Remembering James 100 years on

In loving memory of James RENSHAW, Private 350658 (3033), 18th (4th Glasgow Yeomanry) Bn., Highland Light Infantry, also Queens Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry (95730), who was killed in action on the Somme 100 years ago today, on the 25th March 1918, aged 23 years. 

James RENSHAW  1895 - 1918

James has no known grave and is remembered on panel 72 of the Pozieres Memorial at the Pozieres British Cemetery, near the town of Albert in France. 

The Pozieres British Cemetery, France. The memorial
panels can be seen on the walls surrounding the cemetery.

James RENSHAW's name on panel 72 of the Pozieres Memorial.

Before the war James was a coalminer from Bothwellhaugh, Lanarkshire, Scotland and was born in the village on the 28th February 1895. He was the second son of Mary (nee McMULLEN) and David RENSHAW, and the brother of William, David, Robert and Edith. 

My paternal great-grandfather Herbert RENSHAW was a first cousin of James but after the death of Herbert's own parents when he was very young he was raised in this family like another son, hence James was like a younger brother to Herbert and he was known as "Uncle James" by my grandmother Lizzie RENSHAW. 

These photos of James (along with some others I have) all came from my grandmothers photo collection. Other than the official photo on the memorial card, they all show a very happy, smiley, handsome young man who was loved by everyone who knew him or ever met him. James was only 23 years young when he died and had never had the chance to be married or have any children. His youngest brother Robert died as a baby, and his sister Edith died when she was only 19, and so far I have had no luck finding any descendants of his other two brothers. With that in mind I feel it is my duty to remember him and keep his memory alive because there may be no one else who can. 

May James never be forgotten and forever rest in peace.

So who really is my father ....... Bryan or Ron ???

Please don’t be shocked by the title of this story as I in no way have any doubts at all as to my true parentage. But this is the story of a small family 'incident' that I would give anything to have been around to have seen played out in real life. One can only imagine the reactions of one particular person involved in this story when they found out the truth …….

This story begins way back on the 26th of December 1941 with the birth of a tiny baby at Nithdale Hospital in Dover Street, Mataura, in the deep south of New Zealand. It had been a difficult labour lasting over 48 hours for the mother of this baby, but with the eventual arrival of her beautiful son I am sure that a lot of the pain and discomfort (and the fact she had missed out on all the Christmas festivities) had all but been forgotten.

My father, Ronald Herbert ENGLISH
1941  -  1978

This baby boy soon passed through his childhood and eventually grew into a very handsome, dark-haired young man who went on to marry and have three children of his own. But the story of his early childhood must have caused not just him, but the rest of his extended family also, and even perhaps the whole township of Mataura, quite a bit of confusion.

The baby in this story was my own very much-loved father, who was always known to me as Ronald Herbert ENGLISH. But it turns out that he hadn’t always been known as Ron and spent the first five years of his life being called Bryan.

My father was the second son born to my grandparents Robert and Elizabeth (nee RENSHAW) ENGLISH. Elizabeth’s parent’s Herbert and Bessie RENSHAW had emigrated to New Zealand from Scotland in 1926 with their three children who were aged 15, 13 and 6 at the time. But eight years later when her youngest child was almost 13 years of age Bessie surprisingly found herself expecting another baby.

Bessie gave birth to a baby son (who would have been my great uncle) on the 4th of November 1934 and he was named Bryan RENSHAW. Bryan was born several weeks early and although he was quite small he was in good health and was feeding very well. But two days later he died unexpectedly and was buried in the Mataura Cemetery.

Robert ENGLISH with his second son
Bryan ENGLISH, aged about 3 yrs

My grandmother Elizabeth, who was 21 years old at the time of her brother Bryan’s birth and death, never forgot her baby brother and throughout my childhood she would often mention him to me and told me about how much his death had affected her mother Bessie. So seven years later in 1941 when my grandmother gave birth to her second son she very proudly named him Bryan Herbert ENGLISH, named after her baby brother.

So Bryan ENGLISH grew from a baby to a toddler and then into a gorgeous mischievous little boy and before his parent’s knew it he was almost five and ready to begin school. To start school he required his birth certificate so his mother Elizabeth went down to the place where his birth had been registered to get a copy of this certificate. But no copy for Bryan’s birth could be found. They checked and then re-checked through all the records and eventually came out with a registration for a baby, born on that same date and with the same parents. But he had been registered as Ronald, not Bryan.

