Moray in October as reported in The Northern Scot

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1 6 November 1915 Moray in October as reported in The Northern Scot A report in the November 6, 1915, edition of The Northern Scot headed Live Bomb at Lecture described a situation that should not have been allowed to happen; perhaps over familiarity led to carelessness. The report said: Three officers and nine soldiers were injured on Monday in the garrison theatre at Whittington Barracks, Lichfield, by the explosion of a hand grenade. A brigade staff officer was delivering a lecture on the working of hand grenades to a squad of officers and men, and in the course of his explanations accidentally removed the safety pin from a live bomb. Not realising the danger, he dropped the bomb on a table. It immediately exploded with alarming effect, shattering window panes and furniture in all directions. Lieut. W. Nield was so severely wounded that he had to have an arm amputated. Lieut. Manson received injuries to his leg, and Lieut. Wonsley was wounded in the head. Pte. Horrocks was severely injured on the hands, face and abdomen, and his case is serious. Research shows that 44 year-old Private Albert Horrocks, 13th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, died of accidental injuries on November 2, He was buried at St Giles Church, Whittington, just a short distance from the barracks. As his battalion did not serve overseas it was therefore unlikely, because of that and his age, that he would ever have been expected to face the dangers of the trenches; which makes his death at home through a needless accident all the more unfortunate. One local soldier wrote of his thoughts on the reporting of events in the Local War Notes and Comments column. He wrote: The mysterious workings of the censorship are rather exasperating at times, not only to the people at home but to those who have taken part in the fighting. An Elgin man, who belongs to the 7th Seaforths, but is now wounded, writes as follows with reference to the battle of Loos: - You will see that we caught it hot, but we accomplished our task, although, as you say, there is no word about it because it s the Seaforths. We get the London papers here every day, and the most maddening thing is that I keep reading about the taking of the Hohenzollern redoubt by nearly every regiment in the Army but the right one. First the Scots Guards took it. They were never within two miles of it. Then the Rifle Brigade, the Welsh Fusiliers, the East Yorks, and a host of others had a go at it. Now all these regiments were miles away. To sum up the whole thing, the redoubt was stormed and captured by the 7th Seaforth Highlanders. The Gordons even did not fire a shot until the main attack was made on the enemy s main trench. I have nothing to say against the regiments mentioned. They did heroic deeds that day, but to give honour where honour is due. The taking of this redoubt was an honour conferred on the 7th Seaforths, who took it and kept it until they were relieved on the night of September 27th. Following last week s mention of the King being thrown from his horse while inspecting troops in France, a local connection was reported following his return to Britain: It is interesting to note that the detachment of Red Cross stretcher-bearers who had the honour of carrying His Majesty (on his arrival from France) from the train at Victoria Station to the ambulance car and from thence inside Buckingham Palace, was under the personal superintendence of Colonel James Cantlie, who is so well known in connection with Red Cross work. His Majesty expressed to Dr Cantlie his entire satisfaction with the manner in which all the arrangements were carried out. Colonel Cantlie is well known in Fochabers, and his many friends in the north will be pleased to learn of the honour paid him in being asked to undertake this duty. Colonel Cantlie is a brother of Mrs Reid, music teacher, East Neuk, Fochabers.

2 13 November 1915 As the year was coming to a close Elgin found itself almost devoid of soldiers for the first time in more than a year. The matter was alluded to in the Local War Notes and Comments column in the November 13, 1915, edition of The Northern Scot which said: The 3/6 th Seaforth Highlanders, who left Elgin a short time ago for the south, are being much missed in Elgin. They got a very hearty send-off from the citizens, and we understand they are very well treated by the civilians in their new quarters. There are various clubs for the soldiers, where they can go after an arduous day s training and enjoy a peaceful evening. Like Elgin, the town down south glories in a cathedral, which will help to make the Elgin men like bein at hame. Good luck to the boys of the 3/6 th! Censorship no doubt prevented mention of the town s name, but it was Ripon, North Yorkshire. The decision had been taken to form a training depot for the third line Seaforth Territorials and the 3/4 th (Ross-shire), 3/5 th (Sutherland and Caithness) and 3/6 th (Morayshire) Battalions were brought together at Ripon. They were not alone as Ripon had a number of camps surrounding it for the infantry, the artillery and the Royal Flying Corps; the army population of up to 30,000 men dwarfed the 7,000 townspeople. An increasingly important industry that was having to greatly increase its production was that of aircraft manufacturing. In a report headed Aeroplane Construction: Conference in London it stated: A conference of eight unions interested in aeroplane construction was concluded at the Westminster Palace Hotel, London, yesterday, after lengthy consideration had been given to a scheme for regulating conditions in aeroplane factories. A representative of the Home Office was present during the proceedings. With regard to the proposal that women should be employed in woodwork trades, the conference expressed the opinion that this should be the subject of a national conference of employers and the trade union executive. It was also decided that piecework rates should be abolished in connection with aeroplane construction. It was decided to inform the Minister of Munitions and the departmental officials that the members of woodwork trades would not be permitted to accept employment where piece work was introduced. Any problems were overcome and women were employed in the aircraft industry and helped to increase production to previously unimagined numbers. The combined strength of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service in August 1914 was barely 200 aircraft. In November 1918 the Royal Air Force (formed by the amalgamation of the RFC and RNAS in April 1918) had more than 22,000 aircraft on its strength. Total production by the British aircraft industry during the war was in the region of 58,000 aircraft, with the astounding number of 36,000 having been lost - the majority through flying accidents or damage from other causes rather than being shot down by the enemy.

