There was one at the back of Moorfields, behind the Wizards Den. As a kid I used to play with my pals, there was an old garage door floating in the water, it was used as a raft by the kids. I have a story about it somewhere, I will find it and post it up.
I think Blackers basement was used as a static tank for a short while, after Blacklers was burnt out in the blitz.
(Sorry Martin! I didn't see you have already mentioned it, about Blackers.)
It's age SampOriginally Posted by Samp
Thanks guys.
I have an update for the site that may be of interest !....it is regarding my Great Uncle George Williams who was killed in WW1 and was buried in France in 1917 (there is a very sad letter written by himwhich is on the site !), my Aunty has recently told me that my Grandparents and Great Grandparents did journey to France for his burial (I was totally unaware if this !) and that during his funeral at the graveside the vicar was hit by a sniper, she cant remember if he was just injured or died but what an amazing story !....anyone out there who may know of where this incident may be recorded ??
Just read that story Squiggs.
How moving to see how the soldiers actually felt during their time at the front. Unless you were there it's very hard to imagine, his letter gives an insight though. Thanks for sharing it.
Martin
Hello squiggs
If it was a military funeral there would have been a report of the incident made to the high command and if the record still exists, it should be in the National Archives. As you may know about two-thirds of World War I military records were lost through German bombing in World War II so there is that shadow of a doubt if such a record might still be around. Still I should think it might be worth checking. It is also possible that there may be a report in the press that mentions your great uncle's funeral and the name of the clergyman who was struck by the sniper though possibly such a report might not have been published in the press until some time later due to wartime secrecy. If the clergyman died as a result of the sniper's bullet there is probably a grave record for him too.
All the best
Chris
Christopher T. George
Editor, Ripperologist
Editor, Loch Raven Review
http://christophertgeorge.blogspot.com/
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I reckon that would be a stray round rather than a sniper. We used to say, it weren't too bad getting shot if a round has your name on it. It's the one with To whom it may concern that used to worry us.
Thanks for the reply Chris !, I'm just glad that my Aunty who is 82 remebered the story and could tell me about it !, these "gems" of information are to be treasured.
Hi Squiggs
I have been talking to a few experts on the Great War Forum and we may have a possible for this.
http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_...asualty=117033
The only Chaplain dying around this time was The Rev. HERBERT PETER LEDBITTER. on 28 Feb 1917.
His extraction, if wounded, to a Base Hospital at Le Treport is in a short,direct and straight line from Flers where George Williams was Buried.
Still looking into him.
BE NICE......................OR ELSE
Sorry Squiggs its not the man above.
Just found a record for him stating he died of Meningitis.
The problem is the lack of detail - he might well have only been wounded and much depends upon how serious - if for example it was a minor nick from a nearly spent stray round then the wound might never even have been officially reported.
But as you say a great story. Do you want me to add details of it to the site on George's story?
BE NICE......................OR ELSE
I would be honoured if you did Spike, if I ever get "clever" enough to upload a photo you could put his grave on the site as well !.
I would dearly love to have a conversation with my Nan to ask her lots of questions, how come when we are younger we never ask questions ??
I have mentioned before about the Shrewsbury Club, old boys news sheets, which I and a few other old boys from the club are archiving. These sheets are all hand written and have to be typed up before they can go into the computer. Many of them relate to the war years and an attempt in the past was made to collate the news sheets from World War 11. We hope in the future to see these go to print.
The members of the archive team have agreed I can post a few sheets on Yo, to give people an idea what they are all about. These sheets have been written by club members during their time in the war and have never been seen before.
The number at the top of the page refers to the news sheet number, which gives you an idea how many there are!
2903
TEN YEARS AGO More extracts from 1944 news sheets.
THE WAR IN THE ANZIO BEACHHEAD
25/4/44 JIMMY MACKAY (AIR LETTER 29/3/44) Myself and Harry (Boardman) arrived back yesterday with the boys feeling fit and well, Johnny (Aspinall and Stan (Grounds) were waiting for us when we came in. We managed to have a bottle of beer apiece at night time in Johnny's dug out. We only wanted Ted (Wilmitt) there. He couldn't manage it because he was pretty forward. We had a real good jangle between us until about ten o'clock Stanley telling us a few jokes and Johnny telling us how we are going to win the war Well I am glad to see Albert (Ash) and Harry (Scott) were enjoying themselves back at home and they sure deserve it. Sorry to hear about John D'Arcy.He sure stopped It In the right place. I reckon he must have been over with the Eighth."
25/4/44 STAN GROUNDS (AIRGRAPH 1/4/44) " I was up to see Johnny Aspinall on Monday and who walks in but Jimmy McKay who told me that Harry was back. I soon rooted him out and on the same night we had a bit of a bottle party through the efforts of Johnny who had procured six bottles of beer and four bottles of Vino."
25/4/44 FOOTNOTE This is the first time we think that we have received on the same day, letters from two of the lads giving their account of the same incident. Isn't it astonishing when you come to think of it Jimmy McKay, Stan Grounds Johnny Aspinall and Henry Boardman having a night out in a dug out on the Anzio beachhead a few thousand miles from home that no doubt forgetting after the first few minutes that they weren't at the Legs of Man or in Mac's house or even at the Bean House. It was a pity that Teddy Wilmitt could not have been there too and one of our chief wishes now is to hear that that young warrior has been given a bit of well deserved rest after the weeks and almost months of very active campaigning he has been through just recently.
