Remembering George Bayes

[Guest Simon Bull]

In memory of George Bayes, 1st Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment who was killed on 1 September 1915 and is commemorated on the Little Harrowden, Northamptonshire, War Memorial.

George Bayes was born in 1891. He appears to have grown up in Guilsborough, Northamptonshire. In June 1913 he became Assistant Master at Little Harrowden School. He also became Assistant Scout Master in the fledgling Boy Scout movement.

George Bayes seems to have been very well liked. Newspaper reports upon his death state "the deceased was a pleasant unassuming young fellow and was much liked by all who knew him. The news of his death was received with unfeigned sorrow in the district". His death was marked by the flying of the flags on the church and the school in Little Harrowden at half-mast. At services in the churches of both Great Harrowden and Little Harrowden in mid-September the "Dead March” in “Saul" was played in his memory.

By 3 November 1914 he had joined up and was in the 8th Battalion of the Northamptonshire Regiment. Later he was transferred to the 1st Battalion of the Northamptonshire Regiment.

He was a relatively tall man for the time, standing 5'9" tall, and he weighed 10 ½ stone. When he enlisted it was noted that he had a hammer toe on each foot. In February 1915 he spent three weeks in hospital recovering from an operation to correct this problem.

It is perhaps not surprising, given that he would have been a relatively educated man, that by February 1915 he had been promoted to Lance Corporal. His disciplinary records show that he was reprimanded by the Battalion commander in July 1915 for not complying with an order by not calling the roll when ordered to do so. It is not clear whether this was a matter of deliberate disobedience or neglect.

George Bayes was sent out to France to join the 1st Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment on 4 August 1915. Sadly, less than a month later he was killed.

The end of August found the 1st Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment stationed at Vermelles, where they were working digging "saps", which were trenches extending perpendicular to the front line out into “no-man's land”. These trenches were being dug (at night) in preparation for the Battle of Loos, which was to begin on 25 September 1915. The "saps" in question were being dug to the east of Vermelles, probably to provide points from which troops attacking in the Battle of Loos could "jump off".

On the night of 31 August-1 September 1915 George Bayes appears to have been involved in the work digging these "saps". He was slightly wounded in the shoulder, and, whilst he was proceeding to the rear to seek medical assistance, he was hit by a shell and killed instantly. He was buried at Vermelles British Cemetery. On the bottom of his gravestone is the inscription "soon the everlasting day shall chase the night of gloom away". This inscription was almost certainly chosen by his parents.

George Bayes was awarded campaign medals consisting of the 1915 Star, the Victory Medal and the War Medal.

[Kate Wills]

Thankyou for posting this Simon, it makes interesting reading. Are you preparing a book on the memorial at Little Harrowden, or the village in WW1?

[Guest Simon Bull]

Thankyou for posting this Simon, it makes interesting reading. Are you preparing a book on the memorial at Little Harrowden, or the village in WW1?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sorry to be slow replying Kate - the job has restricted my recent visits to the Forum to very brief ones.

I did start off with a plan to write a book about the Little and Great Harrowden War Memorial, and/or I might have an article or two in me about some of the men, but the very low level of local interest has convinced me that there would be little or no market. Furthermore, I have decided that I would rather spend what little spare time I have doing the research than organising the publication and marketing of a book that very few people wanted to buy.

As I have been researching the Memorial I have picked up information about the villages during the Great War as I went along (e.g. reception of Belgian refugees, being harangued by a local clergyman for not joining up etc.), and would probably have included a certain amount of that in any book.

One day I would like to set up a website on the subject, but I am afraid it is all a matter of having the time to do it - my job tends to absorb so much of my time that I am not sure when I might ever get around to setting it up and maintaining it. One day....