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On returning to home life in Blackburn I am unsure as to whether my Granddad went back to work in the Mill but I do know that he started two small businesses. One, selling fruit and vegetables from a horse drawn cart, the other, the sale of ice cream. My Grandma Cumpstey made the ice cream in the kitchen at Avondale Street and my Granddads, along with my Dad and my Aunties, Alice and Ivy, helped to sell it. Pleasington Playing Fields was a particularly good point of sale, and the family became well known locally. In association with the businesses my Granddad kept two horses were stabled at the bottom of Lancaster Street, Blackburn. My Dad often told me the tale of being away as a member of the Ragged School Boy Naturalists Group at camp at Edisford Bridge, Clitheroe only to be summoned back home because one of the horses had bolted from the stables.
Later, my Granddad worked as a Clerk at a Town Centre Bookmakers - he did have a particular interest in horse racing, so much so, that every June he went to the racing at Royal Ascot. My Grandma wasn't an enthusiast and never went, so my Granddad went with a married couple who shared his interest. He used to call it his annual holiday.
In the aftermath of the Great War, Fred and Clara Cumpstey had two more children, Albert Edward born in 1919 and Jean born in 1927.
John Thomas and Alice Cumpstey never divorced and remained separated for over 30 years.
John Thomas Cumpstey was living in Burnley where he died on 22nd February 1926. Despite their long separation, Alice Cumpstey was named on the Death Certificate as his next of kin. He is buried in Burnley Cemetery.
Alice Cumpstey continued to live in Blackpool and she died in the resort on 11 August 1932 and is buried in Blackburn Old Cemetery.
Thomas Heyes remained a widower for the rest of his life and eventually returned to his roots and died in Turton in the 1920s.
Both my Grandparents, Fred and Clara Cumpstey died at home, 14 Avondale Street Blackburn, a home that was loving, caring and filled with laughter and hope.
Clara Cumpstey died on 23 December 1970 aged 87 years and was cremated at Pleasington.
Fred Cumpstey died on 21st March 1963, in his 80th year and is buried alongside his Mother, Alice at Blackburn Old Cemetery.
This has been an emotional but, I think a necessary journey for me. As I stated at the beginning I had a piecemeal account of what happened to my Granddad but through my researchand by committing it all to paper, I do feel that I have a better understanding certainly of what he went through particularly on 25th September 1915 at Moulin Du Pietre.
I cannot pretend to sum up my innermost feelings about the events of the Great War and that day in September 1915 so I have turned to the words again of the Rev. Innes Logan who, commenting on the events of 25th September 1915 and referencing those wounded, my Granddad included, said :
"This was heroism, the real thing, the spirit rising to incredible heights of patient endurance in the foreseen possible result of positive action for an ideal. The reaction from battle is overwhelming. Passions that the civilised man simply does not know, so colourless is his experience of them in ordinary days, are let loose, anger and terror and horror and lust to kill. So for a while, as nearly always happens, even wounds lost their power to pain in the sleep of bottomless exhaustion."
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I have to gratefully acknowledge that my journey would not have been remotely possible without the help and support of others.
Grateful thanks to my family, my wife Audrey for her patience and her understanding even when I locked myself away for hours on end. To my daughters, Lisa, Justine and Pamela for their support and encouragement.
Principally, I would like to thank Andy Pay whose unremitting interest and expertise on the Rifle Brigade steered me through and uncovered a great deal of my research. I thank him for his advice, support and his patience particularly when I seemed to be assailing him with questions on a daily basis. I am also grateful to him for identifying within the Rifle Brigade War Diaries the pertinent extracts concerning my Granddad's service.
Thank you to the staff at Blackburn Central Library Community History Department for pointing me in the right direction and enabling me to access their wonderful archives.
Finally, my utmost thanks to my Granddad, without whose courage and heroism I would not have been led on this unknown journey into the past - you always inspired me and made me proud - my hero.
In April 2014, it being the Centenary of the start of the Great War, I embarked on writing an account of my Granddad’s service in the conflict.
My Granddad, Rifleman Fred Cumpstey of the 12th Battalion Rifle Brigade enlisted with Kitchener’s Army from the outset of the War and at the Battle of Moulin Du Pietre was severely wounded in action.
As I recorded in the above story, thankfully, he survived his injuries and was able to return to his family to lead a happy life until his death in 1963.
As I recorded in the above story, thankfully, he survived his injuries and was able to return to his family to lead a happy life until his death in 1963.
