An emotional rescue
IT was October 31, 1914, when Northamptonshire Regiment soldier Second Lieutenant Ernest Phillpott was shot through the shoulder while dragging a comrade to safety during the heat of battle.
The man he saved was his commanding officer Major Harold Cartwright, who had been seriously injured during the first Battle of Ypres, in Belgium.
These were dangerous times as for two weeks the outnumbered British soldiers had been holding the Germans off, only to see their worn out ranks finally break.
Following these heroic actions, Major Cartwright managed to survive the bloody battle and now the story of what went on that day is still remembered by the descendants of the two men.
Almost 100 years after this dramatic story unfolded, Second Lieutenant Phillpott’s great-nephew, journalist John Phillpott, recently had an emotional meeting with the grandchildren of Major Cartwright.
Having carried out years of research into his ancestor’s life, which led to the publication of his e-book The Shilling, one mystery still remained for Mr Phillpott: the whereabouts of Major Cartwright’s descendants.
Mr Phillpott, aged 62, of The Hill Avenue, Worcester, said: “I knew the family had links with Burton Latimer and Aynho and for a long time I drew a blank.
“But following a tip-off from a genealogical group as a result of a letter published in the Northampton Chronicle & Echo I made contact with a member of the Cartwright family living in London.
“It took a long time, but eventually I traced three of Captain Cartwright’s grandchildren: Robert, Hugh and Lavinia Cartwright. They confirmed that Harold Cartwright was their ancestor.
“I subsequently arranged to meet Hugh and Lavinia at Ypres and we travelled by coach on the Menin Road, along which our ancestors would have marched in 1914. I pointed out the field where the heavily outnumbered Northamptonshires had buckled under the pressure.
“I have no doubt that my great-uncle helped his officer to safety because he would have known that the Germans had a habit of bayoneting the wounded. It’s a real ‘greater love hath no man’ story.”
Hugh Cartwright said: “I can just remember my grandfather in the latter stages of his life. The wounds to his legs had to be dressed regularly – the bullets were never extracted.”
Lavinia Cartwright said: “This has been a very emotional visit. Perhaps we wouldn’t be standing here today had it not been for the actions of John’s great-uncle.”
Mr Phillpott added: “I feel that these two men must have been good friends as well as comrades, despite the rigid class divisions of Edwardian society.
“My great-uncle was a working class man who had left school at the age of 13, but I get the feeling that Captain Cartwright mentored him after realising his potential as a soldier.
“Harold Cartwright thought so much of my relative’s actions that he bought him a silver teapot after the war as an expression of his gratitude.”
The inscription read: From Captain and Mrs H Cartwright in memory of 31st October, 1914.
Second-Lieutenant Phillpott – later promoted to Captain – died in 1929 from wounds and disease as a result of his war service. Captain Cartwright passed away in 1945.
Mr Phillpott’s e-book is available on Amazon and can be downloaded using a Kindle or similar device.
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