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1st Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment
The 1st Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment were at Buttevant as part of 17th Brigade in 6th Division when war broke out in August 1914. They moved to Cambridge and quickly on to Newmarket before proceeding to France of the 12th of September 1914, landing at St Nazaire. They marched across France to the Aisne to reinforce the hard-pressed BEF. On the 18th of October 1915 they transferred to 72nd Brigade, 24th Division. In 1916 they suffered in the German gas attack at Wulverghem and then moved to The Somme seeing action in The Battle of Delville Wood and The Battle of Guillemont. In 1917 they were in action at The Battle of Vimy Ridge in the Spring, The Battle of Messines in June and Third Battle of Ypres in October before moving south where they were in action during The Cambrai Operations when the Germans counter attacked. In 1918 they were in action on the Somme and The Battle of Cambrai and the Final Advance in Picardy. At the Armistice the Division were in the line 1.5 miles east of the Maubeuge-Mons road. They moved back to the area between Denain and Douai at the end of November moved to St Amand-Orchies, then on the 18th of December the Division moved to Tournai for demobilisation, which was completed by 26 March 1919.
4th Aug 1914 Orders
15th Aug 1914 On the Move
15th Aug 1914 On the Move
18th Aug 1914 Training
31st Aug 1914 On the March
7th Sep 1914 Preparations
8th Sep 1914 Move
9th Sep 1914 On the Move
10th Sep 1914 On the Move
11th Sep 1914 On the Move
12th Sep 1914 On the Move
12th Sep 1914 On the Move
12th Sep 1914 On the Move
13th Sep 1914 On the Move
13th Sep 1914 On the Move
13th Sep 1914 On the Move
14th Sep 1914 On the Move
14th Sep 1914 Orders
14th Sep 1914 On the Move
15th Sep 1914 On the March
15th Sep 1914 Orders
15th Sep 1914 On the March
16th Sep 1914 On the March
16th Sep 1914 On the March
17th Sep 1914 On the March
17th Sep 1914 On the March
18th Sep 1914 In Billets
18th Sep 1914 In Bivouac
19th Sep 1914 On the March
19th Sep 1914 Orders Received
19th Sep 1914 Reliefs
20th Sep 1914 Orders
20th Sep 1914 In Action
21st Sep 1914 Reliefs
21st Sep 1914 Reliefs
22nd Sep 1914 In Action
22nd Sep 1914 Reliefs
23rd Sep 1914 Patrols
24th Sep 1914 Trench Raid
25th Sep 1914 Into the Trenches
25th Sep 1914 Line Reinforced
26th Sep 1914 Quiet
27th Sep 1914 Patrols Ordered
28th Sep 1914 Snipers Active
29th Sep 1914 Recconaissance
30th Sep 1914 Quiet Day
1st Oct 1914
2nd Oct 1914 Snipers Busy
3rd Oct 1914 1st North Staffs in Support
4th Oct 1914 Shells in Billet
5th Oct 1914 1st North Staffs on the March
6th Oct 1914 Outflanking Manoeuver
7th Oct 1914 Night March
8th Oct 1914 1st North Staffs on the March
9th Oct 1914 1st North Staffs on the March
10th Oct 1914 1st North Staffs Entrain
10th Oct 1914 On the Move
11th Oct 1914 1st North Staffs on the Move
12th Oct 1914 1st North Staffs clear Town
12th Oct 1914 Enemy Encountered
13th Oct 1914 1st North Staffs under Fire
13th Oct 1914 In Action
14th Oct 1914 Enemy Well Informed
15th Oct 1914 1st North Staffs Advance
15th Oct 1914 Advance
16th Oct 1914 1st North Staffs Entrench
17th Oct 1914 1st North Staffs Dig in
17th Oct 1914 Advance
18th Oct 1914 1st North Staffs Shelled
18th Oct 1914 Advance
19th Oct 1914 Courts Martial
19th Oct 1914 Digging In
20th Oct 1914 Enemy Attack
20th Oct 1914 In Action
20th Oct 1914 Attack
21st Oct 1914 Farms Shelled
21nd Oct 1914 Trenches Blown in
25th Oct 1914 Very Wet Day
26th Oct 1914 1st North Staffs ready to Move
27th Oct 1914 1st North Staffs in Support 
29th Oct 1914 1st North Staffs in the Line
30th Oct 1914 1st North Staffs in Advanced Trenches
30th Oct 1914 Ammunition Short
31st Oct 1914 Losses for 1st North Staffs
20th Oct 1914 17th Brigade in action The 17th Brigade began to march eastward and fought the Germans back almost as far as the city of Lille, the 1st North Staffs leading and going by Strazeele, Merris, and the small village of Nord Helf and fighting the encounter battle at Outtersteene. Still as the advance guard, the North Staffs moved forward on Steenwerke and Nooteboom.
