Officers' Photographs and Biographies from the 1st Battalion (1)

Cranley Charlton ONSLOW, CMG, CBE, DSO

Cranley Onslow was born in 1869, the son of Hamilton Cranley Onslow (born 1836) and Henrietta Fanny Onslow (nee Musgrove).

He attended Dover College before joining the Royal Military College at Sandhurst in 1889, passing out and becoming a Second Lieutenant in the Bedfordshire Regiment on the 8th November 1889. On the 11th August 1891 Cranley was promoted to full Lieutenant and served in the Isaza Expedition in 1892 and at Chitral on the Northwest Frontier, where the 1st battalion stormed the Malakand Pass in 1895.

In 1904 Cranley married Sydney Alice Hastings Franklin and they had the following children - Cranley Cedric Franklin Onslow (born and died in 1906), Denzil Richard Cranley Onslow (1909 to 1963), Geoffrey Harold Onslow (1912 to 1940), Doreen May Onslow (died 1982), Margaret Vivien Onslow, Jocelyn Anne Sydney Onslow.

Captain Onslow became a Major from the 8th June 1910 and was with the Depot when orders arrived on the 2nd August 1914 that returned him to the battalion in Ireland. He mobilised with the 1st battalion, sailed with them to France, fought at the battles of Mons, Le Cateau and the Marne in 1914, picking up a few bullet grazes along the way but nothing serious. However, he was wounded in the thigh by a German sniper on the 15th September 1914 during the battle of the Aisne. Four days later he left St Nazaire on the hospital ship SS Carisbrooke Castle for England at midnight and, following brief treatment at Netley hospital, his wife and friend collected him and returned him home to recover from his wound.

On the 12th January 1915, Major Onslow was back in France, joining the 2nd battalion as their temporary commanding officer. He led them at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in March 1915 before standing down as CO on the 20th March. Major Onslow was awarded the DSO in addition to the CMG in the 1915 King's birthday honours list for his handling of the battalion and led the battalion again from May 1915, through the battle of Festubert in May and the second action at Givenchy in June.

He was commanding the battalion during the Battle of Loos when he was wounded again and removed from the front lines. Cranley returned to them on the 24th January 1916, becoming the Commanding Officer a day later. However, within a week he was moved to command the 1st battalion, joining them on the 1st February 1916. Promotion to full Lieutenant-Colonel came on the 17th February 1916 and he temporarily commanded the 15th Brigade in March and June 1916, before moving to command the 57th Brigade from the 14th June. On the 31st August 1916 he was gazetted a Temporary Brigadier General and led the 7th Brigade during the Battle of Messines in 1917.

In addition to his campaign medals, the Distinguished Service Order and his C.M.G., Brigadier-General Onslow also won the Croix de Guerre and was mentioned in despatches three times during the Great War. In December 1922 Colonel Onslow was awarded the CB whilst in command of the Staffordshire Infantry Brigade and was on the Dover Town Council in 1926.

Cranley Charlton Onslow died at home (Henry VIII Gateway, Windsor Castle) on the 17th December 1940.

A few months earlier had also seen another family tragedy. Cranley's second surviving son, Geoffrey Harold Onslow (number 67120), was a temporary Captain in the 2nd battalion of the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment. He was with the battalion during the 'Phoney War' and fought in the retreat to Dunkirk in 1940 when he died in action on 1st June 1940. Whilst bringing up the rear of his Company that day, he was badly wounded in the head by shrapnel and moved to the beach from which the army were being evacuated. Sadly, he was hit again by a strafing German aircraft whilst being tended by medics and killed instantly. Captain Onslow was 28 years old and is buried at the De Panne Communal Cemetery in Belgium.

The Imperial War Museum hold Cranley's short, hand written memoirs under reference 4717 (86/9/1) and a photograph of him. They cover the period from early August to the 19th of September 1914 and make for interesting reading.

As a lovely additional touch to his story, his grandaughter - Jane Dobner - got in touch in 2010 and kindly offered a photograph of his medals which make for an impressive display from a man with a career in the British Army behind him.