Bryan / Ronald ENGLISH with his
grandmother Bessie RENSHAW

I would imagine by this point my grandmother would have been getting very concerned and just a wee bit annoyed with what was happening. Her beautiful little boy had not been named after her precious baby brother like she had previously thought. But who was to blame?  She didn’t have to look far for the culprit though, the person who had gone down to register Bryan’s birth. But why had he done this and why the name change?

It turns out that my grandparents had initially forgotten to register their son’s birth. When this mistake was eventually realised Bryan was almost eight months old and so my grandfather Robert went along to register the birth. Not long before this the family had been notified that my grandfather’s own brother, who was away overseas fighting in World War II, was ‘missing in action’. And the brother’s name …..… what else but Ronald ENGLISH !!! My grandfather had taken it upon himself to register his son, now eight months old, with the same name as his missing brother. But he didn’t dare tell his wife !!!!

Now five years later the truth had come out. One can only imagine the conversation (or possibly the argument) that occurred when the truth was discovered. My grandmother was heart-broken with what had happened but at the beginning of the school year in late January 1947 she took Bryan along to school, handed him over to the school mistress and told her “his name is Ron”. And from that day on my father was called Ron. Members of the wider family eventually grew accustomed to his new name but there were members of the community who still called my father Bryan right up until the day he died in 1978 aged 36 years.

My great uncle, Ronald ENGLISH
Pte 19981 2nd NZEF
1918  -  1981

As to the fate of my grandfather’s brother, it turns out that Ronald ENGLISH (Pte 19981 2nd NZEF) had been captured by the German’s in Italy in early 1942. But the family spent 12 months not knowing what had happened to him as he had simply been listed as 'missing in action'. It was late January 1943 before a capture-card was received notifying the British Army that Ronald ENGLISH (P.O.W. #140941) was being held prisoner at Stalig XIA (also know as Stalig 314) near Altengrabow, 90km south-west of Berlin. Although he was eventually able to write to his mother Helen (nee McCALLIE) ENGLISH,  she went to her grave in early 1944 not ever seeing her son again. Ron did in fact return home to New Zealand in November 1945 after the end of the war.

But back to the story of my own father, Ronald Herbert ENGLISH, also know as Bryan ENGLISH. I still struggle quite a bit with the decisions made by my grandparents way back then. Why did my grandfather go behind my grandmothers back to give their eight month old son a different name. What on earth was he thinking? And I also struggle to understand my grandmother’s decision to take her son Bryan along to school at the age of five and tell them that his name was Ron. Would it not have been far easier for her to have changed his name legally back to Bryan, the name he had grown up with and was so used to?

I often wish I could have been a fly on the wall that day way back in late 1946 when my grandmother arrived home to confront her husband about the registration of their son. My grandparents were a very kind, quiet and loving couple but I’m not so sure that Grandma would have been quite so quiet or loving that day when a simple trip along to get a birth certificate turned into a nightmare.

Grandfather, what on earth were you thinking !!!

Those of you who in the past have read my blog will be well aware that I have a fascination with all things World War One and know that I love to research and try to find out as much as I can about the 20 plus family members who I have identified so far as having served during this war. Late last year during the course of my research I came across a document that stunned me and really made me sit back and think …… “golly gosh great, great grandfather, what on earth were you thinking” !!!

I was researching on www.ancestry.com, trying to locate the service records for my Scottish great great uncle Robert LINDSAY, the brother of my paternal great grandmother Elizabeth Speirs RENSHAW (nee LINDSAY). Lindsay is a fairly common surname in Scotland, and add to that the very common name of Robert, and it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Since great, great uncle Robert had returned safely from the war there would be no record to be found for him on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website, and I had not a clue as to which regiment or battalion he had served with, other than it was a Scottish one.

So I was slowly and methodically working my way down the list of service records for all the Robert LINDSAY’s from Scotland when I came across a record for a Robert LINDSAY from Blantyre, Lanarkshire. This location caught my eye as “my Lindsay’s” came from around that area. Further reading revealed that this record wasn’t for my great, great uncle Robert though, but was in fact for his father, my great, great grandfather. His next of kin was listed as his wife Bridget LINDSAY (nee MURPHY) which was indeed the name of his second wife, so this was definitely my Robert.

