Wingfield Manor
Posted on April 24, 2019 Leave a Comment
Wingfield Manor is one of the greatest unknown manor houses in England. It was built in the middle of the 15th Century and now lies ruined at the top of a hill in South Wingfield, Derbyshire. It was the model for the later (and larger) Hampton Court Palace. It is built of local stone, and retains numerous interesting architectural features, such as the Great Hall, the kitchens, and the tower which used to contain an early flushing toilet (basically people sat on pieces of overhanginging wood and did their business. A cistern at the top of the tower would flood the area and everything would wash into the old Norman moat).
The manor was built on the remains of a Norman castle, about which we know very little. Part of the moat remains around the outer walls.
The manor is linked with several characters and stories of national interest. It was built for Ralph Lord Cromwell who as a young man had fought at Agincourt with Henry V. He played an important role under Henry VI as treasurer, Privy Councillor and Chamberlain of the household, doing very well for himself financially out of these activities. He died in 1456 and the manor was bought by John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury, whose father had recently died commanding the english troops who died losing the Battle of Castilion, the final battle of the 100 Years War, which saw the French victorious.
The manor stayed in the same family for some time. In the 1580s Mary Queen of Scots was a prisoner here on several occasions, and the Babington Plot, which was one of the events that led to her execution, was hatched around here. Young Anthony Babington, a Catholic from the hamlet of Dethick just over the hill from Wingfield, worked for George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury – husband of Bess of Hardwick, the second most powerful woman in England at that time – and it is rumoured Babington developed an attachment for Mary. Whatever the case, they were both executed.
The 7th Earl of Shrewsbury had no sons, only daughters, and so through marriage the manor came into the hands of the Duke of Norfolk. At the start of the Civil War in 1642 he was a supporter of the Parliamentary cause. The manor itself was occupied at first by Parliamentary forces, but after a short siege it was taken by the Royalists who, perhaps because the manor is situated near important north-south and east-west roads, caused some trouble in the local area. Colonel Gell, in charge of the Parliamentary forces of Derbyshire, besieged the manor, but had to march to Marston Moor to help defeat the Royalists there. On their return to Wingfield they quickly restarted the siege and took the manor by bombardment and infantry attack. The commander of the Royalist forces, Colonel Dalby, attempted to get away by disguising himself as an ordinary soldier, but he was recognised by a deserter and shot in the face as he walked out of the gate. There are traces of the trenches and gun emplacements on the hillside outside the manor, the half moon battery by the main gate being the most prominent, but these are mainly overgrown and neglected.
After the war the manor was ordered to be ruined by order of Oliver Cromwell and Parliament – built by one Cromwell, destroyed by another, apparently unrelated Cromwell – so that it could never be used in defence against the state.
At this point we can forget wars and lords as the manor was bought from Norfolk by his steward Immanuel Halton, a keen astronomer and mathematician. He rebuilt part of the manor, basically a house inside what was the great hall. He heavily influenced the young local lad John Flamsteed – from nearby Denby – getting him interested in astronomy, so much so that Flamsteed became the first astronomer royal, helping found the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, London.
A later Halton let the manor fall into ruin when he had Wingfield Hall built across the valley. He even got the builders to make use of the stone from the manor.
The manor is still occupied. In the middle range between the north and south courtyards there is a farmhouse, occupied as such for several hundred years. The south courtyard is the farmyard, and there are various farm buildings dotted around.
The manor itself is in the hands of English Heritage. At the time of writing it is closed for refurbishment. Until last year it was open only the first Saturday of the month during the summer – and then only with a guided tour which omits many of the interesting elements of the story, focusing largely on Mary Queen of Scots rather than war and astronomy.
A solution for Brexit?
Posted on April 4, 2019 Leave a Comment
Among all the ideas about what our disunited kingdom should do regarding Brexit, cancel Article 50, do a hard Brexit, or find a third way, I believe I have a solution that could work for everyone. At the moment none of the solutions work for a majority of people. Whatever happens a large proportion of the population is likely to be unhappy. If we leave the EU then a large part of the population will feel torn asunder from the community they have grown to love. If we remain in the EU then we are threatened by violence from the nastier parts of the anti-EU population. Yes, these two groups do have different general characteristics (though there are nice and nasty people on each side from the evidence there are more on the Brexit side).
