.’

In Crook

Lights were noticed on the fine tower of St. Cuthbert’s Church at night, each light said to represent a fallen hero identified with the church. 

In Stanhope

The bells and buzzers in the local quarries were all set going. The German prisoners at work in the quarries downed tools, as did lots of the quarrymen. 

In Wolsingham

Immediately flags, banners, and bunting, were floating from windows, and workmen taking “French leave” were soon streaming out of the works. Large numbers of Canadian soldiers were soon in the town from Shull Camp... a hastily arranged dance at the Parish Hall was kept swinging from 7 till 2 next morning.

In Frosterley

The children were supplied with fireworks free by a local shopkeeper.

In Willington

An effigy of the Kaiser was suspended from a clothes-line in one street.

In Coxhoe

Towards night, the inhabitants were delighted to display lights in their windows as in pre-war times.

In Horden

The rag-time band was out, and the streets lined with people. Rockets were sent up by the local soldiers and squibs, crackers, and fireworks of every description were going all day and night by the children. The pits were left open, but many failed to be present on Tuesday.

In Thornley

Unfortunately, the rejoicing over the Armistice was marred by the receipt of the news at the same time of the death in action of Second Lieutenant John Youll, Northumberland Fusiliers, the young Thornley officer who recently gained the Victoria Cross.

The County Chronicle editorial read:

The armistice terms are not terms of peace. The final treaty of peace may not be signed much before Christmas, but we know there is now an end in fighting and so we look forward to many new phases and to a vast amount of reconstruction. We shall need all the skill, the care and anxious thought of those upon whom will devolve the tasks that lie ahead, to bring order out of chaos. There is a tremendous responsibility in which we must share alike but we shall approach the problems with all the greater courage and fortitude for having gone through the fires of a devastating war.

Cover of the programme for the original Durham Hymns performance, July 2016

Marking the centenary of the Armistice

Durham County Council have worked with the Northern Echo to produce a special supplement, on sale now, with part of the proceeds going to the British Legion. It features includes stories from the Durham at War project, and profiles some of our volunteers. 

Myself and Jo from Durham at War will attend The National Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey on 11 November 2018, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armistice. Members of the Royal family, and religious and political leaders will be joined by members of the public who have contributed to the Centenary on a national, regional and local level. 

Recognising the huge contribution the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and its First World War projects have made to the Centenary, the Department for Digital, Media and Sport invited HLF to nominate people to attend the Service. As a result over 300 people who have been involved with HLF funded First World War projects across the UK will be attending the Service on Sunday. It will be broadcast live on BBC 1 and Radio 4. 

Durham at War was made possible by a grant of £475,100 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, which distributes the heritage share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide variety of projects across the UK. HLF has invested £97million in 2,200 First World War Centenary projects.

Durham Hymns

The Gala Theatre will be hosting two performances of Durham Hymns, at 2:30pm and 7:30pm on Sunday 11 November, tickets are still available. 

Hope

Millennium Place will feature a new art installation called Hope, by Aether and Hemera, from 9-15 November. Commissioned by the council, it features a large-scale text sculpture composed of hundreds of colour-changing LED tubes, along with speakers projecting voices retelling local people's experiences of the war.

Many of the stories are contained within letters, diaries and memoirs at Durham County Record Office. 

Durham Cathedral

Durham Cathedral will be hosting one of our life size Tommies with their own silhouettes for There But Not There. 

On Saturday evening, 10 November, a Festival of Remembrance will take place at the Cathedral,  and on Sunday morning a Remembrance Service will be held. 

Pages of the Sea

On selected beaches around the UK, over the course of several hours, a portrait of an individual from the First World War will emerge from the sand. And then, as the tide rises, be washed away as we take a moment to say a collective goodbye. 

In the North East, these are:

Redcar - Theophilus Jones, 18th Durham Light Infantry, of Darlington, died in the Hartlepool Bombardment

Roker Beach - Hugh Carr, Royal Engineers, of Houghton-le-Spring

Seahouses - William Jonas, Middlesex Regiment, of New Washington

Beacons of Light

At 7pm on Sunday 11 November, over 1300 beacons around the United Kingdom and beyond will be lit. In County Durham, this includes Coxhoe, Ferryhill, Stanley, and many, many more. Page 47-48  of this pdf lists them all for County Durham, but please check locally for details. 

The Durham County Council website has a list of services and parades taking place around the county, and provides details of related road closures: http://www.durham.gov.uk/armistice100

Polish Independence

This flag of Poland was adopted in 1919 

In Poland, 11 November is marked for a different reason to the UK. It is celebrated by the Polish as National Independence Day.

The cessation of hostilities of the First World War on 11 November 1918 coincides with Poland regaining independence after over 100 years of occupation by the Prussian, Austro-Hungarian, and Russian empires. 

In the 18th century, these three empires invaded Poland simultaneously on three separate occasions, and grabbed the land for themselves. At the end of the 1700s, partition of Poland was complete and the belligerents introduced their own administration and laws in their respective zones. The Polish language was banned from schools, offices, and public spaces. Several national uprisings followed, all brutally crushed, and even more restrictive policies were forced onto the nation as a punishment. This included total Germanisation and Russification aimed at the destruction of the national spirit and Polish culture and heritage.

In the First World War, Polish men were conscripted into the three different foreign armies and had to fight against each other. Over a million of them were wounded and about half a million died. It is difficult to find the exact number, as those soldiers were classed only as German, Austrian, or Russian in army records. For the same reason it is hard to say how many became prisoners of war. [Some of the men at Harperley prisoner of war camp were Polish]. Over a million civilians were moved to labour camps in Germany and Siberia.

