Ernest HUSTWICK

17 September 1915

HUSTWICK – August 21st, killed in action in the Dardanelles, Pte. Ernest Hustwick, 8th Battalion Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, formerly of Silsden, aged 28 years.

17 September 1915

SILSDEN SOLDIER CHUMS KILLED AT DARDANELLES

Mrs. Ernest Hustwick, of 30, St. John's Street, Silsden, received official information from the War Office on Saturday morning last that her husband, Private E. Hustwick, of the 8th Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment, was killed in action in the Dardanelles on August 21st.

Private Hustwick, who enlisted in August, 1914, was amongst the first batch of recruits to serve their King and Country from Silsden. In the course of his early training he was stationed at Halifax, and afterwards went to Grantham, and then to Witley Camp in Surrey. He was drafted out to the Dardanelles about ten weeks ago. Prior to the war Private Hustwick served a term of years in the Keighley Territorials. He was 28 years of age, and leaves a widow and three children.

Since going to the Dardanelles he had communicated pretty frequently with his wife, and in his last letter which was on August 9th he says:– “Just a few lines hoping to find you all well and in the best of health as it leaves me at present. We are about to leave here at any moment, and I don' t know when I shall be able to write again, so you must excuse me if I do not write early. I will write as soon as possible. You must keep on sending a bit of twist and a paper. We are going into the firing line next move.”

[First half of an article referring to both Ernest Hustwick (10993) and William Gill (11105).]

17 September 1915

SILSDEN SOLDIER CHUMS KILLED AT DARDANELLES

Information was also received from the War Office on Saturday that Private Wm. Gill, of the 8th Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment, was killed in action on August 21st at the Dardanelles. Private Gill, who was 25 years of age, was a Silsden young man and formerly resided with his mother at 9, St. John’s Square, Silsden. He enlisted in the same regiment at about the same time as Private Hustwick, and both lost their lives on the same day. Prior to the outbreak of war Private Gill had seen four years’ service in the 2nd West Yorkshire Regiment, getting his discharge previous to that regiment being drafted out to India. He had only been in the firing line about eleven days before he was killed.

In a recent letter to his mother he stated:– “Just a line to let you know how I am getting on. We have landed on the Greek Island and have been here seven days to get acclimatised. Tomorrow we go into the firing line to have a pop at the Turks. It is red hot here; it is simply burning me black. The men who have been used to working indoors their skin is peeling off like shavings. There are all kinds of fruit grown on this island, melons, marrows, figs, greengages, tomatoes, lemons and grapes by the ton. The inhabitants here are peculiar people; they are about a thousand years back in their farming. Instead of threshing machines, they gallop their ponies round the corn, and some of their houses are made of mud and stone. There are some peculiar flies out here; they are like our grasshoppers, but about ten times as large. They all whistle together at night like a tin whistle band. I would like to send you a few Greek coins, but we have not to fill our letters up and they might get lost. When you write back please send some twist as we cannot get it here and I would rather have it than cigarettes. You must also send a local paper as we do not see much English news over here. So goodbye all until I write again.”

In his last letter to his mother he said he had never been in as hot a corner in all his life. He had had comrades shot down on all sides of him, and bullets even passed through his own clothing. Bullets were coming from the enemy like hailstones. They had to fall back or there would not have been a man left to tell the tale. He said that on one occasion the Turks nearly surrounded them. They had killed a lot of the Turks off during the night time and thought of finishing them the following morning, but to their surprise the Turks had got considerable reinforcements during the night with the result that the numbers were about 20 to 1 in their favour.

[Second half of an article referring to both Ernest Hustwick (10993) and William Gill (11105).]

