Arthur Aylett was on the list of interviewees undertaken by the late Dr. Alf Peacock (of the York Educational Settlement and editor of the magazine 'Gunfire').  In the 1980s, he interviewed around 220 veterans of WW1.  After his death they were given to the York Oral History Society who, with the support of Lottery funding, transcribed them, contacted living relatives and published a book in 2014, "These Were Earth's Best: Voices of the First World War", (copies are still available).  Arthur's interview was used in the book and is the only recollection of the Waggoners in the text.

Ref: York Oral History Society, interview GW8, email; contact@yorkoralhistory.org.uk

VOICES OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR - ARTHUR AYLETT

- Today's the 6* of March 1981 and we're in Allerthorpe. You're Mr Arthur Aylett. I know you're 88 years of age. When were you born then?

I was born 14 April 1893. So it's 88. Two fat ladies.

- Where were you born then Arthur?

Cherry Burton near Beverley.

- Were you from a big family?

Yes. There was 13 of us.

- Were there? How many boys?

Six.

- How many of you went into the 1914 war?

I had other two brothers there.

- Did they get through it?

Yes. My brother Ted, he didn't go while the finish up. He was over young you see. He went out into Germany after Armistice. So he wasn't in any fighting.

- What did your dad do?

He was roadman on York/Hull Road, from Market Weighton to Hayton Bridge. There used to be bridges in them days. There used to be t'railway bridge at Market Weighton and beck at Hayton, it was four mile. He worked that and broke his own stones and mended the whole road. It's different now.

- Isn't it just? You'd go to school in Cherry Burton?

No, Shiptonthorpe. I did all my schooling days at Shiptonthorpe.

- And you left school at what age?

13.

- 13. And then what did you do?

I went on a farm. I had £4 from April, my birthday was in April, to 23"* November, before Martinmas Day.

- Were you hired at one of the hirings?

Yes, Market Weighton.

- What were they like? Tell me what they were like.

There was a lot of stalls and suchlike. Some places there was steam horses, same as Holme feast we called it. For [showers?]

- And what would you fellows do?

We used to meet our pals there. We used to talk and farmers used to come up to us. "Do you want hiring?" "Yes". "What wage do you want?" "So and so". "No I want so and so". And we would make our bargains you see. They used to give us a fast, what we called a fast.

- How much was that?

Sometimes half a crown, sometimes five shillings, sometimes ten shillings just as you got higher up.

- So you'd get no money at all during the year?

No, unless you had a sub.

- Did you used to get a sub?

Yes. It was on feast one day and master had gone to Holme feast and his wife was left at home on t'farm. I thought, 'Well I'll have a sub to go to Holme feast on t'bike'. And I went to t'back door and I knocked for t'missus and missus came. She says, "What do you want Arthur?" I says, "I want a sub". She says, "I only have ninepence". And that's all she give us.
So I went to Holme on Spalding Moor and I saw t'master there and he was talking to some people. So I just pulled at his jacket and he turned round. "Hello my boy, what do you want?"
I says, "I want a sub". He says, "How much do you want?" I says, "A pound, a sovereign".Cos they were called sovereigns in them days. He says, "Here". Then next morning when I got up and he came out, he played hangment with me because I'd asked for this money in front of the other people. Anyway I got me pound.

- Arthur what kind of hours would you be working?

We used to get up half past five in summer time and we worked from 6 o'clock till 6 o'clock at night in t'fields. Then we had to come up with our horses and do our horses. Finish about eight. Cos we had our teas in between. We used to live in the farmhouse.

- Was the living quite good?

Some places and other places was bad.

- So did you change each year?

No, I stopped four year, I went to this farm, it was Mr Wilkinson at Everingham and I went there on the Monday, on the Thursday I got up and run away. I waited while my dad went to work, he went to work at seven on t'roads. I waited while he got out and I went home. My mother says, "Have you had your breakfast Arthur?" I says, "No". Cos I'd run away as soon as I got up. She didn't say anything to me, she gave me my breakfast and she said to my brother, "Go and tell your dad, your brother Arthur's run away". So he did.
My dad come and he had his road shovel in his hand. He came in and he says, "Where's that lad?" "I'm here". "What's tha run away forT I says, "I can't do that work, it's over hard".
He swore and said, "Come on. We'll take you back. I'll learn you to run away". I went through t'door and he up with shovel and let go at me. Missed me and he hit door jomb and he broke his shaft. And he run me right back.

- Did you stay then?