My great, great grandfather
Robert Speirs LINDSAY
(1868 - 1928)

Robert had enlisted exactly 100 years ago today on the 14th of May 1915 and I was thrilled to see a description for him which showed he was 5ft 4in tall, weighed 143 lbs, had a fresh complexion, brown eyes and light brown hair. “How wonderful to finally learn these details about him” I thought to myself as I read through his records, “....... but great great grandfather, you were born in 1868 so wouldn’t you be too old to be a serving soldier in world war one ?"

Robert’s three sons (Andrew, Robert and James) were all serving soldiers at this time, aged in their mid 20’s, so the age shown on Robert’s enlistment of 38 years was a long, long way from the truth. Robert was in fact almost 47 years old but had somehow managed to convince the recruitment officers that he was only 38. He had enlisted locally at Hamilton but within one week had been assigned to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion of the Cameron Highlanders (No. 18162) at Inverness.

Robert had been physically examined and had been found “fit for homes services only”. But he obviously had the desire to do more than just stay in Scotland on the home front as 11 months later he was requesting a transfer to the Royal Engineers. I am very fortunate to have found a copy of the hand-written letter he wrote to go with his transfer request. In this he states:

Sir,

On being medically inspected I regret that I have been found fit for Home Services only. I quite agree that this is true, so far as service in the Cameron Highlanders is concerned and I beg of you to consider my transfer to the Royal Engineers as a miner, on the grounds that I have been a miner for twenty years, and would be quite fit to undertake the duties and render good service as a “Sapper” in France. I am exceedingly anxious to proceed to the “Front”, and if I am unable to do so as a Cameron Highlander, I beg of you to allow me to go as a miner. Trusting this, my requisition will meet favourable consideration. 

I am Sir, your obedient servant,

18162 R Lindsay, Pte

After quite a bit of correspondence back and forwards, as well as another medical exam to determine if Robert was in fact fit to serve in the Royal Engineers, he was officially transferred on the 10th of May 1916 and assigned to the Royal Engineers 3rd Provisional Company (No. 158271). 

On the 25th of May 1916, just over a year after he initially enlisted, Robert got his wish and embarked for France. In July 1916 the Royal Engineers 256th Tunnelling Company was formed and Robert was assigned to them and moved with them to the Vimy front in Northern France. At this time the British Army had 30 different tunnelling companies working in France and had in the previous 12 months sought the services of many experienced coal miners from back home. Because Robert was an experienced miner having spent over 20 years underground at the Bothwell Castle Colliery, this was probably the only reason he got his wish and got to see active service.

But his time in France was short-lived and just over 100 days after his arrival in France he was on his way back to England, suffering from 'sickness'. Exactly what type of sickness we will probably never be able to find out but most likely it would have been a combination of dysentry, vomiting and fever caused by the horrendous conditions the men were forced to live in and work in. It often brought down even the strongest of men and was the cause of many thousands of deaths during the war. Robert arrived home on the 4th of September 1916 and was discharged from the 256th Tunnelling Company five days later on the 9th of September under “King’s Regulations paragraph 392 XVI (no longer physically fit for war service)”. 

Whether Robert was disappointed by his short-lived stay in France we will never know. He was so keen to get over there that he lied about his age, but I personally think that upon witnessing the horrors of war he may well have been a bit relieved to actually be coming home alive. After recuperating back in England Robert was declared no longer medically fit for war service on the 24th of November 1916 and was officially discharged from the army on the 15th of December 1916.

But that isn’t the end of Robert’s story. On the 5th of June 1919, seven months after the official end of the war, Robert re-enlisted with the British Army with the 174th Company of the Labour Corps (No. 703574) and four days later was sent back to France. I have been unable to find out as yet the exact movements of this Company but I do know that it was heavily involved with “grave registration” work in France. This work involved the collecting of bodies and the locating of out-lying or previously unknown graves, and then the re-location of them into the formal cemeteries that were being developed throughout France and Belgium. This would have been an absolutely horrendous job for Robert and the other men in his Company to have done, with many of the bodies still lying in the mud or out in the open many months or even years after their deaths. It would also have been extremely dangerous work as it is estimated that nearly one quarter of all the shells fired during the war had failed to detonate but instead lay buried where they fell just beneath the surface of the ground. One can only imagine the gruesome scenes that the workers of the Labour Corp saw and the horrors they had to deal with and I’m sure that along with all the other soldiers who saw active service in World War One, they were forever scarred by their experiences.

After five months of hard work Robert came home and was yet-again officially discharged from the British Army on the 12th of November 1919 under “King’s Regulations paragraph 392 XXva (no longer required for war service, surplus to requirements)”. He wasn’t far off being 52 years old and was quite possibly one of the oldest serving regular soldiers at this time.

