-
BereniceUK
-
 Topic Author
-
Offline
-
Senior Member
-
-
Posts: 3366
-
Thank you received: 2315
-
-
-
-
|
....Mr. L. E. Grace Oates, the popular young squire of Gestingthorpe, was one of the officers who sailed in the transport Idaho, which left the Royal Albert Docks on Saturday evening, with troops for South Africa. Mr. Oates is a lieutenant in the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons, and has for some time been stationed at the Curragh, Ireland.
Essex County Chronicle, Friday 21st December 1900
....Lieutenant L. E. G. Oates, who was wounded in South Africa, has returned home, and is going on as well as can be expected.
Essex Newsman, Saturday 15th June 1901
....The account of a double event that took place at Gestingthorpe on Saturday last is extremely well worth reading. I refer to the coming of age and home coming trom South Africa of Lieut. Oates, son of Mrs. Oates, of the Hall. This gallant young officer, when at the head of a small body of troops at a place near Aberdeen, on the 6th of March last, received from a Boer captain a demand for immediate surrender, accompanied with an assurance that "life and personal property" would be safe. Lieut. Oates, however, replied that he was not there to surrender, but to fight, and fight he did, against long odds, and without losing a single prisoner to the enemy. He was, however, wounded in the leg, and still walks very lame. It is natural that the people of Gestingthorpe should be proud ol such a neighbour, and natural that they should do honour to him, as they did on Saturday.
___________
.
HOME-COMING OF LIEUT. OATES.
.
REJOICINGS AT GESTINGTHORPE.
.
....On Saturday last the villagers of Gestingthorpe were invited by Mrs. Oates, of the Hall, to take part in the celebration of the coming of age and home-coming from South Africa of her eldest son, Lieut. Oates, who was wounded by the Boers on March 6th, eight miles out of Aberdeen. The village was decorated with flags, &c. The Hall family are held in high esteem by their poorer neighbours, and it has been with great pride that they have been allowed to peruse the note which the gallant young soldier received about ten o'clock on March 6th, which ran :—
...."Capt. Fouche asks for an immediate surrender ; life and personal property guaranteed."
....As was to be expected, Lieut. Oates declined the polite request, and about eleven o'clock he was severely wounded. The Boers continued to fire upon him, and he ordered his little party back to get them out of the range of fire. An ambulance party picked him up about six o'clock at night. Lieut. Oates still walks very lame from the effects of the wound, but his cheery countenance is a pleasure to behold. He took part with evident pleasure with his mother and brother and two sisters in all the festivities on Saturday afternoon. The school children, to the number of 109, had tea in the schoolroom, and about 250 elder residents in the village were entertained to dinner in the barn and cart lodge. Everything was done in luxurious style. Soon after five o'clock the villagers en masse assembled opposite the front door of the hall, and
....The Rector (the Rev. C. T. Bromwich), addressing them, said that meeting was unique in the history of Gestingthorpe. [Applause.] He did not doubt that that old hall had seen many comings of age, but to-day they had also met to welcome home from the war Lieut. Oates. [Applause.] What were they to wish him? They wished him a long and honoured life. [Cheers.] He was sure there was nothing good that they did not wish him. He did not think they could express the feelings of their hearts better than by the good old prayer, "God bless him," and that prayer would rise to the lips of everyone. It was a great pleasure for them to do honour to whom honour was due. [Applause.] Lieut. Oates had proved himself a genuine soldier and true Englishman, loyal to his King and country. He had shown that he had no fear where duty was concerned. England expected every man to do his duty, and Lieut. Oates had done his duty in a trying hour, and when the odds were tremendously against him. They were proud that he belonged to the empire, but what were they to say when they referred to his belonging to Essex and to the village of Gestingthorpe ? [Cheers.] The rev. gentleman then presented Lieut. Oates with a beautifully framed address, at the same time expressing the hope that it would hang on the walls of the mansion many many years, so that when he had passed away his children might think that the parishioners of Gestingthorpe tried to do him fitting honour on his return from the war in South Africa. To Lieut. Oates they all said, "God biess you throughout your life." [Loud and continuous cheering.]
....Lieut. Oates returned thanks for the great honour they had done him. Gestingthorpe had never looked pleasanter to him than it did that day. [Cheers.] They might be interested to know that the people in South Africa, from the talks he had had with them, entertained hopes that the war would come to an early termination. Alluding to the cost of the war, the speaker said the English people would be repaid to a degree by the improved relationships brought about between England and the Colonies.
