Herbert Baldock

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Herbert Baldock, was born in East Barkwith in 1879, the son of Joseph and Mary Ann Baldock. He was baptised in the village on the 22nd December 1880.

His father, Joseph, had been born in 1824 in West Barkwith, the son of Edward and Mary Baldock. He was baptised at West Barkwith on the 17th January 1825. Over the years Joseph found work as a shepherd and agricultural labourer. He met Mary Ann Fletcher, from Langton by Wragby, and married her at East Barkwith on the 4th January 1854. Herbert was the youngest of at least nine children born to them.

In 1891, Joseph, Mary and Herbert were still living in East Barkwith, with one of his older sisters, Eliza, who was 21 years his senior, and his niece Agnes, who was the same age as Herbert. Following the death of Mary in 1891 and Joseph in 1894, Herbert moved away.

In 1903 he married Annie, from Chatham in Kent and they had a daughter, Winnie, born in 1905 at Chislehurst, Kent. In 1911 they were living in Ringmer, near Lewes in Sussex, where Herbert was working as a domestic gardener, before later moving to 14 Dean's Rd., South Merstham, Surrey.

Herbert enlisted at Guildford and served as a Private (service number G/23497) in the 2nd Battalion Duke of Cambridge’s Own (Middlesex Regiment). 

In October 1916 the 2nd Battalion were in France, engaged in trench warfare, until on the 12th they were relieved and marched to Houchin camp. The next day they travelled to Marles-Les-Mines and on the 15th travelled on by a combination of marches and train, to Huppy, then in the following days to Meaulte, near Albert on the Somme. On the 20th October they were encamped at Trones Wood.

The day of the 21st was spent preparing for action and the following day they moved up into the trenches ready for an attack the following day. On the 23rd October, the battalion launched a successful attack on the enemy lines, eventually establishing a new line some 200 yards beyond the old enemy front line.  The price the battalion paid for this success included 65 killed, 121 wounded and 47 missing. Herbert Baldock was numbered amongst the dead and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.

William John Bee was born in Lincoln in 1889, the son of William and Elizabeth Bee. His father, William, was an Engine Fitter working in an iron foundry, and they lived at 22 Croft Street near Monks Road. His mother, Elizabeth, originally from Chiddingly in Sussex, died of cancer after an illness of 3 years, when John was only six years old. At the time of the 1911 census the family were still living in the same area, now at 58 Belmont Street, and William John Bee was working as a gardener.  By 1919 the Cross Roads Inn at East Barkwith was being run by a William Bee, thought to be William John Bee’s father, who had presumably retired or could no longer find work as an engine fitter. 

William John Bee enlisted in the Lincolnshire Regiment in August 1914 when war was declared. He was assigned to the 6th Battalion which was being formed in Lincoln as part of the First New Army (K1) and then moved to Belton Park, Grantham as part of the 33rd Brigade of the 11th Division. 

In April 1915 the battalion moved to Frensham, near Farnham in Surrey.  Then on the 1st July 1915 they were mobilised for war and embarked for Gallipoli on board the Empress of Britain, from Liverpool via Alexandria and Mudros. In the latter part of July they disembarked at Cape Helles on the Gallipoli peninsula, where the initial landings in April had resulted in so many casualties. 

The battalion moved into the front line trenches and William would have had his first experience of being shot at and shelled. On the 6th August the 6th Battalion embarked again to take part in the amphibious landings further round the coast at Suvla Bay.

William and the rest of the battalion landed a mile and a half South East of Nibrunesi Point at 11:30pm and initially encountered virtually no resistance. They advanced and as day was breaking, started receiving rifle fire and then shelling. The next day an attack was made on Chocolate Hill by the 31st Infantry Brigade, but the Turks drove the attackers off. The 6th Battalion was then ordered to attack the hill, which they did under heavy fire, eventually taking the summit, with few of the enemy escaping. The battalion has succeeded where a brigade had failed, but the casualties had been heavy with five officers and one hundred and sixty four other ranks lost.

