Harry SPENCER

17 September 1915

EARBY LADS WITH THE 8th DUKE OF WELLINGTON’S

News of Comrades

Private James Walsh, son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Walsh of 79 Colne Road, Earby, who is in the 8th Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment, has written home some interesting war-jottings, in which he says:– “You will find me a different lad if I get home again. We have been in some stiff ‘does’ and have suffered heavily, 320 being left out of 1000 of us. Our brigade has done very well, but we have paid the cost. The General says he wished he had all his Yorkshire lads back. Our Brigade has been in front on all the big advances, and that is a big honour. I am afraid H. Burrows is badly wounded. I went out of the dug-out in the trenches at five o’clock on Sunday, the 22nd, to find water for myself and pals. I found some about 200 yards away. Before five at night there had been about thirty shot down going to that well, and we could see them all. It was rotten. Never mind, I have come through so far, and I may come through all right at the end. We had a service on the beach last night, and we sang the hymn, ‘Lead, kindly light’. Well it takes a bit to move me, but that made me cry. I have prayed above once. As I am finishing this letter H.T. Smith has just come in, having been missing three days. R. Hewtson, E. Smith, J.T. Illingworth, H.T. Smith, H. Spencer (tackler), L. Trotter and J. Walsh are all well. Both Clarkes are wounded.”

Another Earby lad, Private N[H].T. Smith, of the same regiment in the Dardanelles, writes:–“We made an advance on the 22nd and 23rd, but I am sorry to say we paid very dearly for it. We were cut up terribly, and the worst part of it was that we lost a lot of Earby lads. Some of them, I am afraid, you will never see again. This is not civilised warfare; it is simply murder. It simply rained bullets and shrapnel, but I am still amongst the survivors. I was cut off from my regiment for three days, but I managed to fall in with the Munster Fusiliers, and I might mention here that my name has been sent in for being dead whilst under fire with the Munsters. You will perhaps have heard of this before you get my letter. One of the Clarkes from Earby got a bullet through the eye, and another is wounded. Burrows is wounded. Stockdale, Aldridge, Cross, and T. Hargreaves of Barnoldswick are missing. Sam Rigby is alive but taken prisoner, so you may tell his mother not to be downhearted, because I am confident he is alright.

25 September 1916

EARBY SOLDIER’S FOOT BLOWN OFF

News came to hand on Wednesday morning that Private Harry Spencer, 8th Duke of Wellington’s, had been severely wounded in France on the Tuesday previous. He is the eldest son of Mr. Thomas Spencer, 11, Albion Road, Earby, at which address his wife and four young children also reside. Private Spencer had only been in France since the beginning of last month, but had previously fought in the Dardanelles, where he took part in the Suvla Bay landing, and came through without a scratch. He had since been in Egypt. In a letter to his wife he writes:–

“I am just breaking news gently, but don’t let this trouble you. I was just arriving at my billet on August 15th, and had just got to the gate, when a shell burst at my feet, and blew my left foot off and took a piece out of my thigh. I think myself lucky I had not my head blown off. I shall be in England when you get this, so do not write until you hear from me again.”

Mrs. Spencer received by the same post the following letter from a nursing sister at the 37th Casualty Clearing Station, dated August 18th:–

“Just a line to let you know that your husband has been badly wounded and is now a patient in this hospital. His condition was, I am sorry to say, very serious, but these last two days he has shown signs of improvement, and is to-day feeling much better. His ankle was so badly smashed that the doctor had to amputate the leg, and his general condition since has been much better. In the meantime please rest assured he is having the very best attention and care… If he still continues to improve, as we all hope and pray that he will, he is sure to be transferred to one of the base hospitals in a few days…”