History of the Wolds Wagoners Special Reserve - page 28
Image details
| Corps | RPC |
|---|---|
| Material type | Books |
| Book page | |
| Chapter head | |
| Chapter key | |
| Chapter number | |
| Full title | History of the Wolds Wagoners Special Reserve |
| Page number | |
| Publication date | 1988 |
| Real page | |
| Colour | Yes |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1908 |
| Late date | 1983 |
| Transcription |
Wagoners, from left, Bill Maltby and Bill Thompson ride In wagonette yesterday with fellow First World War voter; Sidney Downham. Horsemen of Apocalypse byMarkShlllam T H E W o l d s Wagoners rode again at Sledmere yesterday. The farmhands who were the first civilians to serve their country overseas in the First World War paraded to mark their 75th anniversary. It was a moving ceremony for the only two survivors of the original 1,127 volun- teers of the Wagoners Special Reserve who were fit enough to take part. Billy Thompson, from Dunnington, and Bill Maltby, from Bridlington, both aged 94, led the parade of 800 ex-Servicemen through Sledmere. Wounded They were among the firtrt young men from tho Wolda to be recruited into the reserve in 1913 by Lt Col Sir Mark Sykes, of Sledmere House, He had seen the skill of the East Yorkshire farmworkers in han- dling teams of shire horaes and t h e i r wagons. He f o r m e d t h e Wagoners Special Reserve, a private transport section, believing they would be invaluable to the Army in t h e w a r "I was at the Somn which he already felt and we were all ov was inevitable. T h e y w e r e I the yy Western Fro; amalgamated into the He was awarded t.' Army Service Corps Military Medal i and split into six units conspicuous gallant to Bupport fighting u n d e r f i r e whi men on the Western bringing in wound' Front, supplying them at the Battle of ti with ammunition, food Somme. <. - and materials,; ' ' Many took part ,in ! v •Sidney Downhar the retreat from MonfT 4aged 97,.from Scr borough,,.who join in 1915, among them the Territorials Bill Maltby. 1908 and saw I "I was wounded on service given by t the retreat, hit in the wagoners at the froi eye by a bullet," he recalled in the peace* i was by their, side y. ful sunshine yester- 5 terday. I The three men w< day. presented w i "I was an ambulance driver in t h e 2nd ; < tankards by the Lr Lieutenant of Hu Division, and served ' b e r s i d e , Mr Toi right through the war. Bethell. " W e took the wounded away from the front to drove t h e m to c a s u a l t y clearing-Btations.. Thousands died. "I once went to fetch some water and got back at night into a place which had just. been knocked down. There was just a hole in the ground, and I woke up the next morning and found I had been sleeping with nine or 10 dead Jerries." :t Billy Thompson' remembered: "When we first went over there, we all thought it was a bit of an adventure. :••--• |
| Book number | R0397 |