Charlton Life Somme and Arras Battlefield Tour July 2019

22/11/2019  -  5.38

Joe Hayes

Before talking about seeing our former players in cemeteries and coming across a real First World War unexploded bullet laying on the ground, I’ll briefly explain what this trip was about and my connection to the trip. This before you can read all the interesting stuff!

Firstly, as a soon to be third year History student at the University of East Anglia, for one of my modules, I will be studying the First World War. Thus, it seemed appropriate, I went on this trip to improve my knowledge around the subject and understand the skills needed if I was to potentially have a career as a historian such as our guide Clive Harris - Director of Battle Honours Tour Limited, Member of Guild of Battlefield Tour Guides and Charlton Athletic Museum Trustee.

The Somme and Arras Battlefield Tour followed on from the Charlton Life (the largest and best online Charlton Athletic forum) trip organised two years ago to the Ypres Salient. As before, money raised was donated to the Charlton Upbeats Down Syndrome team and to the Charlton Athletic Museum.

The itinerary for this year’s tour was designed to visit key sites that were chosen to reflect the history of Charlton Athletic Football Club and its close involvement with the war. There were also great personal experiences and connections for some people on the trip, with many of their family members being listed at some of the sites we visited.

After arriving in France in the early morning of the 27^th, our first stop was Gommecourt. Personally, this type of cemetery, is one that I like visiting most. It’s smaller and is a lot less well visited then the huge sites such as the Thiepval Memorial. At Gommecourt, the 56^th London Division and the 46^th North Midland Division took part in an ill-fated diversionary attack to the North of the 4^th Army in 1916, alongside the main Somme offensive. I like visiting these types of cemeteries, as they are mostly made of just one or two regiments graves and from the same action.

Clive made a very important point during his talk at Gommecourt, that it was our choice as visitors to the sites, whether we had to listen to his talks or visit the cemeteries without background knowledge to the key battles that would have taken place. The point being that, people are allowed to visit and respect the sites in their own way.

Despite the heavy rain, that was present throughout the day, no one was put off, as we then stopped off at the Thiepval Memorial. Before this trip, Thiepval was one of two sites, that I had previously visited. It’s a superbly well-kept site, with an excellent visitor centre and highlights the way in which the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission value the actions of its soldiers on the Western Front during the First World War.

Clive Harris speaking to the group at Thiepval (Author’s own photograph)

The visit to Caterpillar Valley, was one that will potentially be most remembered by all on the trip. Caterpillar Valley is home to the memorial for fallen Charlton player Fred Chick. Born in April 1892, in St George’s Hannover Square, Chick spent much of his childhood in the Britten Street Old and New Workhouse, after being admitted at the age of six in November 1898. As was customary for most workhouse children, Chick was given training in a specific trade to gain vital skills to make a living as an adult. In 1911, Chick was a spectacle frame worker for an optical lens company in Camberwell, South London.

His move south of the River Thames, was followed by him joining Charlton Athletic. Despite the club having no official record of him playing, Chick does appear in a named 1913/14 team photograph dressed as a trainer. The link to him joining Charlton is officially unknown, but one of Charlton’s most famous players pre-World War One was Scotty Kingsley, who also worked in the optical lens business. Chick joining Charlton was coupled with great amateur success for the club, as it rose from the Lewisham, Woolwich and Southern Suburban Leagues to the London Premier Division.

Fifteen months after the outbreak of the First World War and soon after his marriage to Florence Gordair, Chick would enlist, joining the Queens Own Royal West Kent Hussars, Service number 2311. Chick’s unit didn’t serve in France, but as a result of growing casualties he was part of a draft to France in the summer of 1916.

On the 31^st August 1916, the casualties were drawn up for the month. The casualties for the battalion were 9 officers killed, 17 wounded, other ranks, 88 killed, 146 missing, 328 wounded. Fred Chick being among those who fell. Initially, Chick was posted as missing, but his body was then recovered along with a fellow comrade from the same unit at the end of the war. As explained, Chick’s body is now buried at Caterpillar Valley Cemetery, and is regularly visited.  It is important that as fans of Charlton Athletic, that we give special remembrance to our former players who served and fell during the First World War. This shows an example of the way in which Charlton as a community comes together to honour its war dead.

Clive Harris speaking over Fred Chick’s Grave (Author’s own photograph)

The evening was followed by the sampling of local beers in Arras bars and restaurants and discussion over the day’s events, which credit to the work of Clive and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission had left a feeling of emotion and huge interest from people on the trip. When on tours and visiting historical sites, you always look towards that feeling of engagement and lasting memories. The events of the whole weekend definitely gave us that.

The following day, we visited Cerisy to hear the story of Sandy Turnbull. Turnbull was an Inside Forward for both Manchester United and Manchester City, who notched up an impressive 143 goals in 330 appearances during his career. This was prior to him enlisting in the 23^rd Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment, followed by his transfer to the 8^th Battalion of the East Surrey Regiment. Turnbull was killed on the 3^rd May 1917, during the Battle of Arras. Turnbull, despite his life ban from Football in 1915 along with other players for match fixing, is a well-remembered and respected soldier who fought on the Western Front and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial. This part of the trip will also be well remembered for the finding of a real unexploded bullet from the First World War, laying on the ground in the dirt near to the memorial at Cerisy.

Discoveries like these are what make these trips special. It adds more to that factor of a long- lasting memory I have explained above.

 Unexploded bullet from the First World War (Author’s own photograph)

The last site to be visited on our Somme and Arras Battlefield Tour was the Vimy Ridge Memorial and trenches. Vimy highlights the tactical importance of the ground and the significant achievements of the Canadian Corps, assisted by the British on the flanks in April 1917. Similar to Thiepval, Vimy Ridge was one of the historical sites that I had visited prior to this trip. Both times I’ve visited, I have been amazed by the size of the craters from the Western Front created as a result of heavy shelling. The preservation of trenches is also very impressive and leading to the conclusion of this blog it shows how we as society value the First World War in terms of importance and allows for current and future generations to fully understand its significance in history.

In conclusion, Charlton Athletic as a fanbase should be very proud that we organise trips to the Western Front such as this one, through the medium of fans forum sites such as Charlton Life. As a club, we have always been at the forefront of the community and have received consistent praise for the work achieved through the Charlton Athletic Community Trust. We have a brilliant club museum, that is ran completely by supporters of the club acting as trustees, several of whom were present on this battlefield tour. The tour over the whole weekend, was a great reflection of how we as people remember and honour our war dead, hopefully we as Charlton Athletic fans can continue with activities such as these in the future.

References

Battle Honours

http://www.battle-honours.eu/guided-battlefield-walking-tours-with-quality-guides-ensuring-a-quality-experience

Southwark News

https://www.southwarknews.co.uk/history/fred-chick-walworth-workhouse-boy-grim-western-front/

Football and the First World War

https://www.footballandthefirstworldwar.org/sandy-turnbull-manchester-united/

Charlton Life

https://forum.charltonlife.com/

Biography

Joe is a passionate history student at the University of East Anglia and a fourth generation Charlton Athletic supporter. A great combination! His specialist areas of history are always changing and Joe feels it is always good to be interested in different topics.