On the 9th August the battalion took part in another attack on Scimitar Hill (Hill 70) which was strongly defended by the enemy. After severe fighting they drive the Turks off the hill, but a powerful counter-attack soon developed with large numbers of the enemy attacking the hill. The battalion stubbornly defended the hill all morning, despite high casualties, until eventually forced to pull back due to a brush fire ignited by the shelling. That day the battalion lost 12 officers and 391 other ranks, out of an original 17 officers and 561 other ranks.

After further fighting, the onset of dysentery amongst nearly all of the men, and severe weather, including blizzards and flash floods, the remnants of the battalion were evacuated from Gallipoli on the 21st December 1915. They were moved to Alexandria, arriving on the 2nd February and took up residence at Sidi Bishr Camp, where despite the hardships of the heat and training, they enjoyed themselves until the 9th March when they moved to take over defences on the Suez Canal. Life there was often monotonous and water supplies initially problematic, but the battalion was able to recover and rebuild to full strength as a result of new drafts from home.

On the 2nd July 1916 the battalion (30 officers and 952 other ranks) embarked for France from Alexandria on HMT Huntspill, in rough seas. The escort ship was slow due to engine trouble and was changed for another as they passed Malta. Despite a submarine scare one evening, they arrived at Marseilles on the 8th July and stayed onboard overnight in the harbour before disembarking the next day and moving to Carcassone Camp (Marseilles).

On the 11th July they boarded a train at Marseilles station and travelled for two days to Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise, before marching to Ternas and then onto Hauteville. On the 19th July they marched on again and entered the trenches near Arras. Over the next few weeks they endured gas alarms, enemy raids and took regular casualties from trench mortar bombardments. 

On the 21st August the battalion were relieved and pulled back, eventually getting to Houvin-Houvigneul on the 29th August, where they conducted training. At the start of September the battalion marched to Ovillers where they again entered the trenches. There they yet again experienced shelling, attacks and counterattacks, taking further casualties until relieved on the night of the 19th September. For much of the rest of the month they were held in reserve carrying out fatigue duties, including establishing ammunition dumps and carrying items to the front line trenches.

During October the battalion received a new draft of men and spent much of the time carrying out training near Beaucourt. Then on the 21st they moved up again into reserve just behind the lines and began to take their turns in the trenches. On the 27th November the battalion was occupying front line trenches. The day started off with thick mist, then during the day they experienced unusually heavy shelling, destroying some shelters and outposts and resulting in 37 casualties, amongst them William Bee, who was killed.

He is commemorated in France on the Thiepval Memorial.

George Bemrose was born in 1893 at East Barkwith, the son of Tom and Elizabeth Ann Bemrose. 

George’s mother, Elizabeth Ann, born in 1870, was baptised in East Barkwith on the 19th November 1871. She lived in East Barkwith with her parents, Samuel and Charlotte, and siblings on her grandmother’s farm of 124 acres. Her grandmother, Elizabeth Hancer, a widower in 1871, had been born in East Barkwith, as had Samuel. Charlotte was from nearby in West Torrington.

Grandmother, Elizabeth Hancer (nee Pickering), born in 1803, married farmer, Robert Hancer, also from East Barkwith, on the 6th October 1932. Robert had been baptised in East Barkwith on the 6th February 1811 and lived there until his death on the 15th March 1864.

Following her grandmother’s death, the family moved and in 1881 were living in Withcall near Louth, then in 1891 in Gayton le Wold. By 1891, Charlotte had died and Elizabeth Ann (then 20) was keeping house and looking after her younger siblings, the youngest of whom, Alice, was 7.

Elizabeth subsequently met Tom Bemrose, a labourer from Binbrook and they married in Kelstern on the 9th June 1892. Tom and Elizabeth returned to East Barkwith, where George was born and later baptised on the 29th June 1893. The couple had a daughter, Charlotte Bemrose, born in East Barkwith the year after George, but sadly she died aged 7, of tubercular peritonitis, on the 10th March 1902.

In 1901, the family were living in Mill lane, Donington on Bain, where Tom was working as a labourer. Another son, also called Tom, had been born there the previous year, with another daughter, Lizzie, following in 1905.