From Chapel d' Armentieres the 1st North Staffs moved forward up to Wez-Marquart.
Early on October 20th. 1914 the nearby 2nd. Leinsters were heavily attacked and the Germans broke through.
Then the North Staffs counter-attacked to hold and repulse the enemy, to the west of Premesques and the road junction at La Bleu.
As a result of this battle the North Staffs thereafter would use a marching song: -
" we beat you on the Marne,
we beat you on the Aisne,
we drove you back at Armentears
and here we are again "
On October 28th.1914 they were ordered to take over the trenches at Rue du Bois.
1st Nov 1914 1st North Staffs take over Trenches
2nd Nov 1914 Losses
3rd Nov 1914 Ready
4th Nov 1914 Ready
5th Nov 1914 More losses
5th Nov 1914 Prisoner Taken
8th Nov 1914 What a Sunday
20th Dec 1914 Gifts Appreciated
24th Dec 1914 Christmas Eve
24th Dec 1914 Fearful Night
25th Dec 1914 Christmas Truce
25th Dec 1914 Fires Blazing
25th Dec 1914 Merry Christmas
26th Dec 1914 Boxing Day
1st Jan 1915 New Year
1st Jan 1915 Working Parties
2nd Jan 1915 Inspection
3rd Jan 1915 Terrible Weather
3rd Jan 1915 Baths
4th Jan 1915 Very Wet
5th Jan 1915 Very Wet
6th Jan 1915 Very Wet
7th Jan 1915 Flooding
8th Jan 1915 Shelling
9th Jan 1915 Terrible Conditions
23rd Jan 1915 Truce Controversy
22nd Aug 1915 Burying the Dead
24th Aug 1915 Reliefs
27th Sep 1915 1st North Stafford in the Line
16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme
19th Oct 1915 Reliefs
30th Oct 1915 Attacks Repelled
1st Dec 1915 Derby Scheme Armlets
11th Sep 1915 Last day of Derby Scheme Recruitment
10th Jan 1916 Group System Reopens
9th February 1916 Call Ups
11th Feb 1916 Reliefs
30th Apr 1916 Gas
1st Jul 1916 Reliefs
2nd Jul 1916 In Camp
3rd Jul 1916 Inspection
4th Jul 1916 Training
5th Jul 1916 Working Party
6th Jul 1916 Working Party
7th Jul 1916 Orders
8th Jul 1916 Reliefs
9th Jul 1916 Quiet
10th Jul 1916 Quiet
11th Jul 1916 Line Adjusted
12th Jul 1916 Quiet
1st Aug 1916 On the March
2nd Aug 1916 Training
3rd Aug 1916 Recce
4th Aug 1916 Training
5th Aug 1916 Training
5th Aug 1916 Orders Received
6th Aug 1916 Rest
9th Aug 1916 Orders
10th Aug 1916 Reliefs
11th Aug 1916 Working Parties
19th Aug 1916 Reliefs
1st Sep 1916 Attacks Made
2nd Sep 1916 Line Held
3rd Sep 1916 Attacks Made
4th Sep 1916 Reliefs
5th Sep 1916 Relief Complete
6th Sep 1916 Reliefs
7th Sep 1916 On the Move
2nd Oct 1916 Reliefs
23rd Oct 1916 Football
10th Feb 1917 Shelling
1st Apr 1917 Reliefs
2nd Apr 1917 Quiet
3rd Apr 1917 Quiet
4th Apr 1917 Shelling
5th Apr 1917 Quiet
6th Apr 1917 Hostile Artillery Active
7th Apr 1917 Reliefs
8th Apr 1917 Brigade Support
9th Apr 1917 In Support
7th Sep 1917 Reliefs
17th of October 1918 Training
18th of October 1918 Relieved
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.
