Rushden's Casualty List - Victims of the War

Mr and Mrs H S Gates, of Wellingborough-road, Rushden, have the sympathy of their many friends in the district in the loss of their eldest son, Driver A Gates, Royal Horse Artillery, who died in France from bronchial pneumonia on November 26th. The Matron of the hospital at Le Harve wrote to Mr Gates to say that their son's condition had been serious from the beginning, but that he seemed to think he would recover. Driver Gates was one of the first from Rushden to join the Army after the outbreak of war in November, 1914. In April, 1915, he was sent to France, and server for 3½ years in the thick of the fighting. He had several very narrow escapes from death, more than once having his horses killed instantly by shell fire. Before the war he assisted in his father's business. He was well known and was very popular with his many friends and acquaintances in Rushden.

Pte H T Gates, 8th East Surreys, younger son of Mr and Mrs H. S. Gates, of Wellingborough road, Rushden, arrived home last week from Alsace-Lorraine, where he had been in captivity since March 23rd, this year. He was in the 18th Division, the name of which will be known for generations to come for the splendid way in which they carried out their order received on the third day of the retirement to "hold on to the last man, and not to give way on any account." The terrible sacrifice made by the 18th Division enabled the artillery to get back to safety. Pte Gates was taken prisoner with a few others who were not killed. For three days, with no food at all, he was compelled to assist in carrying German and British wounded (on poles and ground sheets) to Metz. Arriving there, all the prisoners were stripped of anything which the Germans wanted, such as field dressings, articles of rubber, printed matter, etc., and were then made to load shells. From that time they were given to divide between 20 men a loaf of German black "bread," a sample of which he brought home. It is hard and very heavy, the colour of earth, and obviously contains a lot of saw-dust. As a change from loading shells the prisoners were compelled to work on constructing railways and roads for the German advance to Paris, working from early morning till dark on one slice of "bread" only.

The Germans told our men that they would be in Paris within a few days, but the accounts given by later prisoners revealed the fact that the German plans had gone wrong. When our men asked for more food the German would reply: "You cannot have more food until your Navy raises the blockade". Even the German soldiers have to send some of their coarse rations home to keep relatives from hunger. Pte Gates says that even the day before the Armistice, Alsatians and Austrians deserted from the German army, threw down their arms, and wore the revolutionist colours. He was one of about 500 who started to march to the French lines, over 100 of whom perished on the journey, which took three days, and it was only the thought of freedom and home that sustained the remainder. Pte Gates is rapidly recovering from the effects of his unenviable adventures.