3 20 November 1915 In the November 20, 1915, edition of The Northern Scot was a report headed Hospital Ship Sunk by a Mine 85 Lives Lost which said: The War Office reports that the hospital ship Anglia struck a mine in the Channel on Wednesday and sank. The total number on board was 13 officers and 372 other ranks, of whom about 300 were saved by a patrol vessel. Another ship proceeding to the rescue was sunk by another mine. The names of those who lost their lives will be communicated to the next-of-kin and made public without delay. The First Lord of the Admiralty has received the following telegram from Lord Stamfordham: - The King is shocked to hear that the hospital ship Anglia, which so recently conveyed His Majesty across the Channel has been sunk by a mine. His Majesty is grieved at the loss incurred, and trusts that the survivors have not unduly suffered from the terrible exposure to which they must have been subjected. Please express the King s heartfelt sympathy with the families of those who have perished. The report then continued: A Channel port correspondent telegraphs The British hospital ship Anglia, with about 300 wounded officers and men on board, was blown up by a mine in the Channel on Wednesday. A collier in the vicinity at once lowered two boats to go to the assistance of the Anglia. Just after the boats had left the collier the men saw their own vessel blown up, but were able to save the remainder of the crew, who altogether number 26. Torpedo boats steamed to the scene and brought some of the rescued to port. Those saved include the matron, two nurses, and the captain. When news of the disaster became known here there were many affecting scenes, and the distress was intensified when the dead bodies of the wounded soldiers, wrapped in Union Jacks, were landed from a small boat in the afternoon. Two masts of the Anglia, with the hospital flag still flying, were still visible from the shore. The crew of the collier (the Lusitania of London) were landed. The Anglia was a 15 year-old, 1,800 ton London & North Western Railway ferry before being impressed into war service as a hospital ship. The number of casualties was higher than the first reports indicated, with a figure of 134 now being widely accepted. Although hospital ships were well marked, and also lit at night, a dozen British hospital ships were sunk; four of them by mines, which by their nature are indiscriminate, but the others were torpedoed by German submarines. Although seemingly in contravention of the 1907 Hague Convention, the Germans claimed that they were legitimate targets as the British themselves were in contravention of the clause that said The ships must not be used for any military purpose the German claim being they were used to transport able-bodied soldiers to the battlefields. It is remarkable how few transport ships were lost crossing the Channel and the Royal Navy s Dover Patrol worked day and night to prevent the enemy attacking the ships. It is a tribute to their dogged determination that during the course of the war many millions of men were transported safely to and from the French ports. Unfortunately in the case of the Anglia the German mine-laying submarine UC5 had managed to penetrate the defences and laid mines near Folkestone. By November 1915 reports of bravery awards for actions during the Battle of Loos were starting to appear. Under the heading D.C.M. s For Highland Heroes was mention of several men and

4 their deeds including: Private J.W. Campbell, 7th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders For conspicuous gallantry and ability on the 26th September, 1915, at Hohenzollern Redoubt. By his perfect example of coolness, bravery and devotion to duty under very heavy fire he was instrumental in rallying the line when several units were mixed up with his own unit. Later, under very heavy fire, he got on to the parapet and called to the men to stand firm. His gallantry and example contributed to the steadiness of all ranks. Another DCM recipient was: Private D. Holligan, 8th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty at Loos and Hill 70 on 25th September, 1915, as a stretcher bearer. Private Holligan had one arm shattered by a bullet, but remained with his battalion, attending on the wounded, and refused to leave his post until he collapsed, having then been wounded in both legs. A small report stated: Mr Winston Churchill left London on Thursday for the front. Mr Churchill, who was in the uniform of his regiment, left home shortly after eight o clock, accompanied by his wife, and, proceeding to Charing Cross Station, his departure was quiet and unostentatious. He passed unrecognised on to the platform, and at once entered a saloon carriage, which had been specially reserved for him. Winston Churchill had been the First Lord of the Admiralty, however, criticism over his handling of the navy s part in the Gallipoli campaign led to his resignation. After a brief period in the political backwater of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster he pressed for a return to military service and was made a major (his pre-war rank as a Territorial officer in the Queen s Own Oxfordshire Hussars). After a short period serving with the 2nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards, he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and given command of the 6th Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers, in the 9th (Scottish) Division. The battalion was in the Ploegsteert sector, south of Ypres, and for three months he proved a popular commander noted for frequent forays into no man s land. He returned to Britain and resumed his political career in March 1916, and was made Minister of Munitions the following year.

