Anyone who has attended the Chinnor Remembrance Day ceremony will be familiar with the Roll of Honour. The horrific thought of the repeated surnames that are called is disturbing, as is the massive loss of young men especially those from the same family. If like me you can almost recite the WW1 Roll of Honour, you will be aware that there were 4 young men from the Marriott family, 4 from the Witney family but the ones that stood out from the Orchard Cottages Census were 2 of the 4 young men called Howlett, Alfred and Aubrey. In addition, Frank Eggleton, the son of the owner of the land on which the cottages stood.
The effect of the first world war was felt strongly amongst those who had lived in the immediate area. The Howlett family, Alfred and Mary, lost both of their sons, Alfred and Aubrey. In addition, Frank, the younger son of Henry and Annie Eggleton the landowners at Hill Farm also died. 3 young men from this very small area of Chinnor.
We will begin with Frank Eggleton as he is the eldest of the three and the first one to volunteer. At the time of the 1911 census the orchard land was part of Hill Farm which at that time was owned by Henry Eggleton and his wife Annie (nee Keene) and their two sons William and Frank. William, the elder son was involved in the family business of farming, but the younger son Frank was described as a Mercantile Clerk for Wheeler’s Brewery in High Wycombe.
Frank was born 5th January 1886 and at 28 years old in 1914 was already quite mature with an already established a career in the brewing trade. He gained further qualifications from evening classes at The John Hampden Grammar School achieving the membership of ‘The Chartered Institute of Secretaries’ and became Company Secretary for Wheelers Brewery in High Wycombe in 1914. The company reported after his death that he had the potential for a very successful career in the company. They had lost quite a few of their key employees as a result of the war.
Frank was described as ‘one of the patriotic young men who responded promptly to the “country’s call’, joining up on 12th September 1914 as a private in the Honorable Artillery Company. He was offered a commission in the Oxford and Bucks Regiment but preferred at that time to remain in the ranks and became a driver in the H.A.C. presumably as a farmer’s son he would already be able to drive horses and possibly vehicles.
By 1915 he was fighting in Egypt with the Honorable Artillery Company proving himself to be not only a brave soldier but also displaying leadership qualities. He was offered a commission into the Royal Field Artillery which he accepted. In this leadership position he fought in France and Belgium firstly as a 2nd Lieutenant.
The war diaries for Frank’s unit mentions him by name several times. Only officers are mentioned by name in the official war diaries.
We know he was still a 2nd Lieutenant on August 31st 1916 as he is mentioned in the war diary on the list of current officers. This was marked appendix 1. The turnover of 2nd Lieutenants was startling. Many of them were listed as killed or wounded. They were certainly in the firing line and very inexperienced as often they arrived straight from Public Schools with no prior battle experience. Frank had already served in Egypt as an ‘other rank’, described as ‘driver’ so had some battle experience.
Moving forward to February 1917 we know he is still a 2nd Lieutenant because the war diary tells us that he acts as guide for two higher ranking officers to look at ‘forward’ positions. We also learn from this page that there has been snow and ice and there is now a thaw which the previous page tells us has made transport very difficult. They had now restricted transport to only those for supplies and even then, they must be ‘light laden’ and drawn by two horses.
The next mention of Frank in the war diaries was when he was chosen as a guide for some senior officers to choose some new positions for Observation Posts and a forward HQ for Left Centre Artillery. Clearly a trusted officer.
The next clue to Frank’s career comes soon after this on 23rd April 1917 where the war diary tells us that Frank, by now ‘Captain’ Frank Eggleton of 13 battery RFA was ordered to take command when his superior officer, Major R S Leach M.C. commanding 13th battery was wounded.
Frank was reportedly a good leader mentioned in dispatches on 18th May 1917 for gallant conduct in the field during the Battle of Arras.
His battery then moved on to take part in the 3rd Battle of Ypres better known as Passchendaele. The Battle lasted from July 1917 until November, but the main offensive began on the 12th October to gain the high ground. The weather was very wet indeed and the whole offensive movements were impeded by deep mud.
During this time Frank had gone forward to the guns to attend to an officer from another battery who had been wounded. On the way back to the mess, he stepped aside to let the stretcher pass him and while he was waiting, he was hit by a large piece of exploding shell in his back which entered his spine. A fellow officer with him reported that “he immediately became unconscious and died a few minutes later. He died on 21st of October 1917 aged just 31.
