1916 March

Leslie Worboys
'Local Patriots' publication
Lesley Worboys
From the Merchant Taylors School album
H Dellar
'Local Patriots' publication
Frank Harridine
'Local Patriots' publication
Les Worboys Shoe Repair shop next to the Rose and Crown
Museum

The War

The news for this month is very depressing; the reality of war was now being felt in the village.

Private Leslie Worboys was wounded in the foot on the 1st March 1916 and the injuries caused it to be amputated at a later date. His parents lived in Silver Street and he had three other brothers in the services. After the war he trained as a Boot and Shoe repairer and opened a small shop in a building that stood in what is now the Rose and Crown car park.

Private H Dellar, son of Mr  & Mrs David Dellar, was 26 when he enlisted in November 1915. He was sent to Halton Park, Tring for training where he contracted pneumonia and died soon after. He was brought home to be buried in Ashwell churchyard.

In the ‘Local Patriots’ series the picture and service details of Lance-Corporal Frank Harradine of Ashwell were published. He was killed in France near Festubert on 17h May 1915.

Home Front

The Red Cross was busy with much needed First Aid training. 12 candidates were on the course but only 10 passed.  Certificates were awarded to Misses H M Anderson, M L Bryant, W M Burton, D M Searle, Mrs Searle, Mrs Stanton, Mr J Ashwell and Mr A M Christy. Mrs Wolverley Fordham and Mrs Hine were given advanced certificates and Miss L Angell a proficiency badge.

As well as first aid there were arrangements in place to cope with fire emergencies. All councillors had a key to the fire station and knew how to connect and use hoses. The council suggested that a notice with this information be posted. The ‘Fire Station’ was in the premises of George Strickland in Silver Street. The brigade’s equipment consisted of a long length of canvas hose and a brass tube which could be connected to any of the hydrant points in the water main. This was all neatly stacked on a red painted two wheeled hand cart ready for action.

The Literary Society had several meeting in the month. Mr H W Bowman gave two lectures entitled: ‘More Ashwell Antiquities’ The subject was old roads and ways in Ashwell and included information the ‘Forty Foot Way’, The Icknield Way, Lush Way and he moved on to talk about the mills, the Vale of Ringdale and Arbury Banks. William m Morgan, the Chairman of Ashwell Literary Society, stated that Mr Bowman was a descendant of the Waller family prominent in Ashwell from the late 16th century to the 18th century.

The final session of the society was an interesting debate on the proposal ‘That the nationalisation of the resources and industries of the country would be of benefit to the country.’ Mr E A Moss spoke for and Mr J P Goble against.

At the Ashwell Parish Meeting the proposed changes to the education system were still being discussed although from last month’s news the problem seemed to have been resolved. Mr Neville Hine of Newnham wrote a letter respecting the stand the parish council had made against the proposal of the County council to amalgamate the schools. The Clerk to the Merchant Taylors Company read the history of the schools foundation.

Statements from the Ashwell charities and Moss Cottage Homes were read. The death of one of the original occupants of the Homes, Mrs M Gentle, was reported. She died unexpectedly but peacefully in her sleep.

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