Posted to Egypt

On the 28th April 1915, 100 years ago today, my first cousin three times removed, Alfred Charles Morris Bush arrived at Alexandria, Egypt. Aged 38 he was the Company Sergeant Major in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) and was attached to the 1/4^th London Mounted Brigade.

Alfred was born in Wimbledon, Surrey in about 1876 and was one of five children born to Charles and Caroline Bush (nee Wigman). His older sister Louisa had married William King in 1893, he also had a younger sister Nellie and two younger brothers Charles and William. His brother, Charles was also serving in the RAMC and had just returned from France having been posted in December to New Hampsted Military Hospital from No.9 General Hospital in Rouen.

His father Charles Henry Bush had died in 1882 aged just 34 when Alfred was six. In 1888 his mother Caroline had re-married to William Clack, a scavenger with Wimbledon Borough Council and they had a further seven children and lived in the Bush family home at 11 Ashbourne Road, Wimbledon.

Alfred and his brother Charles both served in the RAMC in the Boer War and Alfred remained in the Army. In 1911 he was living in the Headquarters of the London Mounted Brigade Field Ambulance in Farringdon Road, London. With him were his wife Ellen, who he had married in 1905 and his two children Amy (born 1909) and George (born 1910).

Upon arrival in Egypt, Company Sergeant Major Alfred Bush and the 1/4th london Mounted Brigade was posted to the Suez Canal defences, near Ismailia.

Also on the move and now just one day out from arriving in England were the 4^th Field Company, Canadian Engineers, in which my Great Grand Uncle, Albert Benjamin Uden, had enlisted in, had left Halifax, Nova Scotia on the 18th April 1915 bound for England on board the HMT Northland. The voyage took 11 days in total, The 4th field Company was under the command of Major G.A. Inksetter. 

At the time of writing the personel records for this company have not been fully digitized so it is possible that Albert Uden did not travel to England, the research goes on...

Enlisting in the Navy

On April 12^th 1915 Frederick Charles Bush joined the Royal Navy as a Stoker and started his training at Pembroke II the Royal Navy Shore Station in Sheppey, Kent.

He was 18 years and 4 months old and just 5 foot 2 1/2 inches tall with brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion and had previously been working as a warehouseman.

Frederick Charles Bush (My first cousin three times removed) was born on the 7^th December 1896 in Wimbledon, Surrey. The third son of Edwin and Ada Bush (Nee Searle) growing up in the family home at 8 Leyton Road, South Wimbledon. His mother passed away in 1910 aged just 38 years old, with Frederick only 14 years old and by 1911 the family were living at 41a Cowper Road, Wimbledon. However Frederick was at the Holme Court Industrial School for Boys, Twickenham Rd, Isleworth, which was a certified truant industrial school.

Frederick had two older brothers Edwin (born 1893) and Alfred (born 1895) and three younger brothers Arthur (born 1900), Albert (born 1903) and George (born 1908). Two other brothers, Horace and John had died in infancy. His eldest brother, Edwin, had recently married Rosetta Turner.

Frederick’s father Edwin had served in the Royal Navy from 1884 to 1892.

The North Staffords arrive in France

On the 5^th March 1915 My Grand Uncle Benjamin Hollins arrived in France with the 1/6^th Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment.

Benjamin Hollins

Benjamin Hollins was born in 1887 in Rugeley, Staffordshire. He was the eldest son of Benjamin and Ann Hollins (nee Hodson). Benjamin had an elder sister Mary Ann and 3 younger brothers James, Edward and Arthur (my Grandfather).

Benjamin was married to Hilda Pedley in 1908 at St. John the Baptist in Armitage and they had two young sons Benjamin was four and Henry two. A daughter Mabel had died as an infant in 1911. Hilda was from Penkhull, Stoke and was the daughter of Henry and Emma Pedley.

In 1911 they were living with the Pedley family at 2 Ricardia Terrace, Armitage and Benjamin was working as a plumber.

The 1/6^th battalion had arrived in Southampton from Saffron Walden on the 1^st March. C and D companies embarked on the 2^nd on-board the S.S. Balmoral for Le Harve. Headquarters and A & B companies embarked on the 4^th on-board S.S. Empress Queen arriving at Le Harve on the 5^th March 1915, 100 years ago today.