Here’s a solution
- Revoke Article 50. We clearly cannot come up with an acceptable solution in the short time remaining before we leave or before we go begging to the EUU for another extension. This cannot be sorted out in days or weeks.
- Tell those people who wish to leave the EU that they have until one year before the next EU elections (ie 2023) to come up with an acceptable option for leaving (whether hard, soft or something inbetween). Like it or not they will have to talk to the EU and come up with a solution that works for the EU too. Yes we have a Euro election later this month, yes we stay in the EU for at least the next five years, but it is important to get this right.
- One year before the next EU elections we have another referendum – I hate referenda as most of us, myself included, are not qualified to vote on complex issues such as leaving the EU as we don’t understand the consequences, but I don’t think there is another choice on this occasion. The options will be the deal the Brexiters come up with versus remaining in the EU. As it is a significant constitutional change then the Brexit option must be supported by a real majority of the voters, either over 50% of the whole electorate or 60% of those who vote. There is a significant group of people who don’t care and we have to allow for that. They should not be contributing to a situation that could lead to significant constitutional change. If the Brexiters do not come up with a solution there is no referendum. The leave option must be presented with a degree of honesty that was missing from their arguments in 2016, outlining the potential consequences of leaving, both positive (should they find any. I haven’t seen any in the last few years) and negative.
- If the vote is to remain, then it is over. No more trying to leave for at least 10 years (perhaps the EU could legislate for that, an addendum to Article 50). If the vote is to leave then as the EU has already agreed to the plan it can be put to Parliament for legislation to leave before the next EU elections will be due.
That is it. The simplest solution to a difficult problem. The Brexiters will moan about having to stay in the EU for another few years, but at least we will be in a position to have a reasoned argument (if such is possible) about the options through this period.
Of course I don’t want to leave. I believe strongly that once the public are shown what the alternatives are they will opt to remain. Whether or not the process destroys the Tory Party, the Labour Party or both is a problem for those parties. At the moment they – particularly the former – are tearing themselves apart trying to come up with something that will appeal to everyone. That is not going to happen. Also, with such huge constitutional changes we have to take our time over the debate. Finally, anyone who claims that it is not democratic to have another vote is plain wrong. We have democratic votes every few years to choose our government. We have the right to change our minds.
NET is NICE
Posted on February 25, 2019 Leave a Comment
Some of the work of our research team has been used as evidence for the latest update of the NICE guidelines for the treatment of PTSD. Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) has now been included as an acceptable treatment for PTSD (NICE, Dec 2018), after several years of researchers and clinicians arguing for its inclusion. This is good news for those who will benefit from NET.
Three of our articles were used for the evidence:
- Alghamdi, M., Hunt, N. & Thomas, S. (2015). The Effectiveness of Narrative Exposure Therapy with Traumatised Fire-fighters in Saudi Arabia: A Randomised Controlled Study. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 66, 64-71.
- Zang, Y., Hunt, N. & Cox, T. (2014). Adapting Narrative Exposure Therapy for Chinese earthquake survivors: A pilot randomised controlled feasibility study. BMC Psychiatry, 14, 262.
- Zang, Y., Hunt, N. & Cox, T. (2013). A randomised controlled pilot study: The effectiveness of narrative exposure therapy with adult survivors of the Sichuan Earthquake. BMC Psychiatry, 13(1), 41.
These articles are based on the studies of two of my PhD students, Yinyin Zang and Mohammed Alghamdi.
Yinyin was the first of our team to use NET. We were studying the survivors of the Sichuan earthquake in China which took place in 2008. Over 42,000 people were killed, many more were injured and made homeless. Our study was initially intended to obtain quantitative data regarding the psychological impact of the earthquake, but we quickly found that people wanted to tell their stories, so Yinyin altered her PhD to incorporate NET, which was at the time a relatively new treatment. She initially used a four session treatment plan with people who were showing relatively high levels of psychological symptomatology. This worked very well. Using a waiting list design all 22 participants showed significant reduction of symptoms of PTSD, depression and anxiety. Indeed, the procedure worked so well we tried a two session NET, comparing it to the four session procedure and found it worked just as well. We were only able to do a three month follow up, but symptoms remained low in all groups.
