WW1 Ernest William Groom

Ernest William Groom 26th March 1893 - 1st April 1958

Ernest was born in Croxley Green to parents Joseph and Frances Groom. Joseph 23 years and Frances 27 years were married locally at All Saints church on 26th January 1889. At this time Joseph was employed as a cowman and although Frances is recorded as a spinster in the church marriage records, the family believe she came to Croxley Green in 'service' possibly as a maid in one of the large houses in the village. Frances father had also been in service, employed as a butler.

The 1911 census shows us that Ernest 18 years , worked as a grocer's shop assistant. Family members believe this to be at the Co-operative in New Road. Ernest's father now worked at John Dickinson paper mill as a paper packer with his daughter Hilda 16 years, a paper sorter and his son William 14 years, a paper cutter. The census also reveals Ester, at school 11 years old and the family were living at 124 New Road. Earlier census indicate Joseph and Francis had another daughter Lucy, who would have been 21 years in 1911.

As the war progressed in France and Belgium with heavy losses of regular and volunteer soldiers,
posters around the country were appealing for men to join the British Army. Ernest travelled to Hertford and enlisted on the 22nd November 1915. Conscription however soon followed, introduced in March 1916.

From the date of his enlistment, knowledge of Ernest's early whereabouts in the army is unsure, but he did keep a diary which has been carefully transcribed by family members. The dairy begins in June 1916 and starts with Ernest at Halton Camp .

(At the start of WW1, Halton House and estate near Wendover, Buckinghamshire, was owned by Alfred de Rothschild. During WW1 the estate was used by the army for training and was later to become a training base for cadets in the Royal Air Force. It is still currently a well established cadet base known as R.A.F. Halton)

The following is Ernest's diary as transcribed by members of the family (2018). As Ernest had just a pencil to describe his events, the writing has faded and in places difficult to determine his handwriting, particularly some names in France etc. Ernest may well have not known the correct spelling and wrote them phonetically. The family have done their best to locate and correct any spelling. The website has placed in square brackets [ ] extra information regarding Ernest's diary entries.

Ernest's diary is still in remarkable condition and although the pencil has faded with age the paper in the note book is still very stable. Two photographs are attached in the early section of Ernest's notes and the family believe they are his mother Frances and his brother William,who also served in the army.

June Halton Camp, Bucks
3rd July Monday
Went under canvass to Hayfield Park
4th July
Received orders to proceed to France. Inspection at 2.30. Roll call at 9pm.
5th July
Paraded at 2.30 (early morning) marched to Wendover Station to Marylebone.
Marched to Victoria Stn, trained to Folkestone. Arrived Folkestone 7.45.
Billeted facing the sea until 1.30pm
Boarded HMS “The Queen” 2.30pm
Arrived Boulogne 4pm. Landed at 5pm
Marched to rest camp until morning
Photo of The Queen Elizabeth ship below
6th July
Left camp. Trained to Etaples I.B.D. (Infantry Base Depot)Under canvass.
[Trained :- Ernest travelled by railway to Etaples in northern France]
Having happy time.
7th July
Paraded for med insp. No parade in afternoon. [Medical Inspection]
8th July
10am went on a lovely walk (north). Fine views of the sea from walk.
Parade at 2pm. Drill at Bull Ring. Met Oliver Atkins [ Oliver lived at 28 Dickinson Square and was a driver in the Motor Transport Royal Army Service Corps]

