Category: World War One and Beyond

George ‘Bertie’ Robinson from St.Vincent to Harewood

I have commented before that, although the actual events of the past (the raw material of ‘history’) do not and cannot change, our understanding and interpretation of them certainly can. New research uncovers fresh information that broadens and deepens what we ‘know’.

The story of ‘Bertie’ Robinson, who Audrey Dewjee first wrote about in May 2020, is a case in point. A great deal more is now known about ‘Bertie’s’ life – for instance, that his name was actually George!  

Bertie, or should we say ‘George’, is now the subject of an exhibition at Harewood House where he lived and worked for many years.


Bertie Robinson: The Footman from St. Vincent will be on display in Harewood House until Friday 22nd October, 2021.


The digital guide to the House includes a guide to the Bertie Robinson exhibition. https://harewood.org/explore/digitalguide/

Audrey Dewjee updates us on Bertie’s story here:

http://historycalroots.com/george-bertie-robinson-a-black-footman-at-harewood-house/

Bertie was originally from the tiny Caribbean island of St Vincent, an island that hit the headlines for the wrong reasons recently. Audrey continues the story…

The 2021 eruption of La Soufrière volcano

At several points in its history, St. Vincent has been at the mercy of eruptions from La Soufrière the island’s tallest volcano.  St. Vincent is also in the “hurricane belt”, which means it is battered by violent storms every year from June to November, and is periodically hit by even stronger hurricanes that totally devastate the island.

During the period of Amelia’s letters to Harewood (see my new article), there was a particularly terrible hurricane in 1898 which killed around 300 people and wiped the island bare of animals and vegetation.  No wonder Amelia begged for help.  There was also a massive eruption of La Soufrière in 1902/3 during which at least 1,680 people died.

In 2021, La Soufrière has erupted again, forcing up to 20,000 people to be evacuated from their homes and covering the island in ash – again resulting in dead animals and damaged crops as well as destroying homes and ruining businesses.  A photograph taken in 1905 – a couple of years after the 1902/3 eruption – shows just what happens to the land after such an event.

St Vincent, 1902

And now the 2021 hurricane season is imminent.

For more information about the current situation, see:

https://reliefweb.int/report/saint-vincent-and-grenadines/saint-vincent-and-grenadines-and-surrounding-countries-la-0
 

Anyone wishing to send a donation to help the relief effort can find details of how and where to donate on the website of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines High Commission.   https://www.svghighcom.co.uk/site/Charity.html
 
A volcanic eruption may only last a few hours or days but the impact on a fragile island economy is devastating and will take many years to recover from.
 
 

They came, they served

Peter De Silva was one of the tens of thousands of men who lost their lives on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. Born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Peter had been working as a clerk in the Office of the Governor General before enlisting.

Lewis Aubrey Walcott was born in Barbados but was living in London when he enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1906. He served until 1911 but was called up again at the outbreak of war in 1914.

John Ellis has researched the military careers of these two men who served the ‘Mother Country’ during the First World War and you can read about them here:

http://historycalroots.com/our-boy-peter-private-peter-de-silva-missing-in-action-at-the-somme/

http://historycalroots.com/the-backbone-of-the-battalion-lewis-aubrey-walcott-stoker-1st-class-of-the-royal-navy-1906-1919/

An A-Z index

As the site has expanded it has become increasingly difficult to find information about individuals you may be interested in. For someone entirely self-taught in the mysterious ways of WordPress, creating an index has been a major technical challenge, but, today, I have made an index page live on the site:

http://historycalroots.com/a-z-index/

All the main people on all the pages of the site have been indexed. Some of the main posts have been indexed too but, by their nature, posts may be of only temporary interest and so not all posts have been included in the index. The index is a work in progress and, if you have any comments, please feel free to use the ‘contact’ page to offer feedback.

