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]
[1] Gloucester Journal, 12 September 1914.
[2] World War One Records for William Watkins in Ancestry.
[3] 1921 Census