THE WOUND STRIPE

We have recently acquired a brass Wound Stripe sleeve badge, issued to British troops who were wounded in action and whose names appeared in the official Casualty List.

The wound stripe was suggested by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who had seen French ‘poliu’ (informal term for French infantryman during the First World War, literally translates as ‘the hairy one’) wearing them on their tunics. Field Marshall Sir William Robertson, 1st Baronet, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, DSO, Chief of the Imperial General Staff supported the idea and with the approval of King George V was first authorised under Army Order 204 of 6th July 1916, which in turn was followed by an Army Council Instruction No.1637 of 22nd August ‘…it is notified for information, that the term ‘wounded’ refers only to those officers and soldiers whose names have appeared, or may hereafter appear, in the Casualty Lists as ‘wounded’. The braid will be supplied to officers and soldiers under regimental arrangements, and Commanding Officers will ensure that it is not worn by those who are not entitled to it. Sufficient for two jackets will be supplied to each man.”

The Official wound stripes were issued from 14th August and those wounded since 4th August 1914 were also entitled to them under the same criteria. As originally issued the wound stripe was made from Russian braid but as this proved to get easily dirty and dull a number of commercial companies made and produced them, such as the one we have acquired which was from Lambourne’s of Birmingham, which could be removed from the tunic to be polished as required. A cloth version was also produced. The stripe was to be worn just above the cuff on the left sleeve of a man’s tunic being placed so that any long service stripes or trade insignia could be placed above it.

A soldier who was unlucky enough to be wounded multiple times was entitled to wear a maximum of three wound stripes, and in awarding them ‘to those officers and soldiers whose names have appeared or may hereafter appear in casualty lists rendered by the Adjutant General’s office at a base overseas, or by the G.O.C. any force engaged in active operations. Reports in hospital lists are not to be regarded as authoritative for this purpose.’ (Army Council Instruction No. 2075 of 3rd November 1916.)

The casualty lists were originally published by the War Office and printed in national newspapers; it was then up to the editors and staff of regional or local newspapers, such as the Goole Times to read and extract from them the names of men who were likely to fall within the readership of their publications. In the early summer of 1917 with increasing paper shortages and mounting concerns from the public as to the frequency and numbers of men being reported as ‘Killed, Wounded, Missing, Prisoner of War’ –sometimes being given as ‘presumed’, led to the Government taking control of the publication of the Official List, under His Majesty’s Stationary Office, being printed by Hayman, Christy, & Lilly, Ltd., London; the first issue being published on 7th August 1917, and the last on 4th March 1919. These Weekly Lists were themselves made up of six ‘Daily Lists’  with each list being separated into a number of ‘Parts’. For officers, only their surname, rank, initial(s) and unit title were given; for the ‘other ranks’ – under the headings above, name, number, initial(s), place of residence or next-of-kin were given. The Lists for the army and Royal Flying Corps/Royal Air Force were separate to those of the Royal Navy, though they shared the same publication process. A significant number of Goole men were named within the official Casualty Lists throughout the years of the War – at the time of writing this article, over 300 such entries dating from 7th August 1917 have so far been found.

 

Extract from Casualty List No.87 published 3rd September 1918. National Library of Scotland; Shelfmark GWB.30.

One Goole man who was so named was Leonard Bertram Coolledge, No.205604 Private Hampshire Regiment. His name was printed in List No.87; Part VII published on 3rd September 1918. Owing to the loss of Leonard’s service record there is no detail as to the date or nature of the wound suffered, or to which battalion he was assigned to at that time. An inclusion within the List would be approximately six weeks after the event occurred and to a large degree the man’s family would already be aware of the fact prior to the publication, regardless as to the reason why he was named – this news may have come directly from the War Office, the man himself, a comrade in the same unit or a commanding officer of his platoon or company.

A ‘Briggs, Boothferry Road’ studio photograph showing Private Leonard Bertram Coolledge with his father John, with the wound stripe being worn as directed. Courtesy of Josephine Cooper.

 

THE FIRST WORLD WAR SERVICE RECORDS OF GOOLE AND DISTRICT MEN AND WOMEN

Last weekend the Find My Past web site had a 'free access' policy allowing people to access a large number of records for no charge.

Given that this site has many records not available on Ancestry, Chris took the opportunity to take a look for any records regarding Goole men which the Group didn't already have, mainly concentrating on the 452 men named upon the Cenotaph. Detailed below is a summary of all of the records found to date.