At the time of the 1911 census, George had left home and was working as a horseman on a farm in Raithby, although his parents and younger siblings still lived in Donington. When he enlisted as a private with the Lincolnshire Regiment in Louth on the 29th August 1914, he gave his profession as a Platelayer (for the railway) and his residence as Donington on Bain. He is described on his service record as 5’9” tall, weighing 158 pounds, with a fresh complexion, blue eyes, brown hair and a scar on the knuckle of his left index finger.

George, service number 11031, was posted to the 6th Battalion on the 10th September 1914. The 6th Battalion was being formed in Lincoln but then moved to Belton Park, Grantham as part of the 33rd Brigade of the 11th Division. 

Later, in April 1915, the battalion moved to Frensham, near Farnham in Surrey.  On the 1st July 1915 they were mobilised for war and embarked for Gallipoli on board the Empress of Britain, sailing from Liverpool via Alexandria and Mudros. They arrived at Cape Helles on the Gallipoli peninsula, in the latter part of July.

Cape Helles had been taken by British and French forces on 25th April 1915. The Helles landing had been mismanaged and the two main beaches had become bloodbaths, despite the meagre defences. Although the attackers had managed to gain a foothold ashore, their plans were in disarray. The battalion moved into the front line trenches and the men had their first experience of being shot at, of taking casualties and of being shelled.

On the 6th August the 6th Battalion embarked again and then took part in the amphibious landings further round the coast at Suvla Bay, as part of the August Offensive, the final British attempt to break the deadlock of the Battle of Gallipoli. The landing, which commenced on the night of 6th August 1915, was intended to support a breakout from the Anzac sector, five miles (8 km) to the south.

The battalion landed a mile and a half South East of Nibrunesi Point at 11:30pm and initially encountered virtually no resistance. They advanced and as day was breaking, started receiving rifle fire and then shelling. The next day an attack was made on Chocolate Hill by the 31st Infantry Brigade, but the Turks drove the attackers off. The 6th Battalion was then ordered to attack the hill, which they did under heavy fire, eventually taking the summit, with few of the enemy escaping. The battalion has succeeded where a brigade had failed, but the casualties had been heavy with five officers and one hundred and sixty four other ranks lost.

On the 9th August the battalion took part in another attack on Scimitar Hill (Hill 70) which was strongly defended by the enemy. After severe fighting they drive the Turks off the hill, but a powerful counter-attack soon developed with large numbers of the enemy attacking the hill. The battalion stubbornly defended the hill all morning, despite high casualties, until eventually forced to pull-back due to a brush fire ignited by the shelling. That day the battalion lost 12 officers and 391 other ranks, out of an original 17 officers and 561 other ranks.

A general advance was ordered on the 21st August and each battalion advanced in artillery formation. Soon after the start a whole division of Turkish yeomanry suddenly appeared and broke through the 7th South Staffords. This attack brought down heavy artillery fire that then in turn started a bush fire, the combination of which resulted in some of the 6th Lincolnshire battalion and the 7th South Staffords losing direction. Heavy fighting continued with some parts of the brigade taking heavy casualties. During the fighting on the 21st, George was injured and treated for a scalp wound.

George and the battalion continued to man the trenches and breastworks over the next few weeks, as dysentery became prevalent amongst all of the men. Stores had to be carried by hand up from the beaches and there are often a shortage of water. 

On the Sulva beach-head, the weather had been very hot and settled but on the 20th November a terrible blizzard was experienced.  Torrents of rain fell and completely flooded the trenches, drowning several men. A lot of men were sheltering in small excavations in the cliff side above the beach and were swept away into the sea and drowned. The rain turned to snow and was followed by a severe frost, leading to great suffering as the men had no adequate shelter. Over a hundred men went down with frostbite.

George is listed as having been ‘killed in action’ on 20/11/1915. Given that there was little conflict on the day of his death, as both sides were too busy trying to survive the elements, it is likely that George was one of those drowned. He is buried at Azmak Cemetery, Suvla, Turkey. 

Following the war, George was eligible for the British War and Victory Medals, along with the 1914-1918 Star. His father Tom signed to acknowledge receipt of the medals.

