Friday 2nd July
David Douglas wrote to Arthur Bell from Hill 60, Ypres:
We have been up here now for about six weeks. […] It is one of the worst trenches in the firing line, just a big graveyard. This is where the French lost 500 men, and the smell is sickening. They call the place we are holding “Murder Hill”, and it is well named.
E&L, …
At a six-monthly meeting of the Langholm and District Savings Bank, it was reported that deposits have been increasing, despite current circumstances.
Ford Mill paid a war bonus to employees: £1 to men, 10 shillings to women and 5 shillings to girls.
Sunday 4th July
Private T G Elliot, 1st/5th KOSB, wrote to Richard Beattie, Henry Street, describing some of his Dardanelles experiences and the climate. ‘It is rather warm weather here’, he said, ‘and I only wish Pelosi was here about mid-day.’ (E&L, …) Luigi Pelosi has an ice-cream shop and a street vending cart in Langholm.
Wednesday 7th July
The KOSB is the only regiment allowed to have bayonets fixed and flags flying when marching through Edinburgh. The 15th Battalion Royal Scots has requested the same privilege, which is under consideration by the Lord Provost of Edinburgh.
A Scottish terrier has installed itself at the Red Cross Hospital and follows anyone in khaki around, but ignores civilians.
Friday 9th July
Eleanor Bell, wife of Major Edward Bell, committed suicide in their home Clinthead, aged 42. Her death certificate gives the cause of death as ‘Carbolic acid poisoning (suicidal) Shock’. Carbolic acid is a domestic disinfectant. The certifying medical attendant was Dr Alex Calwell, one of the town’s general practitioners, who has been staying in Clinthead since his arrival in Langholm last year.
It is not evident what triggered Eleanor’s action. She had possibly heard a rumour about her husband Edward’s death, although he has not even been injured*. She leaves two sons and two daughters, aged four to 15; another son died in infancy in 1902.
* However, see 12th July, three days away.
German South West Africa has surrendered after being defeated by a South African force led by Louis Botha and Jan Smuts.
Mrs Matilda Scott-Elliot, wife of East India merchant and theosophist William Scott-Elliot, had several thousand pounds worth of jewellery stolen from the guard’s van of the Edinburgh to Aberdeen train. The Scott-Elliots own Arkleton, a property five miles north of Langholm. Admiralty war regulations require passengers crossing the Forth Bridge to hand over belongings to railway officials until trains have crossed the bridge. The theft was discovered when belongings were being returned.
Saturday 10th July
James Guthrie died at the Chalmers Church manse after a short illness. He has been a guest there since April of last year, a former pupil and friend of Rev David Inglis, and has been collating information on local natural history. He was a son of Lord Charles Guthrie who is a senior Scottish judge and current president of the Boys’ Brigade. His grandfather was Rev Thomas Guthrie, a promoter of the ‘ragged schools‘ movement for free education of destitute children.
Sunday 11th July
At the close of the North UF Church service, Rev George Orr spoke about William Ramage’s death:
It melts the heart to picture these dear Langholm lads, and especially his brother John, standing sadly round the grave of the first to fall of the Langholm Territorials. […] The character of William Ramage is known to us all. As a congregation we saw every week, for years, his exceeding faithfulness and helpfulness in the church choir. All who had the slightest acquaintance with him knew him to be a most kindly, even-tempered, four-square, well-principled, sterling man.
E&L, …
Monday 12th July
John Warwick, a bugler with 1st/5th KOSB and the son of a weaver, was killed in action in the Battle of Achi Baba Nullah in Gallipoli, aged 19. He was a member of the Town Band and worked at the Buccleuch Estates plant nursery.
Also killed in the same battle was Charles Dunbar, aged 21. He was a chauffeur in Brampton, Cumbria, the only son of George, a ploughman, and Isabella, who live at Westwater farm near Langholm.
In addition, Major Bell was hit in the chest by shrapnel or a bullet, just missing his left lung. He lay in no-man’s land until he was carried back to British trenches and then taken to a dressing station by his batman William Murray, probably saving his life.
