On Saturday, 31st October 2009, the rededication of the Yorkshire County War Memorial for the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899 -1902), took place at the Garden of Remembrance near York Minster.  More than a century had passed since its unveiling by Field Marshal Lord Roberts who had led the the British Imperial forces in South Africa.  Unlike the day of the unveiling ceremony itself, in the summer of 1905, the weather for the rededication was gloriously sunny as clergy and civic dignitaries gathered in Duncombe Place.

This act of rededication  and remembrance reminded me of a telling paragraph written by Rev. John Keble in an edition of the Bishopthorpe Parish Magazine.  The publication date was October 1900; the South African War had started the year previously and was to last until 1902. 

Of the Bishopthorpe men who followed the colours, Rev. Keble wrote:

We have received several letters from Privates G. Homer and A. Pickwell, giving most interesting accounts of their experiences in the war, and are very glad to hear that they have been preserved both from wounds and sickness.  We hope that before long we shall hear of their safe return.  Private H. Buckle was severely wounded and has returned home; we are pleased to hear that he is much better.

Apart from this intriguing piece, the few surviving parish magazines of the period contain nothing else concerning the men's plight.  It is also frustrating that Rev. Keble did not give the names in full. 

Who were these men and what became of their letters?  Did the men survive; did Private Buckle return to South Africa? Research is presently being carried out to try and discover further details but, in the meantime, if you have any information that could help, please leave a comment or email the Bishopthorpe Local History Group at: historygroup@bishopthorpe.net

Further information about the War Memorial can be found in:
Meurig G. M. Jones, 'The Yorkshire County Memorial: A history of the Yorkshire County Memorial, York, for the Second Anglo - Boer War, 1899 - 1902', in: York Historian, 12: 1995, pp 62 - 81.

When war was declared in September 1939, Dr. William Temple was Archbishop of York.  He and his wife threw themselves into the war effort taking in evacuees and making the Palace and its grounds available to local organisations.  Three years later, in 1942, he was translated to Canterbury. 

The following extract is taken from the Archbishop's biography, William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury: His Life and Letters, by F. A. Iremonger.

On Sunday, 3 September [1939], the Archbishop Temple announced from his throne in the Minster that the country was at war, and that night the first sirens wailed over the city of York.

Changes were inevitable at Bishopthorpe, and were smoothly made.  Towards the end of their time the Archbishop and his wife took to living almost entirely in the north wing of the palace; a pleasant bedroom facing south and west did duty for Temple's study, and a small room near the kitchen, looking out on the garden, for their dining-room.  Mrs. Temple and her invaluable secretary, Miss Sinker, became adept at improvising floor (and bed) space at the shortest notice; a dozen evacuees, including some children, occupied rooms at the end of the north wing and a flat over the garage; members of the Women's Institute made jam in the old kitchen; for a few months the drawing-room was used for A. R. P. lectures, whist-drives, and dances; the Home Guard had a rifle-range for practice in the walled garden; and the local N. F. S. did not disguise their amusement when Temple took part in a rehearsal and lay flat on his front directing the nozzle of a stirrup-pump at an imaginary incendiary bomb. 

An important local achievement was the institution of the York Council for War-time Service, which co-ordinated the work of all the canteens and clubs for the troops organized by many agencies; the voluntary helpers at one of the largest of these centres were organized by Mrs. Temple and Miss Sinker who, on several nights in the week, drove nine miles to the I.T.C. at Strensall; sometimes the Archbishop, who was Chairman of the Council,  came out to the canteen to talk with the men or to hold an occasional service for them in the canteen.

Yorkshire had its full share of attacks from the air; there were two devastating raids on Hull, and one on the city of York; but it was not until they reached Canterbury that the Archbishop and his wife were to know the horrors of an air-raid at first hand.

F. A. Iremonger, William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury: His Life and Letters, (OUP, 1948) pp385-6

Seventy years ago, on 3rd September 1939, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain broadcast to the nation.  It was a momentous yet typically downbeat statement that, apparently, most of the British nation listened to, having been alerted that it would contain the news that it did. 

Mr. Chamberlain revealed that he had not received a response to his demand that the German Government should withdraw their troops from Poland, by the deadline of eleven o' clock a.m. "I have to tell you", he continued, "that no such undertaking has been received, and that consequently this country is at war with Germany."

To commemorate this historic anniversary, villagers' reminiscences and photographs showing how they buckled down to life on the Home Front, can be seen in Bishopthorpe Library. 

The Local History Group delved into the Bishopthorpe Community Archive for photographs and memories from recorded interviews.  Many of them reveal the indefatigable spirit and sense of humour which carried the villagers through six years of war.

Take, for example, Miss Carol Woollcombe's recollection of listening to Neville Chamberlain's announcement:

"We were listening to the radio in the study.  My sisters had been to Westmorland, where my aunts and my grandmother lived and they'd met my eldest uncle. And he was one of those chaps who was either up in the attacks or down in the dumps, you know. He was very mercurial. And he got very depressed over this news and my sisters came back and they said, 'Uncle Cecil says we must sue to Hitler for the best terms we can get.' And my mother said, 'What on earth is Cecil thinking of? We shall fight to the death.'

I always remember her saying that. She was going to hit him with a hockey stick, I think."

In Bishopthorpe, like everywhere else, men, women and children on the Home Front adapted to a different way of life; they put up with shortages; saved for the war effort; "dug for victory"; "got on with everything" and "did their bit".  They joined organisations such as the Home Guard, the Civil Defence and the National Fire Service; they raised money for Spitfires and Hurricanes; they knitted much-needed socks for seamen.


If you would like to see more, then visit Bishopthorpe Library where our display will be on show until 4 September. 

Library opening hours:
Monday: 2 - 5 pm
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 2 - 7.30 pm
Thursday: 10 am - 12 noon and 2 - 5 pm
Friday: 2 - 7.30 pm
Saturday: 10 am - 12.30pm

It's Gala time at the Palace again and, fortunately, the weather forecast is looking fair.  The members of Bishopthorpe Local History Group will be at their stand where you will be able to see many photographs of village life taken throughout the 20th century.  Come along and delve into the digital Community Archive which currently holds over 1200 photographs of Bishopthorpe people, buildings, views and events.  

Some of the photographs were taken during the war years.  Seventy years ago on 3rd September 1939, Britain declared war on Germany.  To commemorate this event, we are displaying photographs of the villagers who 'did their bit' on the Home Front in WW2. 

On our stand, there will also be a selection of cards and prints of old Bishopthorpe for sale, as well as books on the history of this area.  

And don't forget to pick up your free copy of the popular Bishopthorpe History Trail.  

We look forward to meeting you in the Palace grounds on Saturday, 20th June between 12 noon and 4.00 p.m.