The Echo soldiers who served

A SCRAPBOOK page (On the facing page) from the Echo archive which, legend has it, depicts staff from the newspaper and its printing works, who served in World War One has seen looking back readers get in touch.

They are all named and one is a name many readers will be well aware of, W A Deakin, better known as Arthur pictured top left, who was the son of the Echo’s founder Joseph Deakin and who served through the whole of the conflict, and took part in the famous The Somme offensive in 1916.

Unfortunately we know precious little about the other soldiers, all are named, though one is a little unclear.

Top row, left to right:, W A Deakin, A little unclear, but looks like “W Hammond” and J Sheppard.

Middle row, left to right: W E Bramley, G Shepherd and R L Charlesworth

Bottom row, left to right: John Oldham, H Elliott and A Wood.

We showed the collage of photographs to former Echo editor John Rippin and he could remember a few

John said: “When I arrived at the Echo in 1955, W.E. Bramley (Bill) worked on the Echo’s flatbed printing machine that clanked away throughout Thursday nights to turn out copies of the paper.

“He was a very pleasant, quietlyspoken man. Alan Bramley, who joined the Echo as sports editor in around 1978, was I believe the son of Bill - although he might have been his grandson.

“I think G. Shepherd was probably George Shepherd who operated a Linotype type-setting machine.

“H Elliott was Horace Elliott who, I believe, worked on circulation. I definitely recall that he drove around in a small van collecting money from the newsagents.

“A Wood - I assume this was Arthur Wood, who in my early days was works manager of the Echo’s commercial (or jobbing) printing side.”

And now other readers have added their recollections.

Doreen Fowler e-mailed to say: “My father was Bill Bramley. He was at the Echo all his working life and we remember him working Thursday night’s printing the Echo.

“When the fair was there we would pop in with a hot dog for him and Pete Poole who worked with him.

“He had four children and we are all still living but I am the only one who is local.

“Alan was the youngest being 10 years between us. I do recall Dad speaking of Arthur Wood and Horace Elliott and I’m sure we must have met them.

“Also Fred Adcock who was killed in World War 1 had a brother Harry who was also in the war. He was our grandfather and became the Mace Bearer in Loughborough.”

Robert Bryans, 70, also got in touch regarding Horace Elliott, who was his grandfather.

He said that former Echo editor John Rippin was correct in remembering Horace as a van driver for the newspaper. Robert used to accompany him on his trips sometimes, adding that he thinks it was Austin van.

His grandad also used to service the car of the Echo’s owner Mr Deakin.

“He was a very clever man. He worked at the Echo for 50 years,,” said Robert.

He says Horace was served in the trenches for four years and was in the famous Blackwatch Scottish Highland regiment.

He also has a memory of his grandfather, suddenly getting an itch and rolling up one trouser leg to pick at the little dots of shrapnel, which peppered his limb and gradually worked their way to the skin’s surface as the years went by.

Horace lived in Nanpantan and when he died Robert’s grandma gave him his grandfather’s gold watch, which he had carried all through the war, which in turn had been given to him by his father. Sadly the watch was stolen in a burglary in 1999.

Kevin Mitchell who put together the The Loughborough Roll of Honour website, to honour those who served also got in touch saying that Walter Hammond had been killed in action and had been awarded the Miltary Medal.

Walter was born in 1890 in Loughborough, the son of James Hammond, a bricklayer.

In 1911 Walter was a printer’s apprentice at the Echo Works.

In the early summer of 1914 Walter married Ethel Lucy Sutton in Loughborough and the couple lived firstly at No. 34 then at No. 9 Shakespeare Street, Loughborough. In 1915 their first child, named Walter after his father, was born.

On 14th July 1916 Walter was reported missing.

The news of the award of the Military Medal to Walter was conveyed in a letter from the Captain of his company who wrote in reply to enquiries regarding Private Hammond’s whereabouts.

The Captain wrote: ‘We supplied the information to the base that your husband was wounded and I am awfully sorry to hear that you have heard nothing of him.

“He was wounded when we got well forward, by a bullet in the shoulder, and was dressed and sent back. He had to pass through a fair amount of shellfire on his way back, and may have been hit again, but I can get no news of this.

“He did wonderfully well with his gun, and has been awarded the Military Medal. Only four men in the battalion gained this glorious distinction, and he was one of them.

“All the men join in the wish that we shall still hear safe news of him, and we all send our many congratulations on him gaining this distinction. He was a splendid fellow. When I hear any news I will at once let you know.”

Walter’s body was never found. He was 25 when he was killed and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. He is also remembered on his mother’s gravestone in Loughborough Cemetery.

• Do you know anyone here? Please contact Andy Rush at Looking Back on 01509 635802

Email andy.rush@reachplc.com