Wednesday 26 August 2015

Remembering 26th August 1915


Remembering the following men who all lost their lives in the service of King and Country one hundred years ago today on the 26th August 1915.

S/6918 Rifleman Tom Anderton "B" Coy. 4th Bn. Rifle Brigade
10115 Private J Armour 2nd Bn. Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
G/12142 Private Albert Edward Ayerst 2nd Bn. Royal Fusiliers
12418 Private A Baker 7th Bn. Lincolnshire Regiment
2489 Private C E Barlow 9th Bn. The King's (Liverpool Regiment)
13526 Private James William Batty 5th Bn. Royal Irish Fusiliers
2432 Private M Baugh 1st/8th Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers
S/6832 Corporal H H Baverstock 6th Bn. The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
14322 Private F Beard 6th Bn. Royal Dublin Fusiliers
1716 Private Henry Charles Beeching 2nd Bn. Royal Sussex Regiment
16942 Private S Benns 7th Bn. Norfolk Regiment
6000 Private Joseph Berry 1st Bn. Border Regiment
1964 Private M Booth 1st/6th Bn. Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment)
9081 Private E T Brady 1st Bn. Essex Regiment
174 Private Joseph Brady 6th Bn. Leinster Regiment
A/929 Rifleman D Brannon 8th Bn. King's Royal Rifle Corps
2732 Private Thomas Henry Briggs 1st/4th Bn. Norfolk Regiment
2941 Private James Henry Brown 1st/9th Bn. Manchester Regiment
6135 Private J Burke 6th Bn. East Lancashire Regiment
1801 Private Bertie Richard Calver 4th Bn. Suffolk Regiment
3775 Private P Cassidy 1st Bn. Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
10401 Private C W Childs 2nd Bn. Royal Sussex Regiment
7035 Company Serjeant Major Robert Hamilton Coates 1st Bn. Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
11184 Private Henry Cook 7th Bn. Gloucestershire Regiment
1011 Gunner Robert Corfield 1st/2nd Welsh Bde. Royal Field Artillery
S/7736 Rifleman William Cunliffe 9th Bn. Rifle Brigade
3/4768 Private Thomas Dale "F" Coy. 3rd Bn. East Yorkshire Regiment
2341 Private G Daly 1st/4th Bn. Cheshire Regiment
TF/3219 Private William Henry Dancy 4th Bn. Royal Sussex Regiment
4453 Private Jeremiah Daniels 5th Bn. Connaught Rangers
15574 Lance Corporal Stanley Edward Darby 5th Bn. Royal Irish Fusiliers
3/4465 Serjeant W J Davis 10th Bn. Hampshire Regiment
12114 Private J J Dewhurst 6th Bn. East Lancashire Regiment
10715 Private Ernest George Dines Essex Regiment
1957 Private W Drummond 7th Bn. Highland Light Infantry
15809 Private Harry Dugan 1st Bn. Leicestershire Regiment
13564 Lance Corporal John Dunkley 6th Bn. East Lancashire Regiment
2060 Private D Dunlop Royal Army Medical Corps
19158 Lance Corporal J Dunn 11th Bn. The King's (Liverpool Regiment)
2449 Private Hubert Eaglen 5th Bn. Lincolnshire Regiment
9764 Private Albert John Eeles 1st Bn. Border Regiment
TF/3265 Private Ernest George Ellis 1st/4th Bn. Royal Sussex Regiment
4365 Private Percy Farrow 1st/4th Bn. Norfolk Regiment
9312 Private William Faulds 1st Bn. Royal Irish Regiment
7035 Private J Gardner 1st Bn. Leicestershire Regiment
11387 Private John William Garton 6th Bn. York and Lancaster Regiment
9280 Private Bertie Gaul 7th Bn. Norfolk Regiment
6515 Company Serjeant Major Harry Gee 1st/5th Bn. South Staffordshire Regiment
12363 Private S J Gee 6th Bn. Royal Berkshire Regiment
47649 Driver Andrew Gillespie 10th Bty. 4th Indian Bde. Royal Field Artillery
8413 Private John Good 1st Bn. Royal Munster Fusiliers
12454 Private Robert Goodwin 7th Bn. Royal Dublin Fusiliers
19112 Private William Goodwin 1st Bn. Border Regiment
9835 Private William Ernest Goom 10th Bn. Hampshire Regiment
6167 Private Alexander Gordon 1st Bn. Royal Scots Fusiliers
1959 Lance Corporal William John Hancock 1st/5th Bn. Welsh Regiment
8024 Private Thomas Harper 1st/5th Bn. South Staffordshire Regiment
13699 Private Stewart Ernest Harris 8th Bn South Staffordshire Regiment
13186 Private Albert Leonard Harrison "D" Coy. 8th Bn. North Staffordshire Regiment
2421 Private J Harrop 1st/8th Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers
14726 Private W Hill 9th Bn. Worcestershire Regiment
19177 Lance Serjeant Harry Arthur Hislop 12th Bn. Highland Light Infantry
10157 Private A W Holland 5th Bn. Dorsetshire Regiment
3009 Corporal George Hoole 4th Bn. Manchester Regiment
106 Serjeant Major D Horsley 20th Vet. Hosp. Army Veterinary Corps
18421 Private Robert Samuel House 7th Bn. Border Regiment
9269 Private James Johnston 1st Bn. Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
19472 Private Kenerick Jones 4th Bn. Worcestershire Regiment
2487 Private Jesse Edwin Keel 2nd/4th Bn Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment)
12985 Serjeant D M Kimber 3rd Bn. London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers)
4066 Private A F King 6th Bn. Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment)
