James Jepson Binns - The Binns Family

Military Medal
Left to right Arthur Binns, M. M. (1893-1956),
his mother Sarah Ann Jones (1868-1943), sister
Emmie Elizabeth Binns (1898-1972) standing,
sister Lily Binns (1903-1987) sitting, father
Walter Atkinson Binns (1866-1945),
brother Thomas Wilkinson Binns (1895-1972),
brother Clifford Binns (1900-1980) sitting.
Taken at Oakworth, Keighley.
Your editor remembers that his
Uncles Arthur Binns and Thomas
Wilkinson Binns both
served in World War I. On June
23, 1917, The Keighley News
carried the following report:
“ Private A. Binns, of Oakworth,
[ Keighley] has been
awarded the Military Medal for
bravery on the field. He was a
school teacher at Thurnscoe
Council School before enlistment,
and was educated at the
Keighley Trade and Grammar
School and the Sheffield Training
college. He had served in
Egypt before going to France,
fifteen months ago. In his last
letter home he says: “We have
been into old Fritz’s trench once
again. It was pretty exciting at
the time, but here we are still
merry and bright and looking
forward to the time when we can
be civilised again. Now, I am
sporting a little bit of ribbon
above my left pocket which signifies
that I have been awarded
the Military Medal. When we
went over the lid and got into the
trenches one of those nice people,
the Germans threw a handgrenade
into the trench. I
grabbed it and pitched it out before
it exploded. It went off in
the air, but did not hurt anybody.
Of course if I had left it alone it
would have laid three or four of
us out. Another brother is serving
at the front.”
The following year and not long
before the end of the War, The
Bradford Weekly Telegraph of
16 th August 1918 said :”Binns
Pte. A. Military Medallist, West
Yorkshire Regiment and 19
Commercial Street, Oakworth
who was reported missing in
March is a prisoner of war.” Fortunately
he returned home safely
to marry his fiancée, Alice Ingham
of Stanbury in February
1919.
I grabbed it and pitched it out
before it exploded
Thomas Wilkinson Binns, his
brother also served with the
West Yorkshire Regiment and
the Irish Fusiliers in Egypt and
in France. Although he too survived
the War, he was less fortunate
than his brother, in that during
the four years he served, he
was wounded four times. He was
not awarded any prestigious
medals for gallantry but he hung
those he did win behind the
privy door where he could be
certain that everybody in the
household would be sure to see
and admire them.
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