As a result of research that started 9-and a half years ago, the Group now have 100 service records relating to some of those men named; this breaks down as 81 Army (including those men who served with Australian, New Zealand and Canadian Forces) and the Royal Flying Corps/Royal Air Force; and 18 who served with the Royal Navy, Royal Marine and Royal Naval Division - in addition to this number is the record of William Henry Dean, who had served briefly with the Royal Engineers but being deemed 'unlikely to make an efficient soldier' he was discharged, going back to sea, and eventually to HM Drifter 'Spotless Prince' upon which he lost his life on 26th October 1916. Two of the records relate the 'other ranks' service of two men who were later Commissioned (for some reason these pages were not included within their 'new' record when they completed Officer Training).

All of the above records, except seven of them, are also accompanied by the relevant Medal Roll pages detailing the medals awarded to each man for his service. The seven who are not named within the medal rolls didn't serve abroad during their time of service - three had already been discharged, with two of them, Charles Richard Marshall and George Dennison dying on dates that have yet to be ascertained.

Even without a service record, details are contained within the medal rolls of men who arrived in France, Egypt (some being bound for Gallipoli), or the Balkans throughout the latter part of 1914 and all of 1915. Further details are recorded for those men who had served with other units prior to the one with which they were serving when they lost their lives.

With regards to those who served with the Army (and RFC/RAF) records that give the amount of pension paid to next-of-kin are found within the 'Register of Soldier's Effects'. The weekly amount paid was based on rank, marriage and any children. All of these records also bear another amount paid in 1919 - a 'War Gratuity' payment, this being a 'one-off' payment again based on the criteria above. Most of the men for whom service records and medal rolls have been found also have these pages accompanying them - though three would appear to have either been lost or misidentified.

An opportunity to further research men named on the Cenotaph but about which no information regarding any service during the First World War had so far been located was also taken; this has led to one very intriguing story.

Within the Goole Times' 1916 Almanac is the following entry, 'Stephen Jos. Kelly, Swinefleet, seaman in the Royal Navy'. Within the 1917 'Roll of Honour' booklet is this, 'S.J. Kelly, Swinefleet, Seaman, RN.; died from pneumonia'; and within a list of fallen men from Goole, nearly all of whom being named on the Cenotaph, that was printed in the Goole Times on 28th November 1919 is this entry, 'Stephen Joseph Kelly (HMS Pembroke)'.

Among the records for Goole who men who served with the Royal Navy is a record for one Stephen Kelly, which shows that he was born in Goole on 15th January 1894. On 10th March 1914 he enlists in the Royal Navy, stating that he wants to serve for 12 years, assigned to HMS Pembroke as a Stoker Class II. On 17th April 1914 it is recorded under 'If discharged, whither and for what cause' as 'DD' - 'Discharged Death'. Stephen had been admitted to Chatham Hospital with Broncho Pneumonia. Is this record related to the 'Kelly SJ' named on the towns' Cenotaph? Stephen's name is also included on a Chancel Screen within Swinefleet Chapel that lists Swinefleet men who had fallen during the Great War - though his name is not recorded on Swinefleet Memorial.

Unfortunately at the time of writing there are 16 men who are named upon the plaques on the Cenotaph which bear the names of the fallen from Goole about whom no information has been found. All of these men are named with the Goole Times edition of 28th November 1919 under the headings Royal Navy and RND; Army; and Mercantile Marine, but even with this information details as to their individual service and deaths remain elusive.

Similar endeavours to look for records regarding those men who had some association to Goole who also lost their lives but who aren't named on the Cenotaph is continuing. Why weren't they named on the Cenotaph? This was, and still is, solely down to the preference of the family concerned. This particular list currently contains 309 men, some of whom spent their whole lives within the town prior to serving (Fred and Arthur Moody, both Mercantile Mariners; Fred enlisting in the Australian Imperial Force, killed at Gallipoli; Arthur aboard s.s. Duckbridge, lost off north Scottish coast), while for others their only connection to Goole is that they formerly worked within the town (as did Clifford Riley, ex Master, Goole Secondary School, killed 1st July 1916) or that they enlisted within the town.

What of those men who survived their time within the Forces, either being placed on the 'Reserve' and liable for a return to service should the Armistice fail, or who were discharged owing to wounds. To date 399 records, from the barest detail (name listed within the London Gazette announcing the award of the Military Medal, for example) through to full service histories have been found. As with the service records detailed above, it is hoped within time to have each of these records interpreted so that other people can read the details of the men, and women, from Goole who served with distinction and courage during the 'Great War'.