A public meeting was held about the Common Riding in response to the controversy generated by its cancellation. Provost Easton read out a request sent to him by 17 signatories for a meeting to rescind the cancellation and to propose: 1) to ride the marches as usual; 2) to hold the children’s procession; 3) to form a committee to make all necessary arrangements; and 4) to elect a cornet.
He declined to chair the meeting and Rev James Buchanan was elected as chairman, much to the reverend’s surprise. All four proposals were put to the meeting and were carried overwhelmingly. A committee and a cornet were elected, the cornet being John Wilson, baker, continuing the role from last year.
Tuesday 13th July
Rev James Buchanan sent a letter to the E&L incorporating the speech that he would have given if he had known he was going to be chairman, in support of holding the Common Riding in a reduced form.
Several Langholm 1st/5th KOSB soldiers have been wounded in the Battle of Achi Baba Nullah, including John Ramage, son of Robert and brother of William, and Thomas Turner, son of James Turner, shoemaker.
Three others in the 1st/5th KOSB are ill: Thomas Roddick, son of butcher George; Richard Beattie, son of labourer Alexander; and James Armstrong, son of woollen scourer Alexander.
Mrs Amelia Herries received a telegram saying that her son David is dangerously ill in Egypt. Her husband is William Herries, baker, who gave a talk about the YMCA last month.
There is an infestation of chub, a fish species, in the Esk and Liddle rivers. Water bailiffs have removed 542 of them in the last three days.
Wednesday 14th July
The E&L has heard that the 1st/5th KOSB was heavily engaged from 19th June, with considerable losses by at least one company. It continues: ‘Rumour has greatly exaggerated these, however, and a good deal of unnecessary anxiety has been caused to those who have relatives and friends serving with the battalion.’ (E&L, 14 Jul 1915) This is probably an indication of caution after the suicide of Major Edward Bell’s wife, Eleanor.
A poem by Christopher Grieve (later known as Hugh MacDiarmid) was published in the E&L today, in three parts: To My Soldier and Sailor School Mates; To Private John Roddick; To Private Fred Ross of the Gordons. John Roddick was Grieve’s classmate and the son of the Duke of Buccleuch’s clerk of works; he emigrated to Australia and was wounded in the Dardanelles when serving with the Australian Expeditionary Force. Fred Ross was also a classmate and had his arm amputated last month after an explosion in the Dardanelles.
From Lawson Cairns’s diary: ‘Rcd papers from William, box of scones from Lizzie Rae & invitation from Ella.’ Lawson’s younger sister Ella is getting married to William Clayton from Huddersfield on 5th August. The Cairns family spent a few years in Huddersfield when Lawson’s father James was a manager in a woollen mill, and both Lawson and Ella were born there. William Clayton is a dyestuff manufacturer.
Sunday 18th July
Thomas McVittie, son of William, a weaver, died of wounds on hospital ship HMHS Grantully Castle, aged 21, and was buried at sea. His spine was fractured by a bullet four days ago in the Battle of Achi Baba Nullah. He worked in a Buccleuch mill warehouse and is one of 21 people in the mill’s roll of honour.
The poet Rupert Brooke was on HMHS Grantully Castle three months ago on his way to fight in the Dardanelles. He developed gastroenteritis and septicaemia and was transferred to French hospital ship Duguay-Trouin shortly before his death in Greece on 23rd April 1915, aged 27.
The Red Cross Hospital in Langholm was inspected by Surgeon-General George Bourke, Major Wilson RAMC, General Sir Geoffrey Barton KCB and Dr Maxwell Ross. All gave their full approval of the hospital’s arrangements.
Monday 19th July
William Grant, a linguist from Aberdeen and convenor of the Scottish Dialects Committee, visited Langholm last week in search of gramophone records with recordings of vanishing Scottish language. He was given some good examples and Rev George Orr is now appealing for people to notify Miss Fraser at Langholm Academy of any local words that are falling into disuse.
Christopher Grieve attended his younger brother Andrew’s marriage to Cecilia Rhodes in Dumfermline. Andrew is senior clerk to the surveyor of taxes in Cupar, Fife.
