Henle Beard

Henle Beard Family In The Newspapers

The Henles In The Newspapers

The family's story crossed paths with the newspapers of the day more often than one might expect. The reports below come from Australian newspapers on Trove, the National Library of Australia's free archive, and from The London Gazette, Britain's official public record. Each entry links to the original so you can read it yourself.

Buckfast's German Monks In The Great War

When war broke out in 1914, the German-born monks of Buckfast Abbey found themselves in a difficult position, and the question of what to do with them was followed as far away as Australia.

  • In April 1916 the Watchman reported on "Uninterned German Monks in England". (Watchman, 6 April 1916)
  • The Freeman's Journal explained that the monks were exempt from internment as long as they stayed within the Abbey precincts. (Freeman's Journal, 18 May 1916)
  • After the war, a letter in the Watchman recalled that local magistrates and the council had urged that the monks be interned. (Watchman, 10 July 1919)
  • One Buckfast monk, Fr John Stephan, was reported serving as an interpreter at a German prisoner-of-war camp. (Tribune, 9 September 1915)

This is the background to a decision of Martin Henle's that the family still remembers. Rather than stay within the Abbey with the other German monks, he chose to be interned on the Isle of Man. The family story tells what happened next.

Martin Henle Becomes A British Subject, 1927

The London Gazette of 3 June 1927 lists Martin among those granted certificates of naturalisation, dated 10 May 1927: "Henle, Martin; No Nationality; Farmer; Dart Bridge Farm, Buckfastleigh, Devon. 10 May 1927". (The London Gazette, issue 33281, page 3625)

Sergeant John Anthony Henle, Military Medal, 1944

Martin and Lilian's eldest son, Sergeant John Anthony Henle (service number 5620714), Royal Regiment of Artillery, was awarded the Military Medal. The award appeared in London Gazette supplement 36753, page 4789, dated 17 October 1944: "No. 5620714 Sergeant John Anthony Henle, Royal Regiment of Artillery (Buckfastleigh, Devon)". (The London Gazette, supplement 36753, page 4789) A treasured family photograph shows him receiving the medal from Field Marshal Montgomery; it is in the Gallery.

Dom William Henle, Prior Of Buckfast

Dom William Henle, Prior of Buckfast, is believed to have been Martin Henle's uncle. The family is not completely sure, and the newspaper reports do not mention the relationship. He came to Buckfast as a boy around 1897, about forty years before his death in 1937. According to the obituaries he was ordained in 1910, served as a stretcher-bearer in the German army in the First World War, and became Prior in 1933. He was naturalised in 1935, appearing in the Gazette as Wilhelm (Albert William) Henle. (The London Gazette, issue 34177, page 4338) He died at St Thomas's Hospital, London, in 1937, aged 50.

A "Father William (Albert Henle)" appears in the family's 1927 photograph of Mary Henle's christening.

Buckfast In The Press, 1939

At the start of the Second World War, five Buckfast monks were reported to be serving as chaplains. (Truth, 26 November 1939)

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