FROM GERMANY
14/5/44 GEORGE GRIMES (26/3/44) " I don't think I've told you before my latest accomplishment since I've been on the farm (Prison camp) is I've learned to ride the horses. Well I manage to hang on anyway.Its not too bad playing nursemaid to four horses. A chap with us here is from Liverpool. He lives just by your works, I don't remember him though he knows Joe Glow and Co"
ANZIO AGAIN
25/5/54 STAN GROUNDS (15/4/44) " I guess you have not received my first letter saying where I first met Henry Boardman. We were in the attack with the infantry mainly for mine lifting in certain areas. The Mole (Germans) got to know of the attack somehow but the infantry I was with took their objective after very stubborn resistance. We held on as we were in a spearhead and waiting for the flanks to come up. The left flank troops had to have tank support and I was dig in - in what I consider the best position in the area. Good job too- as it turned out. A bunch of tankers came around the corner and one of them told me Harry was about somewhere. We found time to chat about club life.
The Mole kept shelling all around us and we all kept our heads down. I may say that the above crew's tank had not been knocked out but was bogged in.
The following afternoon a couple of blokes ran round the corner of this house and Parry says to one of them "Here's a chap who knows you Henry". I looked up then and old Harry came over and shook hands. He said he would rather have a game of basket ball any time. He showed me two holes in his leg and was looking for a R.A.P. and one or two close ones made him rush back to cover but he finally got over there. He wanted to stay in my dug out as he said he felt safer there - than he had felt all day. Of course I told him to get back down the line which he eventually tried. Later on ambulance leaving the RAP got a smack and I was wandering if Harry was in it. Thank goodness he wasn't. We had another night of continuous shelling and were relieved on the following day by some of our lads. Funny part was that I had been snooping around tank territory and It never struck me to ask if it was the lads'lot."
14/10/54
Nice one Samp. Good story.
Another news sheet, which compliments the first one, as it refers to the same incident!
2905
TEN YEARS AGO More extracts from wartime news sheets'
28/3/44 HENRY BOARDMAN "Just a few lines hoping to find you and the Old Boys in the best of health I believe Johnny Aspinall wrote you telling you I was in hospital again. It happened this way; we went into action on January 30th and lost a couple of tanks. My tank was about 20 or 30 yards behind another tank which got hit and immediately burst into flames. Not knowing where the shot came from we withdrew a little and after half an hour we went forward again this time without any opposition and finished up on the objective. We withdrew after the infantry had consolidated the position.
The next morning we went in again at about nine o'clock. Opposition was very stiff and taking up a position on a ridge we started blasting a few houses and haystacks which were in front of us. About three o'clock in the afternoon we got word from the infantry that Jerry had some machine guns in some six coaches on the railway line. We left our positions and went round to our right and blasted those coaches. After they were well on fire we returned to our original positions. By this time we had only two H E shots left so we put them into a haystack which caught fire and started exploding. My commander decided to fall back a little and pick up some more H E ammunition so we started to reverse off this ridge. This was when we got hit, the shot coming in by the driver?s seat and setting the tank on fire. A few of the splinters of the shot or maybe the tank hit me in the calf of the left leg and the back of the right thigh. Needless to say we baled out. I was doing operator at the time and so was last out. By the time I did hit the ground the remainder of the crew was out of sight. I was hobbling back, more crawling than anything else when my troop officer called me into a dug out where we stayed for about half an hour during which the area was heavily shelled mortared and machine gunned and I had a look at my damage. There was a hole about as big as a sixpence in the fleshy part of my, left leg and some three smaller holes in my right thigh -nothing serious but enough to prevent me walking or running properly. So between hobbling and crawling about 1000 yards I got to a regimental Aid Post where they bandaged me up and I went further back to the road to be picked up by an ambulance On the way I had to take shelter in a slit trench behind a house where I met some lads of ours one of whom said there was on engineer there who knew me. It turned out to be none other than Stan Grounds. We spent half an hour or more in his slit trench and had a bit of a chat but I'm afraid that by that time I was pretty well shaken up, I'm afraid it was nerves more than anything else and Stan could see it and told me to get going to the ambulance point but as I felt a **** sight safer in the trench than I would have felt making my way further back I stayed a little longer till things quietened down a bit and then got to the ambulance point where I got a cup of tea and a tot of brandy which helped a lot. The ambulance then took me to the Casualty Clearing Station and from there on a hospital ship to the 90th General Hospital. On arrival there I discovered that the seat of my pants was cut and all scorched. Then I realised that I had been very very lucky. Had the shrapnel broken my shin bone I would have been unable to get out of the tank before she brewed up. I spent 18 days in the 70th General Hospital during which time I came across seven more of our boys, I also had a visit from Major Evans and some more of our boys including Johnny Aspinall. They had been left behind with the echelon and were billeted about five miles from the hospital, I am now back with the echelon although my left leg has not healed up properly and I am still under the MO. The officer in charge of the echelon had me up for an interview this morning and if I had not been under the MO he would have sent me back again which I think more than unfair as there are quite a number of fellows here who have not long joined the unit and are doing nothing here. Ted Wilmitt went in the day I caught it. His troop was on the left. We have had news of the regiment such as casualty lists and as there has been no mention of Ted or Jimmy Mac, I take it they are OK. Johnny Aspinall has now gone up to the regiment. I am sorry that I did not meet Stan under happier circumstances as it was little more than hullo and goodbye. Give my regards to all the Old Boys abroad and at home and all the best to you and them. The papers say that it was worse than Salerno."
21/10/54
If there are any family members of the lads mentioned in the news letters we would like them to contact us at the Shrewsbury Club.
Another good one Samp. Excellent.
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