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Those known to have served with1st Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment during the Great War 1914-1918. - Ainsworth Jack. Pte. (d.31st August 1918)
- Ainsworth Jack. Pte. (d.31st August 1918)
- Allen Arthur Hewitt. Lt.
- Ashton A.. Sgt.
- Baddeley William Thomas. Cpl,
- Barker Ernest Peirson. Pte. (d.15th Oct 1918)
- Bentley Joseph. Pte. (d.10th June 1917)
- Brown Charles Richard. Cpl.
- Brown James. Pte.
- Brown James. Pte.
- Chesters George. Pte. (d.30th April 1916)
- Cooper Charles Walter. Pte.
- Dawes Alexander. Pte. (d.12th March 1915)
- Downes Henry Levi. Cpl.
- Finn Patrick. Pte. (d.4th Apr 1915)
- Ford Bernard John William. Pte.
- Ford Thomas. Pte. (d.28th Sep 1918)
- Gibson Samuel. Pte. (d.9th June 1917)
- Gould Henry James. Pte. (d.23rd October 1914)
- Hamrouge James. Pte. (d.25th March 1915)
- Harper Levi. Pte.
- Henshaw William Charles. L/Cpl. (d.11th Feb 1917)
- Holmes George. Cpl. (d.30th Apr 1916)
- Jinks Herbert. Pte (d.28th June 1917)
- Keates Frederick Thomas. Pte. (d.28th 0r 30th April 1916)
- Keay Charles. L/Sjt.
- Keeling MC. Ernest. CSM.
- Maden Harold. Cpl. (d.15th December 1914)
- Mattocks Henry. Pte
- Moulton Charles. Pte. (d.15th Apr 1916)
- Vernon Fredrick Gildart. Pte. (d.16th Oct 1918)
All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please Add a Name to this List
Records of 1st Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment from other sources.
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Did you know? We also have a section on World War Two. and a
Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.
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Pte. Levi Harper 1st Btn. D Coy. North Staffordshire Regiment Levi Harper was taken Prisoner of War on the 21st of March 1918 and held at Stendal.
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Pte. Joseph Bentley 1st Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment (d.10th June 1917) Joseph Bentley served with the 1st Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment.
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Cpl, William Thomas Baddeley 1st Btn North Staffordshire Regiment William Baddeley was a professional soldier, he boxed for his unit when based at Buttevant, Eire circa 1913. He married Mary Horne on the 5th of June 1909 at Cheriton in Kent.
He lost most of his unit over the course of World War I, fighting in France and Belgium.
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Cpl. George Holmes 1st Btn. North Staffordshire Regiment (d.30th Apr 1916) George Holmes died in the German gas attack on the 30th of April 1916 near or around Wulverghem.
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Cpl. Harold Maden 1st Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment (d.15th December 1914) Harold Maden was one of three Maden brothers killed in the First World War.
He served with the 1st Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment, which formed part of the 17th Brigade, 6th Division, III Corps.
He arrived in France at St Nazaire on the 12th of September 1914, and immediately travelled South to fight in the Battle of the Aisne.
In the middle of October the 17th Brigade held the southern flank in the first Battle of Ypres, and took part in the offensive at Armentieres. We assume that Harold was killed during the after action that ensued, post the first Battle of Ypres.
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Cpl. Henry Levi Downes 1st Btn. North Staffordshire Regiment Henry Downes enlisted on 30th Aug 1908 and was discharged with wounds on 11th of May 1917 with Silver war badge number 174735. I cannot find what Battalion he was with. He was the brother of my wife's late Grandfather, 6904 Pte Arthur Downs, Royal Scots Fusiliers
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Pte. George Chesters 1st Btn. North Staffordshire Regiment (d.30th April 1916) My great grandad George Chesters sadly, was killed and is laid to rest in Dranoutre Military Cemetery. I hope to find a picture of him.
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Pte. Henry James Gould 1st Btn. North Staffordshire Regiment (d.23rd October 1914) In memory of my great uncle Harry Gould who was among the first Brits reported missing in October 1914, presumed dead and never found.
