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Archduke Franz Ferdinand (centre in plumed hat), the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, descends the steps of the town hall in Sarajevo with his wife Sophie on 28 June 1914. Minutes later, both were shot dead by Gavrilo Princip. Their assassination set in train the sequence of events that began the First World War.
These British reservists of the Grenadier Guards are reporting for duty the day after Britain declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914. Around half of the men who crossed to France with the British Expeditionary Force a week later were retired full-time soldiers who had been called back to serve in the army after the outbreak of war.
In 1898 Germany started a long term programme to expand its fleet of warships. In Britain this was seen as a direct challenge to the Royal Navy's long held control of the seas. The resulting naval arms race was intensified in 1906 when Britain launched a revolutionary fast but heavily armoured battleship, HMS Dreadnought (seen here). This rivalry was a key cause of war in 1914.
HMS Marlborough was launched on 24th October 1912 and was an Iron Duke-class battleship named in honour of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. She served as part of the 1st Battle Squadron during the Great War and was based at Scapa Flow. On 31st May 1916 she fought at the Battle of Jutland and was hit by a torpedo, which killed two of her crew.
The British Expeditionary Force was concentrated in France by mid-August 1914. As agreed before the war, it moved forward into Belgium on the left of the French Army. Here, men of the 4th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers rest in the Grand Place in Mons on 22 August. The following day the Germans attacked at Mons. Fierce fighting began, and the British started to retreat alongside their French allies.
The Wiltshire Regiment was an infantry unit formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 62nd and 99th Regiments of Foot, with regimental headquarters at Le Marchant Barracks, Devizes. At the start of the War, in common with all regiments of the British Army, it consisted of two regular battalions (1st and 2nd), a reserve battalion (3rd), and a Territorial Force battalion. However, with the rapid wartime expansion of the British Army six new battalions were soon added to its strength. One of these was the 7th, which was formed at Devizes in September 1914 and was part of Kitchener's Third New Army (K3). On the morning of Sunday 15th November the 7th Battalion arrived in Marlborough by train and was quickly found billets in empty shops, houses, public buildings (such as the Town Hall and Workhouse) and the College Cricket Pavilion - officers were quartered in the Ailesbury Arms Hotel.
The 7th Battalion was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Walter Leslie Rocke, who had retired from the Wiltshire Regiment in 1904 after 22 years-service - many of the officers recruited into Kitchener's new battalions had similar backgrounds. Lieutenant Christopher Hughes wrote of the Colonel, “He's a most alarming man and it would be true to say we were all terrified of him”.
Men of the 7th Battalion in an early style of trench system on Rockley Down. Trench design evolved rapidly as the war progressed.
Men from the 7th Battalion pictured at the College cricket pavilion.
Personnel from the 7th Battalion on parade in the High Street.
A party of men from the 7th Battalion pictured at Corston during February 1915 whilst on a recruiting drive in north Wiltshire.
Men from the Battalion who were unable to get home for Christmas were all given a festive meal in the Town Hall (where this picture was taken) or the College dining hall. A fund was set up by the Mayor to provide extras such as desserts and cigarettes and local people made traditional Christmas puddings. Entertainment may also have been on the agenda, as the men appear to be concentrating on an event taking place to the right of the photographer.
On Friday 9th April 1915 the streets of Marlborough were decorated with flags and bunting and many of its inhabitants were out in force to witness the departure of the Battalion for new billets in Devizes. The Battalion spent just two weeks in Devizes before moving to a hutted camp at Sutton Veny in the Wylye valley, two miles from Warminster. In September 1915, as part of the 26th Division, the Battalion was transferred to France before being reassigned to the Mediterranean as part of the British forces fighting in Salonika.
Military ambulances parked in Marlborough High Street on a cold February day in 1915. Those with white upper bodies were designed by Sunbeam from Wolverhampton, but because the Company was fully occupied manufacturing aero engines all the vehicles were built by Rover in Coventry. They were known as Rover-Sunbeams and came off the production line wearing Sunbeam badges, much to Rover's annoyance!
The two staff cars in the foreground are Rover-Sunbeams and the ambulance third from the left with the raised centre to its roof is an Austin - there appear be more Austin ambulances parked further down the line.
