William Verschoyle-Campbell

Mrs Verschoyle Campbell, owner of the Saggart Estate since 1894 lived at Tassaggart and had 4 sons namely Jack, Richard, William (Bill) and Walter. What brought William’s attention to me was a small bundle of maps and a few letters and booklets previously owned by William Verschoyle that I bought from a dealer. William’s name was written on some of the maps.  William was born in 1884 and after attending the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, joined the Royal Army Ordnance Corps in 1912. That he survived the slaughter of WW1 is not surprising as his work in the Ordnance Corps would not have included living in the trenches, withstanding constant bombardment and occasionally going over the top in a mad rush to almost certain death. The professional soldiers with skills could not be so carelessly wasted. Not so lucky were his cousins Arthur Verschoyle, killed in 1917 aged 27 and Francis Stuart Verschoyle killed in 1915 aged 19. They had lived at Kilberry near Athy. Their mother, Frances Jackson is said to have never gotten over the trauma of losing two of her three sons. An officer would compose a letter of consolation to the grieving parents giving details of how well liked their son had been, how good a soldier he had been and that he had suffered no pain. He had been interred with full military honours. The reality was often different. Many had lingered for days in great agony. Many were blown asunder, their bodies never identified. Many were shot or blown up in error by their own troops. War is a truly dreadful business.

One interesting booklet in the bunch is entitled “Cooking in the Field”. A stamp on the front tells us that William was in the 262^nd Company of the Royal Engineers. ‘Much of its contents is wishful thinking’, I thought when I perused it. But the fact is that the troops were well fed and nourished. They had to be, living in cold tents or in makeshift underground hollows on the front line. Winter and wetness and dampness combined with long hours on duty were particularly energy- sapping. To feed large numbers of men was a colossal undertaking, Ireland sending out a fair share of food through the port of Cork. Economy was demanded everywhere. Every scrap of food was used. Leftovers ended up in the soup cauldron or in the case of meat made into brawn. Tin cans were recycled into cooking stoves.

Another booklet is entitled “Lord Fisher on The Navy”. When Fisher was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty in 1904 he realised that after Britannia had ruled  the waves for a Century her navy had become complacent and out of date. He proceeded to construct massive ships known as Dreadnaughts and Battle Cruisers with the much improved turbine engine and armed with 12” guns. This new Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet clashed at Jutland in May 1916. Even though the Germans inflicted greater injury on the Royal Navy they retreated to their harbours, never willing to face again the might of Fisher’s navy. The British blockaded all efforts at supplying Germany with food and all manner of supplies which they needed to keep the war going. Eventually starvation and deprivation impelled the people to rebellion. The military joined with them. If the German High Seas Fleet had prevailed, then the British would have starved and would be beaten into submission. Fisher also saw that the Navy would have to change from the use of cumbersome coal to the more efficient oil.

Many of Verschoyle-Campbell’s war maps were printed by the Royal Engineers in France. Some are edited versions of French Ordnance maps and of good quality. It is obvious from the maps that William was engaged in the business of railways, sometimes building new connecting lines. The railway system was far superior to that of roads, which would get clogged up in chaos and in wet weather would turn into quagmire.

Map 1. This map shows the Railway lines across France and Belgium. They are connected to the main ports of Calais and Dunkirk, but also those of lesser importance such as Boulongue and Ostend. A new port had been constructed a little north of Dover at Richborough on the south coast of England to handle the enormous volume of traffic from Britain to the Continent- food, fodder, fuel, personnel, clothing, heavy guns and tanks, construction material, horses, railway locomotives and so much more. Only the vast resources of Britain and the Empire could have satisfied these demands. Special roll-on roll-off ferries were constructed enabling trains to transport their cargoes directly from their place of manufacture to the war front in France and Belgium. Time and labour were greatly reduced. Ships from the far flung empire were able to use these ports also. Even with the German policy of sinking merchant ships by their submarines most still got through.  

Map 2. An Ordnance Survey of District of Amiens, published in 1915.

Map 3. Published under the patronage of the Federation of the Automobile Clubs of the Regions of France. A large impressive map extending from Lyons to the Alps, showing roads and urban areas very clearly.

Map 4. Map showing British trenches in the Somme Sector using information received from sources other than from photographs.

Map 5.  Diagrams showing standard banks and cuttings in the laying of railway tracks.

Map 6. Map of Bergueneuse in the Pas de Calais printed on behalf of the Royal Engineers.

Map 7. Four large sheets again of the Pas de Calais department showing in detail Normal Gauge, Light and Metre Railways. They are marked ‘Secret’. Calais was most important in the chain of supply to the British  forces in France and Belgium.  The British Expeditionary Force was a ‘mere’ 160,000 men, but as the war went on this number grew to more than 8 million British and Commonwealth troops. Supplying these armies was an enormous undertaking.

 The cost of maintaining armies, a navy and air force during two world wars weakened the Empire.  

Accumulated debts would take a generation and more to clear.

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