Yes I stopped four year.

- That would take you up to about when?

'13, four year.

So you were 17?

Yes, I joined East Yorkshire's.

- Now what made you join up Arthur?

There was a chap from Shiptonthorpe, he was in the Coldstream Guards. He came over on leave in Martinmas week, we were talking in t'pub and he got me to go. We went to Beverley and I joined up, he enlisted me. He got so much you see for taking me as a recruit.

- So you were at the Martinmas fair on that occasion and you were really looking for another job?

Oh yes.

- So you joined the army instead?

Yes, I joined the amiy. I went to Beverley, I was in Beverley barracks.

- There'd only been two battalions of the East Yorkshires then.

I was in the 1st battalion.

- The other one would be stationed abroad wouldn't it?

Yes. I joined up and I was there six months.

- What kind of training would you be doing then?

Rifle training and all such as that. And marching.

- What was your uniform like in pre-war years then Arthur?

We had scarlet for walking out and we had khaki in t'ordinary, everyday wear. We had overalls on top of them if we was doing dirty work.

- Were you quite happy in the army?

I was happy but I didn't like it. I telled me mam I didn't like it and she telled me dad. Well my dad was working on t'roads and he knew all t'farmers round about in that district and there was Mr Lazenby at [Renwick?] near Shiptonthorpe. He saw him and asked how I was going on. He says, "He's fed up on it, he wants to be out". He says, "I wonder if I can buy him out.
He says, "We can only go see". So he came to Beverley barracks. They fetched me, they went into t'guard house. They sent for me. I was in t'rooms. I went down and he asked me if I would go and work for him and he would pay. It was ten guineas to get me out. It was a lot of money in them days. But I had to pay it out of my wage when I had Martinmas. So I did, so I came out. Good job I did, because all them lads I was with was all killed in the Battle of Mons. Year after I joined Waggoner's Reserves.

- When you came out of the army what year would that?

1912 when I came out.

- So you went and worked on the farms again?

Yes.

- And then you joined... ?

The Waggoner's Reserves on 9th January. We had... I have a badge and I have my army badge what I had during the war. Sir Mark Sykes of Sledmere, he got 1500 of us. He gave us a pound apiece, each, to be on the Waggoner's Reserves. We had horses you know on t'farms but we used to go to the shows such as Market Weighton show and Pocklington show and drive on the figure of 8 for prizes.

- The members of the Waggoners' Reserve?

Yes.

- How did they recruit for that?

They came one Saturday night to Market Weighton cos they sent leaflets out and we went. They called it the silly quid. He gave us, doctor was there and he examined us, just to see we was all right. That we had our eyesight all right and that. We signed our name and he gave us a pound.

- What year would that be?

That was, I joined up in 1914, January. Then I was on a farm, we was harvesting and postman came into t'field. Not to the farm. He had to give it by hand. He had to give me my calling up papers. There was a fair lot on us from Market Weighton, we was called up on 6th August. War broke out on the 4th', we were called up on the 6th. We had to be at Bradford that day. We got our uniforms at Bradford. Next day at 6 o'clock they marched us through Bradford streets to t'station, we had brass band afront us. We landed up at Holyhead. And got on board there to Dublin. And we went to Portabello Barracks there, the REs was there and pontoons. We joined then, the Royal Engineers. That was on the Wednesday. Then on the Thursday moming we was, all our horses and pontoons marched to Dublin docks, got on board ship straight to France.

- So you were in France before the end of August?

Oh yes.

- Will you tell me what you did in the Waggoner's Reserves before war broke out? What kind of commitment...?

No training or anything, all we had was our badge and red and white, blue ribbon across, for t'button to button.

- Had you any idea that war was likely to break out?

Oh yes they were always talking about it. When I was in the army in 1911, '12, they were taking about it then.

- So you weren't surprised when war broke out?

No we wasn't surprised. No.

- So you went off from the harvest field over to France via Ireland? And you anived in France where?

Le Havre. When we got on board t'train there, we went to Cambrai. We got off there and we marched to Mons. We was just going into Mons and Germans was coming in at t'other end. So we had to turn round and retreat.

- On foot?

Well we had our horses.

- What was your job at the time?

Driving horses.

- What kind of vehicle would you be driving, a limber or a GS wagon?

Pontoon. There was trestle wagons with wooden pontoons on top, boats, like.

- So you had to turn round and... ?

