County: West Yorkshire
Issued on: Return
Dates of presentations: 05/07/1901, 24/01/1902
Number issued: 3
Gold medals, suitably inscribed, to:
05/07/1901 presentation
504 Trooper Fred DICKENSON [Dickinson]
2009 Trooper Percy RISHWORTH
24/01/1902 presentation
13378 Private William [Willie] Ewart SPEIGHT
CROSSGATES YEOMEN ENTERTAINED.
PRESENTATION.
At the Station Hotel, Crossgates, yesterday (Friday) evening week, Troopers Fred DICKENSON and Percy RISHWORTH, of the 3rd Imperial Yeomanry, who returned recently from South Africa, were entertained to dinner by a number of residents. Mr H. Robinson presided, and Mr E.A. Heywood occupied the vice-chair.
……. The room was a study in red, white, and blue, and the tables were beautifully laid out. A capital dinner was served by Mt and Mrs Ryder. The loyal toast was given from the chair and was pledged with musical honours.
Mr Heywood, in proposing “The Army and Navy”, said that wherever the British soldier set his foot, religion and a better state of things followed. The Army was not composed only of English, Scotch, and Irish, for recently from every quarter of the globe came a magnificent body of 220,000 men at the call of an Empire upon which the sun never sets. He has gone to the front! What was the front? It was, to his mind, a huge wall thrown up by the Empire builders, behind which they could comfortably criticise the Army. But it required men who had been in South Africa to know something of the immense difficulties to be faced and overcome in the country they were fighting for the possession of. Speaking of the work of the Army Medical Corps, he said it required vigour, strength of nerve and will, and the tenderness of a woman. They were proud to know Crossgates was represented in the Army Medical Corps in South Africa, and when Mr Willie SPEIGHT returned they would be glad indeed to give him a hearty welcome home. (Applause). After referring in appreciative terms to our transport service, he said that the foreign nations had been content to copy the British Navy, and in Britain ships had been built for them which might yet be used against us, but they had yet to learn that it was not huge floating masses of timber and steel that made the Navy that it was. It was the men, and this country had the men still. (Applause). It was a pleasure to him to entertain those who had the courage to go out and fight their country’s battles, and he always thought that he owed to Tommy Atkins, for whom he had a great admiration, a debt of gratitude. (Applause).
The toast was pledged with enthusiasm, and Mr Hosker responded in appropriate terms.
Mr Nichols, in submitting the toast of “Our Guests”, paid a glowing tribute to the patriotism of the young men who had left their homes and volunteered for active service. The conclusion of the war was not yet in view, but he hoped they would see a glorious finish, bringing with it peace, kindness, and tolerance.
Mr Howard, in supporting, said their guests ought to be proud of the fact that they had entered a new epoch in volunteering. Not many years ago the Volunteers were laughed at and ridiculed, but in the present was they had risen if not higher than the ordinary branches of the service, at least equal to. (Applause). Had he been a volunteer he should have gone to the front – (laughter) – but not being a volunteer he had a good reason for not going. (Laughter). He related his only experience of warfare, and said if their guests had gone through the same they would no doubt have had enough. Near at hand was a place called Hell’s Dyke, and he was told a terrible battle was once waged there, although he could not find it in history. One night he went to be – he could assure them he was all right – (laughter) – and he went through a war. He experienced all the horrors of war and he remembered he could not run away fast enough from Hell’s Dyke. (Laughter). It was with a sense of satisfaction that he wakened and found himself in bed. (Laughter). War, however, was a terrible thing. He hoped Troopers DICKENSON and RISHWORTH would have health and prosperity in the future. (Applause).
The toast was pledged with enthusiasm, the company singing “For they are jolly good fellows”.
Mr Annakin, of Darlington, who was formerly resident at Crossgates and was a member of the Leeds Troop of Yorkshire Hussars, gave “The Volunteers and Auxiliary Forces”. He said the Volunteers had proved their worth. (Applause). They had got the metal strength, energy and lasting power. He claimed that the auxiliary forces had justified their existence, and they had done real and true service for the Empire, and he thought there was a future for Volunteers. Much time had been wasted on empty ceremonial parades, but less attention would be paid to that now and more to mobility and movement. He hoped that the future work of Troopers Dickenson and Rishworth would be equally sincere and respected as they found that night. (Applause).
The Chairman then presented Messrs DICKENSON and RISHWORTH, on behalf of himself and others, with gold medals, suitably inscribed, and said he hoped they would not value them for their intrinsic worth, but for the good feeling that prompted their action. He asked them to accept the gifts as tokens of esteem and admiration for the way in which they had performed their work. They were proud when they knew that from amongst them there were young men, who were ready to sacrifice home and comforts and friends in order to fight the country’s battles. (Applause). They were proud of them, and were glad that they had returned home again in health and strength. They, however, remembered those who were plunged in sorrow by the death of relations, and they had their sympathy in that dark home. Neither could they forget those who are still bearing the brunt and burden in South Africa, and they hoped they would soon be in a position to return home. He was not going to justify their action as to entertaining Troopers Dickenson and Rishworth. It was the outcome of a spontaneous outburst of enthusiasm, and was no disparagement of what had been done and what would be done. When they asked them to accept these tokens of goodwill they remembered the lad (Private W.E. SPEIGHT) who was still in South Africa, and their thoughts were with him, his parents, and his brothers and sisters. (Applause). He referred to the appreciative criticism of the British soldier by the American and Russian military attaches in South Africa, and he held that our soldiers on returning home received no greater welcome than they deserved. (Applause).
