By late November, prisoners of war were arriving back home. Among those newly released were Claude Mills and Bernie Gardiner, who had enlisted together, two years underage, early on in the war – obviously thinking it all a huge adventure. They had, as recounted earlier in these pages, taken part in much vicious fighting, especially at Hebertine and Festubert in 1916. Claude Mills, ‘going ahead too quickly’, had been captured at Festubert, and spent the rest of the war in German camps. Bernie Gardiner, on the other hand, had been discovered to be underage and sent back home in September 1916. He re-enlisted immediately on reaching 18, only to be taken prisoner in March 1918 at Messines. On release, Bernie apparently ‘had to make the best of his way possible to the Allies’ lines, and fortunately after wandering about some two days he met the Yankees, who kindly took care of him. A postcard from him to his mother states that he expects to return home shortly’. Claude Mills was at that time back in Scotland, and also expected home imminently. Both men can be seen in this group portrait taken outside the Baptist Tabernacle in 1919 or 1920 – Gardiner second from the right in the second row from the back, Mills in front of him, second from the right in the third row from the back. Also in this photograph, at the extreme right of the back row, is Sam Browning. He had been taken prisoner at Merville ‘last March’. According to the local paper, he ‘had a hard time of it for some eight weeks, being divested of his clothes . Later he was put to work in a saw mill, his attire consisting of paper materials’ (Journal, 6-12-18).

Interestingly, both those youthful seekers after excitement and experience, Claude Mills and Bernie Gardiner, settled back in familiar old Chalford after their war service. Claude Mills used the reparation for his time in the POW camp (it is understood he spent time in a salt mine) to set up a garage at the foot of Cowcombe Hill. He married Doris Kathleen Davis in 1934, and the couple were living in Chestnut House, next to the garage, in 1939.

Claude Mills and his wife Doris in their garden in the 1930s

He died in Cheltenham in 1954. Bernie Gardiner became a carpenter, married, and lived in Sunny Patch, France Lynch. He died in 1965. Sam Browning also saw out his days in the village, dying in 1941 at the age of 57.