His body was carried on a stretcher to the wagon lines. He was buried the next afternoon with a short service officiated by a Church of England Padre and attended by only one officer from the battery and The Staff captain of the division. The carriage with his body was driven by sergeants from division who requested to take him on his last journey. It was reported in the John Hampden Grammar School, High Wycombe obituary that a 2nd Lieutenant in his battery wrote that he was ‘so loved and respected by all’. It also reported that his men regretted being unable to pay their respects at his burial owing to being ‘in action’ at the time. He was described as having a very promising military career which was cut short by the misfortunes of war. In a letter to Frank’s mother an officer from his battery wrote;-
“Dear Mrs. Eggleton,
I am very sorry indeed to inform you that Major Eggleton was killed this morning while helping to carry a wounded officer in. He became unconscious at once and died in a few minutes. His loss is felt by the whole Battery, as he was one of the most popular Battery Commanders in the Brigade. Any other details that you may want to know, please write me. Please accept my deepest sympathy.
Yours sincerely, E S Phillips, Captain”
A record from the War Office files kept by the National Archives states that at the time of his death, Frank was an Acting Lieutenant Colonel, yet another promotion.
Below there is an image of his medal card from the national archives showing which medals he was awarded and when.
Frank is remembered on the High Wycombe Hospital memorial as well as on the Chinnor Memorial. He left a bequest in his will of £100 for the poor of Chinnor at Christmas in Memory of his father and £100 for a memorial plaque for the men of Chinnor who had fallen in the war, which is still present in St Andrew’s Church. He was reported to be very popular for his kind acts. He had requested that additional to the army, regular supplies, better socks for his men should be found and contacted friends in High Wycombe by letter just 2 days before he died, to arrange for them to be knitted and sent out to the battlefield. We have not yet discovered whether the socks actually arrived there to be used on the battlefield.
Frank’s medals, death penny and memorial service pamphlet were advertised on Ebay as recently as 2016. The war medal supports the fact that Frank was mentioned in dispatches as it has an oak leaf clip on the ribbon.
A second page of the medal card of the medal card states that Frank’s sister Mrs E. Clarke applied for his medals in 1920 with two different addresses one locally and one further away. It is surprising that the records show that it was 1921 before the application was acknowledged as complete more than a year after she applied for them.
Frank is buried in Canada Farm Cemetery near Ypres. This was named after a farm there that had been used as a wound dressing station near the front line.
It was most likely that as the landowner’s son he set an example to the other local young men as it seems that Alfred Howlett volunteered quite soon after Frank and his brother Aubrey also as soon as he was old enough to do so.
Alfred Howlett, eldest son of Alfred and Mary, born in July 1895.
From War office records it seems that Alfred volunteered for the Bucks and Oxon Light Infantry but went into action with the Hampshire Regiment.
His records show that the first theatre of war he served in was 2B1, Balkans, this is army record code for Gallipoli. Alfred arrived there on 17th July 1915 and according to battalion records would have landed on the south of the peninsular at Cape Helles. The regiment records for that time tell us that The Hampshire Regiment were in Gallipoli and fought in the battles of Krithia and Achi Baba Heights.
Gallipoli is a peninsular South East of what is now Istanbul in Turkey. It was then known as was known as Constantinople but renamed in 1930. Winston Churchill who was First Lord of the admiralty at this time agreed that if we could take this peninsula and then move north and take the port at Constantinople, we would be able to supply food and armory to our allies in Russia without having to go a lot further north through treacherous seas to Murmansk and Archangel.
There were many things our troops were not prepared for. The terrain was very inhospitable. It was dry, rocky and steep.
They had normal army uniforms in a very hot climate, they were not protected from diseases caused by insects and were not aware of the effect of hot weather on their food. Many of the soldiers got dysentery and many died from it, others died from reactions to insect bites. In addition, the enemy, unexpectedly were well organized and fought very fiercely and the British troops suffered very heavy losses in the fighting.
Alfred is unlikely to have been involved in the battles for Krithia given the timings but very likely to have been at Achi Baba Heights. The history of the Hampshires declares that his unit arrived by sea in July and landed as reinforcements for the soldiers arriving there in April 1915. To break the stalemate, a new British landing at Suvla Bay occurred on August 6, but the British failed to take advantage of their largely unopposed landing and waited too long to move against the Heights. Ottoman reinforcements arrived and quickly and violently halted their progress. Trenches were dug, and the British were able to advance only a few miles. It was hot and unsanitary and many of the men, unused to the heat and unprotected from insect bites became very ill. On the 8th January 1916 they were evacuated to Alexandria in Egypt because of ‘heavy casualties, disease and bad weather’. In March 1916 the regiment left Alexandria. After a 5-day sea journey via Malta they arrived in Marseille on 20th March and headed directly to the Western Front. Although perhaps out of the frying pan into the fire!