Come back. We landed at Campagnie Forest. Our major, we was cut off. we'd no food or anything for a week. All we had was fmit we pulled off of trees. Then we landed at Rouen.
Sir Mark Sykes came out to find us because we was reported in this country missing or captured. He found us there. We'd just landed there. I was on guard at gate, we had double guard at gate. He came and of course we stopped him and he wanted to know if there was any Waggon Reserves there. I said, "Yes sir, I was one". He says, "That's good, I'll get 'em to send a relief man out. I want to have a word with you all". So they did. And I went back into t'camp and he got onto the G S wagon and he spoke to us. And asked us if there was anything we wanted. Oh yes, we wanted shirts, socks, tobacco, cigarettes. We wanted everything. He said he would send it and he did. And we got it. We got shirts and body belts and socks, cigarettes.

- What's a body belt Arthur?

To go round your middle.

- Just to protect you? Just warmth?

Just warmth.

- Can you tell me about that retreat? Did the Germans catch up with you? Were you under shellfire?

Oh yes. We'd gotten out of Campagnie Forest. It was 21 mile across it either way. We was pulled in at a place, I don't know what they called it now, and Germans came past during t'night, marching, infantry And we went and telled our major. He got up and he says, "Keep quiet". And we set off next morning. We got up, we set off and we went same way. I found we should be into it. We never saw them Germans but we was on side of a hill and down below there was another road, you could see straight down. There was the French soldiers, infantry and these Germans collared them all. We went straight on and they left us.

- And you were being shelled a lot of the time?

Oh yes.

- What about casualties?

We never had casualties, only horses, some of them got hit with shrapnel.

- So you eventually ended up in Rouen?

Yes we landed up there and then we set off again and landed up nearly to Paris. We bridged the River Seine. We had bridges at different places. That's all we had to do. And when our bridges was down, we had our trestle wagons. And we used to take sappers up to t'front. They was mining underneath Germans' trenches.

- In these eariy days or was this a bit later on?

Later on. In'16.

- So then after the retreat, then they began this race to the sea, what were you doing then before the trenches were established?

In 1915 we had trenches then.

- I was thinking of 1914.

Oh 1914.

- You got to Paris and then...?

We moved 'em back again.

- What was your part in all that?

We was building over the rivers for our men to get across.

- How far behind the fighting would you be then?

Sometimes we'd been nearly up to t'front.

- Yes. And would you be building this stuff yourself or would the engineers be building that?

Oh the engineers. We had nothing at all to do with building. All we did was drive.

- The transport. Where were you at Christmas 1914?

I was just outside St Omer. We was on a farm there.

- You were telling me you were in the first gas attack?

Yes.

- And you were taking sappers up?

As we was going up, they'd sent some gas over before. And there were soldiers laid dead both sides of t'road. Then when we got nearer to t'front, they were all over. Gas came again and we tumed round and came back and we had to run over the soldiers with wagon wheels because you couldn't miss them. My brother he was in same team as me, he was my leader, there were six horses in t'wagons, in t'pontoons. He was my leader. A chap from Market Weighton, he was centre lead and I was wheeler. My brother stopped. There was an English soldier there. He said, "What's up? What about these chaps?" Cos they were laid all over. He says, "Carry on, you can't hurt them, they're dead". So off we went. That was worst I ever saw like with gas. Anyway.

- When you say you were taking sappers up, were you taking them up on these wagons?

There was just like a rail at the other side for t'pontoons to rest on. They were made for purpose. Well they used to sit on these. We had some trestle boards for their feet, else they were all skeletons was wagons while they got packed up.

- And there'd be six horses in a team pulling you?

Yes, six horses on a team.

- How far behind the lines did you see these people lying dead in the road?

Mebbe 100 yards that's all. They were shelling and firing at us, there were snipers on t'side of us.

- And you went as close as that?

Yes, oh yes. Our major when we were coming from Mons, come out of Mons, he says, he got onto the wagon and he spoke to us. He says, "It's every man for hisself now but I hope you'll all keep together". And we did. And we got through.

- You had no gas masks in those early days?

No then they gave us muslin with cotton wool in with some stuff on it. I don't know what it was. We used to tie it round our mouth and nose, fasten to t'top of our heads, you'd think everybody had toothache. Then they gave us gas masks. They had a tube and two glasses at front to see through. We had a tube in our mouth, you couldn't blow in, you could blow out.

- Arthur you would be going up in the night time doing these deliveries?

Always night time.

- What you've just been describing to me wasn't night time was it?

Yes, yes. Always night time.

- Would you go up every night?