British and French troops landed at the Greek port of Salonika in October 1915 in the hope of helping Serbia resist an overwhelming assault by Austrian, German and Bulgarian forces. Fighting on several fronts, including Doiran and the Struma Valley (shown here in 1917 as a British patrol advances into a village), the protracted Salonika campaign continued until October 1918.
The First World War was the first conflict in which civilians were attacked from the air. A concerted campaign was undertaken by the Germans against British cities, using airships from January 1915 and heavy Gotha bomber from May 1917. In over 100 raids, more than 1,400 people were killed and widespread damage caused, like this in south London in September 1915.
As the threat of German bombing of increased it became necessary to tell the people of Marlborough what they should do in the event of an air raid.
Although the core work of aircraft on both sides remained reconnaissance and aerial photography, it was the more glamorous work of the scout or fighter pilots that caught the public imagination. Individual air 'aces' and their squadrons became famous, like the men of the British 85 Squadron standing here in front of their SE5a machines at St Omer in June 1918.
Within the crucible of war, aircraft developed quickly. The slow machines of 1914, intended for reconnaissance, were soon overtaken by more powerful aeroplanes fitted with guns. As each side tried to prevent the other from operating their 'eyes in the skies', combat became widespread. Fighters, like the German machines seen here, came to dominate the air war.
Two very young 'recruits' on parade in Marlborough High Street. The boy on the left is Eric Free whose father, Thomas, ran a house-furnishing business from 106 and 107 High Street. The picture was taken by Joseph Hunt whose car is believed to be in the background.
Eric Free in June 1916 wearing his own privately made ASC uniform.
An image from the studio of Joseph Hunt whose premises are on the right of the picture below the sign. The lorries probably belong to 302 Company (MT) ASC.
Peerless lorries from 302 Company in Marlborough High Street during the 1915-1916 Winter. The clover leaf device on the canvas tilt indicates they are part of a supply column carrying perishable products such as food or fodder. Vehicles forming part of an ammunition column would usually have the outline of a shell painted on the tilt or bodywork.
Peerless lorries from 302 Company in a snow-covered High Street.
Further 302 Company lorries parked in Marlborough. The road surface appears to be in a dreadful state.
No 3 Section, 302 Company, on the march.
The 302 Company Bugle Band marching past the College accompanied by a group of inquisitive local children and watched by two road men.
Private Francis Luther Bennett pictured in Marlborough beside a Maudsley subsidy lorry.Private Francis Luther Bennett
Private Bennett enlisted in the army in June 1915 and came from Brosely, Shropshire. He was a member of 302 Company and as part of the 61st Division left Marlborough for the Western Front in May 1916. He fractured his right arm and ankle the following November and was evacuated to a hospital in England. By April 1917 he had made a full recovery and was posted to 905 MT Company ASC, which was heading for Egypt. He left Southampton aboard HT Princess Clementine for Le Havre where he arrived on 19th April. His journey then took him overland to the French Mediterranean port of Marseilles and on 3rd May he set sail for Alexandria via Salonika aboard HT Transylvania. The Transylvania was an ocean liner completed in 1914, but immediately taken over by the Admiralty and converted into a troopship. She was escorted on her voyage by the Japanese destroyers Matsu and Sakaki and on 4th May was in the Gulf of Genoa. At 10 o’clock that morning she was struck in the port engine room by a torpedo fired from the German submarine U63 and immediately headed for land. The Matsu then came alongside and took off the majority of the 4,000 soldiers and nurses on board. Twenty minutes later another torpedo struck the Transylvania and she rapidly sank below the waves. Sadly 412 men lost their lives – including 33 from the ASC – but fortunately Francis Bennett was rescued by one of the Japanese destroyers and taken to Savona, Italy. From there he was sent back to Marseilles and on 23rd May again sailed for Alexandria, this time aboard HT Menominee, eventually arriving in Egypt on 4th June.
The Japanese destroyer that rescued Francis Bennett.Miss Beatrice Bull
Miss Beatrice Bull was employed as a nanny by the Frees whose family home was on the north side of Marlborough High Street. She got to know a lot of the soldiers stationed in the town, which may explain why this image shows her wearing an ASC overcoat, gauntlets, goggles and hat.