It isn't just Goole though that the Goole First World War Research Group is looking at in terms of those men who enlisted. A great deal of work has been done by one of its members, Alan Dodsworth, in researching the men of the Marshland villages (Swinefleet, Reedness, Whitgift, Adlingfleet and Eastoft). Having a smaller number of men and records to deal with, Alan's work also includes more family background information (from the Census records), as well as the Wills filled in by the men, detailing to whom their belongings, and in some cases, to whom the pensions payable on behalf of their service should be paid to - more often than not named within the 'Register of Soldier's Effects'.

One final question - what remains to be found? The easy answer would be 'don't know'. There is no general index on what records survive, it is only when a search is conducted that records regarding the men of Goole and District come to light. Chris compares it to a jigsaw - "Imagine a jigsaw to which you have no picture to work with, you don't know how big it is and you don't know how many pieces there are when it's finished."

RAWCLIFFE WAR MEMORIAL

Our latest blog article is contributed by Group member Alan Dodsworth, with thanks:

I have always been drawn to Cenotaphs or Memorials in towns and villages as I have travelled the UK and, no matter where our home has been, we have always tried to attend some form of Remembrance Day service. In both cases it is the seemingly endless lists of the names of those making ‘the ultimate sacrifice’, particularly associated with WW1, that strike a chord. I do feel very strongly that the very least we can do is ‘remember’ them once a year.

But who is it that we are ‘remembering’? What did they do before the war? Why did they join up? Where and with whom did they serve? Who else in the family was involved? What was the impact on those left behind? What would they have accomplished if they had survived? These are all questions that run through my mind as the names are read out and we stand facing the Memorial.

Like most families in the country WW1 touched ours. Both my mum and dad lost an Uncle and my wife’s Grandfather served in Mesopotamia. The family impact was drawn into sharp relief last year as we accompanied my parents on a poignent commemorative trip to Ypres and Arras. Each Memorial carries one of their names – among the names of the many thousands with no known grave. With the power of the internet, background research before the trip yielded amazing information, previously unknown by the family. This included that my mum’s grandfather and a future Uncle had both been prisoners of war. Information undiscovered until 95 years after the event.

With the trip last year still in mind the recent article in the Goole Times about the Goole WW1 Research Group attracted me to their last meeting to find out what activity was taking place as we approach the Centenary of the start of WW1 in August next year.

Having lived in Rawcliffe for the last 12 years my particular interest was in the 56 names on the Cenotaph between Rawcliffe and Rawcliffe Bridge and on the plaque in St James Church. My thought being that a bit more information about each name, answering some of the questions posed above, could be included in a folder along with a photo, if one can be found, to be available for those with an interest.

I have no doubt that others in the Village may have done a similar exercise previously or have unrecorded knowledge of individual family members that, when identified, can be added to the knowledge bank.

Alongside the 56 names on the memorial there is a blank space where a name has been removed. This name has been identified, by comparing the list on the order of service for the Unveiling and Dedication of the War Memorial on 15^th October 1921 with the remaining names, as James Shenton. As yet no explanation for this ‘removal’ has been found. Can you help?

Of those named, 47 have ‘base’ data collated into a spreadsheet, from CWGC data, Service records and Census data that links them with Rawcliffe or Rawcliffe Bridge. The Goole Times Almanak and Roll of Honour have helped with this research in several instances. The 9 other names have proved to be more difficult to pinpoint from the data available so far and the research continues.

Goole Times publications from the beginning of the War are now being reviewed for mentions of Rawcliffe people, which are proving quite fruitful but will take some time owing to the many other distractions in the publications.

Points of interest to date:

From internet links I discovered that a ‘Roll of Honour’ for those from both Villages serving in the War was drawn up and mounted in the Church. It is still present to this day in its frame on the back wall. Some 337 names are recorded on it, including 12 ladies. This list shows the tremendous ‘Call of Duty’ felt by some families locally to the war effort. A Rawcliffe Patriotic Committee was formed to maintain this Roll of Honour in April 1915 at which point 67 names were entitled to be recorded.

A ‘Scroll of Honour’ started in the Rawcliffe School at the end of 1914 for those past pupils now serving appears to be an ongoing activity recorded in the Goole Times. Eighteen names were included in the original Goole Times article and by 22^nd January 1915 had reached 24, although 4 of these names have not been found and may be in the damaged parts of or missing copies of the paper around that time.

