Friday 24 March 1916
One Shipley woman’s reasons for anxiety and sorrow as the war rages in Europe
George Gould
H E Smith
J F D Smith
W T Williamson
Albert Gould
W Parsons
Herbert Smith
J Hopkinson
H Gould
Mrs George Gould of 12 Argyle Street, Valley
Road, Shipley, is justly proud of the patriotic
response of her relatives. The record is almost
incomparable and will be read with keen interest by
the many friends of the family in Shipley and
district.
Her husband, Pte George Gould, is in the Royal
Scots Fusiliers, which he joined in February last
year. He has been wounded twice, first in June at
La Bassee and again in September. He is now in a
military hospital suffering from some acute throat
trouble.
Twice gassed
Driver Herbert Edward Smith, Mrs Gould’s brother,
is serving with the Second West Riding Brigade
R.F.A. He enlisted on the outbreak of war and went
to the Front last April. He is not yet 22 years of age.
He has experienced some exciting adventures
Twice he was gassed and on one occasion had his
horse killed by his side.
Another brother, Pte John F Dennis Smith, who is
married and a reservist in the Royal Scots, was
called to the colours on the mobilisation of the
Reserve in the early days of the war. He has been
invalided home suffering from rheumatism and a
slight wound but is back at his post again.
Sgt W. T. Williamson, a brother-in-law, in the 8th
Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, has been in the
Army since the beginning of operations. Most of
his fighting has been done at the Dardanelles where
he was wounded on 21st of August last year. He
was a time expired man and volunteered to serve.
He is at present in the Cuerden Hospital near
Preston.
Another brother-in-law, Pte Albert Gould, Royal
Scots Fusiliers, enlisted on March 1st, 1915 and
has been about eight months in France. He was
recently wounded in the knee and is now in the
Wharncliffe War Hospital, Sheffield.
He is well-known in local sporting circles and has
played with the Shipley Celtic Football Club for
several seasons. He was formerly engineman at the
Redbeck Mills.
Pte W Parsons, brother-in-law, is in France with the
Royal Scots Fusiliers. He joined the colours in
March last year. His residence when at home is at
School Hill, Windhill.
Gunner Herbert Smith, R.F.A. enlisted on the
outbreak of hostilities He was wounded in the back
last year and came home in November when he had
a warm reception. He went back to France however
before Christmas. He is a cousin of Mrs Gould and
is unmarried.
Gave his life
Another cousin, L Cpl J Hopkinson, Green
Howards, gave his life for his country at Neuve
Chapelle in March of last year. He was in the
special Reserve and went to France in November
1914.
Driver H Gould, nephew, R.F.A., is in training
somewhere in Ireland. He is only 16 years of age
and joined the Forces about October last year.
We congratulate Mrs Gould on having such a
splendid record and shall be glad to hear of similar
cases of practical patriotism.
Pte Edgar Marsden Kermode
(above), first 6th West Yorkshire
Regiment, son of Mr and Mrs W M
Kermode of the Elms, Moorhead
Lane, Shipley, was poisoned by gas
during the action in which he gained
the D.C.M. and was in hospital for
some time but has now rejoined his
regiment.
Salt Schools
Pte Kermode was educated at the
Salt Schools, Shipley and at King
William’s College, Isle of Man.
Before the war he was learning the
wool business with the firm of
Messrs D Illingworth and Sons,
Bradford. He is 19 years of age.
It appears that the courageous act
which won the distinction for Pte
Kermode was “for conspicuous
gallantry when he volunteered to
assist the wounded in another
company and went across the open
under heavy shell fire. He saved at
least one life.”
Gallantry under fire
Pte L Hardaker, Shipley,
16th West Yorkshire Regt,
wrote to George Dalton
from Egypt saying that the
only thing they had up to
the present was the sand of
the desert – “sand which
gets into the eyes, ears,
nose and also into the food.”
His company was camping in the
desert many miles from civilisation
and all the supplies were brought up
by camels.
Women who wait
He went on to say: “Not the least
noble part played in this war has been
by the ‘Women who wait’ in days and
weeks of agonising suspense. For
their sakes one hopes the war will
soon be over.
“We are all in the best of health out
here, hard as nails and brown as
berries, ready for anything that may
turn up.
“I do not think the war will last much
longer. But we do not finish with the
war. For there is a new England to
shape after this – our destiny has to
take a new step forward.
‘We have to shape new paths, open
new roads, be pioneers ever. We have
to clear away slums, to house our
people and to fight militarism. These
are the foes of our own household.
Have we produced and are we
producing the men who are capable of
reaching the ideal?
Fatherless
“The amount of blood shed, the
number of men maimed for life, the
hundreds of women made widows
and the thousands of children made
fatherless through the greed and
ambition of a few, are a sad reflection
on our 20th century civilisation.
“I would not like the Kaiser’s
conscience when he embarks upon his
last long journey, when he goes
‘down to the vale’ for the last
time. He will see before him
the dying agony of men whom
he choked with blood as they
curse his name; he will have
before him the sight of
weeping women and children
who look with tearful eyes for
loved ones who will never return.
“He will be tortured with the disgrace
of the world as he makes his last
journey through this life until maybe a
merciful God will cast him into
oblivion.
“But we, too, have our own national
lessons to learn from this. After this
war we shall have a truer value of
human life than ever before. We shall
perhaps – God willing – recognise
that men are of more value than
money and that commercialism is not
after all the highest form of national
life.
“The greatest happiness of the greatest
number is of greater value than can be
expressed in pounds, shillings and
pence and we must remember that it
cannot be entered in cash-books and
ledgers.”
There will still be plenty to do when the
war is over to build the new England
‘We shall perhaps – God willing – recognise
that men are of more value than money and
that commercialism is not after all the
highest form of national life.’
This is the picture of Nurse Alice S Padgett and L Cpl T Oswald Padgett, elder
daughter and youngest son of Mr Fred Padgett of Town Lane, Idle.
Nurse Padgett was trained
at the Victoria Hospital,
Keighley, and is now
doing staff duty at St
Luke’s Military Hospital,
Bradford. For some time
she was a teacher at the
Upper Chapel Sunday
School.
L Cpl Padgett is in the 1/6
West Yorkshire Regt., and
is now at the Clipstone
Camp. He joined on July 28th, 1915 and he is only 16 years of age. He was
educated at the Thackley Council School. There he won a scholarship to the
Bradford Grammar School where he has studied for six years, specialising on
the classical side. He is now a musketry instructor.
Brother and sister doing their bit
Pathetic circumstances surround
the death of John Thomas Peel (35),
elder son of Mrs Peel, a widow
residing at 33 Baildon Bridge.
The deceased, who had a large
circle of friends in the Shipley
district, was a member of the crew
of H.M.S. Gampus and had been in
the Navy close upon 13 years.
It is supposed that during a heavy
storm at sea he was washed
overboard. He was not missed until
roll call was made.
Deceased was formerly a member
of the choir of the Saltaire Road
Primitive Methodist Church and
learned his trade at the Canal
Ironworks, Shipley.
His widow and only child reside at
81 Sea View Road, Gillingham, Kent.
Shipley sailor believed
washed overboard
Cpl Tillett, 320 Leeds Road, Fagley,
of the R.A.M.C has been invalided
home after eleven months in
France.
He describes an ambulance which
was struck by a shell and blown to
pieces. Four men were killed and he
and two others had miraculous
escapes.
Narrow escape
