For those following the touching story of Arthur Burton, thanks to David Evans and Desmond Burton, I can now wrap up the final instalment of the local lad’s military tale.
David Evans noted in an earlier comment…
Arthur Burton’s diary Tuesday 19 September 1916:
Arrived at Dover (on board he St. Denis) at 6 AM and entrained to Tunbridge then by motor to Tunbridge Wells where we are in a fine hospital called Westhall in Queen’s Road where we are being looked after very well and the Sisters are very good to us. My head is still a little queer.
After all he been through, still a typical British understatement!
Cecil Arthur Burton: quite the dapper young man. Those eyes, however, tell of a man of some experience. Picture from Arthur's diary, kindly supplied by David Evans.
Hi Bob
Arthur’s terrible adventure had ended. He was repatriated to England on 16 September 1916 and spent time recuperating in a hospital in Royal Tunbridge Wells. The building still stands today, a silent witness to the glorious work undertaken by the nurses and staff of the Kent 44 VAD volunteers who helped wounded soldiers, many of whom were shell-shocked beyond belief.
This trauma had often been recorded as ‘bruised head’ in the dressing stations near the batlefield. He had seen the first gas attacks in action, witnessed at close range the enemy’s terrible machine-guns’ deadly carnage played out in the fields before him. He had seen the first use of aeroplanes, as reconnaissance and then dog-fighters, and had felt the first air bombing raids. He had been in a town which was almost completely obliterated by enemy shelling. He had been courier, runner, messenger, wireless operator, had coded and sent or had taken these messages whilst under fire. He had received vital coded messages which he had to decode, all under bombardment.
Arthur had ben redeployed to three different battlefields; Laventie, Ypres, and the Somme, near Albert. He had marched for many miles in driving rain and in frost. He had bivouaked under snow. He had cycled many miles in all weathers and often under fire. He had seen comrades killed. Eventually he was broken physically and mentally by all that he had seen and suffered. Back home in England, and during his period of convalescence, he would meet his future wife, then rebuild a life and become a farmer again. But he never forgot.
Years after he died his family found his little diary, and one of the younger generation of his family went across the Channel to see the places Arthur had seen. They then took the time and trouble to put into readable form the diary’s contents.
Kind regards
David Evans
Arthur lived out the rest of his life around the Stonnall and South Staffordshire area, a pillar of the community and well respected gentleman, as noted in previous posts. Desmond Burton, however, posted an interesting little note this morning to the Stonnall Local History group on Facebook which poses an interesting question about Wordsley House that’s been puzzling me for a while.
How did Wordsley House get its name?
WH has had its present name for no more than 120 years. We know from the house deeds that at the end of the 19th century it was owned by Dr William Harry [WH!] Cooke, JP, who lived there with his wife Harriet, 5 of their children and 3 servants. Dr Cooke was born at Wordsley, near Stourbridge, in about 1835, trained as a doctor (probably in Birmingham), and before coming to Stonnall he had lived in Aldridge for many years, where all 7 of his children were born between 1870 and 1883. He therefore must have moved to Wordsley House between 1883 and 1891. In the 1891 census his address is given simply as ‘Farm House, Stonnall Village’, so perhaps even then he had not yet given it the name ‘Wordsley House’.
By 1901 he had moved with his family to Stonnall Road, Aldridge. Dr Cooke was clearly used to large households: in 1881 there were 16 people in his Aldridge Home; 10 in Wordsley House in 1891, and 13 in 1901 in the Stonnall Road house. Dr Cooke died in 1902, aged 67.
Can anyone provide more information? E.G., where was his surgery?
If anyone can help there, please either comment here or on the Facebook group, please.
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I believe that Dr Cooke’s surgery was in Leighswood Rd. Aldridge.Possibly the surgery that was later that of Dr. Stirling.It was in a large house which was demolished in the 1970s.
Hi Bob
I think that this may have been the large house ( The Beeches?) which was used by Aldridge UDC..parks department and planning dept (?)in the 1960s..
cheers
David
Dr Cooke lived in Walmer House(1881 census).At that time the house next to it was “Beech Tree House”.Dr Cooke owned the land which is now the road “Northgate” and land that edged on to Walsall Wood Rd. A photograph I took when I undertook a study of Aldridge shows the house where Dr Stirling held his surgery when it was boarded up ready for demolition.There is now a block of flats on the sight at the corner of Northgate.
You might also be interested in the report from “The Walsall Observer” “MILITARY MEDAL FOR TWO WASALL SOLDIERS”naming Arthur Burton and my uncle who was the other recipient.
Jean
Dr Cooke lived in Walmer House(1881 census).At that time the house next to it was “Beech Tree House”.Dr Cooke owned the land which is now the road “Northgate” and land that edged on to Walsall Wood Rd. A photograph I took when I undertook a study of Aldridge shows the house where Dr Stirling held his surgery when it was boarded up ready for demolition.There is now a block of flats on the site at the corner of Northgate.
You might also be interested in the report from “The Walsall Observer” “MILITARY MEDAL FOR TWO WASALL SOLDIERS”naming Arthur Burton and my uncle who was the other recipient.
Jean
Thank you very much for this information, David and Jill. It solves one problem I had, because I know that after Dr Cooke’s death his widow Harriet moved to The Beeches, Aldridge (1911 census), and I had wondered where that was: there was another large house called The Beeches off the Aldridge Road to Kingstanding (see the link: http://billdargue.jimdo.com/placenames-gazetteer-a-to-y/places-b/the-beeches-estate/ ), but that seemed an odd location for her to move to. I already knew that before moving to Stonnall the Cooke family had lived in Walmer House, and I guessed from the name that must have been in the Northgate/Leighswood road area of Aldridge. I would certainly be interested in getting a copy of the Walsall Observer article about Arthur Burton, by the way; do you have it in electronic form so that you could send it to me or perhaps post it somewhere on-line? Many thanks. Desmond Burton dpcburton@supanet.com
Sorry, I mean Jean, not Jill. Another senior moment! Desmond
Hi Desmond
If you can, google earth Aldridge and then move the timeline back to 1945..I think you can just make out the two houses in Leighswood Road,close to the town centre..now there are a few detached and a row of modern terrace houses there, north side of the road. The beautiful beech trees have gone, though
kind regards
David
Amazing, thanks a lot David – I am not very familiar with Google Earth. Yes, I think I can see where you mean. Regards. Des
Hi, I remember the council offices,and the Doctor`s surgery,the “old” Doctor Stirling.the end of the row of houses I seem to remember,but can`t remember how many houses there were,along the road.I also used to go to another large house further along Leighswood rd.,with my friend ,who had piano lessons there
,Does anyone remember the rows of terraced house,(canel end)in the road?I am sure there were more than just the row that still exists,I think they were the type that were accessed directly from the pavement(the row still standing are set back behind a wall).I believe a Aunt of mine grew up there,and also ,when checking parish records(burials),found a entry for siblings who perished in a fire,in that row,I believe it was three young children.
Does anyone remember “the old Gas House”????and the family who lived there?
The study on Aldridge mentioned by Jean Mills,is it available?
.best wishes for 2012 everyone,