James, the son of Frank and Betsy Blackburn of Low Langton, Wragby, was born in 1895 in South Kelsey.  His father was an agricultural labourer and the 1901 census shows the family living in Cold Hanworth, at Green Lane Farm. James had an older brother, Frank, and two younger brothers.  By the time of the 1911 census, James was sixteen, had left home and was living in Snarford, working as a Farm Waggoner. When he enlisted in 1914, James appears to have been living in Wragby.

James enlisted in November 1914, joining the 1st Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment. The 1st Battalion had been in France since August and had already taken part in a number of significant battles. On the 16th June 1915 the battalion was involved in The Battle of Bellewaarde, where on a battlefield a half a square mile in size, over one thousand men lost their lives over a twelve hour period. In July they were in action at Hooge, where the Germans used flamethrowers against the British troops for the first time.

During 1916 the battalion were in action at The Battle of Albert, The Battle of Bazentin Ridge, The Battle of Flers-Courcelette, The Battle of Morval and The Battle of Le Transloy.

On the 10th January 1917 it was noted in the battalion’s war diary that James Blackburn had been awarded the Military Medal. The Military Medal had been instituted by Royal Warrant on the 25th March 1916 to be awarded for "acts of gallantry and devotion to duty performed by non-commissioned officers and men of our army in the field".

During 1917 the battalion was in action during the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line and The First and Third Battles of the Scarpe.

On the 3rd October 1917, the battalion moved up and dug in for the night at Polygon Wood near Zonnebeke in Belgium. Heavy shelling continued over the whole area during the night. At 5am on the 4th, the CO of 1/Lincoln , Lt-Col LP EVANS, returned from looking at the assembly positions and, acting on alternative Brigade orders, switched his battalion with 10/Yorkshire, as the latter had suffered heavy casualties.

At 6am the attack began. The first obstacle was the Polygonbeek which was muddy and covered with entangled wire. The creeping barrage moved on before the men had all cleared the area. There were several unexpected and well hidden concrete emplacements on the eastern bank of the Polygonbeek. Each had a garrison of 20-30 men and 3 machine guns. As soon as the creeping barrage had passed, they opened fire on the advancing troops and caused many casualties. The 1st Lincoln Regiment, scrambled across the bog of Jetty Warren and rushed the first objective, killing large numbers of Germans. 

Next an attack was made on the second objective, the 1st Lincoln advanced subjected to indirect fire from the Chateau, some machine guns from Judge Copse and numerous snipers in shell holes. They obtained their final objective and consolidated. The German's shelled Polygon Wood and the back areas very heavily. The 1st Lincoln set off again, but soon suffered from an 18 Pounder gun firing short - one shell wounded two officers and six men.

Two hundred yards further on a pill box was encountered but the leading waves of men passed without meeting resistance. A machine gun then opened up from this pill box and inflicted casualties. Lt -Col Evans assisted by an officer of the Machine Gun Corps and several men of the Lincoln's, advanced from two directions and silenced the machine gun, reached the pill box and forced the garrison to surrender.

Once consolidation was made, there was no German response until 3pm. By this stage the 1st Lincoln had been reduced to some four officers and 160 other ranks, having started with approx 500. They were relieved during the night and moved back to Zillebeke Lake. 

Their losses were recorded as 24 Killed, 167 wounded and 36 missing - 227 out of 500. James Blackburn was amongst the dead. Despite these losses, the victory had been a complete one and the enemy had received a crushing defeat.

James is also commemorated on the Langton by Wragby war memorial which is in the church of St Giles. It takes the form of a brass wall plaque with raised letters to be found on the North side of the nave, beneath a stained glass window.

Charles Edward Blanchard was the son of Thomas and Mary Blanchard (nee Ward), who had four children, all born in East Barkwith. Charles, the youngest, was born in 1897 and baptised in East Barkwith Church on the 15th August 1897. The 1901 census records the family living in East Barkwith, with Thomas working on a farm. Charles had an older brother, William and two older sisters, Florence Annie and Rose Mary. Charles’s paternal grandparents, Joseph and Ann Blanchard (nee Walker), lived in Panton. 

The 1911 census shows Charles and his parents (the other children now having left home) living at Stainton by Langworth. Thomas was working as a ‘cowman on farm’, while Charles was a ‘lad on farm’.

