Programme
10.30am — Arrival tea and comfort break
11.00am — Lecture: Talk on the brave wagoners by Martin Watts
12.00 — Guided tour of the museum, monument, carriage house and stables
1.30-3.00pm — Lunch
3.00pm — Finish
Lecture: Martin Watts, The Sledmere Wagoners
Our lecture by Martin Watts details the immense bravery of the Wolds Wagoners, heroic men such as “Yorkshire Billy who under intense shell fire showed unwavering heroism and loyalty to his beloved horses.”
“Yorkshire Billy, as we call him, was in the rear of the column, when the order was passed back for all waggons (sic) to keep a certain distance apart and proceed at the trot.”
“Everybody got to the specified distance and trotted off, leaving Billy alone to follow on, but thinking more of his horses than the shells, (he) calmly kept to the walk and although shells were bursting all around his waggon, not 100 yards away, Billy simply smiled and started whistling ‘The girl I left behind me’.”
Museum
The museum celebrates the Wagoners Special Reserve founded in 1912/13 and the military service of the men who served in it. The museum is run by a charitable trust and is accredited by the Arts Council Museum accreditation scheme.
At Sledmere is the grade 1 listed war memorial to the wagoners designed by Sir Mark Sykes a great artistic and historic structure. The museum contains objects associated with the wagoners and has three working horse drawn vehicles as used by the wagoners.
Location
Sledmere House, Sledmere, Driffield, YO25 3XG
Cost
Includes two-course lunch, talk and access to the house and grounds. Non-members: £37 Members: £27 (subsidised by YWHT) If you're not yet a YWHT member why not join and get the meal discount?
