Trevor Frecknall - Newark in the Great War

Dedication

To every man, woman and child who contributed to
Newark-upon-Trent 1914-19

The image on the front cover is a painting by Michael Lees commissioned in 1959 by his brother, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Lees OBE, MC when he commanded the 3rd Battalion the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters. The painting of the 8th Battalion Sherwood Foresters marching off to the Great War symbolised not only the departure of the Regiment from Newark on 10 August 1914 but recognised the service of the Territorial soldier over generations. Photographs from Newark Library were used to ensure that uniforms and accoutrements were accurate, as well as shop names, business titles and even street lights. The painting is reproduced here by kind permission of Richard Lees.

First published in Great Britain in 2014 by

PEN & SWORD MILITARY

an imprint of

Pen & Sword Books Ltd,

47 Church Street, Barnsley,

South Yorkshire.

S70 2AS

Copyright Trevor Frecknall 2014

ISBN 9781783831678
eISBN 9781473838697

The right of Trevor Frecknall to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available

from the British Library

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Newark in the Great War explains how a typically patriotic, productive, proud, English market town (population circa 17,500) lost almost 500 brave souls nobody will ever know exactly how many, such was the chaos and discovered three or four times as many living heroes in the 1914-18 war to end all wars.

It is written basically by the folk involved ... by the soldiers who mostly marched from rat-infested hovels to live, fight, die or somehow survive in even unhealthier trenches up to their knees in mud and gore, fighting for King and country though, if they had battled only for their bit, they would have been home by dinner time on day one ... by the ruling class who manned the multitude of committees established for the Defence of the Realm ... by the humble womenfolk who took the mens places in the factories while running their rag-tag homes and being forced to feed their children ever-decreasing meals ... by the blokes branded shirkers irrespective of whether they had a good reason to stay out of the firing lines ... by the daintier females who knitted and sewed clothes to keep the Armed Forces warm, raised money for countless good causes, and provided life-saving food parcels for prisoners of war in Germany ... by the children who were able to attend schools for only half-days because trainee soldiers were billeted in their classrooms and who were courted as cheap labour by employers shorn of man-power ... and by the refugees whose presence was a persistent reminder of the terrors waiting if the enemy invaded.

Contemporary letters, notes and reports all written while the unprecedented horror was unfolding have been pieced together by journalist Trevor Frecknall. He respected it as by far the most important reporting assignment of his 52-year career. If his account is chaotic and disjointed, theres a very good reason: the reality of life was completely chaotic, disjointed and, of course, dangerous.

The purposes of Newark in the Great War are to pay tribute to everyone who contributed to this unique epic and to remind current and future generations why We Will Remember.

Among the many who gave invaluable assistance to Newark in the Great War are:

David Blake AMA, Curator, Museum of Army Chaplaincy, Amport House, Amport, Hampshire SP11 8BG.

Jill Campbell, Secretary, Newark Archaeological and Local History Society.

Adrian Carter, whose meticulously detailed research over almost a decade into Newarkers who died during the conflict, contributed massively. His most comprehensive appraisal of Newarks sacrifices 1914-18 can be found on the Newark Archaeological and Local History Society website.

Tessa Chesney and colleagues at the Newark and Sherwood District Council Museum Archive.

Richard Lees, brother and the manager of the artist Michael Lees, for permitting use of the painting reproduced on the front cover.

Lucy Millard and colleagues at the Newark Advertiser .

Patty Temple, curator of the Museum at Newark Town Hall.

Francis Towndrow, Newark Town Football Club historian.

Ruper Vinnicombe, former Principal Librarian, East Nottinghamshire.

Tim Warner, Local Studies Librarian, and colleagues at Newark Library.

Gillian Frecknall, authors able assistant, checker and wife.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission website

Forces Reunited website

Genes Reunited website

National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU

The Sherwood Foresters 1/8 Battalion in the Great War 1914-1919 , Captain WCC Weetman MC.

Newarks territorial volunteers of the 8th Battalion Sherwood Foresters gather in the Market Place, surrounded by family and friends, on Monday, 10 August 1914 and are sent off to War by the Mayor and Corporation situated on the Town Hall balcony.

The circus prepares to roll out... Some of the vehicles begged and borrowed from local companies to transport the Sherwoods ammunition and supplies on their march to Derby.

Roll up, roll up to biff the Boche! Well have won by Christmas! Such was the confidence of the territorial soldiers of Newark-upon-Trent marching into the Great War on Monday, 10 August 1914 that one of their officers was moved to note airily that few Regimental Transports can have looked more like a circus than ours did as we left. He was referring to their goods vehicles. Beer barrel floats carried their ammunition. A furniture van was stuffed with blankets. Two Corporation water carts and a bread van with large red crosses on each side completed the Transport that followed the men out of Newark Market Place and southwards along the ancient Fosse Way.