Chapter two

Chapter one of this story introduced Rycharde Haythornthwaite, the owner of a set of books that I inherited from my father. Chapter two explores Rycharde’s late teenage life. The narrative also tells you about other notable events that were taking place at the time.

(The quotes, descriptions, and references, are of the time and will reflect the culture and views of the early 20th century).

1911 Census
Rycharde was born in January 1894 in Uttar Pradesh, India, at a time when the world was being transformed through revolution, both industrial and social. His parents, Zettie and John sent Rycharde to England whilst they continued their medical and missionary work in India. Rycharde was just a few months old when he left India, and it is unlikely he saw much of his parents as he grew up in Edwardian England.

The first official record of Rycharde is in the 2 April 1911 census; he was 17 years old and boarding at Haileybury College, Hertfordshire. The headmaster said he remembered ‘a very small boy, younger than boys generally were when they joined a public school.’

The 1911 census was the first time a person’s location, rather than their home, was recorded, and it wasn’t just Rycharde who was somewhere other than his place of birth. A plaque was erected in Westminster in 1991 by Tony Benn MP, and reads:

‘In this broom cupboard, Emily Wilding Davison hid herself, illegally, during the night of the 1911 census. In this way, she was able to record her address as being The House of Commons, thus making her claim to the same political rights as men’.

The police report dated 3 April 1911 reads: ‘Miss E W Davison found hiding in crypt of Westminster Hall since Saturday. Apply Common Row Police Station for more information’.

Other memorable events of 1911 include:
 The Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary
 Great Britain and Japan renewed their 1902 alliance for another four years (Japan was to enter the First World War on the side of the Allies)
 The first public elevator opened at Earl’s Court, London
 Britain’s first sea plane takes flight
 The South Pole is reached by Norwegian Roald Amundsen ahead of the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition led by Captain Scott
 The Titanic was launched
 The Official Secrets Act came into force

The choice of college is no surprise. Haileybury, built by the Honourable East India Company in 1809, was the Imperial Service College, training people for the Indian Civil Service. It is likely that Rycharde would have been expected to return to India to work, but fate had other plans for this young man.

Rycharde left Haileybury in the summer of 1913; his school report said his work was ‘well prepared’ and he had ‘sound judgement’.

His Housemaster said of him, ‘his energy and sense of duty have done wonders’, and the Headmaster said, ‘he has been a keen and trustworthy head of school’.

Cambridge

​Rycharde went onto Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge where he read history. This would explain the volumes of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. He had completed just three terms when war broke out, and he didn’t hesitate in signing up. On 15 August 1914, he became a Second Lieutenant of the East Kent Regiment – The Buffs.

His training lasted just a few months before he was sent to France on 9 May 1915, aged 21 years. He described the base camp just outside of Rouen as ‘fairly comfortable huts.’

Two days after arriving at Ypres, he wrote a letter to home:

‘We can hear the guns easily where we are now and several aeroplanes keep passing overhead. It’s awfully ripping out here, the weather is grand and everything looks splendid. There is much more green than in England and all the way up to here, the land is being cultivated just as if nothing were happening! They are simply splendid these peasants!’

View Chapter Three 

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