17 September 1915

SILSDEN – MEMORIAL SERVICE IN MEMORY OF FALLEN SOLDIER – Seven Brave Men from Silsden

On Sunday morning a memorial service was held at the Silsden Primitive Methodist Church in memory of the late Gunner Edward Lund, of the 90th Heavy Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, who died from wounds sustained at the Dardanelles. Gunner Lund, who formerly resided at 67, Bolton Road, Silsden, was wounded on August 10th, and died in No. 15, General Hospital, Alexandria, Egypt, on the 17th of August. There was a good congregation which included a number of deceased’s relatives, Mr. C.H. Fletcher (military representative at Silsden), and Privates J. Brear, J. Bond, J. Gill, T. Hardcastle, Sheldon, junr., Sheldon, sen., Whiteoak, W. Summerscales, C. Summerscales, J. Inman, W. Clarkson, W. Tillotson, Calvert, Locker and Atkinson, of the various West Riding Regiments who were home on leave.

Rev. Wm. Dickinson (pastor) during the service said he was sure he voiced the feelings of the members of the congregation when he said it was with deep regret that they had received the sad intelligence during the last few days of three of their townsmen who had died on the battlefield. They were all exceedingly sorry to hear of the death of Gunner Edward Lund, who died as a result of receiving severe gun shot wounds. Gunner Lund was associated with that Church, and they sympathised with his relatives and friends and prayed that they might be comforted in that their time of great sorrow. He, with others, had laid down his life for his King and Country. There was now a loss of seven brave men from Silsden who had given their lives for the defence of our home and country. The first one was Private Harold Snoddin, [Snowden] who was killed on guard duty, and then followed Private Ben Hodgson, Private Isaac Wade, Private Rhodes Spence, who died on the field in Flanders, and now they had in addition to Gunner Edward Lund, the loss of Private Ernest Hustwick and Private Wm. Gill. The above had been either killed in action or died of wounds. The latter three had been at the Dardanelles. And in addition to those whom they knew who had gone from that little town of Silsden, we had very many brave men who had laid down their lives for King and Country. Some had found a grave in the waters of the great deep, and there could be no marked places as to where they had gone down, and many were laid in unknown graves on the Gallipoli Peninsula, and also on the fields of Flanders. We were thankful for their devoted and self-sacrificing services, and very gratefully paid honourable homage to them as true warriors for their King and for their country.

The hymns, ‘Jesus lover of my soul,’ ‘Just as I am,’ ‘Rock of ages,’ and ‘O God our help in ages past,’ were sung, and the choir sang the anthem ‘Pass thy burden upon the Lord.’ At the close of the service the organist (Mr. Bernard Longbottom) played the ‘Dead March,’ while the congregation remained standing.

24 December 1915

NINTH SILSDEN SOLDIER KILLED

Information has been received of the death of Private Nelson Holmes, of the 6th West Riding Regiment, and son of Mr. Timothy Holmes, of 67, Aire View, Silsden, which took place on the Western Front on December 14th. Second-Lieut. F. Longdon Smith, in a letter received by his father on Monday, states:– “I am very sorry to have to write and tell you that your son Private N. Holmes, of D Company, 6th West Riding Regiment was killed about noon on the day of December 14th. He was on periscope duty at the time, and was fixing his periscope, and must have exposed himself for a second or two and was shot in the head by a sniper. He lived for a few minutes and the stretcher-bearer dressed his wound, but he was never conscious, and from the first we knew there was no hope. On behalf of the Officers, N.C.O.’s and men, I wish to express to you my deepest sympathy in your great loss. Since your son joined us out here he has always shown plenty of pluck and fearlessness, and we are all sorry to lose him.”

Private Holmes, who was only eighteen years of age on the 14th of July last, enlisted on the first day of December of last year. He served a period of training at Skipton, Derby, Doncaster, York, and Thorseby Park, leaving the latter place along with about half-a-dozen Silsden soldiers to go to the Front at the end of June last.

Private Holmes has a brother serving in the same regiment, he going out to the Front along with him. The deceased was a former member of the 1st Silsden Troop of Boy Scouts. This makes the ninth Silsden soldier who has given his life for his country.

The names of the remaining eight are Private Harold Snowden, Private Ben Hodgson, Private Isaac Wade, Private Rhodes Spence, Private W. Gill, Private Ernest Hustwick, Gunner Edward Lund, and Private Jobey Faulkner.