Very near.

- And you'd always be taking...?

Sappers up. When we had our pontoons down at river.

- What would you be doing when they weren't needed?

Exercising our horses. We was away from t'front line then.

- But you'd always be delivering these pontoons?

Yes we were always with the pontoons with the Royal Engineers.

- How long did you stop in the Ypres area?

Neariy all t'time.

- I thought you went down onto the Somme eventually.

We did but that was afore that. When we came back from Mons. It would be, we was up there, and we came back and we put a bridge down. I don't know what, I don't think I have paper now. It's gotten wom out. I had my discharge paper wKh all our medals and t'lot you see and battles we was in. We put a bridge down, the first bridge I ever saw, pontoon bridge, we put three pontoons, they did, into t'river and the first three they put in, Germans had range on it and they smashed them all up. All three pontoons. Straightaway. We cleared out away, we went next night we went five mile further up the river. We put the bridge up down there. And where them soldiers come from, I don't know. There was hundreds went over this bridge. They were all out of sight. We never saw them while they started to go over, course they were marching in fours in them days. Then we had to go across. Well that was a job with trestle wagons. Horses shoved at one another away from... because they could see t'water. They rose up at front did these like that horse, up and down. After that we got to know, we used to go full gallop across. That was a lot better.

- You weren't supposed to gallop those horses were you?

No, we wasn't allowed. We used to do it just across these, what do you call it? We used to trot up if we got behind. Of course we was in the second bridging train. There was the first bridging train and the second bridging train. I was in the second, that was about 15 pontoons, 50 wagons. Then there was G S wagons, then there was the Red Cross wagon, well cart it was. The chap from Driffield, he used to drive that. He used to have one horse in Red Cross cart.

- How far apart would you be because if you were too close together you could get shelled?

Oh we used to keep about 5 or 6 yards, that's all. You had to keep up. And we landed at a place called [Bermonze?], right on top of a hill. We couldn't get up this hill, our horses kept slipping, it was that steep. We had to unhook at bottom and a farmer yoked his cattle and he pulled our wagons up onto t'top. This is true. These cows or bullocks, whatever you like to call them, they could (hook?) because they had hoofs. It was just slippy.

- Where were you at Christmas 1915?

I was out there at...we were stopped. We stopped at trenches as well, we was at a place called Benanza. We were 6 months, then we went to [Claimorrie?] forest. We started building bridges, well they did, we kept taking them.

- You told me that you were down on the Somme during the big attack?

Oh yes

- You must have seen that big build up then?

Oh yes, there was horses and men on both sides of t'road, dead. And horses, some of them had been laid 5 or 6 days or more. Their legs was up, all blown up. All you could do was smell death. It's a sickly feeling. There used to be days and days. When you got to work, you could still smell that death.

- Did you say you actually went into the trenches on occasion?

No, no, just went up to do that job and round again and off. We was up one night taking them and there was a bayonet charge. We saw it. I heard them soldiers five mile away screaming and shouting. That's a long while is five mile. By it was terrible. It was awful to hear when they're making a bayonet charge. I said, "I hope I never see another". I never did.

- Where would that be Arthur?

It was yon side of Ypres.

- So you remained doing that same job the whole war?

No I wasn't, I came out in 1916.

- You came out of the forces?

Yes.

- Why was that? Were you injured?

Time expired. You see we joined up for a twelve month in the Waggoner's Reserves. Well if war breaks out, you've an extra year to do. Well we put that extra year in. My brother, he took on. They gave him £15 and a month's leave to take on again. Well I wouldn't. I says, "I'm going back onto t'farm". He took his £15 and had a month's leave. He went back and he expected to be in t'same company. They shoved him into Duke of Wellington's, infantry. He was up in t'front trenches. Then he was at an outpost and they started shelling and they were buried with this shell. He was fighting his way out and he was t'only one alive, left. And he was fighting his way out, Jerry saw him and they shot him through t'hand. He lost use of his finger and thumb. And he run back, he got out, he run back into our trenches and he dropped into t'trenches and he knew nothing no more while he landed here in England. How he got from outside I don't know. And run across and went all of a sudden, I should think it was shock. I don't know.

- So you took a different course of action? What happened to you then Arthur?

I went onto the farm. I got married and went onto the farm. They kept calling me up but master, farmer, what I was working for, he kept going to tribunals and getting me off, right away while t'finish up. They sent me papers, called up again. And afore I had to go, war stopped, so they sent me one and I hadn't to go.