The journey through France was long and was partly by train and partly by marching. The war diaries describe where they were billeted and the training and tasks they did day to day. It even tells us where and when they were able to have a bath,which was not too often.
The photo to the left, courtesy of the Imperial War Museum, is of a group of the Hampshire Regiment in a lull in the barrage taking a well-earned rest. The field ambulances in the picture suggest that this may be behind the lines in a safer place although nowhere was truly safe as the story of Frank Eggleton suggests.
Given the dates and the description of the battalion’s movements it is quite possible Alfred is amongst this group.
It is certainly a very far cry from the idyllic landscape of The Chiltern Hills where he was born and lived for the previous 20 years. Agricultural poverty in the UK made for a very hard life but no comparison to the hardships faced by troops in Flanders. For this group they had already experienced the horrors of Gallipoli which were extreme, very few returned. Travelling to and from these places would have been very unpleasant in extreme heat, inappropriate clothing and very likely rough seas.
They continued their journey by train to Pont Remy station near Abbeville and were billeted nearby. The war diaries tell us that the 2nd Battalion spent the next 4 months moving North, relieving other units in the frontline trenches. They continued to relieve units in frontline trenches near Bapaume and dropping back to rest at Mailly Maillet. In late July they were sent by train to Poperinge a small town in Belgium which was thought of as being ‘behind the lines’ and consequently a safer place to be transported through. It was the place where those lucky enough to get leave caught the train home. From here they marched straight to Ypres, approximately 12 kilometres.
They were deployed in The Ypres Salient during August 1916. A salient in military terms is a battlefield area that bulges into the enemy’s territory, this makes the soldiers very vulnerable as they are exposed to attack from 3 sides. It was the scene of some of the biggest battles of WW1 and was an area the British Army High Command were very loath to surrender. This area is where trench warfare began because the flat nature of the land around it gave no ‘cover’ so both sides ‘dug in’. The trenches were then extended down the line becoming longer and longer and deeper and deeper. They held this area to stop the German race to the sea which was largely successful but caused a massive loss of life. There are many War Grave cemeteries in this area which reflects the enormous loss of life. There were major battles in the salient throughout the duration of the war, Alfred arrived there in August 1916 following the 2nd Battle of Ypres where poison gas had been used for the first time.
By the time he reached Ypres, Alfred had been promoted the rank of Lance Corporal. Sadly, for Alfred he would not progress any higher because he was victim of the havoc wreaked by this gas. He was wounded during a gas attack and enemy fire on the 9 / 10th August 1916 along with 150 others, a further 100 other ranks were wounded that day. Records show that he was injured and taken to a Belgian field hospital where, sadly, he died of his wounds on 9th/10th August 1916. Two different sources show different dates. This is not particularly surprising considering the extent of the carnage on those days and the confusion it must have caused.
He is buried in Bedford House Cemetery, West Vlaanderen (Flanders), Belgium, just South of Ypres. (Enclosure no 2.1V.C.9.)
The Battalion’s war diary below tells the story of his last 10 days.
War Diaries of The 2nd Battalion Hampshire Regiment 1st -10th August 1916
Alfred is also remembered in the Roll of honour in Winchester Cathedral which has been digitised and can be viewed on a screen near the exit door where there is a whole part of the Cathedral devoted to memorials of The Hampshires through the years. Winchester also has a very good museum devoted to the Hampshire regiment with many artifacts, stories, records and commemorations up to the present day.
Aubrey John Howlett, second son of Alfred and Mary Ann born 18th May 1899.
Records show that Aubrey joined the Royal Marines Light Infantry which seems interesting considering how far from the sea we are in Chinnor. However, he did not seem to go to sea but was trained as artillery. Aubrey enlisted on 15th January 1918 to the Chatham Division and’ embarked’ in the Royal Marine Brigade for training on 20th February. The picture to right shows the uniform Aubrey would have worn as a Royal Marine infantryman in WW1.
He was drafted to the British Expeditionary Force 27th May 1918 as part of the 1st Royal Marine Battalion arriving on The Somme by 23rd August 1918. He was stationed in the area North of Cambrai and part of the 63rd Division involved in the Battle for Canal du Nord as the third part of the Battle of the Hindenburg line.