I mentioned at the top of this article that one document I found stunned me somewhat and I will include it here as it too is part of Robert’s story. This document followed Robert home from France when he returned home due to sickness in September 1916 and it leaves me a bit unsure of exactly how I feel about this whole scenario of Robert being so old and serving in the war. 

In a way I am very proud of what he did, especially re-enlisting after the war to return to France to help deal with the gruesome task of locating and helping to identify bodies. But just like a previous article I have written on this blog about another part of Robert’s mysterious life, another part of me is quite confused as to what exactly his motives were.

• Why was he so determined to go to war that he had to lie about his age ?
• Did he genuinely have the desire to go over there to help or was he like many thousands of others who thought it would just be some great holiday or adventure ?
• Did he feel left out being at home when his three sons were over at the front and he simply wanted to go and join them ?
• Or was he just after the recognised pension schemes that he knew would follow after the war ?

The life of a tunneller in France during World War One was an extremely hard and very physically demanding one. As well as having to work deep underground in very confined conditions with the risk of cave-in or explosion always on the cards, there was also the real danger that your tunnel would accidentally meet an enemy tunnel and then one can only imagine the chaos that would have followed.

A preserved WW1 British tunnel on the Vimy
front. I wonder if Robert played any part in
the digging of this particular tunnel. **

It must be remembered that when the above document was written Robert was nearly 50 years old, over twice the age of many of the other tunnellers he would have been working with. I often wonder whether his superior officers ever realised that he might have perhaps been older than what he stated on his enlistment papers. If they didn't realise this then perhaps this is the reason why he is being labeled as “lazy” as there is no way a man of 50 could physically keep up with a young, fit man in his early 20’s. 

As for the comments that he was “unreliable" and "unintelligent”, I’ll just have to take these on the chin. Perhaps he was unintelligent but this certainly wasn’t his fault and it’s something I will probably never now be able to get confirmed or denied. Robert died in September 1928 aged only 59, after painfully suffering for over a year with cancer of the oesophagus. 

Robert, you are my great, great grandfather and I very proudly carry your Scottish genes. While many others chose to stay at home and do nothing when war was raging across Europe, you got out there and did your bit to help even though you really didn’t have to. And regardless of how you came across to others, I am still proud of what you did with your life and what you achieved. But once again you have left me with so many more questions than answers. I know that I will probably never find the answers I desire but I will keep searching, determined to find out all I can about what made you the person that you were. 

_________________________________

Please note:

The photo marked ** is not mine and was found online here during my research.

World War 1: - Remembering the sacrifice

Today, the first day of September 2014, marks the 100th anniversary of the death of 28 year old Douglas McCALLIE. 

Douglas Hawthorn McCulloch McCALLIE (Private 8159, 1st Btn, Royal Scots Fusiliers) was born at Whithorn, Wigtownshire, Scotland on the 1st of July 1886. Douglas and I share a common ancestor, my paternal 3x great grandfather James McCALLIE, therefore Douglas is my first cousin, three times removed. But he is also related to me in a second way; he is also my great, great uncle due to the fact that in 1908 he married my great grandmother’s sister Catherine (who incidentally was his first cousin).

War was declared against Germany on the 4th of August 1914 and Douglas was amongst the first of the British soldiers to arrive in France on the 14th of August as part of the British Expeditionary Force. They had their first encounters with the enemy forces on the 21st of August and within ten days of this first fighting Douglas was dead. He was one of the very early casualties of a war that was to last four long years and was to eventually leave over 16 million people dead and 21 million seriously wounded.

The 1st Btn Royal Scots Fusiliers, to which Douglas belonged, was part of the 9th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Division of the British II Corp. One of Douglas’s first encounters with the enemy would have been at the Battle of Mons (23rd - 24th Aug 1914) where 80,000 British soldiers confronted a huge German army who largely outnumbered the British. Although the British fought well and inflicted disproportionate casualties on the numerically superior Germans, they were eventually forced to retreat due to the greater strength of the Germans and the sudden retreat of the French Army.

British infantry marching through a French village, August 1914   *

After the Battle of Mons Douglas’s division was involved in fierce fighting on the 26th of August to the west of Le Cateau. The long slog of the retreat was to last for two weeks and saw the British Expeditionary Force pushed all the way back to the outskirts of Paris. Throughout this time there was often short, sharp rear-guard actions and pockets of very fierce fighting. What other conflicts Douglas took part in during this time I have been unable to accurately ascertain, and although he died on the 1st of September, the same day as the Battle of Néry, as far as I know his battalion was not involved with this action.

