After men joined the army
they were sent to local army camps to be turned into soldiers. As
experienced officers were needed in France to organise the war against
the Germans, elderly people were bought out of retirement to train
the men. These men were often over the age of sixty. One sixty five
year old officer died of a heart attack while on parade. Another gave
out instructions while sitting in his bath-chair. An elderly cavalry
officer weighed over 20 stone and the regiment had great difficulty
finding a horse that could carry him. They also had to build a special
loading platform so that the officer could get on his horse.
Training camps rarely had
enough huts for men. Most of the recruits had to sleep in tents. Conditions
in these tents in winter were appalling and there were several examples
of soldiers going on strike. Eventually it was decided to billet the
men in local towns and villages. This also created serious problems.
One soldier, Charles Cain, admitted later that the recruits sometimes
took advantage of their hosts: "ten soldiers were billeted to
one women who had three teenage daughters, and the mother and all
the daughters finished up the family way."
People in East Grinstead
became very concerned about the activities of the soldiers in the
town. In 1915 a Women's
Patrol was set up in an effort to stop local women from becoming
too friendly with the soldiers. However, an increasing number of single
women became pregnant. Between 1914 and 1918 the illegitimacy rate
increased by 30%.
Ronald McNeill, a Conservative M.P. advocated that the State should
adopt these 'war babies'. McNeill argued that these children should
be put into institutions and prevented from getting married. Mrs.
Godwin of Melrose House was the main supporter of this campaign in
East Grinstead,
Chris
Swanson and James Smith
(Sackville School)
London Rifle Brigade marching
up London Road
in East Grinstead on 10th September 1914
(1)
Mrs. A. Godwin, letter in East Grinstead Observer (1st May,
1915)
Can we expect God's help to beat the Germans when we directly break
the laws. How many men now lies stiff and stark upon the battlefield
and has left a son to be born to disgrace. How can we expect a country
peopled by illegitimate offspring to be able to conquer our enemies.
Let a law be passed at once that all illegitimate children belong
to the state and must be sent to a government institute at the age
of one month, and be known henceforth as state children. These people
should be forbidden to marry. This will prevent evil in the future
and that the evil will come to an end with the death of the individual.
(2)
A. W. True, letter to the East Grinstead Observer (8th May,
1915)
In her letter Mrs. Godwin says a lot about breaking laws of God. We
hear a lot about justice, but not much about mercy. I am not excusing
them, both the men and the girls are to blame. They have done wrong
and they will have to suffer. I cannot understand anyone who has been
a mother writing such stuff. Fancy taking the children away from the
mother at the age of a month just when a child needs a mother's love
most. It is bad enough to deprive a child of one parent, it would
be worse to deprive it of both. Why should children suffer for the
sins of their parents.
Last
updated: 20th August 2002
Available
from Amazon Books (order below)