The number of locals employed at the Papermill in Rawcliffe Bridge who went on to serve were vast. Unsurprisingly farming and farm labourers numbered highly in those serving but other occupations included employees of the Aire and Calder Navigation and shop keepers.

Most of those who died were Infantry men, with the most common Regiment being the Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI). Very few Service Records appear to exist for those in the KOYLI’s.

As well as final resting places including the UK (4), France (24) and Belgium (15) there are Rawcliffe people from WW1 buried in Kenya, Israel and Palestine, Iraq, Turkey, Greece and Italy.

Two Captains, a Lieutenant and Second Lieutenant feature in those killed, along with a Company Serjeant Major, Serjeant, three Corporals and a couple of Lance Corporals.

The first death was in April 1915 and the last in April 1920 with 1917 seeing 21 deaths.

Finally a plea that if you have any information that will help this or similar research going on for the names on the Goole Cenotaph – please get in touch.

Alan Dodsworth

A War Time Christmas

After four months of war the Allies and Axis nations had met at the Marne and undergone a series of battles and manoeuvres which would result in stalemate along the Western Front. Both sides had suffered appalling losses but in December 1914 the fighting would stop briefly for a Christmas Truce. In Goole the storey of the war was passed on in the local newspapers and in this blog the reporting of the war over Christmas during the First World War will be examined.

Upon reading the Goole Times of the period it is noticeable that there are no tabloid headlines and the format of the newspaper continued throughout the war largely as in the pre-war era. It was not until the later war years that the editions became shorter reflecting shortages of paper. In many ways the newspapers represent a normal Christmas period with adverts for Christmas shopping and news from within the town. The main reference to the war can be found in an article on page two which outlines the sermon “Are Angels Still Singing” by Reverend H G smith of the United Methodist Church. The sermon explores the paradox of celebrating Christmas during war time and asks the question of how a can a war between two Christian countries be justified, and indeed the ultimate question of how can the Christian faith be justified in a time of conflict. The lesson of the sermon concludes that Christians should show patience as God’s methods are always slow and that one should believe God still rules. The moral judgement of celebrating Christmas during wartime is not reflected in the paper with a large number of Christmas adverts and a page dedicated to Christmas recipes. A further article refers to how the Goole Volunteers joined the National Volunteers’ Association. An article for Christmas recruitments announced that recruitments will not be sent to depots until after Christmas, unless desired.

Throughout the paper further references are made to Christmas shopping and food recipes. Mixed in amongst these are details of local and national news, details of a Christmas party for War Children and the proposal of a relief fund and memorial. Further war news is detailed in two small articles about the bombardment on the east coast and the death of Captain Hind. Considering the Country was moving towards all out war very little news of the Western Front is reported. However, on the home front Christmas would be as normal with a page of Christmas recipes and those not serving could enjoy a Christmas Day Matinee Show at the Carlton.

As the War progresses the format of the newspaper remains the same. In 1915 amongst the general news and adverts articles appear titled ‘Christmas presents for Soldiers’, ‘Goole Soldiers experience’ and ‘In a Dug Out – Snaith Soldiers Graphic Description’. Details of war causalities and lists of war dead are also reported in the newspaper. Alongside these articles are advertisements for Christmas shopping.

Again, the 1916 Christmas edition of the Goole Times features Christmas adverts and local news with limited details of the war. Although as the war progressed alongside the shipping lists and wanted notices the lists of dead start to appear and pages start to be dedicated to the missing and war dead. The scarcity of food during the war is still not apparent as a page is dedicated to ‘Good Things for the Christmas Table.

Although not known at the time the final Christmas of the War in 1917 showed no change in the approach to newspaper publications. The same Christmas articles feature and news of the home front continue to be prominent. The war does begin to feature more prominently in the newspaper with further articles and details of causalities appearing in the paper. 

As the war ends in 1918 the first peace time Christmas for four years arrives. Despite the end of the war the lists of war causalities and war articles are a still a prominent feature of the newspaper. The newspaper also starts to feature articles and letters suggesting ideas for war memorials. The peace time newspaper features a large number of Christmas adverts and attention turns towards home news and international relations with news of the general election of an article warning about the ‘Growing Bolshevik Terror’.  

Throughout the war the newspaper still featured Christmas adverts and split reporting between war news and local and national news. The format and layout of the paper remained largely unchanged throughout the war, with the main changes been the addition of casualty lists and details of the war dead. Despite the terrors of war the Christmas spirit was evident throughout the War and despite war time restrictions both Soldiers and Citizens continued to celebrate Christmas as best as the war time conditions allowed.