We never met, but I always feel I know you from the stories your younger brother, my beloved granddad Frank Gould, told his children and grandchildren. RIP - we love you! xx
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Pte. James Hamrouge 1st Btn. North Staffs Regiment (d.25th March 1915) Jim Hamrouge was killed in the trenches at L'Epinette by a sniper. When his family were informed of his death, due to an admin error, two letters were sent by mistake.
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Pte. James Brown 1st Btn. North Staffordshire Regiment In 1913, while serving with the 1st North Staffordshire Regiment in Buttevant, Co. Cork, Private James Brown bought an Irish Terrier puppy, which he called Prince, after his Regiment (Prince of Wales Own). The dog became devoted to his new master, a devotion that literally knew no bounds.
In August 1914, the 1st North Staffordshire Regiment, including James Brown, were mobilized, landing in France in September as part of 17th Brigade, 6th Division.
Meanwhile Prince went with Mrs Brown to stay with her relatives in London. On 27th September 1914, Prince went missing. Within two months Prince turned up in Armentieres to report to his Regiment and his beloved master Pte James Brown.
Although this story at first glance seems unbelievable, there is too much corroborative evidence to draw any other conclusion than that the story is true.
Even during his early days with the regiment, Prince was well known and loved; in 1923 an article about their old pal appeared in the regimental journal, China Dragon:
"...There are still one or two of us left who remember his [Prince's] travels during the time the battalion was stationed at Buttevant in Ireland. We remember well how he would run alongside the column on the march; first across one side of the road into the corn, and then across to the other to explore the furrows of a ploughed field. We still remember how fresh he would arrive at the end of the march, although he must have travelled four times the distance, whilst our shoulders ached and our feet felt heavy. We didn't realise at that time, that his fondness for the sight of khaki clad figures would make him famous..." F.B.T. China Dragon Vol XV Xmas 1923 No 5 Page 163.
The story of Prince finding his master in the trenches seems to have first appeared under the headline, Dog Goes To Front To Seek His Master, on 27th November 1914 in the Evening Telegraph and Post only two months after Prince had disappeared from London:
"The story of a dramatic meeting at the front between a Hammersmith soldier and his dog is told in a letter received by Mrs Brown of 1 Airedale Cottages, Hammersmith from her husband, a private of the 1st Northamptonshire Regiment. Private Brown went with his regiment to the Continent in August, and on 27th of September Mrs Brown missed the dog, a shaggy haired Irish Terrier named Prince - from her home at Hammersmith, and on the following day reported her loss at Hammersmith Police Station. She heard nothing more of the animal until yesterday morning, when she received a letter from her husband, in which occurs the following passage:- I am sorry you have not found Prince, and you are never likely to while he is over here with me. It is a very strange thing I should have got him. A man brought him to me from the front trenches. I could not believe my eyes until I got off my horse, and he made a big fuss of me. I believe he came across with some other troops. Just fancy him coming here and finding me. He is quite settled down with me, and I have made him a coat out of some of our old great-coats, which will keep him warm. He is the pet of the regiment. The Evening Telegraph and Post, Friday, 27th of November 1914.
The Regiment in the report should have read 1st North Staffordshire Regiment; the paper seems to have misreported it, it was corrected in subsequent reports.
By Saturday 28th of November 1914, the story of Prince's miraculous journey appeared in local newspapers right across the country, from The Cornishman in the south, to The Newcastle Journal in the north, eventually even getting picked up by the Nationals. Several of the papers added extra information.
In the report, A Dogs Devotion, in the Newcastle Journal, a further extract from James's letter appeared which helps explain how the story made the papers so quickly.
"...I believe Colonel De Falbe is going to report the circumstances to the papers; in fact, they may already have it as the dog has been with me five days". [Extract from Pte Brown's letter, The Newcastle Journal, Saturday, November 28, 1914 p.6]
All of the media coverage brought the story to the attention of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, who thoroughly investigated Prince's miraculous appearance in Flanders and were able to establish its authenticity beyond doubt. But how did Prince manage to travel almost 200 miles from Hammersmith to Armentieres in France on his own? No one really knows, but the men of the 1st North Staffordshire's had an answer.
At first we looked upon his arrival in the battalion in Flanders as something approaching impossible... ...The problem was eventually solved.
