P71/28/21/19

Letter number 19 with nemerous mentions of local men and events including:

12 May 1917

From: 1917 To: 1917

- sympathy for those involved in the fighting around Arras; - Oliver Harpin had been killed on 18 Apr 1917 in France leaving a young widow and both parents, his brother Walter was wounded in the leg a few days later [Commonwealth War Graves Commission information: Corporal Oliver F.Harpin of 8th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, aged 24, son of Walter James Harpin of Lilur Street, Stevington and husband of Alice Emma Sutton (formerly Harpin) of Lilur Street, Stevington, commemorated on Loos Memorial to the Missing]; - George Bartram had been wounded in Palestine three months previously; - Walter Tysoe, formerly of The Cock Inn had been wounded and was in hospital in Birmingham; - H.Mitchell had been badly wounded in the opposite arm to his previous wound; - Alfred Hulatt of Oakley had been reported as being a prisoner-of-war; - H.Field had been discharged following a serious operation; - Walter Bowyer, grown very tall and thin, was on leave before going abroad with a mountain artillery battery; - Reggie Ruffhead had been on leave before returning to Borden Camp [Hampshire]; - George Jeffries was expected home on leave then expecting a posting to a ship; - George Seamarks had undertaken a gunnery course at Plymouth, maybe becoming gunner on a merchant vessel, his brother Charlie had not received a discharge, being passed B ii then B i; - Bert Seamarks was at the front with 7th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment (the Shiny 7th) which had achieved “a dazzling brilliancy” and had escaped injury when a shell burst nearby, he hoped to go on a course to qualify as a signalling instructor; - Arthur Bartram mentioned advancing and having three men killed by a shell, seeing cavalry going forward, seeing the German devastation of the countryside around Bapaume; he noted seeing Walter Church, now with 2nd Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment and Walter Rowney repairing roads; - Sid Glidle and Don Cox were now with 2nd Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment which had seen severe fighting recently; - Chris Allen had been at machine gun training and confined to camp in isolation for three weeks after sharing a hut with two men who contracted mumps; - Arthur Goldsmith had recovered from illness and returned to the trenches; - Arthur Church, Walter Warwick and Alec Lacey were all well and had been engaged on rough work with the yeomanry; - Jim Cox, at Lord Lytton’s house in the West End of London, had been recovering but had tired his leg too greatly; - Edwin Cox was home on leave, having recuperated at Wormley Bury, VAD Hospital and had been told to report to Ampthill Camp on 14 May 1917; - Walter Curtis had been in a big drive with the Canadians [at Vimy Ridge?]and followed the tanks, many prisoners had been taken and comparatively few losses suffered; - Charles Warwick was well and had met Lance Corporal B.Bird; - Wally Cox had been for a trip up the Nile with his officer; - F.Dawson in Palestine was well; - Jim Ruffhead had moved from Egypt to Salonika [Greece] which he regretted; - M.Goldsmith had had leave; - Fred Curtis and Jim Garlick had recently joined up, the latter in the Scottish Rifles

item

Harpin, Oliver,
Harpin, Walter,
Harpin, Walter James,
Sutton, Alice Emma,
Harpin, Alice Emma,
Bartram, George,
Tysoe, Walter,
Mitchell, H.,
Hulatt, Alfred,
Field, H.,
Bowyer, Walter,
Ruffhead, Reginald,
Jeffries, George,
Seamarks, George,
Seamarks, Charles,
Seamarks, Bert,
Bartram, Arthur,
Church, Walter,
Rowney, Walter,
Glidle, Sid,
Cox, Don,
Allen, Chris,
Goldsmith, Arthur,
Church, Arthur,
Warwick, Walter,
Lacey, Alec,
Cox, Jim,
Lytton,
Cox, Edwin,
Curtis, Walter,
Warwick, Charles,
Bird, B.,
Cox, Walter,
Dawson, F,
Ruffhead, Jim,
Goldsmith, M.,
Curtis, Fred,
Garlick, Jim

STEVINGTON, general correspondence, First World War, World War One, Arras, DEATH, widow, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, corporal, 8th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, France, Stevington Lilur Street, war memorials, Palestine, Stevington Cock, Birmingham, OAKLEY, prisoners of war, Borden, Plymouth, 7th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, Bapaume, 2nd Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, mumps, Bedfordshire Yeomanry, Wormley Bury, AMPTHILL, Canadian Army, Vimy Ridge, Nile, Egypt, Salonika