A Row Over Dinner

Garbutt was living with his parents at 7 Railway Terrace, South Bank and on 29th December 1884 he enlisted in the Yorkshire Regiment at Richmond. Private 1283 Hugill G was 5’4” tall, weighed 123 pounds had a 33” chest, a fresh complexion light grey eyes and brown hair. He had a large vaccination scar on his right shoulder according to his attestation form. 

During his time in the Army, he saw service in Cyprus and Egypt but mostly was in England. For example, in 1891 he was based at Tipnor Fort barracks, Portsea near Portsmouth. Garbutt did not have an unblemished service record and on two occasions he was tried for offences. 

On 24th March 1888 he was imprisoned awaiting trial and was later found guilty of “offering violence to a superior officer”. He was released on 5th September and posted to Cyprus the following day. 

Again, in November 1891 he was listed as awaiting trial’. He was tried and convicted by a Military court on 8th December for ‘attempting to break out of billets’, for that he served seven days’ ‘confinement with hard labour’ in prison in Portsmouth. Garbutt was discharged from the Army on 28th December 1896, after serving for 12 years. 

Garbutt travelled back to South Bank showing up on the 1901 Census as living at 4 Peel Street, South Bank. He was at that time boarding with the White family and is working in the Iron works as a Labourer. Interestingly the ‘Head’ of the household was a Mrs Sara Anne White, who was the widow of William ‘White’ who had been born in Germany (De Whit maybe?)

On the 28th of January 1909 however, a shocking occurrence happened at 4 Peel Street, South Bank.

Report from: - The Daily Gazette for Middlesbrough…

At Middlesbrough County Police Court today, Garbutt Hugill of 4 Peel St South Bank appeared, charged with attempting to murder Mrs Sarah Ann White his ‘housekeeper’ on Saturday afternoon last.

 The Prisoner was remanded yesterday in order that Superintendent Dennis might prepare his case 

Mrs White was called and spoke to ‘Hugill coming home on Saturday with another man and sending her for some beer which Hugill and she drank, the other man then left’

Hugill then asked White for his dinner, which she laid on the table for him but which he refused saying ‘he was not ready for it’ he then fell asleep for about 1/4 of an hour and when he awoke he again asked for his dinner, which White took out of the oven where she'd placed it and put it on the table. 

Instead of getting his dinner Hugill went out into the yard where he stood for about 5 minutes, on returning and noticing the food on the table, he asked Mrs White ‘if that was his dinner’ Mrs White replied in the affirmative and Hugill, picking up the plate threw it and its contents at her, the missile missed its intended mark and Mrs White retaliating threw a can which caught Hugill on the head, causing blood to flow.

Mrs White then ran to her daughter’s house 2 doors away. After remaining there for about 10 minutes, she went to her own house and looked through the window, to see if Hugill had settled down.

When she looked into the room Mrs White witnessed Hugill standing in the centre of the room with a gun to his shoulder, she drew back and went about 3 yards away, when she heard a report seeing the window was broken Mrs White went back to her daughter’s and sent for the police.

George Willby a labourer, who resided with his mother Mrs White and Hugill, Wilby gave corroborated evidence and stated ‘that about 10 minutes after his mother run out prisoner took the gun from a corner of the room but he did not seem loaded prisoner stored in the middle of the floor and lifted the gun to his shoulder’ Wilby’s mother came just afterwards and looked through the window Hugill could see Mrs white from where he stood.

Mrs white drew back and the gun went off, the shot passing through the window about 1 inch from where Wilby’s mother's face had been, the gun was a breech loading gun and there was a box of cartridges in the house. 

Mrs Dolan who lives exactly opposite the Hugill’s house said she saw prisoner come home with another man, and later she noticed Mrs White run out and go to a daughter's house and then returned to the window, at this moment Mrs Dolan had occasion to go to the back of her house and while there, she heard the report. 

She returned and saw Mrs White now against the door of the daughter's house and the window of prisoner’s house was broken. The following morning her attention was called to the fact that she noticed a number of shot holes in the front door of her house. 

Sergeant Jackson stated that he received information with regard to what had happened and went to Peel St, he saw Mrs white in the street and spoke to Mr Willby, before he went to number 4 and saw Hugill there sitting on a chair bleeding freely from a wound in his forehead.

Which Wilby was now bathing for him, asking to see the gun which was given to him by Wilbey. In the garden he found an empty cartridge which looked as though it had recently been discharged, and a box of loaded cartridges was lying on the table. Sergeant Jackson took Hugill into custody and charged him with the offence, in reply Hugill said ‘there was no one in the house and the gun went off accidentally’

Inspector Stone of South Bank, said he ‘received information of the charge a made inquiries he found an Oval shaped hole in one pane of the window of the prisoners house and examined on examining the door of the house #53 opposite he found it riddled with shot many of the pellets having passed right through the door there was also number of shop marks on the door of #54 and on the partition wall between the two doors’ Hugill, who made no defence was committed for trial at the next York Assizes…

Garbutt Hugill re-enlisted on or around 11th February 1915 and, at the age of 48, re-enlisting with the Yorkshire Regiment following the outbreak of war in 1914. Joining the ‘Local Teesside battalion, which was being formed specifically with local volunteers, a kind of ‘Pals’ Battalion as it were.

That battalion became the 12th (Service) Battalion Yorkshire Regiment (Teesside Pioneers) becoming Private 20810 Hugill G. Initially stationed at Marton Hall, before moving on to Gosforth near Newcastle upon Tyne. 

Eventually then too Penkridge Bank Camp on Cannock Chase near Stafford. With further moves to Aldershot and finally Pirbright Camp joining 40th Division. 

He continued to struggle with discipline and was absent without leave on four occasions between 20th February (only ten days after enlisting) and 13th July 1915. On each occasion he was docked pay. Garbutt arrived in France with the rest of the Division on 6th June 1916 and he stayed overseas until 6th January 1917. 

His unit, now known as the ‘Teesside Pioneers’, Garbutt spent most of the time in France engaged in trench digging or road repairs. Based initially in the area around the former Loos battlefield, between Lens and Béthune and went on to provide the infantry support for guarding the various defences around Loos itself. 

At the end of October, the Battalion moved south and, after some rest and training, arrived near Bray on the Somme. By late December 1916, the men were engaging in trench cleaning, including draining and laying wire netting over duck boards. 

The trenches were described as being knee deep, sometimes waist deep, in mud in places and such conditions were damaging to the health of a lot of the men. Garbutt Hugill came back from France on 6th January 1917 and was taken immediately to hospital in London suffering from rheumatism. 

A home service unit with bases in Hartlepool and Seaton Carew. On 9th June 1917, Garbutt was found guilty of insubordination and awarded a punishment of five days confined to camp. Soon after this, on 23rd June, he was transferred to the Labour Corps joining first of all the 496th Company and later the 495th. 

These were Employment Companies and consisted of men of the lowest medical categories who were not fit for service overseas. 

On 16th March 1918 Garbutt was admitted to hospital in Middlesbrough suffering from tuberculosis. His medical record indicates that he had been ill since December 1917, having lost weight, he could not walk more than 10-12 yards, and the illness was entirely due to his military service. 

On 25th March he officially requested a discharge from the army on the grounds of ill health, and this was granted, due to start on 2nd May 1918. However, before this discharge could take effect Garbutt’s became very ill. On 13th April his record describes him as “gradually sinking” and he died at 1.45pm. Garbutt was buried on 17th April 1918 at Eston Cemetery.