The Queen's Westminsters had marched through Hammersmith on the way to the station for entraining for a port of embarkation during the month of November, and all the old memories of the times in Ireland must have come flooding back to Prince, for it was then that he said to himself I will go on this march.- The march, however, was a short one, and the ride long, for he stuck to his newly-found khaki clad acquaintances until their arrival at Erquinghem not far from the scene of operations and well within the sound of the guns. Here the unexpected happened for on that day Prince's old master, also passing through and seeing a dog that looked very much like his own, called to him and was quickly assured that it was none other than the old friend of the Battalion.- F.B.T. The China Dragon Vol XV Xmas 1923 No 5 Page 163.
The Queen's Westminster Rifles landed in Le Havre on 3rd November 1914 and joined 18th Brigade, 6th Division at Armentieres.
News of Princes arrival at Armentieres spread through the regiment like wildfire, the next morning Private Brown had to parade with his pet before the Commanding Officer so that he could, in his words, "believe his own eyes". Prince became a universal favourite with the regiment and was adopted as the battalion's pet, where he soon settled down to life on the front line. James and Prince remained constant companions, serving alongside the men of the 1st North Staffordshire Regiment, who delighted in teaching him tricks and appreciated his natural skills.
"...perhaps his best trick was to balance a penny on his nose while the names of other regiments were called out. No matter how long the list or in what way it was presented, Prince always recognized the item "The 1st North Staffordshires" and tossed up the penny, caught it and barked for his reward."... ...but his real delight was ratting. He was known to kill 137 rats in one day." (Animal Heroes, p 3. Peter Shaw Baker 1933)
Peter Shaw Barker's mother, a famous animal artist of the period, had earlier painted Prince's Portrait for the RSPCA, although not all of the facts in his book appear to be correct, he may have received some anecdotes from the Brown family.
Prince and James both survived some of the most infamous battles of the war - Passchendaele, Vimy Ridge, Messines, Cambrai - as well as their frequent travels through the notorious and aptly named Hellfire Corner:
"Hellfire Corner and many other notable spots have been negotiated by him in company with his master, who is employed on transport and whose job it was to bring rations nightly. For Prince the sound of bursting shells meant little, and many of his comrades who had been badly mauled received a little of Prince's sympathy in the shape of a lick, whilst many a dead comrade was similarly treated." F.B.T. The China Dragon Vol XV Xmas 1923 No 5 Page 163.
James wrote, "Whenever a heavy shell came over, he never failed to take cover" (Evening Telegraph and Post, p.7 October 29th 1919).
At 11 o'clock, on 11th November 1918 the Armistice eventually came. After four years of hardship spent in the front line, thoughts now turned to how to get Prince back home, it wouldn't prove to be quite as simple as his journey out. The enforcement of quarantine laws meant that Prince would have to spend six months in kennels, at a cost of £14, (over six months' pay for a private in the infantry). However, Prince's faithfulness to his master and devotion to the men of the 1st North Staffordshire's hadn't gone unnoticed.
"Like one or two humans, Prince started and finished the campaign, and the question of getting him home after the Armistice troubled his master not a little. His devotion to his master and the battalion did not go unrewarded for the RSPCA having heard of Prince's faithfulness during the four years of war, brought him home and placed him in quarantine at their own expense, and afterwards returned him to his old master, Private Brown.
F.B.T. The China Dragon Vol XV Xmas 1923 No 5 Page 163.
At the cessation of the war the RSPCA had set up "The Soldier's Dog Fund" to help meet the cost of keeping animals in quarantine; and built over 500 kennels at Hackbridge, Surrey, to house the dogs. Prince, partly due to his celebrity, was one of the lucky ones to be brought home and returned to his master. News of Prince's remarkable journey and safe return, were once again headline news across the country.
"Irish Terrier's Extra-ordinary Sagacity -
Made Journey to France On His Own and discovered his Master.
An Irish Terrier with a 'sixth' sense has just returned to this country from France, and is now impatiently kicking his heels in quarantine cells at Hackbridge, of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The officials of the Society, who have thoroughly investigated the episode, have interviewed the owners of the dog, who are satisfied that the case is authentic. They say that in September, 1914, James Brown went to France with the North Stafford Regiment, leaving behind him in Buttervant, Ireland, his wife and his Irish Terrier, Prince." (Extract from The Evening Telegraph, Wednesday 22nd October 1919 p.7)
The four years at the front seemed to have taken their toll on him and on 21st July 1921, only nine years old, Prince sadly died. Once again, Prince's name appeared in the newspapers, but this time the news of his amazing adventure, went as far as the US, with reports in The Evening Herald, Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Prince's final appearance in the news seems to be 30th September 1921 in The Mercury, which ran a story about the presentation of a portrait of Prince, painted by Georgina Shaw Baker, to the Browns. The pastel drawing was presented to the Browns, on behalf of the North Staffordshire branch of the RSPCA, by Lord Dartmouth.
