As many people whose ancestors passed through the First World War troop camps at Bovingdon Green have contacted us to find out what life for their relatives was like there, here's a post to give some more information. The camps may also be described as Marlow Common - they did not as you may think only occupy the actual green at Bovingdon. When you realise the camp sometimes accommodated as many as 2000 men plus hospital tents, messes, etc you will see how they could not all squeeze onto that patch of land. They occupied farm fields around the area and did their training activities over a wider area still.
For the detailed timeline of who was occupying the camps and when please see the timelines linked below.
Familiar spot for some
Troops came from various parts of southern and eastern England. Some stayed weeks, others months. For many it was their last taste of sleeping in England before being sent to the front. The Bovingdon Green camp and land around Marlow and Temple had been used before the war for training camps by both the regular and territorial armies. So some of those attending may well have already been familiar with the area. And of course not all those in the camps or stationed at Marlow were non locals - the Bankers Battalion in particular recruited a number of Marlow area residents.
Arrival
The men almost always arrived by train at Marlow station. This left them with a march through the town, up Oxford Rd to the small village of Bovingdon Green. Every single train bringing in troops was well known about in advance - and so the arrival was never allowed to pass unmarked. People gathered at the station even when technically they were forbidden to get in the way. Residents stopped what they were doing to watch the men pass. Most were proceeded by a band, or at least a drummer. Photographers captured many of these arrivals and turned them into postcards which were sold to the troops in camp as well as in local shops.
The territorials had arrived for a regular training camp at Bovingdon Green just before the declaration of war in 1914. Their camp therefore broke up after less than 24 hours. The message bringing news of their mobilisation for war arrived at Marlow station. Station master Morgan was frantic as of course the moment the message came was exactly when all of his messengers were already out on errands. He saw Marlow man Vincent Timberlake who he knows has access to a car and asked him to take this "most urgent" message to the camp. Vincent's driving licence had just expired and so he initially said he could not go, but when told it was a subject of national interest he did. His reward was to be very unluckily stopped and arrested for driving without a licence! However the charges against him were dismissed when the nature of his errand was revealed. After the territorials aborted visit, Marlow was left without any troops billeted there for some time - much to their disgust. Some felt it was an actual insult for Marlow not to have received any - other local towns with less history of hosting had got them, so why not us they said. Marlow's General Sir George Higginson was asked to use his personal influence and connections to do something to remedy the situation. He said there was little he could do, but it was generally considered he was responsible for those first that did arrive - of the Grenadier Guards in May (advance party to erect camp) and June 1915. The result is that the troops that came appear to have been very much wanted and welcomed by the majority of residents.
The area around the camp is rich with beech woodland, above.
Camp facilities - post office and all
The majority of the men slept under canvas, with the officers mostly occupying other premises. Some of the officers temporarily rented a house in Marlow and bought their wives and children along. Others were sharing accomodation.
As soon as the first men arrived at Bovingdon Green, a YMCA tent was erected. This was initially under the charge of vicars daughter Miss Audrey Light, who later was working as a nurse in military hospitals. She lent on locals to furnish it with everything from trestle tables for the serving of refreshments to a meat safe, gramophone and a piano. The tent hosted concerts, lectures and sometimes religious services. Performances were not just by local enthusiasts but stars of the London music halls came down to offer entertainment. Another distinguished visitor was the Prince of Wales who motored over from Windsor in August 1915. And camp residents also put on their own performances in the YMCA tent - often for local Marlow charity appeals.
Newspapers and magazines were gathered to provide the men with a "reading room" and there were also writing tables with free supplies of paper, envelopes and ink. Three thousand sheets of writing paper were given out every day at it's height! The makeshift post office even dealt with parcels.
The local ladies at the YMCA tent helped the men organise transport when they were on leave and mended, washed and altered clothing free of charge. A fruit stall offered food at prices to suit soldiers meagre pockets - produce was donated by local farmers and greengrocers and sold at a loss.
All members at the camp in 1915 were enrolled as free honorary members of Marlow Institute (now the town library in Institute rd). This provided access to a comfortable reading room, library and the ever popular billiards table.
Obviously the majority of the men were there to finalise their training before leaving for the front, but time was still found for more fun activities that were also considered good for morale and skill building. Our visiting troops were very fond of water sports days and regattas and with the River Thames close at hand who can blame them? Marlow's own regatta was cancelled for the duration of the war so there was a ready audience to watch them. The officers were frequently seen on the river at weekends, enjoying the free use of rowing boats and punts that many offer them. The Marlow bathing place (a roped off part of the river backwater accessed from Quarry Wood Rd on the Bisham side of the Thames) was offered free of charge for soldiers use - outside of the time it was reserved for the ladies naturally.
