Voices from the Somme – The Men from Fletchertown
“Voices from The Somme – 24th June to 20th November 2016” the exhibition at Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life in Alma Block at Carlisle Castle continues to attract a lot of interest.
Members of the public continue to donate or loan items for the exhibition and the Museum’s collections.
Two groups of material, including medals photographs and documents, relate to two brothers from Fletchertown, William and John Stoddart, who were miners at All Hallows Colliery and lived at 7 North Street and a near neighbour of the Stoddarts, William Steele, another coal miner, who lived at 20 Front Street. The men from this small mining community were among those to volunteer for Kitchener’s New Army in 1914 and 1915.
William Stoddart enlisted in November 1914 and John the following May, both serving in the 11th Lonsdale Battalion of the Border Regiment. They went to France in November 1915 and both served on the Somme. William was wounded on 1st July 1916 (gun-shot wound face) and recuperated at hospital in London.
While there he received a postcard from A.W. Bowes, a friend who lived in Baggrow, near Fletchertown. ‘If you tell me exactly what is the matter, I could break the news to your mother, for she thinks you are keeping something back from her’. On returning to the front, William, now a Corporal, was wounded again in June 1917 and eventually discharged from the Army in January 1918, because he was no longer physically fit for war service. He received a disability pension because of the injuries to his face and leg. William and his wife went on to have six children.
His brother John, who became a Sergeant, was wounded in 1916, returned to serve with the 2nd Battalion Border Regiment in 1917 was wounded twice and finally was posted to the 5th Battalion. He was mortally wounded in October 1918 and died in hospital on the 24th; he is buried at St. Sever Cemetery in Rouen.
In 1916 John had written home after the events of 1st July 1916. Three other “Lonsdales” from Fletchertown were killed on 1st July 1916, the Stoddart’s neighbour William Steele of 20 Front Street, William Hodgson Moore of 5 West Street and Joseph William Rumney. John Stoddart wrote home to the parents of William Moore and Mrs Annie Clemetson the stepmother of William Steele.
A fourth “Lonsdale”, James Brown Elliott was killed at Beaumont Hamel on 18th November 1916. All are commemorated on the War memorial at All Hallows Church. At least four other men from Fletchertown and the surrounding are, Christopher Robinson, Thomas Robinson, Thomas William Rumney (Joseph’s brother) and John Greenall joined the Lonsdales. Nearly all those named were coal miners.
If you have any information, items, documents or photographs relating to soldiers who served on the Somme and during the First World War and who came from Cumbria and/or served in the Border Regiment, Westmorland & Cumberland Yeomanry and the Cumberland Artillery, we’d love to hear from you.
Contact Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life, Alma Block, The Castle, Carlisle Cumbria CA3 8UR tel. 01228 532774 email [email protected] , or visit the website at http://www.cumbriasmuseumofmilitarylife.org
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