Thursday 22nd July
The town council approved the handing over of the town standard for the Common Riding, against the votes of Thomas Easton and James Harkness. Provost Easton declined a request to present the standard and the celebration was approved to be under the patronage of the ‘town council’ rather than the usual ‘provost, magistrates and councillors of the burgh’.
Friday 23rd July
Saddler Robert McCleary died in Le Havre hospital, the day after arriving in France. His family used to live in Clinthead house, High Street, Langholm, where Major Bell now lives.
A telegram was received from Major Bell from Gibraltar saying that he was on his way home, expecting to arrive at Southampton on Tuesday.
The Comforts Committee met in the Town Hall, chaired by Miss Smith, Terrona, J J Paterson‘s aunt. She explained that ‘comforts’ meant items not provided by the government, sent in parcels that would cheer the recipients by reminding them that people at home were thinking of them. Cash donations from the town’s residents are being collected monthly. A list of donors is published monthly but the amounts will no longer be specified, after some objections.
Monday 26th July
The Parish Council held its annual meeting, with Charles Paisley, tanner, presiding, and approved the expenses for the current financial year.
To meet these expenses, it set rates as follows, the same level as last year, which are multiplied by a property’s value to calculate the amounts owed. They indicate the categories used to calculate the total assessment.
Tuesday 27 July
Major Bell is now in a convalescent home for officers in London. Thomas Roddick is being treated in Devonport for deafness. Richard Beattie is in Malta with stomach problems and James Armstrong is also in Malta, with dysentery.
There was a good attendance of wool buyers at the summer fair. Cheviot wool sold for around 40 shillings per stone of 24 pounds* compared to around 24 shillings last year.
* Although partially standardised, a ‘stone‘ is a weight which can vary by area and commodity, with wool being measured in stones of 14, 15 and 24 pounds.
The Common Riding will take place tomorrow on the basis of the following programme:
Souvenir flags will be sold throughout the day tomorrow, with funds to be used for gifts for local soldiers on active service.
The Town Band gave a performance in the High Street, after which a modest crowd proceeded to Station Gate to welcome returning natives on the last train. The flute band, consisting only of drums, a triangle and two flutes, decided that their presence was insufficient to play.
Wednesday 28th July
The Common Riding took place in generally fair weather. The flute band started the day at 5.30 am with only one more member than last night, followed by an unofficial hound trail with four dogs.
A silver-topped stick was presented by Bailie Cairns to Andrew Johnstone, cornet fifty years ago when he was a spinner. Andrew was also fair crier from 1884 to 1898.
Bailie Cairns handed the town standard to Cornet Wilson, after which the Town Band and the cornet led a procession through the town, with only 21 horsemen compared to well over 100 last year.
Christopher ‘Kirst’ Elliot stood on a horse’s back for the first part of the ‘crying of the fair’.
The horsemen ascended the steep incline from Market Place without the usual gallop. At Castle Craigs, Private Gavin Irving, Canadian Highlanders, performed the second part of the crying of the fair, dressed in military uniform. On returning to the town, the group was joined by 470 children and proceeded round the town with four emblems: a heather-decked spade, a barley bannock (bread) with a salted herring, a large thistle and a decorative crown.
Kit Elliot stood on horseback again for the next part of the proclamation, after which the horsemen crossed the Ewes Water and sods of earth were cut in traditional places.
The flag was returned to Bailie Cairns on the steps of the Town Hall, unusually at mid-day instead of at the end of the evening, and Rev Buchanan said a few words including a message to the troops.
Thursday 29th July
The Duke of Buccleuch wrote somewhat cryptically to Arthur Bell from Montagu House, London, after Eleanor Bell’s suicide and Major Bell’s wounding in the Dardanelles:
Dear Mr Bell
I am exceedingly sorry that I inflicted my letter upon you and hope it did not add to your anxieties; it is really monstrous that people should spread false rumours.
I hope you will find your son fairly well and that his wounds are not very serious but I fear the shock of hearing of his loss will come very heavy on him but seeing you will be a great comfort to him. I feel very much for him in his sad homecoming.
[Yours?] [illegible]
Buccleuch
The letter arrived in an envelope with black edges, a form of ‘mourning stationery’, addressed in the Duke’s handwriting to ‘Arthur Bell Esq / Hillside / Langholm’.