Unlikely friendships developed whilst in Schweidnitz. One such friendship was with Michael Claude Hamilton Bowes Lyon. Our 24 escapees years later would have said “I knew that guy.” Captain Michael Claude Hamilton Bowes Lyon also known as Mike to his family served with the Royal Scots in World War I. He gained the rank of Captain of the 3rd Battalion Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment).
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| Michael Claude Hamilton Bowes-Lyon from Nobbs Collection (Permission Chris Nobbs) |
He was also Queen Elizabeth ‘s uncle, him being Elizabeth senior’s brother. Elizabeth Bowes Lyon married the future King of England George VI in 1923. She of course was the mother of our current Queen. Six degrees of separation!
On third of May 1917 or 20/9/1918 his parents the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne received a telegram from the war office to say their son was missing in France. Micheal had been leading the troops and was involved in a counter-attack at Roeux near Arras. After having first been taken to a POW camp at Karlsruhe and then moved to Strá˝…hen from May to August 1917 he passed through Augustabad (Neu Brandenburg) from September to December 1917.
From there the Red Cross records show him arriving at Schweidnitz POW camp from December 1917 where he stayed until November 1918. Interestingly they knew he was alive when he drew a cheque on the Cox’s Bank.
A partial letter in a Glamis Castle Facebook Post in 2018 sees them commemorating 100 years since he wrote this letter to his mother at Glamis Castle in 1918. The archivist at Glamis, Ingrid Thomson answered our query about his time in Schweidnitz POW camp. Her timeline of him being there until November 1918 coincided with our lot arriving around the same time until their escape from Schweidnitz on 19 March 1918.
The crux is – our people were mixing with the top echelon of British society.
Interestingly, Michael wrote to his mother only 4 days after the escape of our 24 men. Alas, with censorship he could not tell her of our guys’ remarkable effort of escaping through a tunnel excavated with spoons and metal cups. We do know he was offered a prisoner exchange. Ingrid tells us he states in a letter to his mother from Schweidnitz, dated 24 April 1918: “I was offered an exchange to Holland the other day for another German Officer in England but I did not take it as I’ve only done a year & there are many others who have done nearly two still in the country.” …… I sneakily suspect this man who had Earls as relatives was secretly enjoying the company of his newfound friends. Read on….
Michael, in his letter dated Schweidnitz July 26 1918 tells his mother about “learning miniature baseball from American or rather the Canadians in the camp.” He was lamenting missing the cricket news and anticipating the grouse shoot his friends and family would be involved with. He said “it is really quite an amusing game but the most important part of it is the booing and cheering. The man who has the longest string of epithets and adjectives to hurl at his opponents is very good and the great thing is to laugh and jeer at them all until they get thoroughly angry and put off their game.” “I am learning American (sic) slang for that purpose now.”
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Well Mr Bowes Lyon, we Australians call it ‘sledging’ and perhaps you were also getting your accents mixed up . The practice is possibly as old as cricket itself. Witty banter between players is quite common. ‘Chaffing’ as it is called in England is part of this controversial gamesmanship. Anyhow, this little bit of exchange gives us a rare glimpse at life in the camp- the camaraderie built and friendships made. Others have mentioned the friendships made while watching and playing the baseball games.
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| Schweidnitz Camp Baseball Game courtesy Richard Townsley |
The archivist tells us food and cigarettes featured in Michael’s war diaries and letters home and we know that the Red Cross was instrumental in ensuring the delivery of boxes of goodies requested by the POWs from their families. I don’t have a definitive answer (from Archived Red Cross records) but several references including the Imperial War Museum site have him also serving time at Holzminden which is of course the POW camp our lot spent the rest of their captivity in after their escape and recapture.
Her Majesty’s uncle met up with a young Aussie called Charles Henry Ffrench "Harry" Nobbs and also known as Nobby. Harry was not part of the escape but he was an affable chap who kept a magnificent archive of camp photos. In normal times it was an extremely unlikely friendship considering the isolation of Norfolk Island in the Pacific 1600km from Sydney. However Harry and Mike were extremely close friends during their captivity.
Charles Henry Ffrench Nobbs was born on 18 June 1895 at Norfolk Island. He was a descendent of the Christian family from mutiny on the Bounty fame. After completing his education in the Kings School near Parramatta in 1911 “Bishop” or “Bish” as he was known worked for a couple of years as a clerk. Harry Nobbs, enlisted in Sydney in the 6th Australian Light Horse, Australian Army at the commencement of the war.
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| Charles Henry Ffrench Nobbs |
He served in Egypt, then Gallipoli Later the young Aussie, transferred from the AIF to the Royal Flying Corps as part of the first intake of the Australians. After training he was commissioned 2nd Lt as a pilot in the 66 Squadron flying Sopworth Pups in sorties against the Germans during the 3rd Battle of Ypres. Less than 2 months later he was reported missing over enemy lines. The website http://www.niwarmemorial.nlk.nf/SalutingtheirService/Nobbs_Charles_Henry_Ffrench.html has an account of Harry’s capture.