9th July   Fired at range at 2.30pm. Service at S.C.A (Soldiers Christian Association)
6.30pm - 8pm
10th July 9.30 Bomb throwing at Bull Ring
11th July Drew ammunition for shifting. Had orders to Stand too.
12July
13th July  Nil. Paraded for pay 5 frcs [5 francs] [Francs -unit of French currency. Approx £2 then and £122 (2019)]
14th July
15th July  Nil
16th July  Church Parade at Camiers 10.45am  [approximately 4 miles north of Etaples]
Service at 6.30pm at S.C.A
17th July  Bathed in sea at Paris Plage
18th July Little march
19th July  Washing clothes at laundry. Paraded for pay 5 frcs
20th July  Same as Tuesday
21st July Friday  Orders for moving. Moved at 4.30.
Left Etaples 6pm to Henencourt
Via Abbeville, Rue, Langfure, Amiens
Arrived at 1 early morning. quite dark.
Marched to Henencourt to camp under canvass
Saw star shells and heard heavy gun fire.
First parcel from home, jolly good.
[Ernest is now near the village of Henencourt in northern France that was close to the front lines in 1916 during the Battle of the Somme]
22nd July  Instruction by C.O. 10.30 [Commanding Officer]
Plenty of air craft over here
2.30 heavy firing heard, same all day
6 pm inspected damage in village
Watched fire of big guns from some distance
23rd July   First parade 6.15. Drill all morning
Next parade 3.30. Generals inspection.
24th July Parade all day
25th July Paraded at 7am for firing on small range. 34 points out of 40
26th July Left Henencourt at 10am, marched to Acheux, billeted in barns. (Somme)
27th July  7am Station unloading  granite
28th July  7am Station unloading. 6.30 paid 5 frcs
29th July 7am Station unloading
30th July  Went on lorries up line, saw guns fired. Stopped in front of them.

31st July     Usual to Friday Aug 4th
Seen several aircraft shelled
Aug 2nd met old bus driver his name was Castle
5th Aug  Drill during morning, unloading granite from 12 to 4.30.
6th Aug No.3 Section Day Off.
1hr Service at 11am and 7pm
7th Aug Drill in morning, unloading granite in afternoon
Met Joe Woolams and Arthur Treacher [Joe was killed 30/9/1918 lived 231 New Road]
8th Aug Stn in morning, drill in afternoon [Station]
9th Aug Wed
12th Aug Same as usual
13th Aug Sick with Shingles light Duty. Very dullish  Light Rains
26th Aug Sat Sick, light Duty.
27th Aug Work at R E's Dump[Royal Engineers]
2nd Sept Work at R Es Dump
Moved from Acheux to Henencourt. Met all old mates
5th Sept Transferred to 6th Royal Berks
Left Henencourt via train to Abbeville, took Tues night, Wed, Wed night
7th Sept (Thurs) Left Abbeville to Tincques arrived 1pm, marched to join the Berks.
8th Sept All day training
9th Sept Started 3 day march to Lealvillers.
[Lealvillers is a small village  in the Somme area (Picardy region)]
First day fell out on march, scorching hot, just about knocked up
10th Sept 2nd days march, much easier
11th Sept  3rd days march, very good
All that way round and came back within 1 mile of starting
12th Sept All day training hearing barrage
13thSept Ditto
15th Sept Ditto
16th Sept Stood by ready to move
17th Sept Left at 11am marched to Acheux.
3.30 moved on to Bouzincourt
[Bouzincourt is a small village in Northern France in the Somme region]

18th Sept Moved back to Forceville. Pouring with rain. Got drenched
19th Sept  Drill in morning, 2.30 clothes inspection
20th Sept  No parade for me. 12.30 instruction on dug outs
WENT IN BIG ADVANCE ON THIEPVAL
[26th -30th Sept The battle of Thiepval Ridge was part of the first battle of the Somme with heavy losses]
Mr Gale wounded
John Gray killed
Herbert Green wounded
Herbert Groom wounded
Fred Fish wounded
Reed wounded
2nd Lt Ravener killed
Awful experience on fire stag first night
Germans shelled us heavily especially last day which was Thurs Oct –
Could not write any proper account of details, too busy
Moved from ________ to Albert in buses. Left Albert midnight.
[Albert  was the main town behind the lines for the Allies in the 1916 Somme]
14th Oct Sat
First night in trenches
15th Oct
Nice day very quiet
16th Oct
Ditto
17th Oct
Ditto. Removed back to Albert
18th Oct
Spent day at Albert . Moved back to trenches.
Support line. Poured with rain
19th Oct
Moved from support to trenches
Jack Bushnell killed