Mohammed studied firefighters in Saudi Arabia. They were all treated using NET and their symptom scores reduced, in a similar but not as dramatic way as for the earthquake survivors. The follow up, though, showed some differences. Many of the firefighters showed increased scores after several months. On closer inspection – using an interview procedure – it turned out that many of them had experienced very stressful events in the interim, and it may have been this that caused the increase in scores. They did suggest that a regular ‘top-up’ NET might be helpful, but we did not have the resources for that.
Along similar lines, Ashraf Al-Hadethe, another one of my PhD students, conducted a NET study with Iraqi civilians in Baghdad at a time when there was still a lot of violence in the city. While the participants – again all with high symptom levels – showed some benefit from NET, they very quickly lost the benefits because of the continued violence.
These two studies, on Saudi firefighters and Iraqi civilians, may show that while NET has significant benefits for people who are in the post-trauma phase, ie they are not experiencing continuing problems, the procedure may not be protective for future stressful or traumatic events. Does it focus too much on past events and not consider the necessary tools to provide protection against future events? This clearly needs further research.
The China study, along with the many hundreds of other NET studies, clearly shows that there are benefits to NET, and people with PTSD and related problems are likely to experience significant benefits. Given the storied nature of NET it is likely that some people who are unable or unwilling to undergo a full course of CBT may find NET more acceptable, as it has the storied component – and we naturally get satisfaction from telling stories, even traumatic ones if their is suitable support.
Narratives of War: My grandfather’s brothers in World War One
Posted on February 12, 2019 Leave a Comment
My Great Grandfather, Albert Coupland, owned a show shop in Belper, Derbyshire, from the 1890s. During World War One three of his sons, my Grandfather’s brothers, fought on the Western Front in World War One. They were all older than my Grandfather (who was born in 1903), and – unusually – they all came back from the war, though with varying wounds. I recently searched the local paper, the Belper News, and found a number of short pieces about them and have decided to publish them here as an illustration of how we can find out about our families from looking at old newspapers. I searched the British newspapers online website, and selected stories published in the Belper News. These were among many war stories published throughout the war, describing the experiences of local people.
They do not tell the whole story, but they do add to the information I learned from my Grandfather when I was a child. Unfortunately, as so often happens, I didn’t ask the right questions at the time, nor did I push to meet one of the brothers, Jack, who was still alive and living somewhere in the West Midlands. I never did meet him, nor did I get the full story. All I knew at the time was that he had won the MM, and that all three brothers had at very times been wounded. Their names were Jack, Fred and Harry – classic names of the time.
The following stories are fragmented because they are just snippets from a newspaper, a newspaper that could not publish full details of actions due to censorship, but still tried to tell the stories of the men fighting overseas. They are unedited, and I have placed them in chronological order, so they jump from brother to brother rather than tell the story of each in turn. To find out more about their experiences I cannot now rely on anyone alive, but there may be further information available in the National Archives, or by exploring the regimental histories of the regiments mentioned.
The Coupland family during World War One: Reports from the Belper News
6 Nov 1914
IN THE THICK. BELPER PRIVATE WOUNDED AT YPRES
Private Harry Coupland, Scots Guards, son of Mr A. Coupland, King Street, Belper, who with others of the Expeditionary Force has been through a trying ordeal during his month in the trenches, has been sent home wounded, and he now lies in hospital in a comfortable condition. Private Coupland received a wound in the arm. The bullet enter at the wrist and coming out above the elbow. On arriving abroad. Private Coupland and his comrades occupied Ghent for four days, but evacuated the town to preserve from German bombardment. His division spent much time in the Ostend-Ghent neighbourhood, and eventually were detailed off to the trenches at Ypres. which they were ordered to hold at any cost. He spent fourteen days in these and says that the British were outnumberd by ten one. Fierce was the fighting that when the roll was eventually called, half the battalion failed to answer. . . . Private Coupland received his wound just before the Irish made a bayonet charge. He ‘succeeded in dragging himself to the rear of the ranks, and there lay unconscious until picked up by his men. He obtained many trophies from German prisoners, but the majority were lost when he was wounded. He has in his possession, however, a German military cap.
