Pond Farm Camp in 1908

We have quite a few photos of Pond Farm Camp in the years prior to World War One. Here we have a plan of the camp as it was laid out in 1908.

Plan of layout of Pond Farm Camp in 1908

 

This plan was copied from The Cavalry Journal (III) for 1908. Water for the camp was pumped from the well at the bottom left which was adjacent to the farm buildings. We can see just how important the horse was then with a large area set aside for grazing and rows of troughs. We can see the Field Post Office from which the men sent postcards back home and we can work out just where the camp was.

This document also shows the programme for the soldiers enjoying their summer camp.

The activity programme for the men

This is a bit brief, but we can picture a lot of men coming down into the villages on those half holidays.

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Ernest Hiscock

What we have, at Market Lavington Museum, concerning Ernest Hiscock, are his army discharge papers.

Army discharge papers for Ernest Edward Hiscock of Market Lavington

Ernest was born in 1866 to Edward Hiscock, an engineer and his wife Sarah. Ernest was quite a lot younger than the three elder brothers who lived with him and his parents on High Street, Market Lavington, at the time of the 1871 census.

By 1881, Edward had died and our Ernest was living with his mother, still on High Street. Ernest was an apprentice agricultural engineer.

We know that young Ernest – perhaps a little unsure as to his precise age, attested for the army at Devizes on 25th February 1890. We lose track of Ernest then. No doubt he was abroad – almost certainly in South Africa at the time of the 1901 census, for he was entitled to a South Africa medal.

Writing is hard to read on the document, but it looks as though he completed his term in the army on 21^st August 1908.

In 1911 Ernest was living alone on High Street, Market Lavington.

Ernest died in 1936 and is buried at St Mary’s, Market Lavington.