La-Ferte-Sous-Jouarre Memorial, France **

Although many British and German soldiers bodies were recovered early on and buried in the very first of the huge number of cemeteries to be established during the war, the body of Douglas McCALLIE was never found. He is commemorated on the La-Ferte-Sous-Jouarre Memorial to the missing at Seine-et-Marne, a small town located 66km to the east of Paris. The memorial commemorates the 3,740 men of the British Expeditionary Force who fell at the Battle of Mons, Le Cateau, the Marne and at the Aisne between the end of August and the beginning of October 1914 and who have no known graves.

Douglas's name on the La-Ferte-Sous-Jouarre Memorial

Sadly, I have no photo of Douglas. Although he was married, he had no children and he died far from his home in a foreign land. I feel so very sad for his mother Annie because not ten months later she was reliving the nightmare all over again with the death of another of her sons, James KEITH, at Gallipoli. To loose her two eldest sons must have been absolute heartbreak for her.

Douglas's name is now but an inscription on a memorial in a small town in southern Scotland, and also on another in eastern France. All those who knew him and loved him on this earth have now joined him in Heaven. He may not be remembered by many anymore but I never want him, nor the sacrifice he made, to be forgotten. 

Great Uncle Douglas, rest assured I will never forget you. Thank you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Rest in peace my brave Scottish soldier.

“Greater love has no man than this,

that he lay down his life for his friends.”

(John 15:13)

__________________________

(Please note; the photo marked * is not mine and was found online here during my research,
the photo marked ** is also not mine and was found online here during my research)

World War 1: 100 years on, ....... "we will remember them"

The 4th of August 2014 marked the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War 1; - the Great War, the war to end all wars, or so it seemed. Over the next few years I hope to feature on this blog the stories of some of the heroes of this war, including my own brave family members who fought "for King and country". Some of them were badly injured but were fortunate to make it home alive, while others paid the ultimate price and died far across the seas in foreign lands.

Today I want to pay tribute to all those millions and millions of brave souls who answered the call to arms and fought for their nations. To begin with it may have seemed like some great adventure they were heading on, but all too soon they were living the nightmare and experiencing the horrors that were World War 1.  The courage it took to live through this time, and the effects it had on them, will never be truly known or understood by our generation alive today. I hope and pray that we will never have to live through what they did but their sacrifices and their memory must never be forgotten. 

Ever since I was a young child I have been fascinated by World War 1, mainly because I heard so many stories from my grandmother about her father and her uncles that went away to war. I have spent a lot of time researching my ancestors and family members who lived through this time, and every day it seems my list of brave soldiers continues to grow. Below are the names of 22 family members who I know all answered the call and fought during this time. Seven of them paid the ultimate price with their lives. I will never stop remembering them and never stop thanking them for their bravery and their courage.  

My Scottish Soldiers

James RENSHAW

Herbert RENSHAW - R.Q.M.Sgt, 5th Btn Scottish Rifles (240026)

James RENSHAW - Pte, 18th Btn (4th Glasgow Yeomanry) Highland Light Infantry (350658). Killed in action, 25 March 1918, France. His body was never found and he is remembered with honour on the Pozieres Memorial, France. Aged 23 years.

William RENSHAW - service details unknown

David RENSHAW - service details unknown

Robert Speirs LINDSAY - 2nd Btn, Royal Engineers (15827), 3rd Btn (1st) Cameron Highlanders (18162)

James Close LINDSAY - 4th Btn, 2nd Scottish Rifles (B/7813)

James KEITH

Robert LINDSAY - service details unknown

Andrew LINDSAY - service details unknown

Douglas McCALLIE - Pte, 1st Btn, Royal Scots Fusiliers (8159). Killed in action, 1 Sept 1914, France. His body was never found and he is remembered with honour on the La Ferte-Sous-Jouarre Memorial, Seine-et-Marne, France. Aged 28 years.

James KEITH - Pte, 5th (1st) Btn, King’s Own Scottish Borderers (1486). Killed in action, 12 July 1915, Gallipoli, Turkey. His body was never found and he is remembered with honour on the Helles Memorial, Turkey. Aged 24 years.