I will get my apologies in first. The internal links should all work today but that might change (!), I will check from time to time to make sure they are still working but, if you come across one that isn’t and you get a ‘page not found’ message, please let me know. The index will take you to the right page for that person but not always to the exact place on the page where their name appears, you may need to scroll a little to find the name.

I hope the index helps you find what you are looking for!

Three more ‘men of colour’ who served during World War One

Our knowledge of the rich tapestry of ‘men of colour’ who served in the British Army during World War One gets a little bit richer today with three, yes three, new articles by John Ellis about the service of men who were hitherto lost to history.

Pictures of men who served below the rank of officer between 1914 and 1918 are rare as hen’s teeth, we are lucky that the story of one of them featured in newspapers of the time.

The three are certainly a varied group:

Their stories include a court martial, two who were wounded and someone who was discharged as ‘unfit to serve’ because he was suffering from malnutrition.

And finally, the story of Walter Moore has a brief postscript following a contact from his great grand daughter: http://historycalroots.com/the-soldier-walter-albert-moore/

A rich tapestry indeed!

Walter Moore – A black soldier at Gallipoli and the Somme

As promised last week, we can now, courtesy of John Ellis, introduce you to Walter Albert Moore. Some people may still cling to the notion that black soldiers did not serve in front line roles during World War One, Walter’s story provides yet more evidence that nothing could be further from the truth. He served in the Gallipoli campaign (1915-16) and then in Flanders at the Battle of the Somme (1916). Did he survive? Read John’s article to find out!

http://historycalroots.com/the-soldier-walter-albert-moore/

Before you do though, John’s article prompted me to look at the War Diary of Walter’s battalion for the period he was serving in France during the Battle of the Somme.

We get used to thinking about the shocking carnage of the first day of the battle (around 19,000 British troops lost their lives on that day alone) and on the days that followed. But what we tend to lose sight of is the drip, drip, drip war of attrition in the periods between one ‘big push’ and the next.  War diaries will rarely mention the names of rank and file soldiers like Walter whether they were black or white but they do give an impression of what life (and death) was like in the trenches. Here is a short selection of extracts from the War Diary of Walter’s battalion. The diary starts with an account of a night raid on enemy lines:

“4th July, 12.45 am: Party consisted of 70 men and 6 officers which were split up into two parties. Raid was a failure and the officers put down the cause to a certain German listening post. Only the right party got anywhere near the trenches which however they did not penetrate. Casualties in the raiding party were light but there were a good many in the trenches caused by the German artillery retaliation which lasted half an hour. Casualties A Company NIL, B Company OR [other ranks] 1 killed 2 wounded.

A and B companies relieved by C and D companies at almost midnight and returned to huts at COUPIGNY. C Company 200 wounded D Company NIL.”

The troops seem to have then spent a few days out of the front line but there was still business to attend to:

“8th July: temporary commission and appointment of RH McLean, RNVR, Drake Battalion, terminated due to medical unfitness.”

Then they were back in the trenches:

“13th July Lieutenant Commander H B POLLOCK wounded by shrapnel, OR 300 wounded.”

On 18th July, during another respite from the front line, a Field Court Martial was convened and “LS W SMITH was found guilty on three [unspecified] charges and reduced to AB.”

After what seems to have been a quiet period (21st July – “situation quiet throughout”), when a lot of effort went into improving the trenches, the war of attrition continued:

“10th August: Enemy active with LTMs rifle grenades in particular . Two killed. 

11th August: Enemy very active in sector with LTMs rifle grenades in particular. One killed three wounded.

12th August: Btn [Battalion] relieved by Hood Btn – Relief complete about 12 midnight. One killed, one wounded.”

The relieved troops marched to Aix Noulette Woods where they spent the next few days ‘in huts’ presumably beyond the reach of German artillery. But they were soon back in the front line.

