Tait - Exeter in the Great War

First published in Great Britain in 2015 by
PEN & SWORD MILITARY
an imprint of
Pen and Sword Books Ltd
47 Church Street
Barnsley
South Yorkshire S70 2AS

Copyright Derek Tait, 2015

ISBN 978 1 47382 309 9
eISBN 9781473853904

The right of Derek Tait to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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Thanks to David Cornforth and John Roberts for extra photos supplied. Thanks also to Tina Cole and Tilly Barker.

Rising tensions in Europe and the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo led to Austria-Hungarys declaration of war on Serbia. This led to the Central Powers, which included Germany and Austria-Hungary, and the Allies, which included the British Empire, the French Republic and the Russian Empire, declaring war on each other, which led to the commencement of the First World War on 28 July 1914. The Western Times of 30 July carried the following news:

Mr W.R. Mallett of Exwick Mills, Exeter, informs us that during a conversation he had by telephone with the Baltic Exchange, London, he was informed that rumours were current between 3 and 4 oclock yesterday that Russia had declared war on Austria. A telegram, through Reuter, from Paris, however, tends to discount the rumours and to indicate a probable easing of the situation .

The Exeter and Plymouth Gazette of Friday 31 July announced:

Owing to extreme pressure on our space today, caused by a very large number of advertisements, important war news and a number of local events of interest, several reports have had to be necessarily much curtailed and others are held over .

Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. Ferdinands assassination in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 lead to Austria-Hungarys declaration of war on Serbia, which ultimately led to the beginning of the First World War .

Also on the 31 July the Western Times reported:

It had been planned that the 7th Devons, who are encamped at Churston, should pay a visit to Exeter today, the Mayor having consented to officially welcoming them. Yesterday morning, the officer commanding informed his Worship by telegram that the visit had been unavoidably cancelled .

On 4 August, Britain declared war on Germany. This followed an unsatisfactory reply to the British ultimatum that Belgium should remain neutral.

On the day that war was declared The Flying Post reported:

People of the city gathering outside the Exeter and Plymouth Gazette offices on 6 August 1914 to read the latest news of the war .

Scenes of enthusiasm which were witnessed on Tuesday, when the Devon and Cornwall Brigade of Territorials marched from their camp at Woodbury into Exeter continued until late evening. The 4th Devons, in which citizens were naturally most interested, were the last to arrive about nine in the night, and as they passed through the streets on the way to St Davids Station they were cheered by the thousands of citizens. There was a remarkable scene at St Davids, a great crowd cheering the men, the King, and the French nation, finally singing the National Anthem and Rule Britannia. Another burst of enthusiasm in the High Street greeted the news of the declaration of war against Germany .

On 6 August, the North Devon Journal reported that the 6th Devons, who had been camped at Woodbury, were to be moved to Plymouth after a despatch order had been received. The order had called for their immediate removal to Barnstable but the order was changed and they were told to make their way to Plymouth. Special trains carried them from Exeter to Plymouth. They proceeded to the Drill Hall at Millbay, where arrangements had been made to billet the men.

Horses of the Royal Field Artillery en route to the station on 6 August 1914. There was a great demand for horses at the front throughout the war and many were requisitioned from local farmers, etc .

The Western Times of Friday 7 August reported that an important duty within the city was the guarding of railway bridges and tunnels. It was noted that there were several German citizens settled in Exeter and that although these citizens are known to the police and may have no evil intentions, their presence makes it necessary to take the utmost precautions. As in the Boer War, the guarding of bridges and tunnels fell under the jurisdiction of the police, who were armed for the purpose. The work caused a great strain on the Exeter Police Force, of whom at least a dozen men, being members of the Army Reserve, had to return to the colours. Many constables were working eighteen-hour shifts to guard the bridges and it was suggested that some of this work could be undertaken by members of the National Reserve. The suggestion met with approval from the chief constable as well as from Councillor W. Brock, who issued notices inviting men from the National Reserve willing to undertake this duty to report to his establishment at Fore Street.

Within half-an-hour of the notices being posted, more than twenty men applied to help. One man said he had his own double-barrelled gun and would arm himself with it whenever he was called upon to guard.

The paper continued:

The National Reserve men will undertake duty for an hour or two at a time at hours which will not interfere with their ordinary employment. Some of them intimated that they were available for any time of the day or night .

A number of recruits were enrolled in the City Police Force yesterday for temporary duty during the absence of the Reserve Men at the front .

Major St Maur, the Liberal candidate for Exeter, wrote to Mr Munro (his agent) saying: