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The Taunton Courier. Bristol and Exeter Journal, and Western Advertiser. Wednesday 02 Dec 1914

Page 3 Column 3-5

“Dulce et Decorum est pro Patria Mori.”

OUR LOCAL ROLL OF HONOUR.

TAUNTONIAN KILLED IN ACTION.

INTERESTING MILIARY RECORD.

On Thursday Mr. and Mrs. W. W. HUGHES, of 1, Elm Cottages, Mount, Taunton, received the official notification from the War Office that their son, Private A. J. HUGHES, of the Lancashire Fusiliers, was killed in action on Monday, November 2nd. The deceased soldier, who was the second son of Mr. and Mrs. HUGHES, had nearly nine years service to his credit, seven of which he did in India. In December last he returned to the home station on the Rohilla, the ill-fated hospital ship which was driven ashore off the Yorkshire coast. He was at that time a full corporal, but gave up the stripes to take a position in the coffee bar. Before he was able to take up his duties, however, he was sent to France with his regiment. A younger brother, who is serving in the same regiment, is now preparing to go to the Front, whilst an adopted son, who served in the Duke of Cornwall's L.I., is a prisoner of war. Mr. HUGHES has a son-in-law serving with the Somersets in France, and two prospective sons-in-laws are at the Front with the R.A.M.C.

PRIVATE A. J. HUGHES.

[Block by Western Gazette, &c., Co., Ltd.]

Mr. HUGHES, who did a short period in the 3rd Somerset L.I., is now a member of the Somerset National Reserve. He has offered himself for service with Class 2, but has been rejected on account of the fact that he is 54 years of age. This rejection Mr. HUGHES feels very keenly, as he considers himself quite as active as many man enlisted for that Class.

The deceased soldier's uncles served in the Army and Navy, and his maternal great grandfather was present at the Battle of Waterloo.

HUSSAR'S MARVELLOUS ESCAPE.

HORSE BLOWN TO PIECES UNDER HIM.

FATHER AND TWO SONS – 55 YEARS' SERVICE.

Certainly there can be no man who is more heartily thankful to be once again safe in England than Corporal William John COSTELLO, of the 4th (Queen's Own) Hussars. He is a son of Colour-Sergeant W. J. COSTELLO, now serving at Plymouth. Up to a little while ago the family lived in Taunton for many years, and were well known and respected. Corporal COSTELLO, 28 years of age, is of fine physique, and has spent twelve years in the Army. He first joined the Somersets, serving in both the 1st and 2nd Battalions, and being with the latter in India for three years. After seven years in the infantry, he returned to England, and joined the Mounted Infantry. He had always possessed a fancy to be in a mounted regiment, and from the Mounted Infantry he qualified in his riding for a transfer to the Hussars, in which Regiment he has now served for five years. Leaving England with his Regiment on August 14th, he went to Havre, and then proceeded inland until they met the enemy at Bray. After a skirmish they retired on Mons, where, on account of a delayed arrival of French troops, the Hussars were called upon to make flank attacks, charging the enemy at intervals, and also making counter-attacks. They lost exceptionally heavily in this fighting, as the German artillery were doing dreadful work in the British ranks. In one charge Corporal COSTELLO's Squadron passed the now famous L Battery as the latter was just going into action. The Queen's Own were remarkably lucky on leaving Mons, as three Squadrons galloped across a “shell field” without losing so much as one man. To escape with only two horses wounded was wonderful, as shells were dropping and bursting all around them. Owing to having got within two or three hundred yards of the German artillery, the 4th's had to clear away as quickly as they could, when they saw in what a perilous position their scouting operations had landed them. Then they had a full stretch gallop for five miles, being shelled, luckily, without effect, all the way. In the course of a week or so they had retired as far as Amiens. This retreat had to be continued to within about 38 miles of Paris. Then, to the great delight of all the cavalry, the order was given to advance, and the 4th's gave hearty cheers. They knew that in the course of the stern rearguard action which they had been fighting their enemy had suffered severely, and had become exhausted. Getting about two miles beyond St. Quentin, the Queen's Own were here able to get into contact with the retreating Germans. Then came the battle of the Aisne. Corporal COSTELLO was here out scouting with two privates, all three riding some distance apart. A shrapnel shell struck the ground right under the stomach of COSTELLO's horse, as the shell bursted it literally blew the animal to pieces. The corporal escaped with only a shattered knee-cap of the left leg – serious enough in itself, but marvellously slight considering the circumstances. He was lying in a big pool of his horse's blood for four hours before any assistance arrived. As soon as the two privates saw the condition of their corporal they rode back to their Squadron and got assistance from the R.A.M.C.

CORPORAL COSTELLO.

[Block by Western Gazette, &c., Co., Ltd.]

Had the three men been riding close to each other, undoubtedly the shrapnel would have found billets in the bodies of the two privates and their horses. The R.A.M.C. men put COSTELLO into a Red Cross waggon, and conveyed him to Lemans, part of the journey being made by train. St. Nazaire was the next destination of the wounded corporal, and after a fortnight there he was sent to England, and accommodated at Plymouth Hospital. When convalescent he was taken to Manchester by rail, and thence to York, where he was ordered to rejoin his unit in Ireland. On reaching the Emerald Isle two days later he was given a fortnight's furlough, with a promise of extension should his condition necessitate it. He considers himself wonderfully lucky to have escaped so lightly, and is immensely pleased at being safe in England again. He thinks the war nothing short of awful. Pressed to tell some of his experiences during the retreat and the subsequent great advance, the corporal said their colonel was fatally wounded in the lungs by a stray bullet whilst he was in a wood deciding upon the next operations. The sergeant of the same squad was hit square in the face with a shell, which exploded as it struck the poor fellow, and blew his head and shoulders to pieces. The 4th's saw many dead civilians at different places. At Avesnes they entered a house, whilst engaged in searching for Germans, and found an old man and his wife lying dead downstairs, and upstairs they found a young girl dead, placed like a doll on the window ledge. She looked for all the world like a waxwork figure. Proceeding, COSTELLO seemed to revel in recalling how, in the cavalry charges, they wiped out a great many Germans, at Mons, on the banks of the Sambre, and at St. Quentin. His Squadron had also shot a large number of the enemy. During the battle near the Sambre COSTELLO was slightly wounded between the knee and the hip by a prod with a German lance. However, he did not have to retire from action. Still further pressed for stories of his experiences, he said the punishment inflicted by the cavalry on the Germans at Mons was terrible, and at the battle of the Aisne the enemy also received “an awful hacking.” During one period the 4th's were without food for a whole week, and had to fight all the time. The cavalry were too close to shell fire for the food convoy to provide them with anything, but, he said, that could not be helped. He considers the hospital arrangements, from the firing line to the convalescent homes in England, were exceptionally good, and he said no wounded man could wish for better food or better attention. Changing over to family matters, Corporal COSTELLO stated that his father had served thirty-five years in the Army, and his younger brother, Maurice, eight years. This makes a total between the father and his two sons of fifty-five years – a gratifying record, indeed. Maurice COSTELLO, who, like his father and his brother, has many friends in Taunton, is now at the Front with the Devons, and he, too, has seen service abroad.

WITH THE GUARDS AT YPRES.

TAUNTONIAN'S HEROIC ACTION.

RESCUES COMRADE UNDER HEAVY SHELL FIRE.

Private W. PRITCHARD, of the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, son of Inspector and Mrs. PRITCHARD, of 30, Greenway-avenue, Taunton, and who is well-known in the locality, has returned from the Front, where he has had some miraculous escapes. Being a Reservist he was called up at the outbreak of war, and proceeded with his Regiment to France. After two days' train journey his Regiment was billeted for three days, this time being spent in marching in full pack order to get the men used to the French climate. The Regiment then proceeded to Belgium, where they remained but one night before they commenced the great strategic retirement right back to Meaux. The advance then began, and the 1st Brigade of Guards, consisting of the Coldstreams, the Camerons, Black Watch, and Scots Guards, had their first big engagement at Vandresse. Here the Germans lost heavily, and many of the Guards were also killed and wounded, including the Colonel, whose wounds were so severe that he was sent home. That night Private PRITCHARD was separated from his Battalion and got into a cave. Here he remained for the night, for to come out meant certain death. In the morning he emerged and proceeded to a small village, where he met an officers [sic] of the Cameron Highlanders, who had been stripped of his equipment by the enemy. They fell in with some more men, and all had dinner in a small house together. Dinner consisted of a stew made from the produce of the garden flavoured with bully beef and a bit of bacon. After dinner the order came that all men of the 1st Guards' Brigade would march off in the afternoon, and they rejoined their Battalion on the side of a hill overlooking Vandresse Church. Reinforcements having arrived a position was taken up at Troyne bridges, and here the Guards' remained for sometime before proceeding to the trenches. Having spent two nights at Ailly the men were ordered to the trenches, and here they remained for 29 days. During the whole of that time they were under very heavy shell fire, and Charlie EDWARDS, son of the Stationmaster at Bath, who was next to Private PRITCHARD was killed. After leaving the trenches the Guards proceeded to Fisnes, where they were relieved by the French. Hazebrouck was their next destination, and then came Langemarck, where they entrenched about a farm. Here, said Private PRITCHARD, we had to dig ourselves in as quickly as possible. The French again relieved, and the Guards went on to Popperhiuge [sic] and billeted. Ypres and Tonuebeke were next visited by the Guards, and here the fighting was the fiercest experienced. Private PRITCHARD wrote to his parents on November 6th, and on the 11th he received an injury to his left hand, one finger being blown away. During the time he was under fire Private PRITCHARD had some truly miraculous escapes. At Ypres he undoubtedly owes his life to the woollen helmets served out to the soldiers, and upon which so many of our womenfolk are now engaged. His hat fell off, and a comrade remarked “a narrow shave that Pritch.” He replied that his hat had been knocked off by a twig, but on examination it was found that it bore the unmistakeable bullet marks on both sides. The bullet had struck the top of the woollen helmet, and to this Private PRITCHARD attributes the fact that he is at home with his parents to-day. His overcoat also bears testimony to the trying situations in which he has been placed, for the strap a the back was almost severed by a bullet, whilst underneath the left shoulder is a hole where he was struck by a piece of shell.

PRIVATE W. PRITCHARD.

[Block by Western Gazette, &c., Co., Ltd.]

When interviewing Private PRITCHARD, our representative asked him for particulars respecting his share in the rescue of one of his warrant officers, but Priv. PRITCHARD informed him that he “did not care to blow his own trumpet,” and would rather nothing was said about it. We, however, communicated with the warrant officer in question, who lies in a hospital in London, and have received the following letter:-

“About 5.30 a.m. on the 23rd October the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards were occupying trenches about 200 yards South of Langemarck, that village being strongly held by the enemy. My duty necessitated my moving from one trench to another, and in doing so I was severely wounded by a rifle bullet in both thighs, one being fractured. I laid for about half-hour on open ground between the trenches, fully exposed to the enemy. Privates PRITCHARD, PECK, and another man (whose name I cannot remember) arrived with a stretcher, and on this they laid me, and I was carried by them about 600 yards to a farm in rear of our trenches. We were under fire the whole journey, but fortunately, owing to the bad light, the enemy were unable to find their mark. At the farm I received my first field dressing, and was then to be moved to No. 1 Field Ambulance, a distance of about 2½ miles. Privates PRITCHARD and ---- at once volunteered to carry me there, and on my journey to the Field Ambulance we came under very heavy shell fire. We had to take shelter in several farms until the enemy's fire had slackened, and eventually we arrived at our destinations without mishap. It was marvellous none of us were hit, and our lucky escape was due to the good judgement of my two stretcher-bearers, who always took me under good cover from exploding shells. I shall always feel grateful to these two men for getting me safely from the firing line, which they did at a risk of their own lives.”

A GALLANT OFFICER KILLED.

SECOND-LIEUT. LEONARD WYNDHAM RENDELL,

1st Bedfordshire Regiment, fell on October 17th in France. Born in 1890, he obtained his commission from the Special Reserve in November, 1912. He was the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Wyndham H. RENDELL, of Shoreditch House, Taunton.

[Block by Western Gazette, &c., Co., Ltd.]

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<NOTES: A. J. HUGHES is Albert John HUGHES son of William Walter HUGHES and Eliza MALE>