Saturday November 7th, 1914
A HOLME CHAUFFEUR AT THE FRONT
Mr. Joseph Airey, of Holme, at the outbreak of war, was employed as chauffeur to Mrs. Winterbottom, wife of Lieut. Winterbottom, of the 5th Dragoon Guards. Mrs. Winterbottom offered her services and car and was accepted by the British Field Hospital for Belgium. On being invited to accompany her, Airey, who is about 19 and a well-known footballer, promptly responded. A few days later they left for Belgium. The first fighting Airey witnessed was at Termonde, where he helped to bring in the wounded. He soon became used to his job, and when the Germans began shelling the town they had to remove all the wounded from the hospital at Termonde to Antwerp. Their next station was Malines, and during the following fortnight they were kept so busily engaged that he remained in the car at nights snatching sleep whenever possible. Their services were being constantly requisitioned. Following upon the taking of Malines, they next fixed up at Fort Waalhem, one of the outer forts of Antwerp. Here Mrs. Winterbottom bravely drove her car along the shell-swept road to Antwerp, whilst Airey and his companion, a Belgian, occupied the back seat of the car. Whilst taking cover behind a house to repair a tyre, four shells burst just beyond them in rapid succession. As soon as possible they made for the next fort with their wounded. Whilst doing this one of the guns in Fort Waalhem burst and was rendered useless, and seven men were killed and 11 injured. They had to make the journey there to bring the wounded in. After these trying experiences they went into Antwerp and were there when the bombardment began. Airey went to the hospital where the task of removing the wounded had to be performed, all being taken to the cellars for safety, where they had to remain two days. Whilst taking the car to another house he and Mrs. Winterbottom heard a shell coming, and only just stepped back in time, the shell bursting two doors further on and blowing the door and windows in. When leaving Antwerp they had to cross a pontoon bridge, and they acted as guide to three large London omnibuses to Ghent, where they stayed a night, and then hurried forward to Bruges before proceeding to Ostend. At Ostend Mrs. Winterbottom crossed over to England for a few days, Airey being left with the car. When the Germans came into Ostend they only just escaped in time, and they passed through Dunkirk to Calais, where they picked up Mrs. Winterbottom, who had returned from England. Airey then brought the car over to Folkestone to be overhauled, staying three days whilst it was repaired. On their return they passed through Dunkirk to Funnes, where the hospital base had been formed. From here they went to the neighbourhood of Nieuport and Dixmude, where some furious fighting was going on, and they brought wounded Germans, Belgians, French and English into hospital. At Dixmude a German shrapnel burst over one of the ambulances and made several holes in the top, but fortunately did no further damage. At Nieuport, Airey and his mistress had another narrow escape. They had the car standing in a lane just outside the town when a shell dropped in the field just over the hedge, but buried itself in the ground before bursting. Four cows were grazing near but none was injured. On returning to Dunkirk on Wednesday last week, Airey had another narrow shave. Whilst putting his car in the garage an aeroplane dropped two bombs in the next street, killing a woman and a little boy and smashing all the windows in the street. He crossed to Dover on Wednesday night, sleeping throughout the journey on a deck chair, and came to London on Thursday, bringing the car for repairs. He came home on Friday night, giving his relatives and friends a surprise, for they thought him still in Belgium. His first enquiry was if there was any chance of a game of Rugby, which he dearly loves.
A HOLME CHAUFFEUR AT THE FRONT
Mr. Joseph Airey, of Holme, at the outbreak of war, was employed as chauffeur to Mrs. Winterbottom, wife of Lieut. Winterbottom, of the 5th Dragoon Guards. Mrs. Winterbottom offered her services and car and was accepted by the British Field Hospital for Belgium. On being invited to accompany her, Airey, who is about 19 and a well-known footballer, promptly responded. A few days later they left for Belgium. The first fighting Airey witnessed was at Termonde, where he helped to bring in the wounded. He soon became used to his job, and when the Germans began shelling the town they had to remove all the wounded from the hospital at Termonde to Antwerp. Their next station was Malines, and during the following fortnight they were kept so busily engaged that he remained in the car at nights snatching sleep whenever possible. Their services were being constantly requisitioned. Following upon the taking of Malines, they next fixed up at Fort Waalhem, one of the outer forts of Antwerp. Here Mrs. Winterbottom bravely drove her car along the shell-swept road to Antwerp, whilst Airey and his companion, a Belgian, occupied the back seat of the car. Whilst taking cover behind a house to repair a tyre, four shells burst just beyond them in rapid succession. As soon as possible they made for the next fort with their wounded. Whilst doing this one of the guns in Fort Waalhem burst and was rendered useless, and seven men were killed and 11 injured. They had to make the journey there to bring the wounded in. After these trying experiences they went into Antwerp and were there when the bombardment began. Airey went to the hospital where the task of removing the wounded had to be performed, all being taken to the cellars for safety, where they had to remain two days. Whilst taking the car to another house he and Mrs. Winterbottom heard a shell coming, and only just stepped back in time, the shell bursting two doors further on and blowing the door and windows in. When leaving Antwerp they had to cross a pontoon bridge, and they acted as guide to three large London omnibuses to Ghent, where they stayed a night, and then hurried forward to Bruges before proceeding to Ostend. At Ostend Mrs. Winterbottom crossed over to England for a few days, Airey being left with the car. When the Germans came into Ostend they only just escaped in time, and they passed through Dunkirk to Calais, where they picked up Mrs. Winterbottom, who had returned from England. Airey then brought the car over to Folkestone to be overhauled, staying three days whilst it was repaired. On their return they passed through Dunkirk to Funnes, where the hospital base had been formed. From here they went to the neighbourhood of Nieuport and Dixmude, where some furious fighting was going on, and they brought wounded Germans, Belgians, French and English into hospital. At Dixmude a German shrapnel burst over one of the ambulances and made several holes in the top, but fortunately did no further damage. At Nieuport, Airey and his mistress had another narrow escape. They had the car standing in a lane just outside the town when a shell dropped in the field just over the hedge, but buried itself in the ground before bursting. Four cows were grazing near but none was injured. On returning to Dunkirk on Wednesday last week, Airey had another narrow shave. Whilst putting his car in the garage an aeroplane dropped two bombs in the next street, killing a woman and a little boy and smashing all the windows in the street. He crossed to Dover on Wednesday night, sleeping throughout the journey on a deck chair, and came to London on Thursday, bringing the car for repairs. He came home on Friday night, giving his relatives and friends a surprise, for they thought him still in Belgium. His first enquiry was if there was any chance of a game of Rugby, which he dearly loves.