The Bolshevik Revolution, execution of the Tsar, and the major upheaval that followed, eliminated Russia from the war. Defeated, Austria-Hungary and Prussia had to focus on their own internal affairs as well. The new international situation that emerged as the result of the war prepared the ground for Polish politicians to be heard and listened to. On 8 January 1918, US president Woodrow Wilson gave a speech to Congress, known as the Fourteen Points, putting forward America’s long term objectives in the war. Point 13 stated that ‘An independent Polish state should be erected which should include the territories inhabited by indisputably Polish populations, which should be assured a free and secure access to the sea, and whose political and economic independence and territorial integrity should be guaranteed by international covenant.’ The Fourteen Points became the basis of the terms of the German surrender discussed at the Paris Peace Conference.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Warsaw, photo by Grzegorz Petka (public domain) 

As a result, Poland returned to the political map of Europe, which is celebrated annually on 11 November as a national holiday. The focus of the celebrations is the guard of honour that permanently stands by the symbolic Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Saxon Palace, Warsaw, commemorating all those who lost their lives fighting for Polish independence.

The wreckage of the Saxon Palace, Warsaw, 1945, photo by Jan Bułhak (public domain)

It is interesting to note that the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was amongst the first targets to be destroyed by the Germans during the Second World War, as it was nationally recognised as the symbol of Polish independence.

William McNally VC

Sergeant William McNally's Victoria Cross paving stone, image courtesy of John Attle

Saturday 27 October 2018 will see Murton honouring its Victoria Cross hero, Sergeant William McNally, just as they did 100 years ago. A commemorative paving stone will be unveiled on Murton village green, with villagers, veterans, servicemen and women, local dignitaries and members of McNally's family coming together to pay tribute.

The ceremony will take place at the Cenotaph at 11am on Saturday, 27 October, and will be followed by a free exhibition about McNally at the Glebe Centre on Sunday, 28 October, and Monday, 29 October, from 10am to 4pm. Murton Parish Council have led and funded the project, with support from Murton Heritage Society, Murton Welfare Association and East Durham Area Action Partnership. 

On 27 December 1918, the Newcastle Journal ran an article describing the ‘enthusiastic reception’ given by Murton to Sergeant William McNally as he was on leave before visiting Buckingham Palace to receive his Victoria Cross from the King.

“The entire population turning out to do him honour. Murton is very proud of her soldier sons, and not without just reason, for 1300 local lads have joined the colours during the war. Of these, nearly 200 have paid the supreme sacrifice, and 40 distinctions have been won in the field, including a VC, DCMs, and other honours. 

Sergeant McNally who is 24 years of age, was born at Murton, and previous to enlisting was a putter at the colliery, being esteemed by his employers and fellow workmen alike. On September 3 1914, he enlisted in the 8th Yorkshire Regiment, and in October 1916, he was awarded the Military Medal, shortly afterwards receiving a bar to the medal. 

Sergeant McNally being driven by ES Wood, colliery manager. People Past and Present Archive (murt0065)

The gallant soldier was met by several prominent gentlemen, including Mr ES Wood who drove him in his motor car. Soon after three o’clock the procession started from the Village green, East Murton, gay with bunting, to the hero’s home at 11 Shepherdson Street. In the procession, which was headed by the Murton Prize Band, were representatives of the Miners’ Association and other local bodies. 

Later there was a crowded meeting at the Miners’ Hall to make a presentation. The Reverend GW Anson Firth presided, and in an appropriate speech heartily welcomed Sergeant McNally. 

Mr ES Wood, on behalf of the inhabitants, presented the sergeant with a gold watch and chain, and on behalf of Mr and Mrs JS Escott a silver cigarette case, and on behalf of himself, a beautiful gold pendant for his chain. In doing so, he related the deeds which won for the sergeant the coveted distinction...

Sergeant McNally, VC acknowledging the gifts, said that he had only done his duty the same as any other British soldier would have done.

The inhabitants of Murton intend to make a public testimonial to the hero worthy of the deed. The miners have already headed the subscription list with a sum of £100, and the South Hetton Coal Company and Mr WO Wood have generously contributed to the fund”. 

McNally’s was the last Victoria Cross to be awarded to a soldier from County Durham for actions in the First World War. You can read more about the event on Saturday on the Durham County Council press release, and about Sergeant McNally’s actions on Durham at War. 

Imperial War Museum, London

Weeping Window, Imperial War Museum, London, (V Oxberry)

On Wednesday 17 October, I visited the Imperial War Museum in London which has the Weeping Window poppies on display. This forms a nice bookend to the centenary period for me, having seen Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red at the Tower of London in 2014. It was very evocative to have the poppies pouring from a small window in the tower, as though from a puncture wound. 

Weeping Window, Imperial War Museum, London, (V Oxberry)

Aside from the permanent First World War gallery, the IWM has several special exhibits commemorating the war, its end, and its aftermath. From a sound and video installations, to photographic evidence of the different nationalities returning home, and lands still in conflict. You can find out more on their website.

Living with the Peace

D/DLI 7/773/2 First page of the sketchbook belonging to Captain Henry Wilkinson, 1918

Durham Cathedral has a new exhibition called Armistice: Living with the Peace on display in the The Collections Gallery, Open Treasure. It is open now and runs until 2 February 1919, and is included in the entrance to Open Treasure. 

Durham County Record Office has loaned the diary and sketchbook of Captain Henry Wilkinson of the Durham Light Infantry who spent the end of the war in a prisoner of war camp in northern Germany. You can read his story on Durham at War. 

There But Not There, Durham Cathedral

In the cathedral itself, seated in the pews and in the DLI Chapel, are transparent silhouettes, part of 'There But Not There', a nationwide commemorative installation to remember those who never returned home from the First World War. These will be on display until 13 November 2018. We hope to have one of our life size Durham at War Tommies joining the cathedral display for Remembrance Day.

© Durham County Council