"Stafford's Famous Dog Presentation Portrait of Prince
On behalf of the North Staffordshire Branch of the R.S.P.C.A., Lord Dartmouth, at the annual meeting of the branch, held in the County Council Buildings, Stafford, on Wednesday afternoon, presented Mr. and Mrs. Brown, S. Wolverhampton Road, Stafford, with a picture of their famous Irish Terrier dog, Prince.
It will be remembered that during the war Prince got lost in London, and traced and joined his soldier master, who was serving with the North Staffordshire Regiment in the trenches near Armentieres. He was brought safely home again, but died a few months ago, to the great sorrow of his master and mistress and many admirers. The picture is in his memory.
Lord Dartmouth said he undertook the duty of presenting it with very great pleasure. The incident in which Prince was so conspicuous a figure was one of the most marvellous things in dogs lives ever known, and worthy of the special recognition they were giving it. He thought the society had done well in taking particular interest in the occasion, because he could not conceive anything that would appeal more strongly to the public generally than the knowledge of what this dog had done.
It was a matter of regret that Prince was no longer alive, but he thought it was a satisfaction to all of them who loved animals, and especially to Mr. and Mrs. Brown, that he had found a comfortable home in the hereafter in what a little girl, in describing the Zodiac, had called a "kind of heavenly zoo to which animals go when they die". (The Mercury, Friday 30th September 1921)
The drawing "Prince, an Irish Terrier, Mascot of the Staffordshire Regiment in the Trenches in France" is now held by the Council of the National Army Museum, London.
It only seems right that his comrades who shared the hardships, during his life in the First World War, with him should have the last word in Prince's remarkable story.
"Had not his death taken him so soon, he might have ended his days with the battalion for we were in correspondence with Pte Brown after the war with the view to getting him back in the Battalion... ...It is still possible to look at the original picture published in this issue as a reminder of those times when Prince taught us the value of an animal's faithfulness." (F.B.T. The China Dragon Vol XV Xmas 1923 No 5 Page 163).
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Pte. James Brown 1st Battalion North Staffordshire Private James Brown, 1 North Staffordshire Regiment and His Dog Prince Who Found His Way to the Front.
In 1913, while serving with the 1st North Staffordshire Regiment, in Buttervant, Co. Cork, Private James Brown, did what many of us have done in the past. He fell in love with a puppy, which he called Prince (after the regimental name Prince of Wales's); and the Irish Terrier puppy became devoted to him. A devotion that would literally know no bounds.
Even during these early days, 'Prince' was well known within the Regiment, in 1923 an article about "their old pal" appeared in the Regimental Journal.
"...There are still one or two of us left who remember his [Prince] travels during the time the battalion was stationed at Buttervant in Ireland. We remember well how he would run alongside the column on the march; first across one side of the road into the corn, and
then across to the other to explore the furrows of a ploughed field. We still remember how fresh he would arrive at the end of the march, although he must have traveled four times the distance, whilst our shoulders ached and our feet felt heavy. We didn't realize, at that time, that his fondness for the sight of khaki clad figures would make him famous..."
[F.B.T. The China Dragon (North Staffordshire Regimental magazine)Vol XV Xmas 1923 No 5 Page 163.]
The Story of ‘Prince’ finding his master in the trenches, first appeared, under the headline, "Dog Goes To Front To Seek His Master", on the 27th November 1914, in the ‘Evening Telegraph and Post’, only two months after ‘Prince’ had disappeared from London.
The Evening Telegraph And Post Friday, November 27,1914
"The Story of a dramatic meeting at the front between a Hammersmith soldier and his dog is told in a letter received by Mrs Brown. Of 1 Airedale Cottages, Hammersmith from her husband, a private of the 1st Northamptonshire Regiment.
