Bull Sand Fort |
When I normally write an article about Bancroft individuals
who were involved in WW1, the story is usually about their efforts fighting on
the front line, or even worse being a casualty of the fighting, but here’s a
story from a different angle…where a man’s skills made him more valuable
working on the country’s defences rather than being sent to the trenches.
This is the story of a Fred Bancroft, born in Cullingworth
near Bradford, and his military record in WW1.
!891 census - Mill Lane Cullingworth |
Fred & Susan's marriage record |
Fred’s army record shows that he was not called up until 9th
August 1916, and his attestation papers show he was initially allocated to the Durham
Light Infantry as a 'Building Contractor'
Attestation Record |
By 28th April 1917 he had been transferred to the
7th Labour Corp and is still listed as a ‘Building Contractor', by this
time he and Susan had two children, Willie b 1914, and Eda b 1916.
I am not sure why he was transferred to the Labour Corps
rather than sent to fight abroad, but it is probably due to the fact that his
skill made him a valuable worker, because at that time much of the war effort
was concentrated on securing sea defences around our coastline, and by June 1917 he had been posted
again and was attached to the 169th Coastal Workers unit based in
Hornsea in the East Riding of Yorkshire, under orders from an HQ in Hull. His medical records also show him as having
deafness in his left ear, which may also have had some bearing on his posting.
Records also show that on 3rd September 1917 he
had to pass some sort of a skills test because he was awarded a ‘Certificate of
Trade Proficiency’ which gave him the qualification of a ‘Skilled Bricklayer’
whilst still working on the Humber Defences.
Trade Proficiency |
It was not until 6th March 1919 that Fred was
officially demobilised, and transferred to Class ‘Z’ Army Reserves, while he
was stationed at Nottingham, at which time he was listed as being of ‘good’
character.
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The history of the Humber coastal defences, which Fred Bancroft was assigned to and helped to build, started in 1914 with the planning of two off-shore forts in the estuary. The original plan was that they were to stand 59 feet above the water and had a diameter of 82 feet, and were designed to accommodate 200 soldiers each. Construction work stated in May 1915 and the work took over four years to complete, finally finishing in December 1919.
The irony was that by the time the fort was ready for use,
the war was reaching its conclusion and the fort's guns were never called into
action in WW1. However, they remained a deterrent to the enemy during the Second World
War when both forts were continually attacked.
Haile Sand Fort |
Haile Sand Fort or Sand Haile Fort is the smaller of
the two and is situated around the low-water mark between Cleethorpes and Humberston
on the Lincolnshire coast. In February 2016 the fort was put on the market for
£350,000
Bull Sand Fort |
Bull Sand Fort is 1.5 miles from shore off Spurn
Head. It is a 4-storey concrete building with 12-inch (300 mm) of armour
on the seaward side, and originally armed with four 6-inch guns. It was built
with great difficulty as its sandbank is 11 feet below low water.
During
the Second World War both forts were reactivated and modernised. The forts were
regularly attacked by enemy aircraft, and during this time, the authorities
installed a netting arrangement to prevent enemy submarines from travelling up
the estuary to Hull or Grimsby. The
forts were finally abandoned by the military in 1956.In the present day, Bull Fort is used as a navigational aid for shipping.
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After being demobbed, Fred then seems to have gone back to his employment as a stone mason in Cullingworth, but by the time of the start of WW2, when the 1939 census was taken, he had moved to nearby Springfield Farm with his wife and two children, and was listed as a ‘Dairy Farmer’. In later life Fred, took up a hobby of breeding and exhibiting Perkin Bantams, and was a well know local Judge of the breed at local agricultural shows. He also served on the committee of the Airedale Agricultural Society.
Fred died on 10th April 1959, age 70 years, at Rook Street, Bingley, and his funeral was conducted at nearby Nab Wood Crematorium, Shipley.
Fred Bancroft |
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