Story
Charles was born in 1920, and was the son of two Kippax veterans from the First World War: Frank Backhouse (1891-1952) and Hilda Ridsdale (1895-1987) who had married in Kippax on 20th September 1917. Hilda had worked at Barnbow in Munitions, and Frank served with the Royal Engineers and the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. After the War, Frank had returned to Coal Mining, and the family lived on the High Street. Charles volunteered for service in the Second World War and was stationed in Norway.
Two events occurred which turned the Backhouse family against serving their country. In July 1939, Frank Backhouse was struck by a car along the Castleford-Aberford road on a dark, wet night, whilst cycling home from his job at the coal-face. The car was being driven at 60 mph by two young men from the R.A.F., Peter George Bolton from Bramhope, and Peter Townend Akeroyd from Castleford. Frank, who was 47 years-old, suffered a fracture of the skull, a broken arm, and other serious injuries. Akeroyd, who was driving Bolton’s car, failed to stop at the scene, and left Frank unconscious in the road. At their trial in July 1940, the R.A.F. men’s defence was that Frank had cycled into the path of their car. The judge, Mr. Justice Charles, ruled they were driving with a lack of caution that was quite lamentable, and awarded Frank £1,500 damages and costs, plus £165 for loss of earnings already incurred. Frank never properly recovered from his injuries, which prevented him from ever working again, and lead to his early death on 8th February 1952.
Meanwhile in Norway, Charles had been wounded in combat, and abandoned by his squadron, so he was captured by the Germans, and held as a prisoner of war. Fortunately, he was held at Stalag VIIIB in Lamsdorf, which had some of the best medical facilities (British PoWs at the camp pictured below).
Once Charles had recovered, he was set to work in coal mines.
Below: a plan of Charles’ Prisoner of War camp:
In light of these two events, in May 1942, Charles’ mother Hilda, and his sister Margaret, attended the first meeting of the North-Eastern Tribunal for Women, after Margaret had applied for unconditional exemption from service. Margaret, who was 20, and worked in Kippax as a shop assistant, stood before the Tribunal as a conscientious objector, and stated:
“I do not want to do anything to help the community. My fellow-countrymen did not do anything for me.”
Hilda then stepped forward to give the tribunal an extraordinary outburst:
“I object to my daughter doing any war work whatever. My son is a prisoner of war in Germany. He volunteered to fight for his King and country, but not for another king and country. He was sent to Norway, and was captured by the Germans, who looked after him and nursed him back to health. All Germans are not wrong. All the British are not right. My husband was left lying on the road after a motor accident, and I had to beg for Public Assistance, and I was looked upon as a criminal.” The Tribunal was composed of Judge Stewart, Professor McCandlish, Mr Walter Dodgson, Miss Beatrice Kitson, and Miss Amy Wild. Pointing to them, Hilda demanded: “What are all you people? Why are you not doing war work? What are you women doing up there? Why are you not on hospital or some other work?”
Judge Stewart addressed Hilda with the remark: “You seem to have taken this opportunity of making a statement on matters which are of no interest to the court at all.” His only comment to Margaret was “Your name is removed from the register.”
However, in August 1942, Margaret and Hilda appeared before the Conscientious Objectors Appellate Tribunal at Manchester to explain why her name had been removed from the register. She stated she could not help this country because the Germans had helped her brother when he was taken prisoner in Norway. Hilda added that her son had been deserted in Norway when wounded, and had been picked up by Germans, tended and nursed back to health. Margaret was registered to take up whole-time land work.
On 19th February 1943, it was reported that a Mrs. Rayner in Thornbury, Bradford had received a postcard from Charles “for the encouragement of those who knit things for the troops”, after he’d been given a Christmas parcel from her containing a knitted pullover. The Postcard was from Stalag VIIIB, and said that “We lads working in the mines are greatly indebted for such parcels.” Mrs. Rayner had a son killed in the First World War, and had another son on active service in the Second World War. She was reportedly glad to have been of service.
In January 1945, the Soviet armies resumed their offensive and advanced into Germany. Many of the prisoners from Stalag VIIIB were marched westward in groups of 200 to 300 in so-called Death Marches, as some prisoners died from cold and exhaustion. Some prisoners were eventually liberated by the Soviets, who instead of turning them over quickly to the western allies, held them as virtual hostages for several more months. Charles was fortunate to get far enough West to be liberated by the American army. It was reported on 25th May 1945, that Charles had returned to Kippax, along with Leslie Hall, Dennis Burton and George Wilkinson.
After the War, Charles married Lucy Malkin on 21st April 1947, and for a time in the 1950s supported his mother at 95 High Street, Kippax. His wife passed away in 1971 aged 45, and Charles passed away on 25th August 1980, whilst living at 29 Halliday Road Garforth.
Kippax Roll of Honour 