Darlington prisoner of war wrote to his parents asking for chocolate and toffee

He was a Prisoner of War held in the Rhineland, and he urged his parents to send him a parcel via the Red Cross. “I would like some toffee and chocolate,” he wrote, “also plenty of woodbines.”

His pencil letter can be seen in this month’s display in Darlington library, where the town is commemorating its 1,100 men who were killed in the First World War. “A Poppy for a Soldier” encourages today’s townspeople to adopt a soldier – perhaps a relative, or someone who lived in their street or just a lucky dip. They can then write him a short dedication and add it with a handknitted poppies to the boards that are growing round the Local Studies room.

KRIEGSGEFANGANGENEN: Pte Fred Docherty was a Prisoner of War

Since the initiative began a month ago, nearly half of the men have received a poppy. Anyone who lives in the town is invited to drop in and place a poppy for a soldier.

Among those who deserves a poppy is Fred’s brother, George, who was killed during the Battle of the Somme on July 7, 1916. George was a grocery assistant in the Priestgate Co-op before the war, but when he died at the age of 28, he had risen to the rank of Company Sergeant Major.

Fred and George had a third brother who served in the war – Ernest. He was gassed, but survived.

It may be that being taken prisoner – or “kriegsgefangenen” in German – saved Fred, as he was kept away from the frontline in the camp – or “lager” – at Friedrichsfeld, near Dusseldorf. It was a huge camp of 35,000 men, French and Russian soldiers, as well as British.

The prisoners generated 16,000 postal items a day – parcels and letters going in and out. Every one of them was checked by one of the 120 censors. Fred’s letter, which is dated September 1, 1918, has been stamped by a censor to show it has passed inspection.

After the war, Fred made it back to Greenbank Road, and lived until the grand old age of 93. This is even more remarkable as documents in the library suggest he was a member of the 13th Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards). This regiment was raised in Richmond in July 1915 as a “Bantam Battalion” for men who did not meet the army’s usual height and chest size requirements.

BISHOP AUCKLAND war memorial, above, was unveiled on September 13, 1922, in Station Approach. Local historian Tom Hutchinson has sent in this photograph of it smothered in wreathes, and another of it in its current location in the Market Place. It was moved there in the mid-1980s when Morrisons supermarket was built over the station car park.

The two pictures appear in Tom’s latest book, Bishop Auckland Past and Present, which he will launch in Bishop town hall on November 26, from 10am until noon. It costs £9.50 and will undoubtedly make an ideal Christmas present – as indeed will many of the huge pile of local publications which is growing on the Memories desk. We’ll try and feature some of them next week.

HERE AND NOW: The Bishop Auckland War Memorial today

THE gallantry of Pte Thomas Kenny was recognised on Wednesday, exactly 100 years to the day since he won the Victoria Cross in the trenches on the Western Front. A golden stone was unveiled in Pte Kenny’s home village of Wheatley Hill.

This is an excellent scheme to commemorate all the First World War VC winners, although Memories is watching with interest to see how the authorities divvy up the stones for the two Bradford boys – the only brothers to win VCs in the war. Witton Park was the lads’ birthplace and so it may well end up with two stones, even though the brothers were brought up in Darlington.

Anyway, the full story of Pte Kenny’s bravery can be found on The Northern Echo’s special First World War website, thenortheastatwar.co.uk.

Also there, you will find a superb 1915 timeline put together with daily excerpts from The Northern Echo by student Nick Gullon. As well as news from the trenches, he’s selected stories which reflect what life was like on the home front. Most remarkably, he’s included recipes from the paper for fish custard and rabbit meringue. If anyone is brave enough to make them, please let us know what they taste like.

A FINAL war note: next Saturday, Neasham is dedicating the two ceramic poppies that its parish council has bought from the moving Tower of London display. The evening in the village reading room begins with refreshments at 7pm, before Chris Lloyd gives his illustrated talk entitled “Heroes and a Villain: Darlington and the First World War” at 7.30pm. The evening will conclude with the dedication of the poppies. Tickets are £4 and can be obtained by calling 01325-720366.