Joseph Afford, M.C., D.C.M. Private, later WOII 8939, 2nd and 1st battalions the Bedfordshire regiment Lieutenant, later Temporary Captain, Yorkshire Regiment

Phillip Afford recently got in touch about his grandfather, Joseph Afford, M.C., D.C.M. By collating his service record and several other sources, we have been able to piece together some of his fascinating record of service. Joe was born in Offord D'Arcy in Huntingdonshire on the 18th April 1888, the son of Charles and Jane Afford. The 18 year old Labourer enlisted into the Bedfordshire Regiment on the 18th February 1907 having served in the of the 4th Volunteer (Huntingdonshire) Company of the Bedfords beforehand. After training he was posted to Gibraltar as Private 8939 and served there between August 1907 and January 1910, after which time he went to Bermuda until January 1912. Whilst in the Caribbean Joe was reprimanded for falling asleep on another Privates bed and caught selling Ration biscuits without permission! Joe and the battalion moved to South Africa in January 1912 and were there until September 1914 when they were recalled to fight in the European war. Whilst there, the army found Joe gambling twice and he was busted down from Corporal to Private!

Private Afford set foot in France on the 6th October 1914 as part of the 2nd battalion and fought in the fast and furious First Battle of Ypres. After a week of constant fighting, on the 26th October the battalion supported the Guards' attack on Becelaere, east of Polygon Wood. Both the Guards and the Bedfords were held to within 50 yards of their trenches by intense rifle and MG fire which stalled the attack immediately. Joe was one of dozens of men who were missing that day but turned up several days later at No.5 CCS with a gunshot wound to his foot. He spent six months recovering and being retrained until arriving back in France on the 13th May 1915, to continue his service with the 1st battalion.

Joe served with the battalion in the defence of Hill 60 near Ypres and helped to hold the position despite German mining, raids and the constant, unwanted attentions of enemy snipers. At the end of July Joe was a Lance Corporal and the battalion were moved from the front line as the New Army started to arrive in force. They found themselves in a new stretch of the line in the region called the Somme, where they would remain until February 1916. Other than the deadly usual routines of raiding, patrols, barrages and sniping Joe and the battalion settled into a 'relatively peaceful' spell of trench warfare and Joe was promoted to Corporal in December 1915. February 1916 saw a move to the Arras sector and several mines and localised attacks kept them on their toes. They remained near Arras until moved back to near Albert on the Somme again in June, at which time Joe became a Sergeant.

Joe and his comrades were spared the carnage of the early phases of the Battle of the Somme and were committed to their first frontal assault against Longueval on the 27th July. In a brutal but determined assault with a horrific barrage raining down on them throughout, the battalion took the village at a cost of over 300 Officers and men, a third of whom were killed outright. During the chaos Joe's Company Commander was wounded so he carried him back to the Regimental Aid post, through the intense artillery and MG fire. Joe himself was shocked through being buried by the shell fire but carried on. Once his Officer was safe, he rushed back to the lines and resumed command of the remnants of the Company as all their Officers were down. Sending messages back constantly and organising the survivors, Joe helped considerably in holding their hard won positions. That night the battalion were relieved but called back later the next day to help repel the stream of German counter attacks that fell on the village and Delville Wood. Two more long days of intense fighting followed, costing the battalion a further 200 casualties. On their relief and unknown to the battalion, small pockets of men remained in the village, clinging to their posts for two more days, such was the determination of the battalion to hold their ground.

Joe won a well earned D.C.M. for his actions at Longueval and was promoted to Company Sergeant Major at the end of July and then to WOII on the 11th September 1916. His DCM citation in the London Gazette, dated 22nd September 1916 reads:

"8939 Sjt. J. Afford, Bedf. R. For conspicuous gallantry during operations. When his Company Commander was brought in wounded, he carried him back under heavy shell and machine gun fire. Believing that all his company officers had become casualties he took charge, and sent in a good report of the situation though suffering from shock, after being wounded and buried."

Joe was wounded again at Morval in September 1916 and earned a Mention in Despatches for his conduct there.

C.S.M. Afford was granted a Commission for service in the field on the 3rd February 1917 and went on to serve as an Officer in the Yorkshire regiment. His promotion was recorded in the London Gazette's 6th March 1917 issue: "York. R. - Co. Serjt.-Maj. Joseph Afford, from Bedf. R. 3rd Feb. 1917."

Between July and September 1917 Joe fought in the Third Battle of Ypres, including operations at the White House that August, which saw him rise to Temporary Captain, and in October 1917 he was awarded the Military Cross to go with his D.C.M. His Military cross citation in the London Gazette, dated 7th March 1918 reads: "Lt. (A./Capt. Joseph Afford, York. R. For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in successfully carrying out their task -allotted to his company of capturing a house under heavy fire."

On the 1st December 1917 Joe was granted a Permanent Commission in the 6th Yorkshires, where he served the remainder of the war out.