Friday 15 Jan 1915
THE RETURN: BELPER .SCOTS GUARDSMAN’S EXPERIENCES. Private Harry Coupland, the 2nd Scots Guards, a son of A. Coupland, of King St., Belper. has returned home wounded after an exciting time at the Front. His division were order to cover the retreat of the Belgian Army from and having accomplished this they retreated to a point near Ypres, where they made the now famous stand against the German hordes. Private Coupland helped to form what Sir John French termed in his despatch, “the thin line of khaki.” Describing the fight, Private Coupland said: “We were enormously outnumbered and unsupported. We made a bayonet charge, and were about thirty or forty yards from the enemy’s positions when I received stray wound. A bullet entered my forearm and came out at the top after shattering the bone. Afterwards we captured two enemy guns and prisoners. Out of 1,100 men our battalion only 542 remained. If the Germans had had any pluck they would have swept us out of their path, because in addition to superior numbers they were better equipped regarding guns. It was a perfect slaughter house, but things have got better now I think.” Private Coupland is with his parents on one month’s sick furlough, and has to report to depot on February 7th, when he expects to again enter hospital. “By the way,” he added, “you might advise anyone who intends sending parcels to the front to wrap them in canvas with a label of similar material. Parcels wrapped in paper are more likely to get lost than not.”
Belper News Friday 2 April 1915
Private Harry Coupland, son of Mr. Coupland, King Street, who was wounded at Ypres, has successfully undergone a severe operation in London, and is making fair left arm and thigh. Private Coupland is to be married this Easter to a London lady, and then he proceeds to the residence of Lady Warner of Brettenham Park, Suffolk, where he has an invitation to stay. Since Coupland has been in this country he has received much kindness from Lady Murray. Her son was a Lieutenant in the 2nd Scots Guards, and is now Captain in Harry Coupland s platoon.
2 July 1915
Mr. A. Coupland, of King Street, Belper, has received a letter from his son John, who is among the shot and shell at the front in France. The letter is dated last Friday, and he apologises for not writing earlier, the reason being that his regiment was going into the trenches for five days- John says: — we went in on Saturday night to hold some trenches captured a day or two before from the enemy. On the way we passed through the city which was absolutely knocked pieces. I don’t believe that there is one house left untouched, end the stench in some parts was awful. It was the same place that Harry was wounded at.” Harry Coupland, it may be explained, was wounded early in the war in an engagement which the Scots Guards were concerned. Proceeding, the letter remarks; “When relieved the regiment that was in had to retain and make the trenches serviceable, for they had been battered by our artillery. There were several dead about, both English and German, and we buried them. Our artillery was shelling the enemy, and several shells fell short. I continued to get buried under the debris of our trench, which was blown in, but I got out all right. Thank all for their letters. When I have nothing to do it is very nice to read them.”
17 Sept 1915
The funeral of Private Fred Gamlin, 14th Company Grenadiers, whose death we reported last week, took place on Wednesday with full military honours, the cortege proceeding from Queen Alexandra Hospital to Brompton Cemetery, attended by the Guards Band. The funeral arrangements were in the hands of Sergt.-Major Parry. In addition to the wreaths sent by relatives were others from Belper the members of the Congregational Bible Class, the Belper Wednesday football team, and the manager and staff of Hunter’s Stores, King Street. The funeral was watched by a crowd of people at the Cemetery. Among those attending the interment was Private Harry Coupland, formerly of the Scots Guards, who was wounded early in the War, and bis wife. Private Harry Coupland, whose severe-wound in one arm will be well remembered, has now obtained a post in London as commissionaire, and is of course pensioned.
