Genealogical war memorials for Bournemouth’s fallen.
Battle of the Aisne: September 17th, 1914
Introduction
Tales from the Front (8) tells the story of George Robert Newman, Bournemouth-born, who fought in the Great War. His unit, the 2nd Battalion, King’s Royal Rifle Corps, belonged to the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 1st Corps. Newman, 19, fell on September 17th, 1914, during the Battle of the Aisne.
Tales from the Front (8): Part 1
“At them with bayonets”
Army stories Newman heard at his grandfather’s knee may have given him an awareness of what he would face in Belgium and France. The old man had served in the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny. Even so, the texture of the autumn campaign may have surprised him. In the beginning, French cigarettes and groceries had pelted the troops, but soon, German artillery shells took their place. Twelve days marching in retreat, one day’s halt. The enemy, pretending to surrender, used this as a tactic to approach and continue the fight. On September 13th, according to a survivor’s account published in the press, the battalion had to clear the enemy from a ridge at bayonet point. Newman perhaps participated in this action. No stories, however, could have prepared him for the events on the next day. One diarist wrote, ‘this day will ever remain in my memory’.
Tales from the Front (8): Part 2
A military tradition
Newman’s maternal grandmother, an Irish woman, had accompanied her first husband to the Crimea and to India. She experienced Balaklava and Lucknow. After becoming a widow in 1862, she married Robert Hall, who also served with the Royal Artillery. She and her first husband had known him for years. In 1876, Hall received his discharge as a sergeant major. The 1881 census placed the family, including Newman’s mother, born in India, living on Tregonwell Road, Bournemouth. He worked as a drill sergeant for the local volunteers. Ten years later, they had moved to Cardigan Road, Winton. Hall continued as a drill instructor. Newman’s mother will have met and married Newman’s father here, his father also living in Winton. Robert Hall had so established himself amongst the community that, on his passing, the local press printed a fulsome obituary of this ‘Crimean veteran’. Newman’s father’s family went back to a Hampshire tranter.
Strong tradition and support
Newman’s grandparents would have shaped his upbringing for all his life. All but one survived him. Among them, his grandmother, Ellen (Rafferty) Hall, stood out for her resilience, even being mentioned in her husband’s obituary as someone who stayed close to him during challenging times. Although ten years older than her husband, she survived him. The family looked after their own, lending support whenever it was needed—for example, when Newman’s sister became a single mother, she found acceptance at home. His grandparents would have ingrained in Newman a deep appreciation for Hampshire’s rural traditions and overseas military service. He may have tagged along with Robert Hall to the drill hall, observing men from varied backgrounds cooperating. By 1911, Newman played his part by running errands for a tailor, contributing to the family’s well-being. Thus, he carried over to France well-developed values of military tradition and mutual support.
Tales from the Front (8): Part 3
The sad day
The Battle of the Marne had produced few problems for Newman’s unit, but everything changed at the Aisne. This time, the enemy conducted stout resistance. A diarist left a lengthy and vivid account of September 14th, the day when the battalion encountered its first substantial action. Despite their resistance, some of the enemy appeared to surrender, but they used it to resume fighting at close range. The diarist described this day as ‘a terrible gruelling’. He referred to over 500 casualties, over 70 killed in action. The rain on that day continued until the 17th. Quagmires abounded; trenches gained six inches of water. After a temporary pause, the action restarted. Once again, more false surrenders occurred. ‘I don’t suppose I shall get back, chances don’t seem too rosy just now. It isn’t warfare, it’s murder.’ Amongst this carnage, 41 men fell, George Robert Newman among them.
Aftermath
Newman’s uncle moved north, married, and spent much of his life in railway work. His sister, Newman’s mother, had a long life in Bournemouth, experiencing another world war. His father, an unskilled labourer, worked for many years on the town’s sewage system. Newman’s half-sister may have married a corporal in the Rifle Brigade, maintaining the family’s military tradition. Thus, the family retained its place within the social terrain.
After its gruelling time on the Aisne, the 2nd Battalion, King’s Royal Rifles went into recovery. By the middle of October, however, they had moved north to defend the Ypres salient. Fighting resumed. The appalled diarist noted: ‘We counted 1,500 dead in this position alone. It was worse than the Aisne, but we had trenches dug by afternoon.’ Soon, the battalion had lost over a hundred men, dead. This became the theme: mud and bombs, with the enemy nine yards away.
Takeaway
Tales from the Front (8) has followed the life, world, and military service of George Robert Newman (1895-1914), who served in France with the 2nd Battalion, King’s Royal Rifle Corps. Stories of the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny, heard at his grandfather’s knee, may have given him some idea of military service. The new warfare he experienced in France, however, may have shown him how much had changed.
‘Tales from the Front’
A collection of personal stories honouring the Bournemouth natives who gave their lives on the battlefield and the regiments with which they served. Blending social and military history with genealogical insight, it explores their roots, families, occupations, and the ultimate sacrifices they made for their country.
Set against the backdrop of regimental war diaries and enriched by period media accounts, the series offers a powerful and intimate portrait of Bournemouth’s wartime heroes — a mosaic of personal courage within the broader sweep of history.
Serving as a companion and continuation of Victorian Bournemouth, Tales from the Front forms part of News from the Past: History for the Rest of Us.
References
For references and engagement, please get in touch. Main primary sources: here and here (subscriptions needed). For War Diaries, go here. See also here. The featured picture shows an imagined scene.
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