Newspaper Reports
WW1 BURIAL FOR SOLDIER (2004)
A soldier has been buried 90 years after he was killed in Flanders in
the First World War.
Private John Robertson Thomas, 26, was identified in August; six
years after his remains were dug up in a garden near Ypres in Belgium.
The Gordon Highlander was killed on October 4, 1917 at
Passchendaele.
The British Army buried him in Flanders on Thursday.
Great-niece Grace Drysdale said; “ It was very emotional.”
(Some 20 remains are found every year and given full military
funerals. Sadly the majority remains unknown)
Brave Belper soldier killed
Corporal
Stephen Annable
As
fine a specimen of the true British soldier as one could wish to meet died
of wounds received in action in the western campaign in the person of
Corpl. Stephen Annable,5th Batt. Sherwood Foresters and of Field Head
Terrace, Belper
Deceased had been in the territorials about Eight years, and was mobilized
with the Belper company at the beginning of the war. After a period of
training in England he crossed the channel with the troops of the North
midland division and at the time he was wounded he was superintending
trench construction work in which he is said to have excelled, Corpl
Annable who was 27 years of age leaves a wife and three little children. Before
the war he was employed at the Hartshay Colliery.
The heroic fight which Corpl Annable made against a insidious
bullet wound is set out in letters from Lieut G.T.Aldous, the officer
commanding his company and the Wesleyan Chaplin the Rev.E.Stanley Bishop. On
June 4th the former wrote to Mrs Annable:-
"I am extremely sorry to tell you that your husband was
wounded in the trenches yesterday rather seriously,but at present we have
every reason to hope he will get over it allright.He was hit at dawn just
has he had come of a piece of trench work he was superintending, work at
which he is particularly clever. Unfortunately he could not be moved out
of the trench until night, but everything possible was done to make him comfortable, he
was very quite and patient. I told him I would write and tell you ,as he
will not be able to write for a time but as I said we have every reason to
hope that he will recover, though it is a serious wound, I will write
again when I hear our he is getting on, but of course, they move the
wounded right back from the firing line and I dare say he will be taken to
England. I hope he will soon come back to us as I shall miss him very much
from my platoon. He is one of my best men."
On June 8th Lieu Aldous penned the following lines to Mrs Annable:-
"You will have heard by this time that your husband died this
morning. Mr Bishop the Chaplin will have written to you about it better
than I can, but I would just like to write you a line to say how much we
of his company feel his loss. I quite hoped when I wrote to you before
that he would get over it .He made a splendid fight for it, but the wound
was to serious. I went to see him in hospital twice, he was brave and
patient all though, I know you will be feeling just now as if nothing
could make up for this terrible loss, but it will console you some day
knowing he lost his life fighting for his country and that he did his duty
so bravely. He was buried this afternoon in a little country church yard. The
captain, myself, and many of his comrades following him to his
grave."
Two letters were also received from the Rev.E.Stanley Bishop
Wesleyan Chaplin. The first stated that Corpl Annable bore his wound like
a "brave and true soldier" and we give the following extracts
from the second, written after his death.
"Stephen died at one o'clock this morning (8th inst) he sank
rapidly last night and we could see that the end was not far off. We gave
him a soldiers funeral with all the honours we could pay to a brave comrade. We
send our deepest sympathy in losing this man of whom we were so proud, and
who was such an example in his patient suffering."
Lieut Hunter in whose company, Corpl Annable served before being
transferred to that of Lieut Albous wrote to the deceased's mother, on
June 8th as follows;-
"I am writing to tell you how sorry I am to hear that your son
died in hospital yesterday from a wound he received a few days back, when
in the trenches. As you probably know he was moved from the Belper company
some time ago. So I only heard of his wound this morning. We all offices
and his men of his old company, feel his loss very much indeed and wish to
covey to you our most sincere sympathy, Capt Naylor attended his funeral
this afternoon. He was buried in the battalion cemetery and his grave will
be marked with a cross on which will be printed his name, regiment, and
date with the words "DIED OF WOUNDS"