Joys and Sorrows from the Last Month of the War

Quite apart from the ‘flu outbreak, domestic life was not easy after four years of war. The coal shortage caused by the draft into the military of miners and the commandeering of fuel for military purposes was causing anxiety, as winter approached. The local press carried a variety of adverts on the subject, ranging from the patriotic angle (“Think of the men fighting in the trenches…”), to the more practical public service-type announcement (“The Coal you save to day will start your fire tomorrow”) and the rather opportunist commercial angle (courtesy of Rinso: “You don’t need the copper fire”).

 

There had been a heated argument about the proposed rise in milk prices from 7d to 9d per quart – in the end, after weeks of criticism from one side and justification on the other, the compromise of 8d was arrived at.

Australian airmen had put on one of their shows at the Primrose League Hall (in Halliday’s Mill): an evening in which ‘mirth and merriment was the presiding genius’ –  a welcome escape from everyday anxieties. The performance raised £9 10/- for the Wesleyan Church.

There was some good news about some local servicemen. George Humphries, from Bussage had been awarded the Military Medal ‘for gallantry on the battlefields of France’:

His mother received the news last week but George gives no particulars, only saying it was by hard fighting. A few weeks ago the gallant soldier was home on 14 days’ leave after 13 months in France, and two days after he returned to duties he won the distinction referred to. He is only 21 years old. Needless to say, his mother, sisters and friends are very proud of him, and hope that he will be spared to return safely to his home once more.

Douglas Webster, son of Frank Webster, fighting with the Canadian forces had gained the Military Cross ‘for operations in August this year’. According to the London Gazette in an article published on 29th November, it was awarded:

…for conspicuous gallantry and initiative during an attack. He was in support company, but, observing that the attack was being held up, he at once went and secured a Tank, guide it to the front affected, and then led his platoon forward to the support of the troops in front, breaking the enemy’s resistance and enabling the advance to continue. Later when his company took the offensive, he skillfully led his platoon round the flank of a large force of the enemy, and brought effective fire to bear; enabling his company to kill or capture the garrison.

Douglas Webster aged 16

Bert Smart of Chalford had been wounded in the knee, and was currently in Warrington hospital. He had ‘seen much hard fighting this last twelve months and was on the St Quentin’s front. He was wounded only a fortnight after his chum, Ray Scarsbrook, of Brimscombe, met his fatal blow’.

There was development of the VD story. “The spread of this disease has increased so greatly, and the effect on the whole country is so serious”, explained the Journal, that a series of lectures was being held at places of work – separate sessions for men and women. There was also a clinic held at Stroud hospital, 6pm on Tuesdays for men, 6pm on Thursdays for women (there was a female doctor, Mary Davie), ‘under conditions of strict secrecy’.

The Chalford Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Parcel Fund had presented its annual accounts (audited by Frank Webster). Between 31st March 1917 and 31st March 1918, receipts had totalled £180 3/7, while expenditure had been £171 8/8 – leaving a balance of £8 14/11 which was augmented by proceeds of whist drives and dances. The committee were already busy with the Christmas parcels for 1918 – ‘those for Mesopotamia, India and Egypt have already gone…’ Ten local men were POWs in Germany and Austria.

On 1st November, the Stroud News reported that new ration books were to be issued the following Sunday, and that jam would be included in the list of controlled foodstuffs. The paper also carried the following reflection on the late autumn landscape:

It is the season of changing tints and shades, when the wooded hills – which, alas, have already paid paid heavy tribute to the demands of war – are seen in all their glory from the sheltered valleys.

 

 

 

 

“The most tragic Eastertide…”

Easter 1918 fell on Sunday 31st March. The following Friday, the ‘Stroud News’ uttered a heartfelt cry:

“The most tragic Eastertide, not only within the memory of the oldest inhabitants of the Stroud district, but in all the centuries of recorded history, has come and gone, and few of us, during its passing, have not had our thoughts mainly centred on the blood-soaked fields of France, where the greatest battle of all time is being fought…we are afraid many local homes will have to mourn the loss of near and dear ones when the full casualty lists come to be published…”

The German army had launched its surprise and (initially) highly successful Spring Offensive on 21st March, seeking to overwhelm British and French forces before the American army arrived in full strength. The advance was at first speedy and the German forces reached as far as the Marne on May 27th, but they had overstretched themselves, and the Allied strategy under Maréchal Foch was bearing fruit. By the end of July, the Offensive had staggered to a close. This was all in the future, however, and in Spring 1918, uncertainty over the outcome of the war and anxiety about friends and relatives was at the front of everybody’s mind.

The casualty lists from ‘Operation Michael’, the first phase of the Offensive, were not yet published, but deaths and injuries elsewhere were duly reported in the local press. The ‘Journal’ of 4th April tells the sad tale of Able Seaman Albert Pegler, aged 20, born in Chalford, who had been fostered for six years by Mr and Mrs Whale, of Wallsquarry. They had received  “an official Admiralty notification…informing them that one of HM Mercantile Fleet Auxiliary was sunk on the 26th instance, and that only one survivor, a leading stoker, has been reported as surviving. In those circumstances, it was deeply regretted that Albert Henry Pegler…must be regarded as having lost his life.” He had been serving on HMS Lady Cory Wright, a former cargo ship  requisitioned as a mine carrier, which was torpedoed by a U-boat about 14 miles off the Lizard. He had recently been home on 17 days’ leave, and had only returned to his ship three weeks before. His navy card describes him as brown haired and grey eyed, and records that before enlisting in 1915 he had worked in an ironworks. The minister at the Sunday School, the Revd Butcher, paid tribute: “Albert Pegler was a very good and promising lad. He had known him from a boy, and several times had had the pleasure of handing him prizes he had won for excellence and good conduct. His character was one which he could commend to all the young people.” The ‘News’ published a photograph of him, which – even in the offprint from the microfiche reader  – conveys a strong impression of who he was.

Albert Henry Pegler

Others were injured. Pte H Pitt, of Chalford and Thrupp, serving with the 8th Glosters, was recuperating in a Brighton hospital from a leg wound. A letter to his wife was quoted – “he says he has had a very hot time of it, and it was in a wood when a shell burst and four of his pals were killed and seven others were badly injured..” Pte Bert Smart was in hospital in Rouen with shell shock, his uncle, Bill Smart was also hospitalised (there are no details of what for).

A dance was held at France Lynch Schools to celebrate the homecoming of Sidney Halliday, who had grown up in Apple Tree Cottage in the village, but emigrated to Canada in 1913, and was now serving with the Winnipeg Grenadiers. The family was a musical one, and the dancing took place to the accompaniment of the piano, piccolo, flute (which Sidney played) and violin. Hindsight renders this joyful occasion poignant, as we know that Sidney would be killed later on that year.

Sidney Halliday