Trooper DICKENSON said he really thought they did not deserve these beautiful gifts, for they had only done what hundreds of others would have done if they had anything about them. They would look back upon that night with pleasure, and no matter what they did in the future they would endeavour to do their duty. (Applause). He said that Lord Methuen, under whom they served for fifteen months, was one of the best generals in South Africa, and he told Major Pearse “The 3rd Regiment (Yeomanry) has suffered more for me than any other regiment”. They did their best and suffered heavily for it. He thanked them for their interest in them both.
Trooper RISHWORTH also returned thanks and said they would always remember the great kindness of the people of Crossgates and district.
Mr Jackson proposed “The host and hostess”, Mr Harle supported, and Mr Ryder responded.
A CROSSGATES VOLUNTEER’S RETURN.
At the Station Hotel, Crossgates, yesterday (Friday) week, a smoking concert was held, Mr H. Johnson presiding. There was a large attendance.
……. Mr Nichols (Killingbeck) proposed “The Imperial Forces”. He referred to the dark days at the outset of the war and the response of Volunteers from all parts of the Empire at that time; they went without any pay practically, for many of them left good positions. And even in the unimportant place of Crossgates they had a few good soldiers, who had made sacrifices and gone at the country’s call, and he was glad they had all returned practically uninjured. They had five Volunteers in the room, and he believed that were it necessary they would go back to South Africa again. Kruger had said that he would stagger humanity, and it was about the only truthful thing he ever said, and he thought the Auxiliary Forces had staggered the civilized world. They required no conscription, for should the necessity arise they had men in all parts of the Empire who would come to the succour of Old England.
Corporal Macartney, of the Hampshire Yeomanry, who stated his intention of returning to the seat of war, responded. He described the Boers as an honourable foe; he admired their pluck and stated that they were doing what Britons would do were these shores invaded – fighting for their country. He thought the end was near, and then he hoped there would be a lasting peace.
Mr Heywood proposed “The Army Medical Corps”, of which serviceable body their principal guest (Mr W.E. SPEIGHT) was a member. He said the Leeds Corps numbered 120, and he believed that in the city there were 3,000 Volunteers, so that if the latter were ordered to the front, they had not a strong Corps to look after them. It was not at the front the members of the Medical Corps were required, but they had had to undertake the monotonous work of caring for and nursing the wounded and those suffering from dysentery and other diseases. It was a lamentable fact that ten times more lives were lost from disease than from wounds, and the Medical Corps had their respect and admiration. He then went on to describe the Boers, whom he stated were a cruel and unworthy foe.
Mr Harper responded, and pointed out that in the discharge of their duty, the Army Medical Corps were frequently under fire, and Mr Willie SPEIGHT and others had been exposed to this danger. Their first duty was attention to the wounded on the field of battle and afterwards the men were removed to field hospitals. The Leeds Corps was not a large one, but of the 400 men who had passed through it, thirty or forty had gone to the front. Crossgates had been well represented, and he mentioned Dr Spong, who was again in South Africa.
The Chairman then proposed the health of Mr W.E. SPEIGHT. He assured him that when they welcomed Messrs RISHWORTH and DICKENSON back to Crossgates they did not forget him; their thoughts were with him and their prayers were for him; and they not only thought of him but also of his father and mother, who were anxious to see him, and to know he would return safe and sound. The gold medal they would present him was with an acknowledgment of the admiration of him and of the work he had done. (Applause). Having referred to the work done on behalf of the sick and wounded by Mr Speight, he said he had not the slightest doubt that should the occasion occur – God forbid that it should – he (Mr Speight) would be prepared to do similar work for his country. (Applause). He hoped that soon all the brave fellows would return from South Africa and that peace would be proclaimed, and he thought they were generous enough, whatever the Boers had been or had done, to hold out the hand of fellowship and exhibiting no bitterness, show that they intended to be the promoters of peace and goodwill throughout the new colonies. He then asked Mr Speight’s acceptance of the medal.
Mr W.E. SPEIGHT, in returning thanks, said it was a clear case of duty with him to go to the front. He had been with a corps that had been much criticised, but he assured them that many of the things alleged were entirely false.
Councillor Greenwood Speight thanked the company heartily on behalf of his son and for the manner in which they had received him. Mr Nichols had spoken about the feelings of parents, and he said that when England was thought to be passing through a crisis in the early stages of the war his son, along with other young gentlemen present, volunteered to go to the front. Although the parting was terribly hard, he let his son go willingly and he was very proud of him – (applause) – to think he should rise to the occasion and desire to go. It was a very anxious time for them while he was away, particularly during ten or twelve weeks when they did not have any letter from him and when he was bad with enteric in hospital. He had a narrow escape, but he thanked God he had returned in even better health than when he went away. (Applause).