Arriving with him was his brother James Harry Hollins, William Henry Cunningham, George Hollins

James Hollins, Benjamin's younger brother was born in Rugeley in 1891. The 1911 census shows him living with his parents and siblings at 27 Bow Street in Rugeley. he was working as a horse driver in the local colliery. His brother Edward Hollins also worked in the mine (it is likely that he too arrived in France at the same time, but this is not confirmed) as did his father Benjamin.

William Henry Cunningham, (My Auntie's Uncle in law) was born in Rugeley in 1892 and was the oldest son of Thomas and Hannah Cunningham (nee Mills). In 1911 he was living with his parents at 74 Sheep Fair, Rugeley and was working as colliery rope rider below ground, his father also worked at the mine as a bankman above ground.

Benjamin Hollins 2nd cousin, George Hollins was mentioned in a later newspaper report as being "out with the Territorials in March 1915" (Lichfield Mercury 6th Sept 1918) so again it would seem likely he embarked with the rest of the North Stafford's. George was the son of William and Sarah Ann Hollins (nee Wood) and brother in law to Frederick Williscroft and James Fisher. He was born in 1886 in Rugeley and married Emily Mary Hiley in 1907 at St. John the baptist Church in Armitage. By 1915 they had two children George born in 1908 and Sarah in 1911 both born in Rugeley.

Rugeley - Early days

Through this blog I am endeavouring to bring to life what was happening to my ancestors 100 years ago to the day, there will inevitably be some events which research only reveals after that milestone has passed. So this would seem an ideal time to mention three other ancestors and their Great War experiences in 1914.

Frederick Williscroft was the husband of Mary Hollins my 2nd cousin twice removed. He had enlisted with the 6th North Staffordshire Regiment on the 30th July 1914. At 5ft 8 ½ inches and 35 years 10 months old, Frederick was employed as a tanner working in the same Tanyard, Stokes and Negus Phoenix Tannery, as his father in law William Hollins. William Hollins and his family lived at 64 Queen Street, Rugeley. 

Frederick Williscroft

Frederick was discharged from the army on September 28th 1914 due to being medically unfit.

Frederick’s wife’s first cousin, Horace Wilson was born in 1897 in Rugeley and was the son of Shem and Elizabeth Wilson. Shem was the adopted son of my great, great grand uncle William Hollins and step brother to Mary’s father William Hollins. Horace was the fourth eldest of eight children (4 brothers and 3 sisters)

Horace lived at 60 Queen Street, Rugeley and enlisted with the Grenadier Guards on the 1st December 1914. He was 19 years and 3 months old, 5ft 10 inches, with a fresh complexion, grey eyes and brown hair.

Horace was discharged from the army on the 12th December 1914 on the grounds of being inefficient.

William Hollins other daughter Harriet Hollins married James Fisher, a coal miner from 40 Brereton Rd, Rugeley between Jan-March 1914. Harriet was 33 and James 26 was the oldest son of James and Mary Anne Fisher (nee Glaze). Their son James was born between September and December 1914.

James’ younger brother Albert Fisher, also a coal miner before the War, had been discharged from the 1/6th North Staffordshire Regiment on the 18th January 1915

Wimbledon Home Front

Between January and March 1915, Edwin Maurice Bush (my first cousin, 3 times removed) married Rosetta Turner in Wimbledon, Surrey.

Edwin, aged 21, was born in Wimbledon on the 22^nd November 1893 the son of Edwin Ernest and Ada Bush (nee Searle). His father, Edwin Snr. was a bricklayer by trade and Ada his mother had passed away in 1910. 

He was the oldest of six brothers Alfred, Frederick, Arthur, Albert and George. He also had two brothers who had died as infants (Horace and John). 

In 1911 the family were living at 41a Cowper Road, Wimbledon. Frederick was away at an Industrial School for Boys in Isleworth, Middlesex and Edwin who was working as an errand boy was lodging at No. 49 Cowper Road, Wimbledon with the Turner family, just a minute’s walk away.

His wife Rosetta Ada Phyllis Janet Turner, was aged 17, born on the 25^th November 1897 also in Wimbledon and was the daughter of William and Emily Turner. Rosetta had two brothers (Phillip and Martin) and three sisters (Frances, Edith and Alice). Her father had passed away in 1909 and her mother died in 1912 when she was aged just 14.

The Battle of Dogger Bank

24^th January 1915  – The Battle of Dogger Bank

The German raid on Scarborough on the 16th December 1914 had resulted in 86 dead and 424 wounded, the public outcry against this attack on civilians was huge and at the inquest the coroner remarked “Where were the Navy?” With young children among the casualties Real Admiral Franz Hipper had earned his new sobriquet “Baby Killer”. The Royal Navy waited for the German High Seas Fleet to reappear.

