I am taking a break in this issue from the Newborough Pubs series. They will be completed in the next issue though. This time, as it is the last issue before Remembrance Sunday, I thought I would tell the story of two of Newborough’s young men who won the Military Medal for their courageous actions in World War 1. Each story is just a brief biography of each for the magazine. A more detailed version will be available soon. Hope you enjoy reading about them both.
Robert Cave MM (Private 15092)
Robert was born in 1891 to John William and Emily Cave from Bull Bank, Newborough. He had four brothers (John William Jnr b1890, Edward b1895, James b1899 and Walter b1892) Robert was a Farm Labourer working on his father’s farm before joining the army. At the time of his enlistment Robert and his family were living on Bull Bank. The house was known as Berkeley House.
He enlisted in Peterborough on 4th September 1914, his records show that he was;
Age – 23 years and 3 months
Height – 5ft 4inches
Weight – 126lbs
Chest measurement: 35 ¼ inches with an expansion of 4 ¼ inches
He had brown hair, fair complexion and grey eyes.
His attestation form also identified him as being Church of England.
His medical also identified a scar on the left side of his back.
Robert was assigned to the 6th Bn Northamptonshire Regt the next day (5th September). His Regiment was posted to France on 25th July 1915.
6th (Service) Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment Battle of the Somme 1st to 14th July 1916
Between the 1st and 5th July the 6th Battalion were involved in a series of actions and suffered numerous casualties. On the 6th July the 6th Northamptonshire Regiment were taken out of the line. On 14th July they took part in an attack on TRONES WOOD. The battalion was to clear the wood of the enemy to its extreme Northern point. The wood was heavily defended and on the approach to the wood subjected to artillery fire. Fighting through the wood was fierce with the Germans well dug in. The 6th Northants succeeded in reaching to top corner of the wood with large numbers of casualties. (Only 100 of Roberts Company were left) The advance was held up by a well dug in machine gun post. Robert with a bag full of bombs advanced forward under constant fire and destroyed the machine gun post. For his heroism he was awarded the Military Medal.
5th April 1918
The 5th April 1918 the enemy artillery was “quiet”. Later in the morning the Germans could be seen advancing and occupying a quarry. At 3pm the enemy commenced an intense bombardment on the Northamptonshire’s front. This resulted in the forward posts being destroyed. The Germans proceeded to then advance upon the town and towards the 6th Battalions line to the North. The 6th Northants delivered a counter attack to retake a sunken road back from German occupation. The Northamptonshire’s advanced, under a continual barrage from the enemy, and succeeded in reaching within 20 yards of the sunken road. Here the battalion was halted by very heavy machine gun fire. The Northamptonshire’s suffered several casualties in the counterattack including the commanding officer. It is certain that Robert was wounded in the advance on the German lines during the evening of the 5th. The Advanced Dressing Station he was taken to was situated at CACHY. Their records show that 6 officers and 100 other Ranks passed through the station that evening. After basic First Aid they were transported to 43 Field Ambulance who had set up at Hospital Acheul, in the village of St Acheul, close to Amiens on the Somme River. It is here that Robert succumbed to his wounds. The 43 Field Ambulance War Diary mentions that, the hospital was set up there on the 4th April 1918. The entry for the 5th April refers to; “Routine duties at M.D.S Had so much death and horrendous injury it become just routine”
John. W. Cave, Robert’s father, was notified of his death on the 20th April, Robert was 27 years old.
Robert only came home once, in 1917 on two weeks leave to receive his Military Medal. Robert had the award gazetted in the London Gazette on 21st December 1916.
Robert’s last resting place is the St Pierre Cemetery, Amiens, France. A cemetery that was, in 1918 close to the Field Ambulance hospital, where he died. He is buried in section IX, Row F, Grave number 1. The headstone records indicate that Robert’s father and mother, William and Emily Cave, requested the following inscription be added to his gravestone; Fight the Good Fight 1. Timothy. VI. 12. He does not sleep alone. He is buried close to two of his comrades from the 6th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment who died on the 5th and 6th April 1918. Both mortally wounded in the same action as Robert.