348 (MT) Company ASC was formed at Wilton near Salisbury on 29th March 1915 with a starting complement of just 2 officers and 47 other ranks. However, by the spring of 1916 its strength had increased considerably as more detachments (including the unit pictured) joined the Company. The vehicles are parked in The Parade, Marlborough, in front of James Morrison's rope, twine, sacking and tarpaulin factory. The detachment was mainly equipped with steam vehicles and officially became a part of 348 Company on Christmas Day 1915. By the following Christmas some of the soldiers pictured had been replaced by men of a lower medical grade whilst others had been transferred to forage companies.
This picture is thought to have been taken on Marlborough Common during the summer of 1917 and shows men from Marlborough's Volunteer Training Corps (The Home Guard of WW1). The officer sitting fourth from left is believed to be the unit's Commanding Officer, 2nd Lt. William Stephen Butler from West Kennett. Standing in the back row, on the extreme right, is Joseph James Hunt, a well-known Marlborough photographer.
Joseph James Hunt, a well-known Marlborough photographer.
This picture of Joseph Hunt was taken on 11th August 1918 while he was attending the volunteer camp at Roundway Park, Devizes. He is wearing a 1914-pattern leather belt and pouches and is holding a P14 pattern Enfield rifle. Also of interest is the 1907-pattern bayonet hanging from his belt, his Wiltshire Regiment cap badge and lastly, resting on a neat pile of blankets on the ground, his steel helmet.
Starting in 1915 and continuing each summer throughout the war the combined Secondary Schools Cadet Corps was invited by Marlborough Town Council to hold their annual camp in the area. In August 1918, 1,600 cadets from 55 Public Schools in England attended the two week camp, which was held on the Common. The cadets were kept busy with military training during the day and rehearsing for the camp concert in the evenings. This picture shows a DH6 training aircraft on the Common surrounded by cadets - clearly there were no health and safety concerns to worry the authorities in 1918!
The four boys shouldering weapons are probably local lads playing soldiers. Three of the rifles are ancient Martini-Henry Mk IIIs.
2nd Lieutenant Sidney Clayton Woodroffe VC
It is a sobering fact that out of the 3,000 or so old boys of Marlborough College who served in the First World War 737 (plus 6 teachers) were killed. In 1914 the College had a total of about 700 boys and thus lost more than a school`s worth during the conflict. In commemorating its involvement in the war there can be no finer family to remember than the Woodroffes. Prior to the First World War, the family’s four boys, Hugh, Leslie, Kenneth and Sidney were all students at Marlborough College. Of the four brothers, three were killed in action and only Hugh survived because he was too old to serve.
The three who died were:- Leslie Woodroffe: Born 17 October 1885 and attended Marlborough College from Sept 1898 until July 1904. He was a Captain in the Rifle Brigade and died from his wounds at Ypres on 4th June 1916. Kenneth Woodroffe: Born 9th December 1892 and attended Marlborough College between May 1906 and July 1912. He was a Lieutenant in the Rifle Brigade and was killed in Action at Neuve Chapelle on 9th May 1915. Sidney Woodroffe: Born 17th December 1895 and attended Marlborough College from May 1908 until December 1914. He was a 2nd Lieutenant in the Rifle Brigade and was killed In Action at Hooge on 30th July 1915. All of the above gained military honours and Sidney has the distinction of being the first member of Kitchener’s New Army to win a Victoria Cross, Britain’s highest and most prestigious decoration for gallantry. He was 19 years old when the action that resulted in his award took place and the medal’s citation reads: “On 30 July 1915 at Hooge, Belgium, when the enemy had broken through the centre of our front trenches, Second Lieutenant Woodroffe’s position was heavily attacked with bombs from the flank and subsequently from the rear, but he managed to defend his post until all his bombs were exhausted. He then skillfully withdrew his remaining men and immediately led them forward in a counter-attack under intense rifle and machine-gun fire, and was killed whilst in the act of cutting the wire obstacles in the open”. The two photographs show Sidney Woodroffe at Marlborough College in 1909 playing for the A House Football XX (second right, third row back) and in the trenches six years later (believed to be second left).