Private Brown went with his Regiment to the Continent in August, and on
September 27 Mrs Brown missed the dog – a shaggy haired Irish Terrier named Prince - from her home at Hammersmith, and on the following day reported her loss at Hammersmith Police Station. She heard nothing more of the animal until yesterday morning, when she received a letter from her husband, in which occurs the following passage:-
“I am sorry you have not found Prince, and you are never likely to while he is over here with me. It is a very strange thing I should have got him. A man brought him to me from the front trenches. I could not believe my eyes until I got off my horse, and he made a big fuss of me. I believe he came across with some other troops. Just fancy him coming here and finding me. He is quite settled down with me, and I have made him a coat out of some of our old great- coats, which will keep him warm. He
is the pet of the Regiment.â€
Note: The Regiment in the report should have read 1st North Staffordshire Regiment, but the paper miss reported it.
By Saturday 28th November 1914, the story of ‘Prince’ miraculous journey appeared in local newspapers right across the country, from The Cornishman in the South, to The Newcastle Journal in the North, eventually also getting picked up by the Nationals. Several of the papers added extra information (as well as correctly identifying James’ regiment). In the report, "A Dog’s Devotion", in the Newcastle Journal, a further extract from James' letter appeared, which helps explain how the story made the papers so quickly.
“… I believe Colonel De Falbe is going to report the circumstances to the papers; in fact, they may already have it as the dog has been with me five days,â€....
[Pte Browns letter in THE NEWCASTLE JOURNAL, Saturday, November 28, 1914 p.6]
All of the media coverage, brought the story to the attention of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), who thoroughly investigated Prince's miraculous appearance in Flanders and were able to establish its authenticity beyond doubt. But how did 'Prince' manage to travel almost 200 miles from Hammersmith to Armentieres, in France, on his own? The men of the 1st North Staffordshire's had an answer.
"At first we looked upon his [Prince's] arrival in the battalion in Flanders as something approaching impossible... ...The problem was eventually solved.
The Queen's Westminsters had marched through Hammersmith on the way to
the station for entraining for a port of embarkation during the month of
November, and all the old memories of the times in Ireland must have come
flooding back to 'Prince', for it was then that he said to himself "I will go on this march." The march, however, was a short one, and the ride long, for he stuck to his newly-found khaki clad acquaintances until there arrival at Erquinghem not far from the scene of operations and well within the sound of the guns. Here the unexpected happened for on that day Prince's old master, also passing through and seeing a dog that looked very much like his own, called to him and was quickly assured that it was none other than the old friend of the Battalion."
[F.B.T. The China Dragon Vol XV Xmas 1923 No 5 Page 163.]
News of Prince’s arrival at Armentieres spread through the regiment like wildfire, the next morning Private Brown had orders to parade with his pet before the Commanding Officer for examination and verification of the story. The regiment adopted Prince as mascot and he stayed in France, with Private Brown where he soon settled down as an old campaigner. He was provided with a British Warm made from an old khaki tunic and he used to wear his master's identification disc and soon settled down to life in the front line. James wrote, “Whenever a heavy shell came over, he never failed to take cover†[Evening Telegraph and Post, p.7 October 29th 1919]. Later, as they were awarded, he wore his master's medals too; the 1914-15 Star, the Victory Medal, and the British War Medal.
James and ‘Prince’ remained together in Flanders throughout the four years of fighting, until the Armistice in November 1918, both surviving some of the most infamous battles, Passchendaele, Vimy Ridge, Messines, Cambrai, as well as their frequent travels through the aptly named “Hellfire Cornerâ€.
Prince was repatriated to Britain in 1919, and quarantined in Shoreham, which was paid for by public donations, then returned to Mr and Mrs Brown. However, the four years at the front seemed to have taken their toll on him and on July 21st 1921 aged only 8 years old, Prince sadly died.
Prince’s finale appearance in the news seems to be 30th September 1921 in The Mercury, which ran a story about the presentation of a portrait of Prince, painted by Mrs Georgina Shaw Baker, to the Browns. The drawing “Prince, an Irish Terrier, Mascot of the Staffordshire Regiment in the Trenches in France†is now held by the Council of the National Army Museum, London.