Charles enlisted at Lincoln, and served as a Private (service number 202184) with the 2/5th Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment. The battalion was based in Britain until the 25th February 1917, when they sailed from Southampton on the S.S. Queen Alexandra, disembarking at Le Havre, France on the 26th at 8am. The battalion then travelled by train and foot to a rest camp at Mericourt.

The battalion remained at the Mericourt rest camp for the first week of March, before marching on the 7-8th to take up a position in support trenches at Berny. They remained in the support trenches until the 11th when they relieved the North Staffordshire Regiment in the front line trenches, which were found to be in a very bad state. One sergeant was killed and a corporal badly wounded.

The next day on the 12th March, the battalion remained in the front line trenches, with one man being wounded. The battalion war diary includes an initial entry saying that Charles was killed on this day (and this is the day recorded by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission), however the original diary entry has been crossed out and it is on the entry for the following day (13th March) that Charles is listed as killed, with five other men being wounded. Having only moved into the front line for the first time, two days previously, it is possible that Charles was killed before he even had chance to fire a shot at the enemy.

Charles is buried at Assevillers New British Cemetery and also commemorated on the Stainton by Langworth war memorial.

William (Will) Blanchard was born at East Barkwith, in 1894, the son of Thomas and Mary Blanchard (nee Ward), who had four children, all born in East Barkwith. Thomas, who was from Lissington and Mary from Withern, had married in 1892.

William was baptised in East Barkwith on the 13th May 1894. The 1901 census records the family living in East Barkwith, with Thomas working on a farm. William had a younger brother, Charles and two sisters, Florence Annie who was a year older than him and Rose Mary, who was two years younger. William’s paternal grandparents, Joseph and Ann Blanchard (nee Walker), lived in Panton.

The 1911 census shows William living on a farm at Stainton by Langworth, where he was working as a horseman. At that time, Thomas, Mary and Charles were also living elsewhere in Stainton by Langworth, where Thomas was working as a cowman. William’s sister Florence married, becoming Florence Annie Emmingham, as did Rose Mary, becoming Rose Mary Frith.

William was attested in January 1916, joining the reserves until he was mobilised on the 25th May. He initially served as a Private with the Lincolnshire Regiment (service number 23668), before being transferred to the 20th Labour Battalion Notts & Derby Regiment (service number 48608).  His medical records list him as 5’ 5¾” tall, weighing 129 pounds, with flat feet. 

While serving he was located in the UK until the 20th June 1916 when he embarked at Southampton, disembarking at Le Havre the following day. On the 8th July 1918 he was transferred to the 12th Battalion North Staffordshire (Prince of Wales’s) Regiment, with service number 44320. 

On the 8th July, the 12th Battalion was at Staple in northern France, conducting training, before moving up to occupy the line at Hazebrouck on the 11th, to relieve the 13th East Lancashire’s. They were welcomed to their new trenches by artillery fire and overnight, bombing by enemy aircraft. The battalion stayed in the trenches, with regular artillery fire and visits from enemy aircraft until they were relieved and pulled back to the camp at Staple on the 15th July.

On the 17th the battalion moved to Hazebrouck, then on to a reserve line at Borre on the 18th. They were in support and provided working parties over the next few days before moving to the front line at Strazeele. They occupied the front line, taking some casualties over the next few days and then capturing a German corporal on the 28th July. On the 30th, the neighbouring Australian forces attacked, capturing the nearby village of Merris, which resulted in the Germans retaliating with a heavy bombardment of high explosive and gas shells on the 12th battalion’s sector. That night the battalion captured a German patrol. On the 31st the battalion were relieved and pulled back to the reserve lines at Borre, before marching back to the camp at Staple the following day.

The battalion remained at Staple, training and resting, occupying some of their time with battalion sports, until the 22nd August when they once again moved up to the lines. While in the line they were active in sending out patrols and conducting operations against the enemy, taking a number of casualties. 

William is listed as having been killed in action on the 1st September 1918, although by then the battalion had pulled back to reserve lines so how his death occurred is not clear. He is remembered on the Ploegsteert Memorial, which commemorates more than 11,000 servicemen of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in this sector during the First World War and have no known grave.

Both William and his younger brother Charles are also commemorated on the Stainton by Langworth war memorial.