A Zeppelin Over Yarwell

I have not put out a post recently because I have been very busy writing the book , which will be  titled A Zeppelin Over Yarwell, The War Story of Six Villages.

The research for this book has revealed lots of stories about the soldiers and of the villagers.

Charlie Bream, from Nassington was born in 1883. He was the eldest son of a railway platelayer in Nassington. In 1903 Charles joined the 1st battalion The Northamptonshire (D Company) Regiment and saw active service on the Indian Frontier in 1904, for which he received two medals and two bars. On leaving the Army he became a Police Constable in Durham. He was called up at the start of the War and on departing from the police force he stated that 'if I should be spared sir to come back it will be with clean hands and a clear conscience'.

He applied for the Grenadier Guards but because of 'still joints' was rejected so he  re-enlisted into the 1st Battalion The Northamptonshire Regiment. On August 17th 1914 his regiment left for France and he was with them when they were forced to retreat from Mons. In a letter to a friend he wrote
'you will have heard about the battle on the Aisne we were in the trenches for a month, and the first week it never ceased raining and we had to stick it.
On another occasion he wrote saying, 'that we were in the trenches for a month and it rained day and night for a week. We were wet through to the skin even to the bone. My hand was wounded but it was nothing to shout about. The doctors were  too busy to dress it so I got an R.A.M.C (Royal Army Medical Corps) man to dress it. I went back to the firing line on the same day. I thought that I had been done in; I did not care what became of me. The Germans were at us for three solid weeks. Thank God it has eased off a bit.

Later, when at Festubert, Charles wrote  'that they had had several engagements with the Prussia Guard, but got through them doing six bayonet charges in ten days'.

Charles was killed shortly after this last letter was posted in yet another bayonet charge at Festubert on December 21st 1914.

Charles is remembered at Le Touret Military Cemetery.

A Zeppelin Over Yarwell

The Tithe Barn Museum with its exhibition, A Zeppelin Over Yarwell, is now closed for the winter. 

The exhibition will open again for one more year next spring (2015).

In the meantime we are busy writing a book about the villages and  the impact  that  WWI had on the families of the six villages that were included in our research. Its a big project as we hope  also be able to provide some statics,

• such as how many men signed in the first rush of 1914. 

• how many were conscripted, 

• what was the average age our our soldiers.

• We are also looking at the vary varied regiments.

•  Initially we had supposed that they would have mostly enrolled into the Northamptonshire Regiment, which currently does not seem to be the case.

• and we looking at their pr-war employment.

• 

  Charles Bream who was killed in action on  December 21st  1914.

  • 
    

A Zeppelin over Yarwell.

Joseph Thomas Scotney was married to Susannah and they had two daughters.

Prior to the war he was a farmer and butcher, who used to deliver his meat around the villages. 

He was elected treasure of the coal club in 1914. 

Joseph was probably conscripted in 1916 and enlisted into the  Northamptonshire Regiment as a signaller on November 31^st 1916.

He seems to have had disciplinary issues. In April 1918 he was absent from fatigue. On another occasion he forfeited 4 days pay and was later ordered to pay for a new pair of trousers for, ‘loosing through neglect’, and for ’5 rounds of ammunition three days pay’. 

On March 3rd 1918 he is recorded as missing but was later listed as a Prisoner of War on 25 March 1919. 

The photo show s him delivering meat before the war.

A Zeppelin over Yarwell

I have just up loaded our WWI web site A Zeppelin over Yarwell . It has been designed by Mike Brown one of the members of our group. click on the link below.

I  have a broken wrist and when I am out of plaster I will post more.




http://azeppelinoveryarwell.weebly.com/

A Zeppelin Over Yarwell

Receiving our award  in  July at Sywell Aviation Museum.

 Apart from putting all our research into a book we also have to finish the website, which is the job for Mike.

Mike is on the right of this photo.

A Zeppelin Over Yarwell

We have mostly finished working on the exhibition and were very pleased to have been award the top Heritage Community Award in July for the project.  However people are still bringing in information to us, all of which will be included in the book which we will be publishing in due course.

This lovely little box was posted out to Charles Simmons who served in the Northamptonshire Regiment. He was injured by shrapnel in France in 1916. He was transferred into the Army Labour Corps in 1917 and was discharged on April 8th 1919.

The photo below is of horses in  Yarwell which was reputedly posted to Charles while he was still in the army.

A Zeppelin Over Yarwell

The exhibition was formally opened by Air Vice-Marshall Wawrick Pike Retd. to which there was an incredible turn out by people from the six villages and  those from  further afield.

.