As the Great War continued the by-product, as it always is, was wounds and death, while the lucky ones were being held by the Germans as prisoners of war. Private Thomas Edward Allcock, of 2nd KOYLI, was living a tolerable existence as a prisoner of war in Germany. Employed at the Wire Works in Balby, Allcock like many had to rejoin his old regiment at the outbreak of the war. For more than two months his wife and children had waited in suspense for news of him and then came the information that he had been captured by the Germans in the Mons retreat. He was being held at St Liga prisoners’ camp, Paderborn, Germany, and though he was not exactly living on the fat of the land, he was in good health and spirits, and had received the various parcels of luxuries his wife had sent to him. Private Allcock’s home was at 1, Chapel Yard, East Laith Gate.
The majority of the men were not so lucky. Private H. Lunn of the 5th Battalion Doncaster Territorials was reported killed, and Sergeant J. R. Worrall, Private F. Depledge, and Private J. Holland of the same battalion were wounded. Mr and Mrs Hemingway and family, of 69 Victoria Street, Doncaster, publicly thanked their friends, ‘for the sympathy shown to them on the death of their son, Private H.S. Hemingway of the 1/5th KOYLI, who was killed in France while doing his duty’. Private William Albert Pike of the Doncaster Territorials (KOYLI), and formerly of 10 Beechfield Road, Doncaster, was killed in action on the French Flanders battlefield. He had held a position with the firm of Messrs W. Baddiley and Co, solicitors, of Priory Place. The list goes on... .
Sometimes the news of the deaths was not conveyed quickly and was preceded by a ‘missing in action’ report. Sometimes the heartrending news took months to filter through the system. In the case of Private J. Brooks, of C Company (Doncaster Territorials), 1/5th KOYLI, it took five months for the sad news to arrive. Just a few weeks before Brooks’ demise he had written a letter to the Mayoress of Doncaster, Mrs Balmforth, which makes the news of his death all the more heartbreaking, for he had hoped, as his fellow comrades had, that they would return to Doncaster unscathed. The letter reads:
‘Dear Madam,
‘Just a line to say that we of the 1/5th KOYLI somewhere in France, are very interested to hear of your support for us. The people of Doncaster do not realise the horror of grim war and death quite the same as the lads who left the town on that fateful day last August. You will doubtless be pleased to know that we Doncaster lads follow with deep interest the ‘doings’ of the ancient and historic town of ‘Donny’, and we are much delighted by the report of the recent recruiting campaign in your midst. We have just come out of the trenches for six days and are having a well-earned rest which we deeply appreciate. We can only add that the thought of the old town is ever with us, and that when in the trenches our topic is ‘shall we see the Leger this year?’ - I remain, Yours Sincerely, Pte J. Brooks.’
Each day the town received news of yet more fallen soldiers and both the Doncaster Chronicle and the Doncaster Gazette were crammed full of such bad news. The editors tried in vain to balance out the misery by featuring regular articles on the enemy’s misfortunes on the battlefield, though this was little or no comfort to those families who had lost loved ones.
In a January issue of the Doncaster Gazette a mother’s pride in the knowledge that four of her sons had, and were, fighting the fine fight abroad was featured. Mrs Clarson of 25 Washington Grove, Bentley, told how one of her sons, William Henry Clarson, had already met his end in the trenches of France and another was now at the Front fighting for his life. Two other sons were in training in England waiting for their inevitable mobilisation, and she had already lost her eldest son in the African Wars at the beginning of the century. William Henry, aged 27, was working at Bullcroft Colliery at the outbreak of the war at which point he was recalled to his old regiment, the Sherwood Foresters. He was killed in action on the Aisne on 20 October 1914; his brother George, aged 24, was now representing the family at the Front. George had taken part in the whole campaign from Mons to Marne, Aisne to Flanders, and had received shell wounds which had incapacitated him for a while. Eager to return to his comrades however, he made a quick recovery before returning to his regiment. Nathan, aged 23, and Albert, aged 18, Mrs Clarson’s other sons, were wearing their army uniforms with pride in England whilst training, having left secure and well-paid employment in the Bullcroft and Bentley Collieries. Mrs Clarson had one more son who was too young to enlist and who did an excellent job of looking after the house and his mother while his elder siblings were away.