JANUARY 1918
- the New Years honours list includes three Marlow men who have recieved the Military Cross. They are Captain Ian Dunbar Dickson, Captain K Griffith-Williams of Highfields, and Lieutenant TNW Walls.
- The Marlow Communal Kitchen is opened at 55 High Street. (See December 1917) A lot of Marlow people volunteer their time and resources to get it up and running, and volunteer ladies agree to cook the meals. The Marlow Gas Company fits the premises up for gas for free and lends 2 stoves and a large boiler. It will be open from 12-2 daily. For a sample menu with prices, see April 1918.
FEBRUARY 1918
- The Marlow Food control board announce they are preparing a local scheme for butter rationing, organised in similar way to recently introduced sugar ration. You will pick a nominated grocer to use for this each week. No shopping around for this.
- The Marlow Urban District Council write to the trustees of Riley Recreation ground to ask them if they would allow a portion of Crown Meadow (Now Riley Park) to be cultivated free of charge, if the need arises. Mr Edward Riley had gifted the Meadow for the town's use in 1914. They are responding to requests from up above not to allow vacant land to remain in unproductive use when there are food shortages.
- Marlow's dimly lit streets get even darker as the few lamps that continue to be lit (but still shaded) are now reduced further in number. There is a shortage of men who can trim the mantles on the lamps. Workers at Marlow Gas Company had been tending to many lamps until they had to inform the council that their own labour shortage made this impossible in future.
- Captain William Onslow Secker of Maldah, Institute Rd receives £100 in damages from fellow soldier Edward Joseph Trim who had slandered him by telling others he is a German spy who has been locked up in the Tower. Trim was a policeman at Marlow at the start of the war. Although they found him guilty, the jury was careful to state they felt that Trim was probably not responsible for his actions that day due to the sad experiences he had recently been through. He had seen three of four of his commanding officers killed, and had been extremely ill in hospital with severe nervous strain. Following this his wife had died. The judge said he was grateful for the jurors words as the case would come to the attention of Trim's military superiors. (You can see Hilda Trim's grave here) Secker was at Wood End House in 1911.
- Marlow council Chairman John Langley, injured during a London blackout, is well enough to be bought home to Bridge House by motor ambulance
APRIL 1918
- The communal kitchen is now serving 300-400 meals a day. On the menu is a daily soup which costs 2d a pint, meat pasty (4d each), Shepherds Pie (2 and 1/2d), fishcakes (4d), stew with dumplings (2d per 1/2 pint), hot pot (2d per half pint) Apple pie/Jam Tart/Treacle Tart (all 2 1/2d) Rice or tapioca pudding (2d) and potatoes in jackets (1d)
- The last war- time soldiers stationed in Marlow, the East Anglian Royal Engineers, leave town.
JULY 1918
- Two wives of soldiers on active service are fined £2 for assisting absentee soldiers (those missing without leave) to evade the authorities. The women are told that if in future any wife is found to be harbouring an absentee or deserter, they will be sent to prison without possibility of paying a fine instead.
- The war may not be over, but a public meeting is held to discuss ideas for creating a permanent war memorial in Marlow. In the end, it's decided to put something within the parish church as well as a memorial in "some other place" outside.
AUGUST 1918
- Alice Whiteway of Dean Street comes before the magistrates for assisting a man to absent himself from Military service. It's her second offence and she is sent to prison for a month. Emily Wheeler, a first time offender, also of Dean Street recieved a 14 day sentence for the same offence. Sadly Alice Whiteway would appear again in March 1919 when her 5 children are taken from her care as the authorities charge her with being unfit to care for them as she was - according to the police - always in public houses with soldiers who were not her husband. The latter had got her separation allowance suspended. Alice's defence is not recorded in the reports I've read and its important to remember that the courts often held up women against a higher moral standard than was expected of the men in the same situation.
OCTOBER 1918
- Marlow food control committee set the price of milk at a maximum of 8d per quart for October to March and 9d per quart for December to February. A half penny discount applies per quart for milk dispensed over the counter and paid for by cash rather than credit.
