The town of Oswestry sent many soldiers to the First World War and captures their experience. This tour explores the town, visiting places that people may have lived or worked in, and places that have a direct connection to the war effort. For more information about what to do in and around Oswestry click on this link www.visitoswestry.co.uk
Corporal E.C. Carrington of the B Company, 2nd Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers is serving at the front and writing to his parents at 3 Oakhurst Road. Prior to joining the army he was apprenticed to the printing trade at the Advertiser office. Since then he had seen active service in the Boer War and Crete. He has been in the trenches for 19 days and comments on the bitterly cold weather with the ground being covered in snow. There is plenty of tobacco and he requests no more is sent. He also says he does not require any more warm clothes. He has lost many friends. The German trench is only 40 yards away and he can hear their gramophone which they would like to shoot, but whenever a soldier puts his head up for a look, he gets shot as the Germans are very good snipers
Harold Whitfield was born in the Five Bells on Willow Street. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for most conspicuous bravery, initiative, and absolute disregard of personal safety. Private Whitfield, single handed, charged and captured a Lewis gun which was harassing his company at short range. He bayonetted or shot the enemy and drove them back with heavy casualties, thereby completely restoring the whole situation in his part of the line. Later he organised and led a bombing attack on the enemy driving them back with great loss to them but saved many lives of his comrades.
Private Edgar Blundell, in the Army Service Corps, wrote home to his mother, Mrs E Blundell, 2 Arundell Road. He described his part in the retreat from Mons, where he and his company were followed by German aeroplanes and repeatedly bombed, but no hits were made which would have set off the explosives contained in the lorries. Having survived three such attempts by the Germans to bomb the convoy, a lorry caught fire and the explosives were ignited not far from Paris.
Private Gowrie Campbell, an Oswestry Grammar school boy, was stationed with the Oswestry ‘Pals’ Company at Camberley, Surrey, living under canvas, and wrote to his parents in Oswestry. He says their officer has just gone to the front with the 5th King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. He was a real gentleman and they gave him a ‘fine send-off’. They have plenty of blankets; bread is the main food with margarine as a treat. They get brawn for breakfast and four loaves to last 16 of them a day. The other 15 all come from Oswestry.
Private J. Calder, of the Durham Light Infantry, from Edward Street, wrote about the bombardment of Hartlepool. Although he is unhurt, five comrades were killed and another seven wounded when he was on guard with them. ‘I was on the promenade when it started, and shells were not half flying about. It has made a mess of Hartlepool and west… it took some doing keeping the old women calm.’
Private Arthur Davies, H Company, 6th Battalion, Manchester Regiment, son of Mrs Davies, Roselea, Ferrers Road, wrote from his troopship ‘We do not know our destination. The voyage has not been at all monotonous, as the time passes fairly quickly with parades, meals, card playing etc. Our passage has been a jolly fine one, and promises to become better as the water is changing to a deeper blue, the waves are diminishing, and it is getting hot.’
Cae Glas Park – Oswestry’s memorial to its fallen. Look inside for the railway’s own monument.
For a period of three years, Ann Jones of Welshpool lent Ardmillan for use as a hospital for wounded soldiers. The British Red Cross organised and staffed auxiliary military hospitals on a county basis and on 7th December 1915 the house became Ardmillan Auxiliary Military Hospital. There were six wards, each with five beds, a small theatre and surgery and the usual day and mess rooms. In the summer months tents were erected in the gardens providing an extra 16 beds. There were 314 admissions to Ardmillan Hospital, staying an average of 41 days, and only one death was recorded. Other important places used in the war effort were Park training camp (which now has reconstructed trenches), and the hill fort itself, where trenches were dug and training exercises carried out.
