Forgotten heroes honoured thanks to research by Hampshire schoolchildren

Victims of one of the most notorious battles in history - their stories had never been told.

Now following research by a group of Hampshire school pupils their bravery can finally been honoured.

Until recently only one soldier buried at the Netley Military Cemetery in Royal Victoria Country Park, was known to have fought at the Battle of the Somme in 1916.

A century later, Year 11 History GCSE pupils from Wildern School, Hedge End, have now discovered five more soldiers buried at the cemetery were wounded at the Battle of the Somme.

The teenagers’ studies were carried out as part of a Living Memory project with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

The forgotten soldiers will now be commemorated on the centenary of The Battle of the Somme at Netley Military Cemetery on November 18 from 1.30pm.

They had been hurt during the five month conflict in 1916 and brought back to the military at Netley to recover but subsequently succumbed to their injuries and dies.

The soldiers will be remembered at a commemoration event at the cemetery next week, organised by Hampshire County Council.

Cllr Andrew Gibson, the authority’s executive member for culture, recreation and countryside said: “Over a million soldiers both Germans and British, including our allies, became casualties in the long and bitter struggle on the Somme in 1916.

“Whilst the battle is remembered a century later, the lives of the brave soldiers have been forgotten including some of those buried at Netley Military Cemetery.

“Re-discovering their individual stories has been a humbling yet rewarding experience for students at Wildern School, who were born more than 80 years after the Battle of the Somme.

“The commemoration marking 100 years to the last day of the battle will be a fitting tribute to these men, and a reminder to us all what they did for our country.”

The pupils researched archives and documents from across the world to piece together the previously forgotten stories behind those buried at the cemetery.

The forgotten soldiers from the Battle of the Somme discovered are Private John Fiddler, Private John Frater Christmas, Private Norman Elmo Anstis, Second-Lieutenant James Thursby Roberts and Sergeant Henry George Young.

Thanks to the student’s work, these five soldiers can now be added to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s official list of UK Somme casualties.

Their research will be on display at the commemoration, as well as an exhibition detailing the history of the Royal Victoria Military Hospital.

Head of Humanities at Wildern School Amanda Warner said: “They have been really passionate about the project.

“A lot of the research they did was completely off their own backs. They are all really looking forward to the commemoration service next week because it means something to them now.

“It’s because it’s local history in their own community, it means more to them. They have really engaged with the process.”

PICTURED: Orderlies from Number 4 barracks

The former hospital at Royal Victoria Country Park was the British Army’s first purpose-built hospital, and was used throughout the duration of the battle to treat casualties from the front line who were sent from France.

At Netley there are more than 150 graves of men who lost their lives who have never been officially recognised as casualties of the Battle of The Somme.

Researching army records along with local historians, students learnt about the backgrounds of the soldiers buried in Netley Military Cemetery to prove they were injured in The Battle of the Somme.

The soldiers will be commemorated at an event in the Empire Rooms and Netley Military Cemetery at Royal Victoria Country Park, next Friday.

Then, there will be poetry recitals by Hamble School pupils inspired by the soldiers’ buried at Netley Military Cemetery, as well as a display of the research into the forgotten soldiers by Wildern School pupils.

There will be an exhibition detailing the history of the Royal Victoria Military Hospital.

That will be followed by readings of World War I poetry and extracts from Regiment War Diaries.

There will also be a two minute silence and a bugler will play the Last Post and Reveille.

WHO WERE THE FIVE UNSUNG HEROES OF THE SOMME

• Private John Fiddler He was from Manchester and worked as a carter on the railways before volunteering to enlist in August 1914. He was amongst the thousands of British troops who went ‘over the top’ on the first day of the Battle of the Somme on 1 July, 1916.

He received a gun shot wound and was evacuated to the Royal Victoria Military Hospital at Netley, where he died on 11 July.

• Private John Christmas was from Australia and enlisted in 1915, but suffered a gunshot wound to the head during a heavy German bombardment on August 5 1916, during the Battle of the Somme.

He was transferred to the Royal Victoria Military Hospital at Netley and died on 30 August 1916, aged 26.

• Private Norman Elmo Anstis Private Anstis was a farmer from New Zealand before he enlisted.

Students used records held by the Auckland Museum in New Zealand to discover that he embarked on 8 January, 1916 to Suez and then to France in April 1916.

Students believe that he was wounded while the New Zealand Division were carrying out trench raids. He died at the Royal Victoria Military Hospital at Netley on August 5, 1916.

• Second-Lieutenant James Thursby Roberts He was born in Kent before his family settled in North Yorkshire. On July 1, 1916, he went ‘over the top’ to capture German front and support trenches.

Students discovered he was named in the Regiment War Diary as performing “specially good work.”

Just two weeks later, Second-Lieutenant Roberts was shot in the neck, paralysing him. He was taken to the Royal Victoria Military Hospital at Netley for treatment, but died on July 20, 1916.

• Sergeant Henry George Young Sergeant Young was 22 years old and was a gardener living in London when he enlisted in 1915.

Students found out that with the 29th Division, Sergeant Young was stationed near the village of Beaumont-Hamel and was in the heart of the action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

Army records show that he was wounded in action on July 1.

On July 8, Henry George Young died in transit to the Royal Victoria Military Hospital at Netley from gangrene and the gunshot wound to his thigh.