NOVEMBER 1918
- News of the peace is greeted with jubilation. The town crier is quickly enlisted to spread the news to every quarter of the town and to ask everyone to gather together in the Market Square at 2 o'clock. Later people at the event would remember that flags and bunting seemed to appear out of nowhere to decorate the square and windows in the High Street. A huge crowd is bought together. The National Anthem is sung several times and cheers are made for almost everyone including the King and Queen, all servicemen, the Prime Minister and the Allies. In the evening a special thanks giving service is held in the parish church.
- The Marlow food control committee announce local tea rationing is over but you must still buy from your registered tea dealer for now.
- Private Frank Price's late death shows the war kills in many ways. He had been discharged from the army in October and admitted to the county Asylum. He returned home the same month but was still suffering tremendous mental torture. Tragically he committed suicide in the Meadow adjacent to Marlow station shortly afterwards, leaving a wife and 7 children.
- Fundraising for a permanent war memorial gains momentum and £750 has been pledged by the end of November. It has been decided the memorial in the church will be a dedicated window, while the outside one will be in the Enclosure (the large patch of grass on the Causeway)
- An outbreak of flu sees Borlase school closed down for 2 weeks.
DECEMBER 1918
- The first prisoners held by Germans at end of war, arrive home. They are Private H Ayres and Lieutenant A C Welbourne.
JANUARY 1919
- The first Marlow man to be captured by the Germans - Lieutenant M Couchman - arrives home in England.
- Sergeant W A Lunnon of Portland Villas shares a pamphlet given to him by his German captors in Bayreuth Bavaria. "If the people at last realise that it is not each other who are their enemies but the ruthless forces of imperialism, capitalism and militarism, of all sorts or jingo journalism that sows falsehood, hatred and suspicion, then this war will not be fought in vain" It ends with the thought that the dead of both sides have long been sleeping as comrades in the same earth and if living men could share the same sense of brotherhood, it would be a hopeful peace.
- The Marlow National Kitchen (communal kitchen) is to be closed after running at a loss.
MARCH 1919
- It's standing room only at the parish church for a service of remembrance for the men killed during the war. Some seats are reserved for serving and ex soldiers, who march through the town behind the Marlow town band. A collection is made for the War Memorial fund.
JUNE 1919
- Any Marlow man not sick of military service might be pleased to see that the Bucks Battalion of the Territorials is opening up to recruitment again. Initially only 18-41 year olds who have served in the war are wanted, to sign up for 2 years.
- At the "Victory" Marlow Amateur Regatta, 3 crews of those blinded in the war compete. When one wins their heat, it generates the largest cheer of the regatta.
JULY 1919
- Marlow's peace celebration takes place in Crown Meadow with an incredible 770 ex servicemen sit down to lunch in a giant marquee. In the afternoon there's sports and then the marquee is given over to 1,000 children who are treated to tea. In the evening a torchlight procession of vehicles delights all, before a display of naval flares lights up the surrounding country for miles. Lastly a giant bonfire fire is lit to take the celebrations in to the night.
OCTOBER
The Peace Celebration Committee meet to decide what to do with the left over funds not spent on the celebrations. (£123) It was decided to give a dinner to those servicemen who had returned home since the last one, and to distribute the remainder to the widows and mothers of the fallen in the form of vouchers which could be exchanged for coal or food. These woman would also be given a public tea. S Cubitt, local bank manager, is the treasurer.
1920
JULY
Marlow's war memorial at the Causeway is unveiled. It was designed by T. Hansford White. In the 1920s the start of the two minute silence is often marked by the sounding of the Brewery siren.
Written and researched by Kathryn Day.
For other posts on Marlow in the First World War, see here : 1914, 1915 , 1916 1917
First World War memorial tablet at the Brewery here
Some WW1 graves here
To search for ancestors on the blog choose the person index option on the top drop down menu.
To read other posts relating to Marlow's military history or everyday life here in the past, see the post listing here
SOURCES/FURTHER RESEARCH
Reading Mercury - January 12, February 2, April 5, 20, July 20, October 12, November 16, December 7, 1918 held at British Library Archive and accessed via the BNA October 2020
Buckinghamshire Advertiser 23 February 1918, as above.
Bucks Herald: January 19, April 27, May 26, August 3, November 2, 1918 - as above
Bucks Herald January 4, 11, 25, March 15, June 28, July 26, 1919, 7 July 1920
Slough, Eton and Windsow Observer 28th June 1919
©MarlowAncestors. You may quote this research providing you credit this blog and link back here to ensure credit is given to all original sources.