James Brown was a driver at HQ
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CSM. Ernest Keeling MC. 1st Btn North Staffordshire Regiment Ernest Keeling was married to my great-aunt Annie (nickname Nance) nee Bayliss . She was one of 12 children, 6 boys and 6 girls including my grandmother Ethel. The Bayliss family came from Park Village Wolverhampton but were originally from Wombourne Staffs.
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Pte. Alexander Dawes 1st Btn. North Staffordshire Regiment (d.12th March 1915) Alexander Dawes died aged 32 and is commemoratted on the Plugstreet (Ploegsteert) Memorial. We thought he had not been buried, then on a visit to Ypres in 1991 I spoke to someone researching his Greatgrandfather's war diary. After sending me a copy I found he was killed after taking trenches at Le Epinet and buried with others.
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Cpl. Charles Richard Brown 1st Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment Charles Richard Brown was born in May 1890. The photo was taken on the 23rd of January 1915 at the 4th Southern General Hospital, Plymouth and Charles Richard Brown is second patient from left. He married Florence Kate Genders in April 1919 at Tamworth. In 1921 they arrived in Melbourne and had one daughter Joyce. Charles died on 15th of Nov 1925 and is buried in Springfield Cemetery Melbourne.
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L/Cpl. William Charles Henshaw 1st Btn. North Staffordshire Regiment (d.11th Feb 1917) William Henshaw is commemorated on the Loos Memorial and on the Rocester St Michael Lych Gate War Memorial in Staffordshire.
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Pte. Ernest Peirson Barker 1st Btn. North Staffordshire Regiment (d.15th Oct 1918) Ernest Barker was a member of the 1st Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment. He was 19 at the time of his death. He is commemorated on the Vis-En-Artois Memorial.
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Pte. Patrick Finn 1st Btn. North Staffordshire Regiment (d.4th Apr 1915) Patrick Finn served with the 1st Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment during WW1 and was killed in action on the 4th April 1915. He is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial for the Missing in Belgium.
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Sgt. A. Ashton 1st Btn. North Staffordshire Regiment Sgt. Ashton served with the North Staffordshire Regiment1st attalion. He was treated at Red Gables Hospital in Bletchingly, Surrey.
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L/Sjt. Charles Keay 1st Battalion North Staffs Regiment Charles Keay was my Grandfather and he enlisted in the North Staffordshire Regiment in 1910, so he was amongst the first to be sent to France. He managed to survive until the North Staffords were sent to Delville Wood in August 1916, where there was heavy fighting and he sustained a serious shrapnel wound. He was hospitalised and sent back to Cork in Ireland and didn't have to return to the front. He was honorably discharged in 1919.
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Lt. Arthur Hewitt Allen 1st Btn. att 72nd MGC. orth Staffordshire Regiment Arthur Hewitt Allen was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 1st Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment on the 23rd of July 1915 and joined the battalion in France. During the Battles of the Somme, he was attached to 72nd Company, Machine Gun Corps and commanded of a section of two Vickers machine guns. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 10th January 1917. He served at Arras in April 1917 and at the Battle of Messines Ridge, which opened with massive Mine explosions which rocked the German defenders. Despite early set backs, the Germans staged a vigorous defence of the ridge and the slopes. As Lieutenant Allen led his Machine Gun Company forward in support of 1st North Stafford’s, they came under heavy artillery & machine gun fire. He located and attacked an enemy machine gun that was mowing the men down. He personally killed and captured the crew, then took command of an infantry company whose Officers had all been hit, and was soon joined by the survivors of the whole Battalion. He was awarded the Military Cross which was Gazetted on the 26th of September 1917. His citation reads:
“For conspicuous gallantry & devotion in leading his company in an attack. He directed an attack on an enemy machine gun , which was holding up our advance, captured the gun and killed or captured the crew. Afterwards believing himself to be the only officer surviving in the attacking companies, he directed their fire on enemy machine guns and snipers, moving from shell hole to shell hole with utter disregard of his own personal danger to satisfy himself that the line was being properly maintained. Later, he was knocked down & severely bruised by a shell, but refused to leave his company and directed the carrying of rations to the front line.â€
He later fought in the 3rd Battle of Ypres in the Autumn of 1917. Having suffered effects from his close encounter with the shell at Messines and also possibly being further wounded in action, he returned to ‘Blighty’ in 1918 and served for a period with the Ministry of National Service.
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