War Poems

Hello John The enclosed poem was written by Mr Joseph Harrison of Middleton, who was for a time Water Bailiff for the village when the only water supply were springs on Middleton Moor piped to street taps, the main tap being on Middleton Greeen (The Basin), where a more plentiful supply of water was to be gained. Mr Harrison who was a partial cripple having broken a leg which never properly healed, used to sit on the Basin which was a half round trough which caught the water from a tap overhead. When in the summer months water tended to dry up, the Middleton Green supply was the only source as the other street taps would dry up. Mr Harrison would sit and only let the women take a limited amount of water (rationed). They would line up on Middleton Green with their buckets ..In the 1930s my father Harry Sprake Flint who was Chairman of Wirksworth & District Water Board (Liberal Councillor for Middleton Ward 1928 - 1949 his seat in 1953 taken by one of your kinsmen William Hubert Doxey, Hubert my friend today now in his mid 80s he and I having sung together in choirs and served on committees together) oversaw the establishment of treated water from land owned by George Henry Key on Slaley Moor which ran into the Pumping Station in Via Gellia opposite Tufa Cottage (see photograph on your web pages) and then pumped up Via Gellia Wood into Storage Reservoirs on Middleton Moor and then piped to every home in Middleton (other ironically than the area on Water Lane where the original water supply was sourced, the Water Lane residents still having to draw their water from a pipe which ran into a trough at the head of Water Lane on land owned by my wife's family of Slack ...) The Water Bailiff in my youth was Middleton's Lengthsman Samuel Pearson who also saw action in the 1st W.W. In my childhood Mr Pearson would call for me and I would follow him around the village, he with his Council barrow, myself having a small tin barrow..tending to the cleaning of the lanes and roads around Middleton also going onto Middleton Moor to treat the water in the Reservoirs... Joseph Harrison was related to my wifes family and to myself via Jepson's and Spencer / Butlers The Poem written by J Harrison about the men who fought for King and Country in the 1st World War. Each man is called by his nick name Regards Stuart G Flint See also Middleton Memorials

For their King and Country by Joe Harrison This is the Battle Royal Where our brave fella's are proving so loyal They're only boys of the working class But they went to enlist and everyone passed There's Doxey and Ken and Duchy and Jerry Whenerver you saw them they always were merry There's Tickle and Tata and Raggett and Wafty They never cared if it were cold or were drafty There's Brigham and Spud and also old Punkey They'll fight for their King and fight for their country There's John Walker, Tom Cager also two Killers They've passed scores of nights without any pillers There's two Walker lads from Rising Sun They'll never give up till th' battles won There's poor Josh Buckley and George Doxey Egg One got wounded in th' face and tuther in th' leg There's poor Joey Lamb was with th' Eighth Army and French But they say poor lad was found gassed in a trench There's poor Jack Melbourne got killed outright But he died fighting in th' cause of the right There's Joe Jespon George Petts and George Aaron Doxey They're doing their bit if only in training There's Sam Charlie, Bob Charlie, Jo William and Mather Now these chaps'll fight till they're all in a lather There's Les Doxey, Bill Hallam and happy Jim Houghton They say that the Germans are willing and rough uns Now these are the chaps that'll fight the good fight And if they catch the Kaiser they'll put him to flight But if this aint enough we've got plenty more There's Auxillary waitin for th' knock on the door So now my good friends I'll finish my rhyme And I'll write you another some other time

You may find the following poem of interest ..It was written in 1915 by Charlotte Farnsworth my sister in law Jennifer Flint nee Farnsworth's Grt Aunt when she was 24 years of age. Charlotte was the daughter of Arthur Thomas and Charlotte Farnsworth nee Wormlieghton of Bonsall, Arthur being, as all his family were Master Stonemasons and Building Contractors, originally from Middleton Youlgreave then to Ible Bonsall then Cromford/Middleton By Wirksworth/Matlock. The family in the early 1900s founded a choir which gave Annual Concerts in aid of The Whitworth Hospital up to the hospital becoming a part of the N.H.S. in 1948. Charlotte lived on Yeoman Street Bonsall then removed to Cromford.. I have others of her poems .. The Farnsworth family pedigrees are on John Palmer's Contributed Peds having been contributed by Emma Hilman and Stuart Flint.

Our Local Lads (Cromford) by Charlotte Farnsworth 1915 Our Country is at war, we wish it were not so But it was forced upon us, so someone had to go Our Lads were not behind, in answering their countries call To go and fight for England, to either Stand.. or..Fall. We grieve to think that some have paid the price for glory great, Their precious lives have given to save us Belgiums fate, We think of Bonham Carter, Joe Tomlinson, Jack Brown Billy Sherrat and Bob Britland, whose lives have been laid down We grieve that Captain Arkwright met such a tragic fate For he was of the bravest, his loss to us is great: We never will forget them, these lads so brave and true Who left our quiet village, their little bit to do; Greater Love hath no man - Our Loving Saviour said - Than to give their lives for others ; God rest our Glorious dead. Charlotte then goes on to name other men of Cromford and Bonsall who paid the price of war We also think of brave Jim Holmes, who nobly played his part To help win the battle - the greatest ever fought, And then their's Laurie Fryer who went early to the front With our 'Little Contemptible Army' and bravely bore the brunt. There's Jim Toplis,and Fred Holland and Jimmy Gibbs as well Frank Brown, Joe Pidcock, George Gibbs, Sam Taylor too, Along with Bert Parker, went their duty for to do. Harry Britland and George Lloyd, also Arthur Biddulph who All were sent to the Dardanelles to try and break it through. And then there's our brave Yeomanry who thought the Turks they'd try So they were sent to Egypt, then to Gallipoli - Herbert Gillott and Tom Huddart, Alf Redfern and Fred Mee Wilfred Bosley and Frank Fearn and Owen Sudbury, John Allen and Tony Greatorex along with Percy Wright, And when they got to grips, showed how our Cromford lads would fight ; Then others of our Local lads went into France 'somewhere' To join our gallant army, and bravely do their share There's Mr Robinsons three sons Harry, George and Tom, They command the admiration, we feel sure, of everyone There's George Ratcliffe and Sam Pearson, Harold Smith and Arthur Rose Dick Roberts,and Jack Sherratt ready to meet all foes...

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