WORLD WAR ONE

 

 

THE SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS

 

 

A rare survivor, this wooden cross was brought from France in 1924 and re-erected near the railway station in Dingwall by the 4th Seaforth Re-Union Club, in memory of their beloved dead during the 1914-1918 War.

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THE WAGGONER'S RESERVE

A fine memorial,which commemorates a very fine troop of farm lads who went to war, can be seen in the Wolds Village of Sledmere near Malton in East Yorkshire. 

The inscription on The Waggoner’s Memorial  reads :

‘ Lt Col Sir Mark Sykes, Bart. MP, designed this monument and set it up

as a remembrance of the gallant service rendered in the Great War 1914 – 1919

by The Waggoner’s Reserve, a corps of 1,000 drivers raised by him

on the Yorkshire Wolds farms, in the year 1912.’

The amazing stone relief panels depict the men enlisting, training and fighting, as well as their peaceful activities on the farms.   These men were experienced horsemen and joined the reserve from all parts of the Wolds.  When war broke out, they became part of the Army Service Corps and most of them saw active service in Belgium and France.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An illuminated memorial book, listing all men of the Waggoner’s Reserve, and their deeds, can be seen in Sledmere church.















WAR GRAVES

Known as The Marble Church, St Margaret’s Church at Bodelwyddan in North Wales, was built in  the mid 19^th century by Lady Margaret Willoughby de Broke at a cost of £60,000.  This finely ornate church, which took four years to build, is a spectacular landmark at the side of the A55 road.  In the churchyard at the front of the church is a curious ‘war grave’ area of 117 graves with their white military gravestones.  34 of these are the graves of British servicemen who died during WW1 and the other 83 graves are those of Canadian Servicemen who died at the nearby Kinmel Park Military Camp.

It appears that the majority of these servicemen died as victims of the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-19.  However there is much speculation over the fate of five of the Canadians.   What is certain is that on 4/5^th March 1919 a disturbance took place within Kinmel Camp, a staging camp, where Canadian Troops were waiting to be repatriated.  The men were restless following repeated sailing delays, and when a ship, allocated to convey the troops back home to Canada, was diverted to carry food supplies to Russia, riots took place and in the mêlée three soldiers were killed and two died later of injuries.  Apparently Courts Martial were held and some detentions were ordered.  It had been said that the five Canadian servicemen had been executed for mutiny following the riots, but this has been strongly denied by The Canadian Department of National Defence.

St Margaret's Church

 

 

 

 

CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS

 

 

Richmond Castle in North Yorkshire was used as a barracks in the 19^th century and some detention cells still remain. They were used to house conscientious objectors in WW1 whose death sentences had been commuted to hard labour. Percy Goldsbrough was one of them and he left a message on his cell wall which is still there. It reads: “I Percy F Goldsbrough of Mirfield  was brought up from Pontefract on Friday August 11^th 1916 and put into this cell for refusing to be made into a soldier.”

 

Richmond Castle