War diaries are not an easy read in more ways than one

“20th August: A bombardment of gas release started in the ANGRES SECTOR at 10.30 pm which lasted til about 11.45 pm. Some of the enemy retaliation with field guns and trench mortars were [‘was’ has been deleted, grammatical standards must be maintained after all] directed at our Front and Relief lines. Damage slight. Three wounded.

21st August: One wounded.”

And so it continued, the diary reports one killed (22nd August), 23rd August (two wounded), 24th August (two wounded) and, after a brief respite, one killed, one wounded (27th August).

It seems that when you weren’t in the front line being shot at you were behind the lines waiting for your turn to be shot at.

Walter Moore, a black soldier from Trinidad, was part of all this.  

Armed Forces Day – Remembering The Black Presence

On this Armed Forces Day we remember the black service men and women who have served Britain in armed conflicts since the 19th Century and before. 

Their contribution must not be forgotten.

Remember Fitz Griffith: 100 years since he died

Bill hern writes: Fitz Griffith is a War Hero. He served in World War 1 as a Private with the British West Indies Regiment. Tragically he contracted an illness – probably tuberculosis – and was declared medically unfit. He returned to Barbados where he died and was buried in St Lucy Parish Church Cemetery in a Commonwealth War Grave.

When I last wrote about Fitz three years ago, I expressed great sadness that his gravestone did not face the Church and was hidden from view by thick bushes.

I re-visited his grave on 20th November 2019 and am pleased to give credit to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission for clearing the undergrowth, although Fitz’s gravestone does still face away from the Church.

But, much, much worse, the grave is now partially submerged in a small lake.

It is totally inaccessible to anyone not wearing waders and impossible to view as it is facing away from the Church, on the outer boundary of the Cemetery and surrounded on all sides by water.

   

To someone’s credit (and I suspect it is the Commonwealth War Graves Commission) an intrepid lady or gentleman must have donned waders recently to affix a poppy to Fitz’s grave. Well done that person, although the poppy, like the grave, is virtually impossible to get to or view.

I managed to get photographs of the grave after eventually tracking it down, clambering through undergrowth and ‘paddling’ until the water was well above my ankles.

It pains me to say this as I love Barbados and St Lucy, but the Cemetery is in a disgraceful state. The grounds are badly overgrown and there is rubble and litter everywhere.

Draining the lake seems an unlikely and expensive option but Fitz must not remain isolated and forgotten. Surely his gravestone could be removed and, like Siebert Raper’s gravestone in St James, be erected in a prominent position on the church wall?

This all takes on even greater importance as, in four days time on 24th  November, it will be the 100th anniversary of Fitz’s death.

It would have been nice, if perhaps naive, to think people might have made an effort to visit his grave and remember him on such a momentous day but, as you can see, that is unlikely to happen. Perhaps those reading this will take a moment on 24 November to remember a brave young West Indian who gave his life for the Mother Country?

Felix Villarroel (Household Cavalry: 3762)

Deborah Crawford, a volunteer for the Imperial War Museum‘s project ‘Lives of the First World War’ https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/ and a friend of Historycal Roots, is doing incredible work to identify West Indian service men and women who qualify for a Commonwealth War Grave but for various reasons have been overlooked. One such soldier is Felix Villarroel of the Household Cavalry.

Felix was a law student from Trinidad when he enlisted on 8 November 1915. He was severely injured in France in November 1917 when the rubble from a bursting shell buried him for 3 hours. He contracted Tuberculosis and was discharged as medically unfit from 17 February 1918. He returned to Trinidad where he died, age 27, on 9 June 1921. Deborah identified Felix as a soldier who should have been granted a War Grave but the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) requires proof that Felix’s death was related to the War. Obtaining any form of certificate from Trinidad is fraught with difficulty to the point of being almost impossible unless you can apply in person.

During a recent visit to Trinidad to research the life of singer/actor Mona Baptiste, Bill Hern braved Trinidadian officialdom and bureaucracy (no doubt inherited from the British) to try and obtain the evidence that was required.

