CHATFIELD, ERNEST

                                                       Photograph with the kind permission of the Uttoxeter Advertiser

At the time of the 1911 census^1h, Ernest was one of nine siblings living with their parents at 14 Silver Street, Uttoxeter. The Census records of 1911^1h and a document in Ernest’s service records^3g enable us to work out that the family comprised the following:

The above table tells us that some of Ernest’s brothers and sisters were only small children when he was killed.

Ernest’s brother, Arthur, left Uttoxeter with the Territorials on the outbreak of war and served sixteen months in France/Flanders, where he was gassed^7b. At the time of Ernest’s death he was classed as ‘time-expired’ and was working in Derby^7b.

Bomber Leech and Private T. Fenton were also brothers-in-law, and were serving at the time of his death^7b. As far as we can ascertain, they both survived the war.

Unfortunately 14 Silver Street no longer exists. It will have been in what is now the open space (car park) to the left of this photograph. The last remaining house in the street, number 18, is the house on the right of this picture. Presumably their house will have been of a similar style.

 

These buildings, part of the original Leighton Ironworks in Uttoxeter, will have been a familiar sight to Ernest

Ernest enlisted in the army at Lichfield on 23^rd December 1914^{3a, 3b}.Ernest was a member of the Uttoxeter Boy Scouts^{7b, 8} before the war.

Before joining-up, Ernest worked at the Leighton Ironworks^7b in Uttoxeter as a Blacksmith’s Labourer^3m.

He joined the army on 23^rd December ^{3a, 3b, 3m}, immediately before Christmas^{7b, 8}, and his attestation papers give us a sample of his signature^3a:

At the time of joining-up he was 19 years and 46 days old^{3b, 3m}, which tells us that he was born on about the 4^th November 1895. At 19 years old he was only just old enough to be posted abroad.

He was just 5 ft 3 inches tall^3b and had a chest measurement of 34 inches^3b.

He gave his occupation as “Blacksmith’s Labourer” ^3m and weighed 96 ½ lbs^3m. He was described as having good physical development^3m.

Ernest saw service in the Dardanelles (Gallipoli) campaign^{7a, 7b, 8} in early 1915. His service record^{3k, 3l} shows that he embarked from Devonport” on 1^st January 1915 and disembarked on 6^th May 1915,

He then left Seaham on 7^th May 1915 and disembarked with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force on 28^th August 1915^{3k, 3l}.

His service record then shows that he was admitted to hospital with dysentery on the 6^th of October 1915^3c. Later, on 6^th December 1915 he was invalided to England from Alexandria^3c.

He must have been very ill with dysentery because he did not return to service until May 1916; he was posted to the Depot at Wallsall on the 15^th of May 1916^3c. After six months of home service he was then transferred to the British Expeditionary Force on 22^nd November 1916^3c and he embarked at Folkestone on the 23^rd November 1916^3d. Thus, he was sent to France as the battle of the Somme was coming to a close. He arrived at Calais on the 25^th November 1916^3d, presumably to start the normal training in one of the base camps such as Etaples.

He joined his regiment in the field on 11^th December 1916^3d to start a winter in the trenches.

On the 15^th January 1917 he was admitted to the field hospital with tonsillitis^3d and he rejoined his battalion on the 17^th January, just two days later^3d. Two days hardly seems enough for him to have recovered properly from tonsillitis.

On 27^th January 1917 he was admitted to hospital with what looks like “P.N.6” or “P.M.6”. ^3d We cannot read the writing on the report and do not know what it says or means. Whatever it was, it kept him out of action for nearly a month because he did not rejoin his battalion until 21^st February 1917^3d.

On 20^th May 1917 he contracted “P.U.6” or “P.N.6” again^3d and was admitted to hospital.

The next few entries in his service record are difficult to decipher. They all involve “P.U.6” (or whatever it is) and at some stage he arrived in Calais, which implies a trip back to England. He rejoined his battalion in the field on 11^th July 1917^3d.

This is borne out by the fact that in their issue of the 25^th July 1917^7a, the Uttoxeter Advertiser reported that Ernest had been admitted to No. 2 Canadian General Hospital, France, suffering from ‘illness’. His obituary in the Uttoxeter Advertiser^{7b, 8} later reported that he had been invalided home afterwards, spending five months in hospital. He then had a period of sick-leave at home before returning to the front^{7b, 8}.

Ernest’s service record shows that he was granted further leave from 21^st to 30^th August 1917^3d and it then tells us that he was posted to the 1^st/5^th North Staffordshire Regiment in the field on the 25^th October 1917^{3d, 3j}.

He was killed in action^3d less than three months later, on the 9^th of January 1918. He died at Philosophe, France, having served for over twelve months in France/Flanders^{7b, 8}.

His service record shows that by the time of his death he had served for a total of 3 years and 18 days^3j.

In the Uttoxeter Advertiser’s obituary^7b, it was stated that news of Ernest’s death was conveyed to his mother in a letter from one of his friends.

Ernest’s parents waited a long time for his personal effects to be returned to them. The process did not even begin until 26^th April 1918, when a letter was sent from the War Office to the officer in charge of Infantry Records at Lichfield^3e. This letter instructed that any articles of personal property now in their possession or subsequently received by them should be sent to Ernest’s mother. The same was to happen with any medals granted to Ernest.

On the 10^th May 1918 the Officer in charge of Records at Lichfield sent a number of articles of private property to Mrs. Chatfield^3f. They comprised the following:

·         Photo case

·         Religious Book

·         Photos

·         Letters

·         Cards

·         Tweezers in Case

The letter and property were sent to 4 Silver Street, rather than 14 Silver Street, but they evidently reached the right place because Mrs. Chatfield acknowledged their arrival on 17^th May 1918^3f. The town was small and we imagine that the postman will have known which house to take the parcel to.

Sarah Chatfield included a query on the acknowledgement form that said the following^3f:

My son had a watch and a cigarette case leather with Silver Edges, a Comrade wrote to say that these articles had been duly posted up with the rest which I...[the rest of the message was on the back of the card, and we do not know what it said]

We wonder whether or not these missing articles were ever retrieved?