During his eventful service, Joe Afford was Mentioned in Despatches three times, commissioned, won the Military Cross, Distinguished Conduct Medal, and promotion right the way through the NCO ranks, earned a 1914 Star with Clasp and Roses, plus the Victory and British War Medals. ]

Amongst his fellow Officers in the Bedfords and later the Yorkshire's, he was known as 'Joe Afford of Offord' and was also specifically and personally congratulated by one of his Generals whilst serving. Joe would have known RSM Bartlett too, who can be seen below and was killed at Morval.

After the war Joe had 3 sons, Phillip Afford's dad being the eldest, born in 1926. It appears that after 1918 Joe, as many of his comrades, struggled coming to terms with life, having seen and done so much during the war years. Joe and his wife Constance parted company and the boys, although having fairly regular contact with their father, did not know all that much about him. When the second war broke out Joe appears to have still been a Reservist and served as Captain 139285 when the 12th Battalion of the Green Howard's were formed in 1940, until they were amalgamated as the 161st Reconnaisance Regiment, the Green Howards, Royal Armoured Corps.

Following what can only be described as an eventful an eventful life, Joe Afford, M.C., D.C.M. died in Edinburgh Castle on the 16th February 1942, aged just 53. He is buried in Graveley Road, near St. Peters Church in Offord D'Arcy and St. Peters Church in Offord D'Arcy inaccurately lists Joe as killed in the Great War.

Additional family information Joe was one of 7 sons of Charles Afford of Offord D'Arcy Hunts., 5 of which served in the Colours. Joe was not the only brother to win the coveted D.C.M. and the four other Afford's to have served were:

Ebenezer Afford was in the Police Force in August 1914 near Warboys as well as a Coldstream Guards Reservist. He rejoined the Guards and fought as Private 582 in the early battles, quickly gaining promotion to Quarter Master Sergeant. He served throughout the war, including as an Instructor for the Canadian Officers' training School in France to help train the newly arrived men.

William Hine Afford, D.C.M. was also a Policeman before the war in the Northamptonshire Borough Force. He joined up when war was declared as Private 20048 and quickly rose to C.S.M. in the Northamptonshire regiment. On the 31st July 1916 he won the D.C.M. Although all his Officers were down he took command of the Company and refused to give an inch of ground despite being overwhelmed by the enemy.

Edward William Afford was born around May 1880 in Offord Cluny, Hunts. He served in the South African wars and later in India before the Great War broke out. Having gained the rank of Sergeant he was invalided out of the army as a result of wounds received.

Ernest Afford was born around 1883 and ran a business in Shrewsbury before the war. He enlisted and served as Gunner 362842 in the Royal Garrison Artillery.

Acting R.S.M. and W.O. Class II, 5710 William Franklin BARTLETT

William's Grandson, Chris Barrett, was kind enough to share these lovely photo's with me of one of the battalion's key NCO's from the war who anyone passing through the battalion at the time would certainly have known of, if not come across in person. William Franklin Bartlett was born in Lambeth, enlisted into the Bedfordshire Regiment from London and was a resident of Kennington in Surrey when the Great War broke out in August 1914. He is another superb example of an "Old Contemptible" who managed to survive until mid way through the war, despite the odds against it.

R.S.M. 5710 Bartlett was serving in the 1st Battalion in Ireland on the 4th August when war was declared and landed with them in France on the 16th August 1914. He fought in the early engagements of the war (Mons, Le Cateau and the Aisne) before winter set in and put a halt to proceedings. Having survived those battles as well as the desperate defence of Hill 60 and Ypres in the spring of 1915 as well as Loos in the same year, William was in the thick of things again on the Somme in 1916.

R.S.M. Bartlett survived the High Wood assaults of July 1916, the Battle of Guillemont early September and the Battle of Flers-Courcelette in the middle of the month until finally killed during the Battle of Morval at the end of the month. During the battles from which William survived, the Battalion suffered almost 800 casualties yet still managed to secure their objectives and once again prove themselves to be a formidable unit when attacking.

RSM William Bartlett was killed in action in the 1st Battalion on the 25th September 1916. Sadly, William has no known grave but is remembered on the Pier and Face 2 of the Thiepval Memorial to the missing.

The fantastic photos below show William at various stages of his career, as detailed from left to right:

Left; Lance Corporal Bartlett, complete with his marksman's proficiency badge and a two years good conduct badge on the left sleeve whilst serving in India.

Middle; dated 14th April 1905, William appears to be sporting a Sergeant Major Instructor (Signals) badge and the Sergeant lying down seems to be the gent shown "larking around" in the next set of photos.

Right; now wearing the star of a Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant on his right cuff, William is pictured getting married in 1908 at Tidworth in Hampshire.