‘The Divisional history comments:
“In four days the Naval Division had advanced, fighting almost the whole way, for a distance of over seven miles, and had carried four successive prepared positions, the last held by the enemy in front of Cambrai and each one resolutely defended.
Considering the magnitude of the operation, the importance of the results obtained and the vigorous character of the enemy resistance, it would not be wrong to regard this engagement as one of the most successful ever fought by the Division.”
At the beginning of September 1918, British and Canadian divisions in which Aubrey would be included broke the Drocourt- Queant Line which forced the German Army back to the Hindenberg line. On September 26th a concerted grand offensive on these formidable defences was planned. It was a combined operation with the French Army and the American Expeditionary Force. Aubrey was part of this offensive, they received their orders and between 15th and 19th September they moved into place marching only at night to reach the position needed for the attack. At midnight they set off to march to the site of the attack, they were all in position ready to attack at 4.55am on 20th September. It was very misty and the troops were in unfamiliar country they kept moving forward straight and most of them headed in the correct direction. One of the 3 tanks which were part of the attack lost its way in the mist and was captured. The rest of the attack went to plan for the centre group who encountered little resistance. They found a cemetery where there were previously used huts in which they could take cover, the floors had been lowered 4 feet to give protection against enemy fire. Some of the other units strayed from the plan confused in the mist.
On Friday 27 September 1918 some preparatory attacks began on the main target, The Hindenberg Line. Anneux was captured by the 3rd Division supported by Royal Marine Artillery Howitzers. Aubrey’s unit was involved in this battle.
61 Royal Marines were killed, but they had gained ground.
The next day, Saturday 28th September 1918 Number 1 Royal Marine Artillery Siege Battery were brought in to support the 63rd Division with a rail mounted gun. Once again, the fighting was very fierce. 25 Royal Marines were killed in this battle, one of which was Aubrey. This was not too far from where his brother Alfred’s battalion was fighting as respite for troops two years previously when they were en-route to Ypres.
Sadly, Aubrey was not there for the final attack which made the Enemy retreat on 29th September. Aubrey’s active service was very short, and it would seem to have been very concentrated and very fierce.
He is buried in plot A34 in the Sucrerie British Cemetery at Graincourt- Les- Havrincourt which is a small cemetery with only 60 Commonwealth graves in open countryside between Cambrai and Bapaume in the area of the Somme.
This document showing dependent’s pension for both Alfred Aubrey states that they had moved away from the cottages sometime since the 1911 census. the pension records state that their mother was no longer next of kin, it was now their father who was living on the Lower Road, Town End. This suggests that their mother had also died.
After the war only the 3 sisters were left with their father, Alfred senior. Val Wells, who has lived in Keens Lane most of her life, thought that later the rest of the family ran the Unicorn Pub on the lower road. Val remembers the Howlett’s sister Ellis very well. She thought that she had become landlady of the Red Lion at some point. Eventually Ellis married and moved back into Keens Lane into the cottages opposite Manor Stores becoming Mrs. Ellis Wiltshire. She was thought to have one son, John who moved away possibly abroad. Ellis lived in Chinnor in Keens Lane until her death in June 1981 aged 90. There are still people in Chinnor who will remember her.
From a very small part of a village 3 young men set off to fight for their country but none returned. Apart from the obvious sadness of families losing their children it also meant that this branch of the Howlett family name would no longer be perpetuated. This happened for many families where a generation of young men were lost and many more returned as very different people. Some returned with life changing injuries and many others with shell shock and what we now know to be Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In those days it was often termed as Lack of Moral Fibre and in some cases Cowardice and punishable by firing squad. This war was a horrific experience for all of those touched by it, the level of losses was huge, and ripple of effects touched almost everyone.
Carol Stewart October 2021
If you are interested in knowing more or you have further information or photographs to add to the ‘Story’, we would love you to contact us either by email greeningchinnor@gmail.com or phone Carol Stewart on 07764 452777.
Acknowledgements and thanks to:
Bernard Braun for in depth research into the families
National archives for war diaries and soldier's details
Imperial War Museum for battle photographs
War Graves Commission for details of burials and cemetery locations
Long Long Trail web site for descriptions of battle conditions, map of Gallipoli and photographs of uniforms of Royal Marine Light Infantry
Hampshires Regiment Museum, Winchester
High Wycombe, John Hampden Grammar School year report 1917 online for reports of Frank Eggleton
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