1st Oct 1915
morning, Mr Coupland, King Street, Belper, received a card from his son, Pte. J. W. Coupland, dated September 26th. stating that he had been wounded and was in hospital, but no place was mentioned. Pte. Coupland belongs to the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, is the fourth son of Mr Coupland, two of whom have been with the Forces, one being discharged from the Army after a very severe and permanent injury. Pte. J. W. Coupland is at a base hospital, and it would seem that he may have been in the engagements of last Friday or Saturday in France.
8 October 1915
A letter received from Pvte J.W. Coupland of the 5th Oxs and Bucks, and son of Mr. A. Coupland King Street Belper, gives us some details of the recent British attack around Ypres, which was the first assigned to the new army. Lord Kitchener addressed the troops previous to the charge. Pvte. Coupland’s company went into the trenches on a Friday night, and at 4.30 Saturday morning after being bombarded by our artillery and explosion of a mine, the men leapt over their parapet, Pvte. Coupland proceeding with a machine gun section. A storm of lead met them from a Maxim and other field guns, but the German trenches were captured. A counter-attack followed in two hours, by five lines of Prussians, during which one of our machine guns was put out of action, and rifles and bayonets were resorted to. The Germans, however, were too many, and a retirement had to be effected to the British trenches, where Pvte. Coupland met with a mishap, being buried under the sandbags as the result of a shell explosion, and sustained a sprained back. The re-inforcing brigade, however, re-took the German trenches and held them. About fifty German prisoners were taken. The letter concludes by stating that two Belper men, Flint and another, had just arrived with the 7th Rifle Brigade.
22 Oct 1915
Mr Coupland, King Street. Belper, who has a son with the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry, in France, received on Tuesday morning a letter from his boy, thus refuting some untruthful reports that had obtained currency. I quote from this letter, written from the Division Base, follows; —”I am here for a few days more or less a week, and now marked active, waiting for the next draft of the regiment. Then up for another look at Fritz. Am going to a different part of the line, I hear, and I am not sorry, as I have had enough of .” Private J. W. was wounded some weeks ago. and appears to have recovered quickly. Concluding the letter the Belper youth said one of his companions who had been reported killed or missing. returned to the camp.
5 Nov 1915
A letter was received on Tuesday morning from Lance-Corporal B. S. Easthope, of Mr manager Messrs Loverock’s Market Place. Lance Corpl Easthope, who belongs the Shropshire Light Infantry, writes from camp in France. He states that is occupying a barn where he discovered pasted on the door the name J. Coupland, Belper, who apparently had preceded him as member of a unit who had been there. Furnishing the information that the troops had already been provided with their winter clothing of goatskin coats, which renders their appearance far more like Arctic explorers than British Tommies, further states that they were in the trenches 14 days, luckily having few casualties. Their leisure time mostly devoted to football despite much its enjoyment being marred by mud. His letter appears to have been written under difficulties, the top of a flight of steps particularly draughty.
21 July 1916
In a letter to his parents, Private J. Coupland refers to the lively doings on the British front at the beginning of the month, and to the gas attack much resented by the Germans. “Everyone in the trenches are full of hope and very cheerful, for we are at last paying off old scores, and we had waited a long time. It is good to see our artillery crumbling up their trenches as they crumpled ours when we first came out, but now we are fighting on more equal terms.’Of course they retaliate, but that only means more trouble, for our artillery are mad-headed and short of nothing It is a pity that Lord Kitchener is not alive to see his armies victorious. The Germans stuck a board up in front of us about a fortnight ago written upon it, ‘We have wiped out the Regulars, beaten Kitchener’s, and now want to see the Derbyshires,’ but I don’t think they have quite finished with Kitchener’s. I don’t suppose I shall be in the big advance, for we have been holding the line for four months, while other troops have been preparing, but that is my bad luck.’
