SKELTON - IN - CLEVELAND
IN HISTORY
1915

Skelton men of the 4th Yorks Regiment.
Probably at Annual Camp. Redcar, N Yorks. August 1913.
[Back row, far right, Fred Appleton. Middle row, far right, Charles Preston.
Middle row, second from right, Herbert Cook,
Killed near Albert, France 1917, winning the Military Medal.]
1915 - February. German attacks on Allied and neutral shipping attempts to starve Britain with submarine blockade.

11th Feb - Ypres.
Death of WILLIAM D WALLIS, 10th (Prince of Wales's Own Hussars),
of 41 Richard St, N Skelton.

1st March. - First passenger ship sinks - the Falaba.

13th March. - Local miner records that entertainments were still alive at Boosbeck Empire - " Wiseman, stage manager left Boosbeck."

1st April - Skelton Auxiliary Home Hospital was opened and received its first contingent of 15 soldiers.
12 of these had been wounded in action near Ypres.
"The Wharton Hall had been altered and made into a most comfortable hospital by Colonel and Mrs Wharton.
The people in the district have helped, in fitting out by lending beds, bed linen etc. Miss Private has been appointed by Colonel and Mrs Wharton, and Mrs Wharton has provided trained nurses for night duty. Saltburn nurses in the afternoon, visiting Saturdays and Wednesdays 2.00pm – 4.00pm."

17th April - The local 4th Bn Yorks Regt left Newcastle at 9.am and travelled by train to Folkestone.
By 2.am next morning, they had been ferried to Boulogne, France, and were encamped there on a "cold hill".
18th April - At 10.00.pm they were transported by French Railways to the area of the fighting around Ypres, arriving after a further 7 hour journey at Cassel, a small town to the west of Ypres.
From there they marched closer to the front, to a small village called Godwaersvelde and were billeted in local farms.

25th April to end of year. Gallipoli.
Frustrated by the siege position on the Western Front, persuaded by certain politicians and against the the judgment of many in the military, it was decided to attack from the rear.
British and French forces landed on the Gallipoli peninsular in Turkey.

Although a breakthrough was nearly achieved, 7 months later all the troops were evacuated with no strategic gain. Apart from weakening the position on the Western Front, around 265,000 allied men were lost.
Many died from the conditions - Flies and vermin in the summer heat caused epidemics, as it was difficult to bury the dead.
In winter, blizzards and flooding caused 15,000 casualties.

22nd April. The Second Battle of Ypres. The Germans were fighting the Russians and seemed to have a strategy of just holding their position on the Western Front and this was their only major offensive in 1915 against the Allies.
It was started by the first use of chemical weapons - chlorine gas.
The gas reached four miles of trench lines and affected some 10,000 troops, half of whom died within ten minutes of the gas reaching the front line.
Death was caused by asphyxiation.

Skelton Ironstone miner's wartime payslip.
Illustrating how they were paid by the tons of stone produced,
and had to pay for the blasting powder they used.
Note 7 pence paid to "War Fund" and contributions
to people worse off than themselves.
Those who lived were temporarily blinded and stumbled in confusion, coughing heavily.

2,000 of these troops were captured as prisoners of war.

Losses during the Second Battle of Ypres are estimated at 69,000 Allied troops (59,000 British, 10,000 French), against 35,000 German, the difference in numbers explained by the use of chlorine gas.
It was condemned as barbarous, but soon copied.

The Germans made a large advance, but as in all First World War engagements could not "breakthrough" and the battle continued on until the end of May.
After that the Germans relied on bombardment and turned the town of Ypres into rubble,

28th April.
North East Gazette. LOCAL TERRITORIALS WOUNDED.
"News has been received at Skelton that five members of the local detachment F Peggs, S Shaw, J Thornton, J Smith and J Holden have been wounded.
It is understood that some of them have already arrived in this country. All the men reside in Old Skelton with the exception of Holden, who lives at North Skelton. Thornton is particularly well known, as he is the drummer in the battalion band, and Peggs is a butcher employed by the Skelton Co-op Society. The others are miners. So far as is known their injuries are not very serious."

2nd May - Ypres.
Death of THOMAS W GILL, 4th Bn Yorkshire Regt,
of 10 Wharton St, N Skelton.

Death of ISAAC JACQUES, 4th Bn Yorkshire Regt,
of 37 Richard St, N Skelton.
Ruins of Ypres.
 3rd May - Ypres
Death of THOMAS WOOD, 4th Bn Yorkshire Regt,
of 137 High St, Skelton.

7th May. Germans sink British liner, Lusitania, causing 1,198 deaths including Americans. A key factor in US later joining the allies.

24th May - Ypres.
Death of THOMAS JOHNSON, 4th or 5th Bn Yorkshire Regt,
of 17 Milbank St, Skelton.

25th May - Ypres.
Death of ROBERT APPLETON, Army Cyclist Corps,
of 8 Manless Tce, Skelton Green.

18th June - Bailleul Casualty Station, near Ypres.
Death of ARTHUR H RISING, 4th Bn Yorkshire Regt,
of 14 Manless Tce, Skelton Green.

July - The local 1/4th Battalion were moved from the Ypres area to help defend the line a little farther South around Kemmel and then in August to Armentieres.
The Band of the 4th Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment.
Only member known is Fred Appleton. Second from right, bottom row.
Photograph kindly donated by his Grandson, Peter Appleton.
 7th August - Gallipoli, Turkey.
Death of EDWARD COVELL, 6th Bn Yorkshire Regiment,
of 19 Manless Tce, Skelton Green.

10th August - Galipoli, Turkey.
Death of WRIGHT FREEMAN 6th Bn Yorkshire Regiment,
of 33 Thomas St, New Skelton.

21st August - Gallipoli, Turkey.
Death of SIDNEY G CRAVEN, 6th Bn Yorkshire Regiment,
of 1 Carrick's Yard, High St, Skelton.

The Womens' Institute was started.

September - At a council meeting the Cleveland Miners Association decided to send a Christmas parcel to every man serving with the armed forces at the front:-
"not to exceed 8 shillings.
The workmen’s contribution to the war relief fund for October, November and December is to be devoted to this purpose."
80 parcels were sent off, each parcel containing:-
1 muffler, 1 pair socks, 1 pair of mittens, 1 towel, 2 handkerchiefs, 1 pair of laces, 1 card of buttons, 1 packet of notepaper, 1 packet of cocoa, , 3 tubes of pine Tablets, 4 packets of cigarettes or 1oz of Tobacco, 1 tin of vaseline and 1 calico bag.

23rd Nov - Boulogne Base Hospital.
Death of L/Cpl WILFRED A FORSTER, 14th Bn Durham Light Infantry,
of 49 Harker St, Skelton.

18th December - The local 1/4th Yorks Battalion were back at Ypres.

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