Robert McCALLIE  - 5th Btn, King’s Own Scottish Borderers (1435), then 460th Btn, Agriculture Co. Labour Corp. (483477)

My New Zealand Soldiers

William Michael DWYER

Michael Joseph EGAN - Pte, NZEF 18th Reinforcements Otago Regiment 8th Co. (29756)

John Patrick EGAN - Warrant Officer, NZEF 4th Reinforcements, 1st Btn NZ Rifle Brigade, "E" Co. (23/1976)

Thomas Joseph EGAN - Corporal, NZEF 8th Reinforcements, Otago Mounted Rifles (9/1675), NZ Machine Gun Btn, No. 2 Co. "D" Squadron

James EGAN - Corporal, NZEF 35th Reinforcements, Otago Infantry “B” Co. (58993)

William Michael DWYER - Bombardier, NZEF 2nd Reinforcements, Otago Mounted Rifles, NZ Field Artillery (9/694). Died of sickness, 2 Aug 1917, France. Buried in the Etaples Military Cemetery, France. Aged 29 years.

Henry John BRUNT

John Michael REAL - NZEF, Canterbury Mounted Rifles (7/107), NZ Army Service Corp, No. 3 Co. (5/107B). Seriously injured at Gallipoli on 13 Aug 1915,   died of gunshot wounds on 1 Sept 1915 at No. 1 Australian Hospital, Heliopolis. Buried in the Cairo War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt. Aged 21 years.

Michael COSGRIFF -  Trooper, NZEF 41st Reinforcements, NZ Machine Gun Btn (74617)

Albert HURRELL - Sgt, NZEF 6th Reinforcements, 3rd Btn Wellington Regiment (10/2656)

Herbert HURRELL - Pte, NZEF 29th Reinforcements (58538)

Leslie HURRELL - Gunner, NZEF 2nd NZ Field Artillery 8th Brigade (2/43). Died of sickness, 3 November 1917, Belgium. Buried in the Zuydcoote Military Cemetery, Belgium. Aged 20 years.

Henry John BRUNT - Pte, NZEF 24th Reinforcements, 1st Btn Canterbury Regiment (43948). Killed in action, 12 Oct 1917 at Passchendaele, Belguim. Buried in the Passchendaele New British Cemetery, Zonnebeke, West-Vlaanderen, Belguim. Aged 33 years.

__________________________

The following family members were all on the NZ Reserves List. As yet I don’t know whether any of them were called-up, whether they served overseas or not, or whether they just remained on stand-by should they have ever been needed.

John COSGRIFF - Pte, NZEF 44th Reinforcements (78879), Edward COSGRIFF  - Reserve classification D, Matthew EGAN - Second Reserves, classification E, William Francis EGAN - First Reserves, William Joseph EGAN - Second Reserves, classification D, Michael Patrick EGAN - Second Reserves, classification E, James Francis EGAN  - Second Reserves, classification B, Frank SCHULTZ  - Second Reserves, classification A, Joseph SCHULTZ - Second Reserves, classification C, Thomas SCHULTZ - First Reserves, Thomas COSGRIFF, William WALLIS and Benjamin WALLIS.

__________________________

"They will grow not old, as we that are left grow old.

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning.

We will remember them."

The fourth stanza from "For the Fallen", by Laurence Binyon

Brick Wall: Herbert Renshaw ..... war hero (Pt 2)

Continued from Pt 1

My paternal great grandfather, Herbert RENSHAW, is one of the many brick walls in my family history research.

Herbert survived almost five years in the trenches of France and Belgium during the Great War and thankfully returned home safely to his family in Bothwellhaugh, Scotland in late February 1919. Over 9,000,000 British soldiers served overseas during the first world war, of which over 1,000,000 were killed and remain forever in foreign lands. Another 4,000,000 were badly wounded or crippled and came home to a new life and a new world much changed from that they had left.

After the war Herbert, along with millions of other British soldiers, received medals for their efforts in the war. These three medals immediately below were amongst six that Herbert received, with most soldiers receiving these three WW1 campaign medals, commonly and affectionately known as “Pip, Squeak and Wilfred”.

Herbert’s 1914 - 1915 Star , also known in the military world as “Pip”. It was issued in 1918 to any soldier who served in Germany between 5th Aug 1914 and 31st Dec 1915. It was not issued alone though, and the recipient had to have received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal also. An estimated 2.4 million of these medals were issued.