There are many reports of football and cricket matches played at the camp in the summer evenings. They also played in what is now Riley Recreation Ground againgst other military sides.
When the Grenadier Guards were in camp their band visited about weekly, and the public were invited to attend. It was noted that the ladies of Marlow bought flowers for the visiting Guard musicians to take back to London with them. The performances were a very popular attraction. In fact the public were constantly joining events there. A grand 4,000 people attended the Grenadier Guard sports at Bovingdon Green in August 1915! Such sports days were a regular feature throughout the camps life. Events ranged from more serious sports to the definitely more fun - mounted wrestling matches, running races in fancy dress etc. In fact events involving dressing as a woman were perennial favourites!
Once the Grenadier Guards left, Marlow's music lovers must have been disappointed but the Bankers Battalion did start a brass band when they were in camp in 1915.
Above, The Royal Oak, one of then two pubs at Bovingdon Green.. unfortunately for the men both were periodically made out of bounds to them - but this was widely ignored. Marlow was a 10-15 minute walk down a footpath bordering Hanging Hill.
News from the front
If you are used to reading heavily censored letters and materials from the second world war it can seem jarring to read the honesty of some of the republished letters from the front that appeared in local press in WW1. Copies of these papers were taken up to the camp and would have made sober reading for those waiting for their own turn at the front. Right from the start you can read descriptions of horrific mud, of men walking through woods with no room to place their feet except upon dead bodies, of men openly expressing the wish to be bought away injured in the face of such huge numbers of dead. Of course there was also very patriotic and jingoistic sentiments revealed too. As the war went on it's obvious that men are writing with the knowledge their thoughts and news would find its way into print, even if they recorded them in letters ostensibly to their parents.
The local papers also continued to report news about any groups of soldiers that been billeted at Marlow after they left. It was definitely not the case that they were out of sight and out of mind once they had moved away even if they were not primarily local men.
Training
Shortly after their arrival in 1915 the Grenadier Guards were reported to have got stuck in to trench digging and field exercises in the woods to the North of Marlow. Some of the practice trenches dug during the war at Marlow common can still be seen today although they have become less defined and much shallower even in my lifetime. It is not certain whether those remaining were those dug by the Guards or were made by the Royal Engineers who followed them into camp. I think it's been the assumption that the latter were responsible as to quote many a local "digging trenches is what they do". I think this is also partly because it was not realised that the Guards had definitely engaged in this activity at Marlow - and got there first.
The sight of soldiers marching from camp through the town to the territorials long established shooting ranges under Quarry Woods was a familiar one. They often paused in Quoiting Square on their way in and out. There were complaints of the men using it as an outdoor urinal - and so Marlow's first so called "public" convenience arrived at a spot opposite the waterworks in Chalk Pit Lane. It was put up primarily for the troops but it seems anyone male could use it. This was the only real complaint I've ever seen about the soldiers behaviour in Marlow.
Events of November 1915 and after
A gale in the above month and year flattened most of the sleeping tents at Bovingdon Green - and actually just about all the others such as the officers and sergeants mess tents. Only the beloved YMCA one plus a RAMC orderly tent and a couple used for storage in the ordnance depot were left standing - just about. The men did their best to shelter in what was left - and not for the first time. It was decided to secure accomodation in the various empty buildings in the town instead initially as a temporary measure. But in the end the majority of the men never went back there to live. They remained lodged in what must have been much more comfortable quarters in Marlow! However usage of the camp site was not immediately abandoned. It was decided to keep the ordnance compound tents, at least for a few weeks. And of course they could not be left unguarded so a few unfortunate guards were left camping there.
The YMCA relocated to an empty shop in the High Street.
When the Royal Engineers arrived later in 1915 they went into billets in the town too, and although they were also expected to re locate back to the Bovingdon Green camp after the winter, they did not.
Some of the properties used for lodging for troops at some point include:
Spinfield
Hillside (off Seymour Court Rd)
Quarry Wood House (at junction Dedmere Rd and Victoria Rd)
The Old House, West Street
Upstairs at The Institute
The Public Hall (now the Masonic Centre, St Peters Street)
The old boys school (aka the Church Hall, the Causeway)
Sunnybank (Riverside)
The original cottage hospital (Cambridge House, Cambridge Rd)
and many other homes, hotels, and former business premises.
A certificate from The Overseas Club 1915 stating that a young Marlovian had contributed towards Christmas gifts to "our brave sailors and soldiers who are fighting for honour, freedom & justice".
Written and researched by Kathryn Day.
Related posts:
See links at top for info about Marlow in WW1 in general and info about troops billeted in Marlow after the camps break up.
If you are interested in Bovingdon Green and Marlow Common in general see the post index here
© Kathryn Day
