Some volunteers had second thoughts almost immediately after signing on. This was the case for Herbert Moyes and William Watkins, who worked as farm labourers in Awre. Moyes worked at Aram’s farm near Newnham and Watkins at Box farm, near Awre
The two men enlisted in the army at Gloucester on 31 August 1914 and were then sent to a camp at Salisbury Plain. However, after several days, they decided to leave and walked back to their homes in Awre. A couple of days later, a local policeman spotted Moyes and enquired if he had enlisted. Moyes replied that he had left the army and admitted having deserted, adding that after several days on Salisbury Plain, they “had had enough of it”. He then made several complaints about their treatment by the military authorities. The policeman then came across Watkins, who made a statement similar to Moyes. [1]
The men were remanded pending the arrival of a military escort to take them back to Salisbury. It is unclear what happened to Moyes, but Watkins was discharged from the military on 7 October 1914 based on a recommendation that he was “unlikely of becoming an efficient soldier”.[2]
In 1921, Watkins was still living in Awre and working as a Carter for a local farmer.[3]
The action of Moyes and Watkins was not unusual in the Autumn of 1914. Training conditions during the winter of 1914–15 were extremely poor. Recruitment had far outpaced the military’s ability to properly house, equip, and supply the new soldiers, forcing many to live in tents. Food was inadequate, uniforms were lacking, and proper weapons were scarce. Constant wet weather turned camps into muddy, unsanitary environments, leading to outbreaks of disease such as measles and viral meningitis. Over 100,000 men became ill enough to require hospital treatment in Britain that winter, and more than 700 died. This harsh reality was far removed from what many had expected, prompting some recruits to abandon their posts and return home.
[1] Gloucester Journal, 12 September 1914.
[2] World War One Records for William Watkins in Ancestry.
[3] 1921 Census