20th Oct  Still in trenches. 1st line. Warm day. Private Sale wounded
21st Oct  Raining; awfully cold
22nd Oct  Nice day. relieved
Marched back to Albert
23rd Oct  Bath. Moved to different billets
24th Oct  Pours with rain. Sheltered in billet
25th Oct Moved under bivouacs [a temporary shelter or camp for sleeping in outside, that is not a tent]
26th Oct  27th , 28th The same
29th Oct  Went into trenches until Nov 2nd
3rd Nov  Back at Albert
4th Nov Saw George Howard [George lived 45 New Road]
Moved to Warloy to billets [Somme]
8th Nov Heavy rain, no parades
9th Nov 2.15 moved to trenches
27th Jan 1917
Killed
Dick Cershing
Cpl Jones
Alf Haynes
Austin (Capt Hudson’s servant)
L/cpl Windy Banks
17th Feb Wounded Saturday 17 Feb 1917
Stayed at Warloy until Sunday morning [Warloy is in the Somme region.]
Moved to Varennes CCS 10am [Casualty Clearing Station]
Operated on at 5pm
Layed in O ward until Wed
28th Feb  Wed moved to base hospital at Camiers nth Etaples
Laid in G 2 ward until
7th Mar  Wed moved to hospital ship Dieppe,[ Dieppe was built for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. She was used on their Newhaven—Dieppe route. She was requisitioned by the Royal Navy in WW1 for use as a troopship and a hospital ship]
Laid on there until March 9

9th Mar
Came across from Calais to Dover, arrived at 12noon. Put on train at Dover at 3pm. Travelled via Canterbury, Chatham, Liverpool Stn., Chelmsford.
Arrived at Colchester 9pm.
Admitted to Military Hospital Fri Mar 9th 9.15pm
28th Mar
Mon Serious operation
14th Apr
Left to Romford
2nd June
Left Romford for 10 days
Furlough commencing on the 4th until June 13th
[Ernest is referring to furlough a period of time that a soldier is allowed
to be absent, especially to return temporarily to their own town or country]
Received no pay since wounded on Feb 17th
15/5 in Cr to Sept 30 1917
Had four weeks pay of 3/6 while at Romford, also £1 when leaving
11th June
Received £1/10/0 for pay and ration allowance

13th June Left home for Ireland [Ernest is probably at home 124 New Road and travelled by train from the Croxley Green LN&WR station near Cassiobridge]
5.48 Croxley, 7.40 Watford, 9.25 Euston, Holly Head 3am
14th June Sailed for Dublin on SS Greenore. Arrived at 8am. Motored to Rest Camps. Had breakfast in city. Dinner at 1pm. Looked round Dublin until 3pm. Left Kingsbridge Stn. at 3pm for Buttevant arrived at Barracks 8pm
15th June D Block R 4 met George Mains and Jack Salmon. Moved to R Block R 2
6th June P T at 11.30am 2pm cricket match
17th June Church parade 10am in library
18th June Met Fuzz Knight
25th June Wounds burst open. Reported sick MD [Doctor]
26th June Ditto Reported to M & L D
27th June Excused duties 7 days. Admitted into Hospital in barracks
28th June & 29th Wounds very sore
30th July Discharged from Hospital
23rd August 1917 Went before Medical Board, marked E Discharged

Ernest's diary is still in remarkable condition and although the pencil has faded with age the paper in the note book is still very stable. Two photographs are attached in the early section of Ernest's
notes and the family believe they are his mother Frances and his brother William,who also served in the army.

When Ernest finally returned home he would have continued recovering from his wounds and lived with his parents and other members of the family. The 1920 Electoral Roll shows the family now occupy 84 New Road. Ernest married Winifred Dora Austin on 3rd April 1920 and they lived at 47 Dickinson Avenue. Ernest continued his employment with the Co-op in New Road and he and Dora,( now using her middle name), had a daughter Brenda.