Accompanied by current staff members, Andrew Clark (Health and Safety Advisor) and Matt Partis (Estates Manager), along with Charlotte Anderson, a former pupil of St Peter’s School, the group explored the former battlefields of the Somme and the Aisne and paid thier respects at numerous soldiers’ graves, laying crosses and caring for graves of both Old Pocklingtonians (OPs) and Old Peterites.

Based in Peronne, the group walked 65 miles, pausing at various sites of historical significance. They explored the region east of Albert, where they tracked the steady advances made during July, August and September of 1916 from each dominant wooded feature to the next. They also followed the Somme River, noting the rapid progress in August 1918 and the closing 100 days of World War I, paying special attention to the 11th Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force. Additionally, they followed the British Expeditionary Force’s movements near Soissons in September 1914 after the retreat from Mons, and subsequent British actions in September 1918.

At Flat Iron Copse, Mametz, they visited the grave of Lt Col James Mortimer, who was killed leading the 5th Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment on September 15, 1916. Although his name was initially included in the first Roll of Honour on the Pocklington School War Memorial, it was later corrected, as he had actually attended St Peter’s School.

OP Lt Col Frederick Robson took immediate command of the 5th Battalion in the field after James Mortimer’s death. His commendable bravery and resourcefulness were highlighted in the citation for his Distinguished Service Order (DSO), and he was mentioned in despatches twice. Lt Col Frederick Robson was killed in action on March 28, 1918, and is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial to the Missing. He is remembered on the Sledmere Memorial, which was re-purposed by Sir Mark Sykes to honour specific members of the 5th Battalion, including Mortimer and Robson, and another two OPs, Captains Thomas Dufty and George Scott.

The group visited the grave of another commanding officer of the 5th Battalion in the British Cemetery in Vendresse, Lt Col Raymond Thomson of Malton, who died in the Battle of Aisne on 27 May 2018 and who is also commemorated at Sledmere.

Second Lieutenant George Weston Holme, also an OP, is buried in the Bazentin Le Petit Military Cemetery. He served in the Royal Field Artillery with the 50th (Northumbrian) Divisional Artillery Column. He was a former editor of The Pocklingtonian and excelled in football, cricket, and hockey, winning the Stewart Challenge Cup and demonstrating fine skill at fives. He attended Pembroke College, Oxford, for two years before joining the Royal Field Artillery in 1915. Sadly, he succumbed to his wounds on January 2, 1917.

In Tincourt New British Cemetery, the group visited the resting place of OP Major Aubrey Hugh Darnell DSO and placed his photograph and a cross on the grave. After spending seven years with the Munster Fusiliers, Aubrey moved to Australia to train cadets in Perth. When war broke out, he joined the 11th Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force. He was among the first to land at Gallipoli and was evacuated to England in November 1915. There, he met and married a young woman from Wimbledon. He went to France for the first time in 1916 and participated in the Battalion’s operations during the late summer of 1918. On September 24, while the Battalion was leaving the trenches for the final time, before proceeding on leave to Australia, and handing over to an American unit, Aubrey was killed by a German aircraft as he mounted his horse, along with his Adjutant. He had been present on the Battalion's first day of action - and its last.

Are you interested in learning more about the Great War and the Old Pocklingtonians who fought in it? Perhaps you wish to visit a relative’s grave? Why not consider joining the Adult Battlefields Tour in August 2025, marking 80 years since the end of World War II. For more information about the tour, click here.