"Sent out in bad weather to bomb and strafe aerodrome (north of Courtrai). Failed to locate aerodrome on account of weather. Proceeded to return to lines, encountered and engaged enemy aircraft which went down through clouds after my first burst. Later encountered 5 enemy aircraft over lines but evaded them by diving into clouds. Continued under clouds towards lines then observed several Battalions of German Infantry on the march and in column formation near the road so dived to attack with machine gun fire. Much confusion and many casualties observed (Subsequently confirmed from German sources). Finally brought down by fire from ground during third dive. Not wounded. Unable to destroy machine as crashed among German soldiers who very nearly lynched me but managed to delay matters by feigning to be wounded till arrival of German Officer who escorted me at a run for 2 or 3 miles followed by a great crowd of shouting German soldiers from whom all semblance of order or discipline had apparently disappeared"
Nobbs ended up in Schweidnitz. His POW records seem to be missing but his family has a letter also putting him in Holzminden as well as Schweidnitz. This Norfolk Islander, “Nobby”as he was nicknamed was also friendly with our lot. Interestingly overlapping photos featuring our escaping 24 turned up in two different sets of photos- one from Nobbs’ relatives from UK and the others from Fulton’s relatives from Australia.
Interestingly Nobbs was next in line to escape via the tunnel when it collapsed. Hence in the photo he has started growing some facial hair like the other men to help disguise themselves after the escape.
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| Hill, Avey, Howes and Nobbs Courtesy of Margaret Clark Fulton's Collection |
By November came the end of the War. Michael, Nobbs and the mix of prisoners from Canada, England and Australia were repatriated from the POW camp after the Armistice in 1918.
For the Aussies, demobilisation was steadily (and slowly) taking place. Since many of the the Australian and New Zealanders had resigned the Infantry and were attached to the Royal Flying Corps they had a different pathway home than the Infantry Forces. After returning to air force bases in England there was little to do and leave was granted. Free rail passes were granted while they waited for the opportunity for passage home. So, in the months to come, time was available to visit friends and relatives while exploring the United Kingdom.
Invites were plenty. After his release Harry Nobbs spend some time visiting Glamis Castle in Scotland with his friend Michael. What an experience for this island Aussie far from home spending time in a Scottish Castle in the winter snow and ice. Jacqueline Cook in her book “the Real Great Escape” places Harry and Michael in Holzminden for a time. She describes the visit to the Bowes Lyon home where Elizabeth Bowes Lyon refers to Harry’s Norfolk Island home as Nobby’s Island.
Later Michael married Elizabeth Margaret Cator on 2 February 1928 in a high society wedding followed by a tour of the continent. Together they had four children. His post war life was taken up with farming. He died 1 May 1953 in The Gastlings, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, England of asthma and heart failure after suffering ill health from his imprisonment and as a result of being gassed in the trenches.
Interesting fact: Bowes Lyon was once considered for the position of NSW Governor. Little was known of him at the time and the NSW Government considered the position should be offered to an Australian born person. So, the Queen Mother's favourite and elder brother was passed over.
Harry was repatriated home to Australia and then to Norfolk Island. Post war he spent time in New Guinea before heading off to England to live and work. He married Audry Copperthwaite on 20 March 1930 at Malton, Yorkshire, England and had two children Christopher Kenyon Ffrench Nobbs (Born 1936) and Gillian Ffrench Nobbs (b1937).
Due to ill health he was unable to enlist for WWII but in the end contented himself to serve in No.7 British North Riding Home Guard from 1940 to 1944 where he was promoted to Captain. He died on 7 January 1946 at age 50 at Amotherby, Yorkshire, England.
The Kings School Magazine in May 1946 reproduced Harry’s obituary from the British Trade Journal as follows -
“Charles Henry Ffrench Nobbs
His many friends in the bottling industry will learn with profound regret of the untimely passing of Mr C H Ff Nobbs - Nobby to his family - who passed away in the early hours of January 7th. The bottling industry is well known for the good fellowship which exists among those whom it is the ‘daily work and common task’ Nevertheless, Nobby was an outstanding character, because of his ability to make not merely business acquaintances but real friends. Indeed if one were asked to account for his undoubted success in life, it may lay in the very fact that his mission was to be a pal amongst pals. Born on Norfolk Island in 1896 he was educated at Kings School, Parramatta, NSW. A true son of the Empire, he joined the Australian Light Horse and at the outbreak of the 1914 war was in the Middle east subsequently transferring to the Royal Flying Corps. Shot down in operations he was for eighteen months a prisoner of war in Germany, an experience which doubtless contributed to his ill health which dogged him during the latter part of his life. After making and to quote him “losing a pile” in New Guinea, he settled in England and in 1930 married Miss Audrey Copperthwaite, whose family is connected with Messrs. Russells, the well known Malton brewers. When the second World War began he made tremendous efforts to re-join the RAF and much resented on being turned down on medical grounds. Nobby, hated to use his own words, ‘being not wanted’, but this illusion was quickly dispelled when Mr Anthony Eden’s call to arms came and he was well to the fore in organising the L D V, afterwards of course the Home Guard in which he held the rank of Major in command of A Company, 7th North Riding Battalion for three years. He was a member of the Camulodunum Masonic Lodge, Malton and his interest in local affairs culminated in his appointment as Chairman of the Amortherby Parish Council in 1944 which office he occupied until his decease. He was also President of the Amortherby Cricket Club and was an enthusiastic player until it became necessary for him to curtail this activity due to health reasons.”
One of the family treasures is the Letter from the Royals about the friendship of Harry and Michael.
So in summary Our 24 relatives and Nobbs knew Michael Bowes- Lyon who knew Queen Mother who knew Queen Elizabeth II -6 degrees!!
Published on ANZAC DAY 2021 LEST WE FORGET
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM
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