Friday 13 October 1916
BELPER MAN DANGEROUSLY WOUNDED. A telegram was received from York Friday for Mr and Mrs Coupland, King Street, Belper regretting report that their son, Lance Corporal Fred Coupland of the Northumberland Fusiliers, was Dangerously wounded and was in a hospital in France. Gun shot wounds in the right arm were stated preclude the patient from receiving a visit. Lance Corporal Coupland is married, and lived with his parents until the period of joining the Forces, on 19th May last. He assisted in the business of his father’s boot and shoe emporium. He went to France on August 10th last. A letter to Mrs Coupland, junior, from the hospital, intimates that the wounds are in the arm and that his condition is not all satisfactory. In five days there had been no improvement The surgeon feared gas infection ‘He is having the very best of treatment and care and you must hope for the best. He is unable to write to you himself, the right arm having been wounded,’ states the nurse. Since the receipt of the telegram and letter mentioned, Mr. Coupland has heard from his son, and the communication says:—“l am sorry I had not written before. I could not write myself owing to the upper right arm being injured, through a shell bursting close to my side, taking part of my arm away and also hitting me in the ribs. Had it not been for the tuck box in my pocket I should have been knocked out. I have to lie flat in bed, with my arm fastened in a case. Here we live like fighting cocks. Plenty of everything. I had an operation last Monday. I was wounded on Thursday midnight while in charge of a working party digging first line trenches in newly won ground. I expect to come to England when better.” Fred is the second of the family to be wounded.
Friday 17 November 1916
J. W. COUP- LAND. Front, and 20 year.’ of and single. After leaving the Strutt Schools, Helper, was apprenticed to the Hritisli Thr«mj>»on Houston Co., Rughy. electrical engineer. lie enlisted in Kitctmncr’a Army in August following the outbreak war. being one of tire first to respond to the late Lord Kitchener’s call for men aud wa.« drafted into the Bucks Light Infantry. Though 17a years age. was ah to pass for 19 and trained chiefly at Aldershot ana neighbourhood. proceeded to France on 19th May, 1915, and was wounded September Hie same year, and month in hoe pital at the base *n Fiance. was appoints d to the Machin Gun Section in February last. Two of Gunner Couplands brothers also joined tho Army. Harry, of the Scot* Gua ds, was wounded th<- « arly part of the war with disabled arm. was some months ago. ami is now employed in a London bank. . Fr- the Northumberland Fusiliers, is a patient Lichfield Military Hospital, where has be’n on hi« back six weeks, but is making favourable prog res# towards recovery.
Friday 18 May 1917
Mr Coupland, King Street, Belper, has received a letter from his son, John W. Coupland, Machine Gun Section, stating that he had again been wounded and is in the 3rd British General Hospital. He was previously wounded in September, 1915. His two brothers, Fred and Harry, were also wounded over twelve months ago, the former being in hospital in Liverpool, while the latter is acting as Commissionaire in London with a partly paralysed arm, but was nevertheless called up a few weeks ago for re-examination and not accepted. Concerning his wound, J. W. Coupland writes that although it was not serious it will mean a rest for a month to five weeks, a machine gun bullet having struck him in the right thigh, just missing the bone. It is two years since he went France, having only once been granted leave, last February. Four sons of Mr. Coupland are now the Army, the fourth having joined up a month ago and being stationed Dover.
17 November 1918
BELPER GUNNER WINS MILITARY MEDAL
Gunner J.W. Coupland, fourth son of Mr. And Mrs A. Coupland, King Street, Belper, is to be congratulated on having gained the Military Medal for continuing to serve his gun at a critical moment on the Somme when most of his comrades were killed or wounded. Such is the information furnished by a comrade, although details of his conspicuous bravery have not been published. The action was fought on 8th September. Gunner Coupland has been 18 months at the front and is 20 years of age and is single. After leaving the Strutt Schools, Belper, he was apprenticed to the British Thompson Houston Co, Rugby, as electrical engineer. He enlisted in Kitchener’s Army in August following the outbreak of war, being one of the first to respond to the Late Lord Kitchener’s call for men, and was drafted into the Bucks Light Infantry. Though only 17 1.2 years of age, he was able to pass for 19 and trained chiefly at Aldershot and neighbourhood. He proceeded to France on 19th May 1915, and was wounded in September the same year, and spent a month in hospital at the base in France. He was appointed to the Machine Gun Section in February last. Two of Gunner Coupland’s brothers also joined the army. Harry of the Scots Guards, was wounded in the early part of the war with disabled arm, was discharged some months ago, and is now employed in a London bank. Fred, of the Northumberland Fusiliers, is a patient in Litchfield General Hospital, where he has been on his back six weeks, but is making favourable progress towards recovery.