5 The hospital ship, Anglia, hit a mine only a mile from Folkestone. Rescuers were on the scene quickly and some remarkable photographs were taken in the 15 minutes before she sank. These four pictures were subsequently published in the Illustrated London News. The German UC5 laid the mines that sank both the hospital ship Anglia and the collier Lusitania on November 17, In all UC5 was responsible for the sinking of 29 vessels between August 1915 and March After running aground east of Felixstowe in April 1916 her crew were captured, but the vessel was salvaged and used for propaganda purposes afloat in London (pictured) and ashore in Central Park, New York.

6 27 November 1915 On the Western Front the onset of winter naturally reduced the amount of fighting, however, it brought different problems for the men living in the open in whatever the weather threw at them. In the November 27, 1915, edition of The Northern Scot the conditions at the front were mentioned in extracts of letters that were published and an Elgin 1/6th Seaforth wrote: We are having it pretty bad at present. We had two heavy falls of snow at the first of this week, but it is all away now. The weather is very changeable here frosty one day and fresh the next. It is a pretty hard thing for a fellow to keep his feet warm now. My feet have been like lumps of ice for the past week. We are still in the trenches, and we are having a fairly good time on the whole. We have been lucky so far as casualties go, having only had two wounded since we have been in support and the firing line. We get a good amount of shelling, but the shells go well over our dugouts. A second Morayshire Seaforth said, in part: It was snowing here the last two mornings, and it is very frosty at night. The trenches are very muddy with the rain and snow of last week. We are staying in a bombardment shelter this time, as most of the dugouts are muddy. We are away down a good bit below the surface of the earth, and are fine and dry. We have also got coke fires, so I can manage to make my cocoa all right... We have also got fur coats, and they are very warm. While a third wrote: I have on a pair of rubber boots waist high, a warm sheepskin coat, heavy coat, and muffler so, you see, I am well protected. In fact, but for the mud splashing on the kilt and making a mess, it is quite comfortable. I have a ripping dugout, a roaring fire, and plenty to eat, so am quite content. Haven t had a wash or shave for a week, and some interesting beards are in fashion accordingly. As well as the extra clothing provided by the army, such as sheepskin or goatskin jackets mentioned (which provided warmth but when drying out in the confines of a dugout must have made the atmosphere rather pungent!), the men could also rely on clothing sent from home. A sizeable cottage industry regularly sent out items and in the same edition of The Northern Scot was a report on the Clothing Comforts Fund: During the past month the following articles were forwarded to the 1/6th Seaforths and Moray men in the Scottish Horse: - Four hundred and ninety-five pairs of socks, 239 pairs mitts, 93 pairs gloves, 52 mufflers, and 176 shirts - All the articles have been made up free of charge either in work parties or by individual effort, and much diligent labour is represented in the result. The same report later mentioned the formation of The Elgin City War Workers Association and how the various work parties have formed themselves into an association at the request of the Government to help by voluntary effort in providing clothing comforts for our troops. This week an appeal came from the War Office for 200 mufflers and 400 mitts to be delivered in London by December 7. It is intimated that this is a small portion of articles urgently needed, and a further requisition will follow. To meet these demands money will be required, and will be gladly received by Mr Charles Sowden, Abbeyside, Elgin, hon. treasurer. The mitts must be 10 inches long, with short thumbs, and the mufflers 10 inches by 58 inches, drab in colour (not grey), thick, and well knitted.

7 The men serving in the navy were not overlooked and thoughts were turning to Christmas. Under the heading Christmas Puddings for the Fleet a report said: We are desired by the Committee to remind the public of the appeal for assistance to provide Christmas puddings for the men of the Fleet. It was at first hoped that 200 lbs. would be sufficient for one man-of-war, but it now turns out that at least 400 lbs. will be required, and the Committee make a strong appeal to the community for subscriptions. The most convenient size of pudding is 4 lbs., in from 8 to 12 lb. boxes. A meeting of the committee has been called for Tuesday afternoon at four o clock, when arrangements will be completed in connection with the providing and dispatch of the puddings.