Category: Community

Over the months since the centenary of the outbreak of the Great War, the Chronicle has been telling the stories of local men who served their country. Some came back to the villages and their lives here; others did not return. As the generations go by, the longing to find out what happened to family members and to pay respect to their memory does not diminish. In June, Glyn Hatfield wrote about Harry Holyoak, one of the very first volunteers from Kibworth, and the discovery of his headstone in France. This month, we include the account that Hayley Welby gave at the memorial service at Burton Overy Church of how she was inspired to research her own family’s experiences in the Great War and to find the final resting places of her great-grandfather and two of his brothers.

Joseph, sitting in the higher chair above, was born at Mowsley in 1884. At the age of 7 he was living at Desford along with many other family members. At the time of the 1911 census Joseph’s mother, Eliza, is recorded as having been born at Shearsby. Joseph was a carrier, his sister, Sarah, a dressmaker and his brother, Edwin, a cabinet maker. There were three other children who had left home. His brother, Alfred, owned a bakery behind the cottages between Beaker Close and the church in Smeeton Westerby. Joseph’s father, also named Joseph had passed away earlier. He was also a carrier to markets.

Since the centenary of the outbreak of the Great War, the Chronicle has recounted the experiences of local men who served their country. Some, like Maynard Ward and Len Capell, returned safely, though changed forever. Others, such as Harold Kirk and Tom Brutnell, did not return. Their families mourned them then and their loss is still felt today. Accounts of journeys to find out what grandfathers or great-uncles endured and where they are buried are often very poignant. As one writer says “The effects of war are like everlasting ripples in a pond. As the generations pass we will remember John and the sacrifice he made.”

Pictured above, The 'Royal Oak' at Smeeton Corner where Tom lived with his younger brother, Walter, and sisters, Ethel and Ida. The photo was taken by Alfonso Freeland, local chemist.

On 1 September 1914 Len enlisted, just after finishing his apprenticeship. He joined the Leicestershire Regiment and took part in the assault on the Hohenzollen Redoubt, a massive German earthwork, during the Battle of Loos in 1915. The area was covered with mines and slag heaps and accounts of the battle indicate that there was a shortage of shells. Smoke and chlorine gas were used to compensate but these had only a limited effect. In addition, reserves were held too far back to provide support for the soldiers. The local white chalk made the British trenches conspicuous to the enemy on higher ground and the Leicesters suffered many casualties, of whom almost half were killed or died of their wounds.

In response to the article in the December Chronicle about George Maynard Ward, Jill Holmes of Deeping St James writes that her grandfather George Simons was one the men he joined up with. George had his medical examination at Market Harborough in April 1917, ten days before his 18th birthday. He was in the Reserves until 16 May and next day enlisted in Leicester. Later the two men went their separate ways. Evidence from photographs suggests that George Simons did his training at Clipstone Camp near Mansfield in Nottingham. In 1918, after training, he was sent to Étaples in France and was posted to the 15/17th Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment. He later joined the 9th Battalion in the field. He came through the war unharmed and returned to England in February 1919 for demobilisation.

We know a lot about the men in our families who served their country and perhaps were wounded or lost their lives in the Great War. But what were the women doing during this time of great change? Did an adventurous grandmother or great aunt of yours volunteer her services, perhaps as a nurse, driver or administrator, or go out to work on a farm or in a factory to support the war effort? Do you know anything about Daphne Wolton or Agnes Watts from Kibworth? Please contact the Chronicle if you have a story to tell.

George Maynard Ward, known as Maynard, was an ordinary Kibworth lad, the eldest of five children. He went to the Church School in the village until he was 12 or 13 and then it was out to work. In April 1917, now aged 18, he was passed fit for general military service and on 17 May, in his words, he was “called to the colours”. He records that he returned from Wigston that night in ‘civvies’ but the next day he and his friends returned ‘in khaki’. Despite the accounts that he must have seen in the papers or heard from older local lads about the war, he sounds proud to be joining up.

The Kibworth Chronicle was pleased that along with other organisations in the village they were able to mark Armistice Day by laying a wreath at the memorial stone in St Wilfrid’s Church. The Kibworth Chronicle has laid a wreath for many years now because as a community newspaper we value and enjoy the wonderful, vibrant, free community that is all around us and it may not have been this good had it not been for those from this community and others who gave the ultimate sacrifice during the many conflicts over the last 100 years.

On Sunday 9 November, in Kibworth as in villages, towns and cities across the country, wreaths were laid at the war memorial in remembrance of those who died serving their country in the two world wars and later conflicts. At a service in St Wilfrid’s Church, the long list of names was read out, clearly and reverently, giving each name a quiet moment. Three members of the congregation spoke about the experiences of their own families – the pain of loss and the joy of meeting again. Joy Hill told the story of her Great Grandfather Harold Kirk. Her account is given below.