19 July 1918
An interlude of quarter of an hour in the studies of the pupils at the Herbert Strutt School Wednesday was occupied by the pleasant reunion with a former scholar who has won distinction on the field of battle. refer to Private John Coupland, one of the four soldier sons of Mr and Mrs Coupland, of King Street. * The headmaster, Mr Tunnicliffe, presented the M.M. to his former pupil, recounting some the deeds with which the lad had been associated. The father, mother, two brothers, who have both been wounded, were present, along with a number of friends, in the hall where the ceremony took place. John was formerly a splendid football player, and in the larger field in France had earned distinction. When 17 1/2 years old he had enlisted, and proceeded with Kitchener’s Second Army France in May 1915, having joined in August, 1914. was at Hooge under liquid fire, the first time it was used by the Germans. Wounded, Coupland soon recovered, and went back to the line. Then the terrible fighting on the Yser, at Delville Wood, besides serving in the big offensive on Easter Monday, 1917. The third wound was sustained at Kemmel Hill. Now he is well again. Such is the outline of the youth’s career, young in age, but a veteran in experience. The events through which Pte. Coupland passed brought the decoration, and it was pinned on his breast the schools’ headmaster. From the staff, boys and girls, a silver cigarette case was presented to the “old” boy. a mark appreciation tor gallant deeds which have added honour to the school.
Belper News Friday 8 October 1918
A letter received from Pvte. J. Coupland, of the sth Oxford and Bucks Regiment, and son of Mr A. Coupland. King Street Bclper. gives some details of recent British attack around Ypfes, which was the first assigned to tlie new army. Lord Kitchener addressed the troops previous to the charge. Pvte. Coupland’s company went into the trenches on Friday night, and at 4.30 Saturday morning, after being bombarded by our artillery and explosion of a mine, the men leaped over their parapet. Pvte. proceeding with machine gun section. storm of lead met ihem from Maxim and other field guns, but tho Gorman trenches were captured. A counter-attack foHowed in two hours, by five lines Prussians, during which one of our machine guns was put out of action, and rifles and bayonets resorted to. The Germans, however, were too many, and retirement had to bo effected to the British trenches, where Pvte. Couplond met with mishap, being buried under the sandbags the result of shell explosion, and sustairing sprained back. The re-inforoing brigade, however, took the German trenches and held them. About fifty German prisoners were taken. Tho letter conclude* stating that two Helper men. Flint and another, had just arrived with the 7th Rifle Brigade.
PhD group meeting
Posted on February 11, 2019 2 Comments
Here are my current crop of PhD students. The photograph was taken just after we had our regular monthly meeting. This time with Danai talking about her – to be completed this year – PhD work. Danai has conducted three studies, two interviewing veterans and one interviewing their wives. The focus of the first study was to explore the utility of karting for veterans, most of whom are living with severe disabilities such as limb loss. The study showed that karting makes a big difference to many of the veterans, giving them an opportunity to compete fairly against able bodied people (the karts have adjustments which mean they can control them even when missing limbs), to enjoy the rush of adrenaline and to re-experience the comradeship they had in the forces (for more details see the Kartforce website) – and thanks to Kartforce for helping us with participants for this study.
Danai’s other main aim with the veterans was to explore the transition experiences of the veterans, the transition from civilian to military, and then from military to civilian, looking at the factors that helped or hindered these transitions. This is currently an important issue nationally.
Her final study looked at how wives cope with their veteran husbands (the sample did not include any female veterans). On the one hand they provide social support to veterans who might have problems, on the other they also have to learn to cope with being the wife of a veteran.
Danai is still analysing the data, so we cannot explore the findings in more detail at this stage, but the thesis should be completed sometime this summer.
Much of the thesis focuses on the narrative approach to interviewing and to analysis. Danai made use of our new technique, the Narrative Life Interview (NLI).
Dr Nigel Hunt 