....Mr. Taylor proposed a cordial vote of thanks to Mrs. Oates for her kindness and hospitality, observing that as they looked round the village they could see a great deal that that lady had done for them. She had beautified their church, which contained many tokens of her kindness and liberality, including the stained-glass windows.
....Brief but interesting speeches were aiso made by Mrs. Oates, Mr. Teverson, the estate steward, and Mr. Bryans Oates.
.
....The company then adjourned to another field, where a steam circus and other attractions had been provided gratuitously for them. The Sudbury Volunteer Band was in attendance.
.
....Lieutenant Oates belonged to the 6th lnniskilling Dragoons, and the address was inclosed in an oak frame, by Messrs, A. Pannell and Sons, of Gestingthorpe, from oak grown on the Hall estate nearly a century ago. It ran as follows :—
....We, inhabitants of Gestingthorpe, heartily desire to greet you on your return home after your terrible experience in South Africa. We are sure that every Englishman's heart must have fired with emotion when he read the account of your conspicuous act of valour when you and your little band ot men were surprised by an overwhelming number of Boers, and in reply to their demand to surrender you answered that you were not there to surrender but to fight. You did fight as long as your ammunition lasted, and after all not a single man was taken. We say every Englishman rejoiced, but what shall we say for ourselves, to whom you belong? We are indeed proud of you, and trust that you may soon be restored to health and strength, and after all rejoin your regiment, realising that no honour can be greater than the consciousness that you have nobly done your duty.
Essex County Chronicle, Friday 28th June 1901
....Lieutenant L. E. Grace Oates, of Gestingthorpe Hall, who was wounded in the war some time ago. has so far recovered as to be able to rejoin his regiment, the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons. He is going out again to South Africa in command of a draft of men. The young officer still limps a little as the result of his wound.
Essex County Chronicle, Friday 6th December 1901
GESTINGTHORPE BELLS DEDICATION YESTERDAY.
.
....Yesterday was a day that will long be remembered in the village and parish of Gesiingthorpe, the peal of six bells at St. Mary's Church, which has been rehung and the fifth and sixth recast, having been dedicated with befitting ceremony. There were services at three o'clock in the afternoon and seven in the evening, the preachers being the Rev. T. L. Papillon, Master of the Essex Association of Change Ringers and vicar of Writtle, and the Rev. T. Myers, rector of Twinstead.
....The cost of rehanging the fifth and sixth bells has been generously borne by Mrs. Oates, of Gestingthorpe Hall. The fifth bell bears an inscription, in Latin, which is Anglicised thus : "In gratitude to God for the safe return with honour of her beloved son Lawrence E. G. Oates, from the dangers of the war in Africa, C. A. Oates has caused this and the sixth bell, for a Iong time cracked and useless, to be recast, 1901."
....The sixth bell also bears an inscription in Latin.
Essex County Chronicle, Friday 20th December 1901
DANGEROUS ILLNESS OF LIEUT. OATES.
.
....Lieut. L. E. Grace Oates, elder son of Mrs. Oates, of Gestingthorpe Hall, is lying dangerously ill at Heilbron with enteric.
Essex County Chronicle, Friday 18th April 1902
ILLNESS OF LIEUT. OATES.
.
....Lieut. L. E. Grace Oates, of the 5th Dragoons, elder son of Mrs. Oates, of Gestingthorpe Hall, who was dangerously ill at Heilbron with enteric fever, continues to show improvement.
Essex County Chronicle, Friday 25th April 1902
....Lieut. L. E. G. Oates, 6th Dragoons, son of Mrs. Oates, of Gestingthorpe, is being invalided home on board the steamship Plassy, which is due at Southampton on June 21st.
Essex County Chronicle, Friday 13th June 1902
LIEUT. OATES HOME.
.
....Lieut. L. E. Grace Oates, son of Mrs. Oates, of The Hall, Gestingthorpe, who has been invalided home, arrived at Gestingthorpe on Saturday evening. The church bells were rung and the parishioners gave him a right hearty welcome. Considering the serious illness he has gone through, we are pleased to be able to state that Lieut. Oates is looking very well indeed.
Essex Newsman, Saturday 28th June 1902
The following user(s) said Thank You: QSAMIKE, dunnboer, Dave F, Moranthorse1, Smethwick
|
