The Wartime Memories Project - The Great War

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The Bedfordshire Yeomanry The Bedfordshire Yeomanry can be traced back to 1797. Battalions during the Great War. 1st Battalion 2nd Battalion 3rd Battalion Pte. Leonard William Heygate Northamptonshire Yeomanry My Grandfather Leonard William Heygate was born on the 3rd September 1889. His father, Richard Ralph Heygate (1852 to 1923) was a varnish manufacturer in Hackney and a gentleman farmer in West Haddon, Northants. Leonard had a brother Gerald Ralph (1886 to 1951)who also joined the army in the First World War. Their Mother Lizzie Emma was also from the Heygate family. I have not been able to find very much First World War information on my grandfather Leonard, except that he joined the Northamptonshire Yeomanry as a Private and apparently, according to my Mother Margaret Ruth Heygate, he was engaged to my Grandmother Evelyn Lucy Underwood of Long Buckby, Northants. He had to go to Ireland to learn to ride horses and Evelyn, accompanied by her Mother, travelled to Ireland to see him! Leonard had been training to be an Auctioneer at Rugby but was also joint owner, with his Father of some agricultural land at West Haddon, Northants, where he lived. I have some information that he served in France, date of entry 18.04.1915. He also seemed to have served with the Bedfordshire Yeomanry. At the Army Museum it states in the Army list February 1918 L W Heygate 333 Yeomanry Territorial Force 332, Bedforshire, Ashburnham Road, Bedford. Uniform blue. Facings white. Plume black and white. Commissioned 3/1st Beds Yeo 16.4.17, 2nd Lieutenant 17.4.1917. Reserve Brigades Artillery (TF). L W Heygate September 1918 332 (attd 2-1) York, Dns, Yeo 17 April 1917. Attached to the York Dragoons Yeomanry. On one piece of paper I have Medal 15 star, roll cc/5b page6. Also it states 'on R T or and F Roll CC/106B1/36. NW/2/3606. My Grandfather was rather a shy, quiet gentleman and would not talk about his experiences of the First World War. Years later, my brother was on a school trip to France and he happened to send his Grandparents a postcard from Arras. The only thing my Grandfather said to my Mother was, 'I was there' and he was very sad. He apparently, on hearing that World War 2 had broken out, disappeared out of the house into the fields and probably cried. I just want to know more about where he was in France and whether he was at the Battle of Arras. I think I am right in saying that he had a wound to his face from shrapnel. He was very fortunate to survive the war and had a pleasant life as a gentleman farmer at Creaton and West Haddon, Northants. He married Evelyn and produced three children, Margaret, Barbara and Michael John. He had five grandchildren. He died on 3rd August 1975 and is buried in West Haddon Churchyard. The only other thing I would add about the Second World War. When Coventry was bombed, Grandpa had a bonfire in one of the fields at Creaton and to the family's horror, they saw the German aeroplanes flying overhead and the bonfire which had been earlier put out, sprang to life, so the family ran across the fields with buckets of water to put the flames out! They all survived but witnessed the sky all lit up from Coventry and could hear the bombs landing. List of those who served with The Bedfordshire Yeomanry during The Great War Sjt. Augustus Edwin Brawn MM & Bar Attached to 15th King's Hussars Pte. Leonard William Heygate Read his Story. Aubrey Alec Ping

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