George William Nichols MM (Lance Corporal 49245)
George William Nichols was born on 3rd July 1899 in Werrington, near Peterborough. He was the third child of Arthur and Emily Nichols. Arthur married Emily Pestell on 29th October 1894 in Peakirk. In total they had nine children; Arthur Ernest (1895-1964), Emily Jane (1896-1986), George William (1899-1983), Nellie Hilda (1902-1994), Ada May (1904-1924), Lily Maud (1907-1980), Violet (1909-1994), Bertha (1913-1998) and Annie Margaret Ethyl (1916-1989). In the 1901 census the family are recorded as living in Werrington where Arthur Snr is listed as being a labourer in the stone pits. However, the 1911 census has them living in Crosby, Lincolnshire. Arthur is describes as being a Foreman of Labourers for a contractor. From 1921 till his retirement he was Peterborough City’s Highways Superintendent. What is interesting with the entry for 1911 is that the family are named “Pestell” which was Emily’s maiden name and not Nichols. This could of course be a mistake by whoever made the census entry. What we do know is that in 1915 the family are living in the hamlet of Milking Nook, Newborough. We can be assured of this from official documentation recorded at the inquest of George Beasley. George died as a result of a drowning accident in the River Welland during the evening of 31st July 1917. The incident occurred whilst he was home on sick leave from the Army. George Nichols was one of his friends who he was with at the time of the drowning. He gave a sworn oath as a witness to the drowning. He identified himself as a labourer and living in Milking Nook. He claimed he was 17 years of age. If his birth records are correct he had only just passed 16 years old. This is reinforced by his age at enlistment. George enlisted in the 4th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment on 6th November 1917. His age upon enlistment was recorded as 18 years and 4 months; this would have been correct and indicated that he could not have been 17 in August 1915. His military records tell us that he was 5ft 7inches tall and had a chest measurement of 33 inches with 2 inches of expansion and not married. His next of kin is listed as his father Arthur. It appears that by the time of his enlistment George was now a horse-keeper. George was sent to France on 20th April 1918 with the 4th Bn Northamptonshire Regiment. However, due the heavy losses from its sister regiment George was transferred to the 6th Bn the next day (21st April). On the day George joined the 6th Bn Northamptonshire’s most of the regiment was moved back into the front line East of Cachey. The remainder was put to work to consolidate the defence line behind them. Apart from some shelling the front was quiet.
Unfortunately the records of the action for which George was recommended for the Military Medal have not been discovered. The medal citation appeared in the London Gazette on 13th February 1919. It is accepted that the citations of the MM usually appear in the supplement to the London Gazette 6 months after the award of the medal. This would put it recommendation in August 1918. The heavy fighting that took place in early August and the fighting later in the month were significant actions where individual acts of bravery were evident. So my guess is that the medal recommendation was either made between 6th and 9th August or 22nd to 24th August 1918. Should further research reveal more accurate information I will update George’s biography.
Interestingly on 29th August 1918 the battalion found themselves on the Eastern edge of Trones Wood. Where, two years earlier Robert Cave’s won his Military Medal. Early on the 18th September, in heavy rain, the battalion attacked the German positions near Ronnsoy, reaching their objective just 8 minutes before the protective barrage lifted. Later, the battalion came up against barbed wire and the area enfiladed by German machine gun fire. By 5.20am they had reached Ronnsoy Wood. Despite several unsuccessful attempts to capture May Copse overnight the battalion advanced again early on the 18th and captured it. At 11am the 6th Northants positions in readiness to attack. The barrage planned for the East edge of the copse was inaccurate and some shells fell on the 6Th Northants positions wounding three men. One of these men was George. On Army Form B 122 his date of being wounded was 19th September 1918. A telegram sent on 21st September to Warley depot states that “L/C 49243 G. W. Nichols has been identified as having wounds to his arm, left hip and thigh”. A further telegram sent on 23rd September 1918 to his father Arthur Nichols of Milking Nook. Reads: “Regret to inform you 49245 L/C G. W. Nichols, 6th Northamptonshire Regiment. Dangerously wounded (Shrapnel wounds to arms, legs, hip and thigh) in 54 General Hospital, Boulogne. Regret permission to visit cannot be granted” Sadly much of George’s records are damaged and unreadable. However, is appears that he was promoted to unpaid Lance Corporal prior to him being wounded.
After being released from the hospital in Boulogne on 4th October 1918, George was sent to a hospital in Cambridge to recover from his wounds. It is from there that he was discharged from the army on 3th April 1919. He spent 167 days in France and 208 days recovering from his wounds. When he was discharged from the Army George was only 19 years old. He was assessed for fitness and classed as 50% disability of the wound to his elbow. Interestingly most of his discharge paperwork still lists him as a Lance Corporal. Yet a small number still lists him as a Private. George never married; he died on 29th March 1983. His death certificate described him as a retired painter and decorator.