Herbert’s British War Medal, also known in the military world as “Squeak”. This medal was awarded to officers and men of the British and Imperial Forces who served overseas between 5th Aug 1915 and 11th Nov 1918. Approximately 6.4 million of these medals were issued, each with the recipient’s service number, rank, name and unit engraved on the rim.

Herbert’s Allied Victory Medal, also known in the military world as “Wilfred”. Approximately 5.7 million Victory Medals were issued. Interestingly, eligibility for this medal was more restrictive and not everyone who received the British War Medal (Squeak) also received the Victory Medal (Wilfred). However, in general, all recipients of “Wilfred” also received “Squeak'”and all recipients of “Pip” also received both “Squeak” and “Wilfred”. 



Herbert also received three other medals that are very special to our family. They are the Territorial Force Efficiency Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal and the Medaille Militaire.

Herbert’s Territorial Force Efficiency Medal. It was a medal of the United Kingdom, awarded for long service in the Territorial Forces. The criteria was a minimum of 12 years service, with war service counting as double. Herbert’s service was calculated at 16 years; six years prior to the outbreak of war, and then five years in active service overseas (being counted as double).

Herbert’s Meritorious Service Medal, which was awarded to recognise meritorious service in the field by non-commissioned officers. Recipients were also granted an annuity, the amount being based on rank. Herbert was awarded this medal in June 1918.

Below is Herbert’s most special award, the Medaille Militaire. This is a French medal, an award for extreme valour and France’s second highest medal (ranking immediately after the prestigious Legion of Honor). It is awarded for distinguished acts of bravery in action against enemy forces and was awarded to Herbert by the French government after the war, for putting his life on the line and saving the Fabre family (that I mentioned previously). Exactly what Herbert did I have never been able to find out. My grandmother told me that Herbert (her father), like many soldiers who lived through the great war, would never talk about what had happened to him during this time. They came home from the war and just wanted to try to forget the horrendous conditions they had lived through and the horrors they had seen. 

According to my grandmother, the French government offered Herbert the opportunity to go and live in France after the war and offered to educate his children in the best French schools. But Herbert didn’t want to head back to France ever again, it held too many bad memories for him and he wanted to settle down to a quiet life again in Scotland.

The Medaille Militaire is a very high ranking medal, is reasonably rare and not readily found in many British or Commonwealth groups of medals. I am very, very proud of Herbert for receiving this award; I only wish I could find out more about what he did to earn it.

A very precious document from my family archives; Herbert’s 1919 demobilization papers.

As a child I was always fascinated by Herbert’s war medals and loved to take them out and hold them and look at them. They were left to my older brother by my grandmother when she died in 2000, so unfortunately I never get to see them now. But they will always be very special to me, even more so now that I have finally been able to find out a bit more about what Herbert did during the war and what he lived through.

Right from when Herbert received his medals, he always kept them in this special tin, where they still live to this day. This is a 1914 Christmas tin, sent to the troops fighting at the front line in France for Christmas 1914. The idea was the initiative of Princess Mary, the 17 year old daughter of King George V. Each tin contained a gift for the soldiers and included such things as tobacco or cigarettes, shaving brushes and combs, pencils and notepaper, sweets or chocolates, and a small christmas card.

Another interesting piece of information I very recently learned about Herbert was that his unit was one of many that took part in the now-famous “Christmas Truce” of 1914, where the war stopped for one day and both german and allied soldiers spent the day “fraternizing with the enemy”; singing carols, having a drink together, exchanging small gifts with each other and even playing football. 

Herbert with his wife Bessie (Elizabeth Speirs nee LINDSAY) and family, not long after his return home from war.  The small girl is my grandmother, Elizabeth (Lizzie) Speirs RENSHAW (later ENGLISH), with her older brother Davy. Herbert and Bessie later had another two sons, Herbert (Bert), born in Dec 1920 and Bryan, born and died in Nov 1934.

By early 1926 the Scottish mining industry was in turmoil. The war had seriously depleted many coal seams and exports were falling drastically. Mine owners tried to compensate for lost income by lowering wages of miner workers and increasing hours. In March it was suggested that mine workers should receive a 13.5% decrease in pay to try to improve the industry as a whole. Mine owners threatened to lock out the workers if they did not accept these new terms by May 1st. Workers rejected these new terms and true to their word, mine owners locked out over one million mine workers. Because of this the National Trade Unions called for a general strike to begin on May 3rd in support of the miners. The magnitude of the strike astounded both the union and the government, with more then three million industrial workers going out in support of the mine workers. However, after ten days when things began to turn violent the trade union decided to call off the general strike. Miners remained stoic for a few more months before being forced by their own economic needs to accept the new conditions and return to the mines.

