Life at home: January - March 1916 The Government soon realised that and Basil, probably brought news from the the Derby Scheme was not going to Front when home on leave. provide enough men for the army. In Winter was hard on the elderly with January 1916 the Military Service Act Buriton losing three of its older residents in was introduced making men between February: Anna Gough from Stanbridge, 18 and 41 liable for service, unless they wife of David Gough; Sarah Pretty of South were married, widowed with children, Lane, the widowed mother of limeworker ministers of religion, or working in a Edward Pretty; and Henry Walton, 95, who ‘reserved’ occupation. This was effectively had lived in Buriton for many years but conscription. died in the infirmary of Havant Workhouse With the beginnings of food shortages, - a sad reminder of what happened then to agricultural work was a ‘reserved’ occupation people without the support of a family. and Charles Seward of Weston Farm served In February the stained glass window on Local Tribunals examining claims of those in memory of Mrs Bonham Carter was seeking exemption. The Tribunals tried to placed in St Mary’s. In the same month keep workers for local farms, but men could residents were happy to hear that Harriet only be exempted if there was no-one else Bennion, of Nursted House, had become who could do their job. engaged to Bishop John Mercer, but The war was also having other impacts perhaps a little saddened as his new with stricter lighting restrictions due to parish in Brighton would take her away increased German air attacks. Houses had from the village, where she was well-known to have dimmed lighting or blackouts, all and well-liked. wheeled vehicles had to have dim front Spirits were raised when Frederick lights (not headlights). In Buriton, Percy Marriner brought his new bride back from Legg tried out the front light on his young Slinfold, and no doubt Manor Farm workers daughter’s pram! raised a glass to celebrate the birth of News travelled fast in Buriton: the Algernon Bonham Carter’s daughter, Pansy. death of George Watts was known It was certainly a relatively ‘wintery’ about before the ‘official’ announcement winter with the village enduring a week of and heavy fighting around Verdun was heavy snow at the end of February which discussed soon after it started. Men like prevented outdoor work and practically cut Fred Legg, and the Treagus brothers, Billy the village off.

Buriton Parish Magazine: Spring 2016 For comments or to provide further information to this project, please email [email protected] On the Western Front: Craters near January-March 1916

Winter passed with no notable push by either side and, early in 1916, new British CiC, Douglas Haig, agreed to join forces with the French for a big summer offensive by the Somme. However, within days of this agreement, the Germans launched an and arrived in late in February. attack around Verdun: an area with historic Albert Bunce, Albert Marriner, James sentiment for the French and for which Powell and Percy Strugnell also joined him they would wish to fight ferociously. in March around Marseilles before moving The was to become to an area east of Pont Remy, 30 miles the longest single battle of the war with back from the Somme lines. France allocating all her resources. The Godfrey Harfield, back from service in , later in the year, India, re-enlisted with a Battalion bound would therefore have to be an exclusively for the Somme, based 20 miles behind British effort – and large enough to draw the main front. Algernon Bonham Carter Germans away from Verdun. returned to minor operations, close to By now, many Buriton men had been others around Loos. away for eighteen months and many were Caleb Chitty, William Fisher, Herbert re-grouping for the Somme offensive. Francis, Edward Lee, Albert Strugnell Those in the 1st Hampshire’s who had and Victor Windibank were mobilised in fought in Belgium were now around Arras, February and by 11 March were near heading toward positions near Beaumont Blaringhem, 25 miles back from the Hamel. George Harding, Basil Treagus, Somme lines. Arthur Watts and Fred Legg were joined The one Buriton fatality in this here by new replacements including period was George Watts, 25, from the James Hills, Percy Case and Alfred Cook High Street. He was still fighting in the arriving from UK. same area as before Christmas, near The 5th Division moved south including Hohenzollern Redoubt. On 2nd March, he Douglas Harfield and Victor Welch. The worked all night, carrying bombs, and then Artillery, in which Wilfred Aldred served, assumed front line positions at sunrise. re-joined their 36th Division taking a Shells poured down all day and that central position in the Somme front. evening enemy bombing parties attacked. Men arrived in France from other theatres Shelling continued all night and at 6am of war and many who had enlisted at the it intensified before relentless bombing outbreak were finally crossing the channel. parties repeatedly attacked, killing George Frank Newman had served in Gallipoli and 29 others. Buriton Parish Magazine: Spring 2016 For comments or to provide further information to this project, please email [email protected] Out in India

