WORLD WAR ONE NORTHAMPTON INDEPENDENT SOLDIER NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
PTE W. AINGE of the Northamptons, July 1917
Pte. Ainge, who repaired over 52,000 pairs of army boots at his shop on Regent Square, is now running a repair
workshop for the Headquarters of the 3rd Northamptons Labour Battalion in France.
“We annihilated two whole German divisions the other night, not a man left alive. They were caught on masse as they
were about to counter attack. The first line of our gunners sent shells over their heads. Then another line of gunners dropped
in front of them and in this position they could neither advance nor retire. A third line of gunners opened fire into the middle of
them and then sea-sawed backwards and forwards. The Germans were caught like rats in a trap. The sound of the cannon was
awful, ten times louder than thunder, and each roll like so many gigantic kettle drums of which the drummers never paused.
It lasted hours on end, and when it stopped it seemed the stillness of death itself. You felt you had lost something ; you did know
what.
We saw a lot of German prisoners during the push. They were quite dazed. It would astonish you to see the way our Tommies
treat them- just like pals. “Ere yer are, if yer ‘ungry,” says Tommy, and hands over half his rations. “Can’t get a smoke, can’t yer?
Well, ‘eres a Woodbine”, and he hands over a cigarette, saying, “Poor beggar, he can’t help it. Don’t want to fight, do you Fritz?”
So it goes on. It’s past description.”
Below are copies of paintings that and a shop poster sent to me by Derek Bonstead. W Ainge was also a good artist in his own right.