On completion of my account, I had no idea whatsoever what happened to him after he lay wounded on the Battlefield – I had no evidence of timescales or any evacuation details. Without my Granddad’s “Casualty – Active Service “Forms, which I have been informed by experts in this field, were probably destroyed by the Luftwaffe on a raid over London during WW2, it has not been possible to give a definitive answer to my question. Sadly, only 30 – 40% of records survived this blitz.
Without this documentary evidence I have been unable to find a definitive account of Granddad’s evacuation from the Battlefield and his subsequent return to England. Despite this setback, I have been able to peruse the records of other wounded Blackburnians who fought with my Granddad’s 12th Battalion on 25th September, 1915, and these do give me a clearer insight into the evacuation procedures which occurred following the events of 25th September, 1915.
It is worth recording at this stage that on the Battlefield it was pivotal to the evacuation procedures that treatment for the wounded was immediate and that casualties were moved out as quickly as possible.
At the centre of these network of measures were the Casualty Clearing Stations (CCS), who acted as a sorting centre to facilitate movement of casualties from Field Ambulances to Base Hospitals. Due to the evolving nature and network expansion it was possible for any patients who were recuperating to be retained for anything up to 4 weeks prior to either returning to action or transferring to hospital via Ambulance Train or Barges.
What is abundantly clear is that on the 25th September 1915, in comparison to some later Battles, the number wounded was such that the casualties were cleared from the Battlefield before the day was out which speaks highly of the organisational arrangements that were made and the efficiency of which they were carried out.
In normal circumstances, the 60th Field Ambulance (FA) would have been responsible for the 60th Brigade (which comprised the 12th Battalion Rifle Brigade), but, in reality, the bearers from the 60th FA had been sent to the 61st FA who were looking after the 60th Brigade in Battle. The Headquarters for the 61st FA was in Estaires whilst the Advanced Dressing Station was at La Flingue where the necessary preparations were made to support the Battle of the 25th September 1915. Dugouts had also been constructed at convenient positions for the collection of the wounded. As outlined in my original storyline, it was from here that the Medical Officer, Lt. Mailing was awarded his V.C. for conducting surgical operations on the severely wounded whilst under gun and shell fire.
An essential part of the evacuation network were the ships which ultimately set sail for England with their ailing cargo of the sick and wounded. At that time, the following ships were involved – the Oxfordshire, Asturius and the Jan Breydal. Those injured men remaining in France, following recovery, appear to have gone to the 5th or 20th General Hospital before returning to their Units.
In total, 235 soldiers were evacuated from 61st FA to Merville, whilst a total of 899 that day were evacuated by railway and Ambulance Trains.
I have surmised that my Granddad could have been evacuated by train on the 25th September 1915, or, because of the severity of his wounds he was perhaps retained by 61st FA overnight and evacuated on the 26th. On the 25th September 1915, it is confirmed that 3 Ambulance Trains arrived at 6pm and were loaded and departed for St Omer – in total carrying 399 wounded.
Through my research I have been able to identify some other Blackburnians from the 12th Battalion Rifle Brigade who fought alongside my Granddad, and, who sadly, lost their lives and I am proud to acknowledge their bravery and service:
- James Donnelan, Plane Street, Blackburn, Killed in Action, 5th September 1916
- Thomas Ellel, Florence Street, Blackburn, Killed in Action, 6th June 1916
- Percy Gray, Emily Street, Blackburn, Killed in Action, 25th September 1915
- Thomas Grice, Isherwood Street, Blackburn, Killed in Action, 25th September 1915
- Percy Haworth, The Croft, Blackburn, Wounded in Action, 25th September 1915, Died of his Wounds in Auxillary Military Hospital Tranmere, 15 October 1915.
Others survived and continued to fight in the Great War.
It has been an honour and privilege to re-visit my Granddad’s story and to add to the events of that day in September 1915. Sometimes you forget that those Doctors, Nurses, Bearers, Drivers who were an integral and important part of the casualty support network, played a brave and caring role in helping and supporting thousands of British and other Troops in securing their safety and wellbeing.
I’ll end on, what I think, for me, is a positive and encouraging note – during the conflict my Granddad sent one of his Aunts a photograph postcard of himself in Military uniform and on the back simply wrote: ‘Good Luck’ which for someone in the midst of carnage was a poignant and hopeful message.
Fred Cumpstey (Proud Grandson of Rifleman Fred Cumpstey, 12th Battalion Rifle Brigade)
December 2022