Instead of being in France or Flanders, a photographs from his travels. number of Buriton Boys found themselves In November 1915 Fred’s unit was 6,000 miles from home in the distinctly converted into ordinary infantry and was different climate of India. told they would be going to East Africa; In 1914 India was in a state of political then, instead, that it would be Egypt; then unrest, with other worries about hostilities that it would be France; before finally from Afghanistan along the North-West sailing off to India on 4th February 1916. Frontier. A British presence was felt to be Amongst early recollections was vital with regular soldiers already based the march from the railway station to there for some time. the barracks in Bangalore: “With the However, with regular troops being thermometer in the shade being about 95 recalled to fight in Europe, a number degrees we were inclined to discount the of Territorial units were sent to India to wisdom of the order which caused us to replace them. One such unit was the 1/9th march three miles clad in the same serge Hampshire (Cyclists) Battalion containing which had served us well through a Blighty local men such as Frederick Smith, a winter. Perhaps the idea of the powers- stockman and hop field manager on the that-be was to conduct the process of Bonham Carter’s Manor Farm. ‘acclimatisation’ in one fell swoop. The Mobilised in August 1914, the Battalion natural Turkish bath process certainly had had spent some months protecting the the quality of economy, though its other coasts of Lincolnshire and Sussex against recommendations were hard to perceive.” possible German invasions. Whilst in Monsoon rains also surprised the Lincolnshire Fred Smith appears to have troops: “Those in tents pitched in lowly met his wife-to-be, Margaret Allison, to places awoke in the darkness of the whom he would send regular letters and small hours to find themselves invaded by raging torrents. Anxious moments there will hardly be any branch of infantry were spent saving kit before it was tactics with which we are not acquainted. washed away, until the only candle also Before leaving England we trained for disappeared in the flood.” in France and Flanders. Fred’s unit spent nine months in Then we practiced warfare of the type to Bangalore, training for a range of conditions be expected in country like German East with rumours raging as to where they might Africa. Then, on arrival in India, for normal go: perhaps up to the North-West Frontier, types of operation in open country, such or maybe out to Mesopotamia to help as might be employed in Mesopotamia, British troops fighting there. and now in methods of frontier warfare in Early in December 1916 the Battalion broken country. We can certainly claim to eventually left Bangalore for Burhan and have almost unique qualifications for being the North-West Frontier: a six-day train held in readiness for despatch to any journey of 2,300 miles. “We could all have theatre of war at short notice.” named more acceptable places to spend The Battalion spent Christmas 1917 in the festive season but a Christmas round Ferozepore but in March 1918 they were the home fires had to be put off again – ordered up to 7,000 feet in the Himalayas, for the last time we hope. The good old a four-day march from Rawal Pindi. They custom of consuming more fayre than is were snow-bound on arrival and stayed strictly necessary for the maintenance three weeks before being ordered down of life was religiously observed and, again to the plains. considering the temporary nature of the The Battalion’s final adventures were cook-house accommodation, the cooks among the most remarkable of the war. did their duty right well.” In October 1918, they began to mobilise Fred Smith’s photographs illustrate for more service on the Frontier but were the Battalion’s activities during 1917 and suddenly told that they were to assist 1918, including strenuous training in anti-Bolshevik forces in Siberia: a change mountain warfare and duties in a range in temperature from 116 degrees in the of challenging locations. It was noted that shade to 58 degrees below zero. But that “By the time our training is concluded, is another story …