On the 24^th January 1915, the Navy got its chance!

Naval intelligence reported that the German Battlecrusier Squadron had left its Jade Island base late the previous day. Hipper’s flagship Seydlitz was accompanied by Moltke, Derfflinger and Blucher. The 2^nd Battlecruiser Squadron under the command of Admiral Sir David Beatty on his flagship The Lion, accompanied by Tiger, Princess Royal, New Zealand and HMS Indomitable sailed to intercept.

Serving on board HMS Indomitable was Stoker (2^nd Class) Robert Harris, my Great Grand Father in Law.

Stoker 2nd Class - Robert Harris

Contact was made with the enemy at 7.20am and a deadly pursuit began immediately. As the stern chase started the response of the engine room was magnificent, By 8.30am the British squadron were doing 26 knots, Admiral Beatty called for 27. Yet the Indomitable, commanded by Captain F.W. Kennedy, whose trail speed was just over 25 knots was keeping up. The flagship in admiration signalled “Well steamed, Indomitable” (The Great war at Sea).

At 8.52am The Lion fired at couple of ranging shots and whilst still at 20,000 yards Beatty ordered his other ships to “open fire and engage the enemy”

Like the older Blucher, Beatty’s rearmost ship, the Indomitable, was no longer able to hold the pace and was dropping astern. Moltke, Defflinger and Seydlitz all concentrated their fire on the Lion and between 10.30 and 10.50am the Lion received heavy damage and was hit 15 times. The Seydlitz and Blucher were also badly damaged, which caused the Blucher to slow to 17 knots.

At this point a submarine periscope was spotted and fearing they had been lured into a trap the British turned allowing the Germans to make a run for it, leaving the Blucher to her fate. Beatty wanted the pursuit to continue and Indomitable to finish off the Blucher by herself, but due to a signalling misunderstanding all four remaining ships concentrated their fire on the stricken Blucher.

Although the Blucher fought on valiantly to the end, her fate was sealed and she eventually sank with the loss of 792 men. 234 men were saved by the British ships but efforts to rescue more were ended when a German Seaplane attacked the scene, although no damage was done the British ships were sitting targets for further attacks and withdrew.

SMS Blucher Sinking

By this time, Hipper had escaped and his ships were now too far away for the British to catch them again.

The Indomitable had fired 134 shells, hitting the Blucher 8 times and had received one direct hit, but there were no casualties on board Robert Harris' ship.

But the danger for those on-board the Indomitable was far from over. The badly damaged Lion had to be towed back to port by the Indomitable, at a maximum speed of just 10 knots, the danger of submarine attacks was great and a screen of over fifty ships was assigned to guard the two battlecruisers on their long and dangerous voyage home.

"The War Illustrated" reported on "The Naval Victory in the North Sea - Triumph of British Gunnery and Seamanship" (6th Feb 1915), the truth analysed over the last 100 years perhaps paints a different picture, the accuracy of the German fire was better and their ships were able to withstand greater damage than ours but at that time there was no doubt in the press that the "Baby Killer" had been given a bloody nose and that British Naval honour had been restored

References

The Great War at Sea, Richard Hough

The War Illustrated.

Wikipedia - The Battle of Dogger Bank

Answering Canada's call

20^th January 1915

100 years ago today Albert Benjamin Uden (My Great Grand Uncle) enlisted at Ottawa with the Canadian Expeditionary force.

Canadian Red Ensign

Born in Dover, Kent on the 17^th October 1882, the son of Albert Uden and Eliza Sowman. His father was a Potato merchant and the family grew up on Seven Star Street in Dover. Albert married Maude Torr, also from Dover, in 1905 in Paddington. Along with their newly born son Albert they emigrated to Toronto, Canada in 1907 sailing on the Empress of Britain.

In 1915 Albert, Maude and their two sons Albert (born in Paddington in 1906) and George (born in Ontario, Canada in 1910) were living in Bellwoods Ave, Toronto.

A carpenter by trade Albert aged 32 years and 2 months enlisted in the 4^th Field Company of the Canadian Engineers. He was 5ft 5in tall with brown eyes, dark brown hair and a dark complexion. Albert also had two vaccination scars on his right arm and a scar on his left shin. 

Eight years after sailing 1,000's of miles to start a new life in Canada, Albert Uden volunteered to return.