Where or What is Bleachers Pref?

[IRC Kevin]

Amongst the few items belonging to my Grandfather were a couple of field service post cards with scribbled notes on the back. Their meaning has long puzzled me, but now, thanks to the SWB Roll, I've been able to find an enlistment date of 8/4/16, which may give more clues as to the whereabouts (or identity) of "Bleachers Pref" and the significance of the date 31st July 1916. My reasoning is going along the following lines:-

* Field Service Postcard, therefore already embodied and not date for reporting for basic training (Park Hall Camp, Oswestry)

* Not on leave from France, as too soon after enlistment.

* Left hand card seems to be train times (he lived in Rivington)

Would the date fit in for reporting back after pre-embarkation leave after basic training? If this is the case, would the reporting point be Oswestry (in which case Bleachers Pref is probably part of Park Hall Camp) and the whole cadre travel down to the South coast together, or would they report directly to Folkstone, for example, if that was the port of embarkation? The battalion war diary describes "9 O.R.'s reinforcements" arriving on 17th August "with 8 men rejoined from BASE." which also seems to fit well with the theory of 31st July/1st or 2nd August being embarkation date. Any views on this?

[sotonmate]

K

One solution is to Google,where a Bleachers Pref is shown as a form of seating in various levels,such as you might construct for a passing-out parade etc.

Sotonmate

[centurion]

K

One solution is to Google,where a Bleachers Pref is shown as a form of seating in various levels,such as you might construct for a passing-out parade etc.

Sotonmate

Bleachers is very much an Americanism for the cheap seats (unshaded) at a baseball ground. If I'm correct the only baseball ground with stands in England at the time was in Derby (where soakers might have been more appropriate) They play soccer (of a sort) there now.

Baseball was however invented in England (earliest reference 1744, Jane Austin later refers to it in Northanger Abbey). Never made it big as cricket, which was requiring more subtlety guile and cunning, swamped it. By WW1 mainly played in the North (but waning). Could he have been going to a baseball game?

[tootrock]

Could this be something to do with the Stock Market?

A search of the Times Archive shows that Bleachers Preference were quoted on the London Stock market between 1904 and 1944. They appear to be related to the textile industry.

Martin

[IRC Kevin]

Thanks chaps, you've set my mind working along a different route. I've been fixated in thinking this was something military as it was on the back of a field service card. Bleacher no. 9316 makes perfect sense as one seat in a group of say 10000 for a major sporting event. Trains look to me that he was travelling to either Liverpool, Wigan, or connecting south. Thought maybe this could be Grand National, but date is wrong and Aintree was taken over by the War Office in early 1916, so that year's Grand National was held at Gatwick, also too late for the Waterloo Cup. Possibly Haydock Race Course, or maybe even a cricket match? Only problem to this is that 31st July 1916 was a Monday.

Going back to original theories- is 31st July a reasonable date for a pre-embarkation leave for someone enlisting on 4th April? And would a soldier going overseas to join a battalion already in France, report to Base Depot or point of embarkation after leave?

[centurion]

Thanks chaps, you've set my mind working along a different route. I've been fixated in thinking this was something military as it was on the back of a field service card. Bleacher no. 9316 makes perfect sense as one seat in a group of say 10000 for a major sporting event. Trains look to me that he was travelling to either Liverpool, Wigan, or connecting south. Thought maybe this could be Grand National, but date is wrong and Aintree was taken over by the War Office in early 1916, so that year's Grand National was held at Gatwick, also too late for the Waterloo Cup. Possibly Haydock Race Course, or maybe even a cricket match? Only problem to this is that 31st July 1916 was a Monday.

According to the cricketer's archives this was the only match played on that day http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/281/281669.html

[IRC Kevin]

According to the cricketer's archives this was the only match played on that day http://www.cricketar...281/281669.html

Definitely not a cricket match then!