Herbert and Bessie would have been a part of this turmoil and this must have influenced their decision to try to find a better life for themselves. Their eldest son Davy had just turned 15 years old at this time and Herbert had always maintained that “no son of mine will ever  go down the mines”.

Below is the reference that Herbert received from the Bent Colliery Company in late May 1926. This was just after the general strike had finished but the miners had still not returned to work. After 25 years in the mine Herbert had spent many years underground but had now progressed to a more senior role and was a safety inspector and fireman with the mine. I am only guessing but this may have meant he was still working and was not a part of the strike. This is a fine reference, which I very much doubt would have been given to someone still on strike.

"S.S. Ruapehu"  **

In mid August 1926 Herbert and Bessie and their three children packed up all of their belongings and left Scotland behind in search of a new and better life. They made their way to Southampton and on Aug 26th they boarded the New Zealand Shipping Company steam ship “Ruapehu” for a journey that would take them to the other side of the world, to a land very, very different to that from which they had come.

To the right is part of the passenger manuscript for their ship, “S.S.Ruapehu”, that sailed for New Zealand carrying 230 adults and 61 children as passengers. Their names are shown two-thirds of the way down the page. Herbert is listed as a miner but interestingly, Davy is listed as farming, not something he had done yet but obviously what his intentions were when he got to New Zealand.

The decision to leave Scotland and make a voyage to the unknown on the other side of the world must have been a very difficult decision to make. Herbert left behind his aunt and uncle who had raised him but poor Bessie left behind so much more. She had to say goodbye, knowing it was probably forever, to her father, her grandfather, her three brothers and their wives, nieces and nephews, and numerous other close relations who all lived nearby.

Herbert, Bessie and Davy would never see their beloved Scotland again and it was almost fifty years later before Lizzie and Bert made their way back there again for a visit.

Their voyage to New Zealand was quite rough at times and I can remember my grandmother telling me that many of their precious possessions they brought with them were broken on the journey, possibly when being loaded or unloaded by rough deckhands and ships crew. Things such as special items of crockery that had belonged to Bessie’s family, although well packed, were all smashed. When they were finally able to unpack in their new home town of Mataura, Bessie just sat and cried and cried when she discovered what had happened. 

The family settled well into life in New Zealand. Herbert gained employment in the paper mill, one of two large factories in their new hometown of Mataura. He worked there for many years, right up until he reached retirement age. Although Herbert and Bessie eventually came to love their new country, my grandmother told me it was always her mothers greatest wish “to go back home”, ... back to Scotland. But sadly she never, ever got the chance.

Below is one of the last photos ever taken of Herbert RENSHAW, taken with his family in the mid 1950’s. Herbert is sitting on the step on the left with his wife Bessie standing directly behind him. Standing on the other side is their daughter Lizzie (my grandmother), with her husband Bob ENGLISH also sitting on the step. Lizzie and Bob’s two sons Evan and Ron are also there. I believe this photo was taken on a family holiday they had together at Riverton.

Herbert died suddenly of a heart attack at his home in Bristol Street, Mataura on 15th December 1957, aged 72. The photo below shows Herbert’s wife Bessie and daughter Lizzie sitting by his graveside at the Mataura Cemetery. 

The grave of Herbert RENSHAW, and also his wife
Bessie and their two sons Davy and Bryan. This
grave is located in the Mataura Cemetery and is
one of the many graves of my ancestors that
I maintain and visit regularly. 

My great grandfather Herbert RENSHAW is a man that I would love to have known. Although he looks so serious in the few photos that I have of him, from what I gathered from my grandmother, he was a very quiet, gentle, kind and loving man. I would love to have been able to sit and have a chat with him to really get to know him, but sadly he died 14 years before I was born. His life was obviously not easy and I am very proud of him for overcoming all the obstacles he faced.

I would love to know what happened to his parents in Ireland and also his family in Bothwellhaugh. I am also very keen to know what happened to him during the war and find out more about the Fabre family. So with those goals in mind I will keep searching and searching in the hope that someday I will have the answers that I seek.

Thank you Herbert for your bravery and for your service to your country. Thank you also for bringing your family from the other side of the world to settle in New Zealand. I am very, very proud that you are my great grandfather.

__________________________

(Please note; the photo marked ** is not mine and was found online during my research)