After several false starts and with the help of some Trinidadian friends he was able to eventually obtain a copy of Felix’s death certificate which showed he did indeed die of Tuberculosis. Deborah will now pursue the matter to try and ensure Felix receives the recognition his bravery and service deserve.

Felix’s situation is not unique. The ‘In From The Cold’ Project http://infromthecold.org/ was formed more than ten years ago to research and identify all service men and women missing from the official CWGC list of casualties from the First and Second World Wars. Unfortunately, many names were missed from the lists supplied to the Commission and, as a result, many casualties have no official commemoration. They qualify for commemoration provided they died within the qualifying dates for the First World War – 4th August 1914 to 31 August 1921. The project aims to get these soldiers, sailors, airmen and nurses their due recognition – even after the passing of so many years.

Deborah has already submitted deaths in service claims directly to CWGC for British West Indies Regiment Private 4853 Octavius Garwood or Gaywood; Private 4978 Claudius or Charles Whitelock; Private 10660 Arthur Thomas; Private 10685 Wilford or Wilfred Thompson and twelve service men of the West India Regiment stationed in Sierra Leone.

So if you know of a service man or woman who you feel should be given recognition do let the ‘In From The Cold’ Project know about it.

It would of course be a massive bonus to trace any of Felix’s ancestors to enable them to join in celebrating his memory. Similarly if we could discover where he is buried (presumably in Trinidad) it might be possible to ensure his final resting place is preserved in a fitting manner. You can read his story below.

https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/5363144

Lionel Turpin Remembered

One of the first projects we got involved in was to do with the commemoration of black servicemen (and women) in World War One and one of the first soldiers we researched was Lionel Fitzherbert Turpin. You can read about him in our ‘Forgotten History – World War One and beyond’ section.

Our research identified the location of his grave in Leamington cemetery, something we had been told was ‘unknown’. We visited Leamington with high hopes, only to find that his grave was unmarked:

We found out subsequently that this photo shows slightly the wrong patch of grass but that doesn’t alter the fact that there was no marker for Lionel’s final resting place.

That was in April 2015 and we decided then that something should be done to mark where Lionel lay. Not so easy! It soon became apparent that not any Tom, Dick or Harry can plonk a memorial down in a cemetery. So we had to wait.

Our patience was rewarded when, last year, we were contacted by a descendent of Lionel who told us that the family intended to place a marker in the cemetery. Recently they sent us this photo to show that their efforts have been successful:

We are pleased there has been a happy conclusion to a story that started over 4 years ago and that the final resting place of a young man who travelled to the UK from British Guiana (now Guyana) and served (and was seriously wounded) in World War One is properly marked. Well done to the family for making it happen.

Fern and Kate Meet Walter Tull

We are pleased to announce that a new book in the ‘Fern and Kate Meet…’ series is now available. This time the girls meet Walter Tull, one of the first black professional footballers and one of the first black officers to lead troops in combat in World War One. Walter Tull’s achievements are all the more remarkable when you consider the difficult start he had in life – both his parents died before he was ten and he was sent away to be brought up in a children’s home in the East End of London.

The book is a short story for children between the ages of 7 and 10 (it’s difficult to be precise as children develop their reading skills at such different rates). In addition to the fictional story, the book gives factual information about Walter’s life and achievements.

The book is available from Amazon or you can order through this site, just go to the Walter Tull page (look for the ‘Our Books’ heading) for details.

More ‘forgotten history’ remembered

Thanks to the hard work of Bill Hern we have recently been able to add two new pages to the ‘forgotten history’ section of this site.

A page on Charles Williams tells the story of the father of Yorkshire comedian. Charlie Williams.

While another new page recalls the life of Corporal Jacques M’Bondo whose remarkable life took him from landlocked Ouaka in what is now part of the Central African Republic to a hillside grave in County Durham, via Paris, Belgium, the killing fields of First World War Flanders  and London.

Two fascinating stories that cast light on different aspects of Black British history..