2106 Private S L Lambert 1st/1st East Anglian Field Amb Royal Army Medical Corps
3176 Private D Langley 3rd Bn. Monmouthshire Regiment
3256 Private Frederick George Large 1st/4th Bn. Norfolk Regiment
9896 Private John Herbert Larkin 1st Bn. Border Regiment
Second Lieutenant Reginald Leak 6th Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers
3/6623 Private John Maxwell Leonard 1st Bn. Gordon Highlanders
18899 Private W Lewney 9th Bn. Cheshire Regiment
3233 Private T Lincoln 7th Bn. Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment)
39184 Gunner Cyril Guy Littleford 175th Bde. Royal Field Artillery
14168 Private F Lovatt 8th Bn. North Staffordshire Regiment
4401 Private Herbert Charles William Lunn 7th Bn. The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
20753 Private F Lyon 1st Bn. King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
3/7059 Lance Corporal William George Mclean Marr 2nd Bn. Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
2010 Private G H Marsh 4th Bn. East Lancashire Regiment
8649 Private James Richard Marshall 2nd Bn. Worcestershire Regiment
16244 Private J T Mccarthy 9th Bn. Royal Fusiliers
1247 Private R M Mcgeorge 1st/7th Bn. Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
58439 Gunner John Mcginness Royal Field Artillery
9312 Private William Mcguinness ALIAS
23894 Private P Mcloughlin 3rd Bn. Manchester Regiment
20660 Private John Mcphail 12th Bn. Royal Scots
2505 Private P D B Melton 1st/4th Bn. Norfolk Regiment
105605 Sapper William Meredith 116th Rly. Coy. Royal Engineers
16295 Private David Miller 1st Bn. King's Own Scottish Borderers
1901 Lance Corporal Alexander Milne 2nd/1st (East Anglian) Field Coy. Royal Engineers
6565 Lance Corporal George Corkingdale Monan 1st Bn. Border Regiment
12468 Private Howard Morley 5th Bn. Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry
61862 Sapper Albert Moss 82nd Field Coy. Royal Engineers
9464 Private Hugh Mowat 1st Bn. Highland Light Infantry
6915 Private E C Neal 1st Bn. Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
7384 Private George Nicholas "C" Coy. 1st Bn. King's Shropshire Light Infantry
1820 Private Thomas Nicholls 1st Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers
63689 Sapper John Nixon 86th Field Coy. Royal Engineers
12028 Corporal Harry Fitzroy Norris 11th Bn. The King's (Liverpool Regiment)
15286 Private William Norris 7th Bn. Royal Dublin Fusiliers
8746 Private William John Olden 2nd Bn. Hampshire Regiment
2760 Private Edward O'Toole 2nd Bn. South Lancashire Regiment
2833 Private T G Parker 8th Bn. Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
6034 Lance Serjeant J Pattulo 13th Bn. Manchester Regiment
3361 Private Walter Pearson Honourable Artillery Company
14755 Lance Corporal Leonard Hugh Pickering 7th Bn. Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
9810 Private Samuel Pierce 2nd Bn. The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
Y/15839 Private W F Powell 7th Bn. Royal Dublin Fusiliers
10718 Private Henry Cecil Pratley 5th Bn. Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry
17062 Private Frederick James Prior 9th Bn. North Staffordshire Regiment
S/2126 Rifleman W J Pritchard 10th Bn. Rifle Brigade
15992 Private Bert Pugh 5th Bn. Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry
62 Private G Rawlings 2nd Bn. Royal Fusiliers
5112 Private E Riley 1st Bn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers
1990 Private James Robertson 5th Bn. Royal Scots
7/18158 Private E Rosser 7th Bn. South Wales Borderers
Major John Russell 5th Bn. Royal Scots Fusiliers
1602 Private S F Ryder Norfolk Regiment
2155 Private William Scott 7th Bn. Royal Munster Fusiliers
2459 Private Albert Edward Shaw 1st/4th Bn. Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment)
11359 Private P Shaxton 2nd Bn. Devonshire Regiment
10003 Private G H A Simpkin 2nd Bn. Leicestershire Regiment
1913 Private L Somers "B" Coy. 1st/8th Bn. The King's (Liverpool Regiment)
86839 Sapper Edward Stafford 136th Army Troops Coy. Royal Engineers
8952 Serjeant G Starkey 1st Bn. North Staffordshire Regiment
7564 Gunner J G Taylor "A" Bty. 81st Bde. Royal Field Artillery
18821 Private Wilfred Taylor 9th Bn. Worcestershire Regiment
Constable N Thomlinson East African Corps of Military Police
1655 Private H Thorpe 1st/4th Bn. Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment)
18260 Private Thomas William Tipp 2nd Bn. Royal Scots Fusiliers
S/9564 Private J Torbet 2nd Bn. Gordon Highlanders
4805 Gunner Hector Graham Urquhart 4th Highland Mountain Bde. Royal Garrison Artillery
12856 Private G D Walker 7th Bn. Border Regiment
18089 Private Wilfred Walker 1st Bn. Border Regiment
51250 Private Harry Warr Bennett Walling 26th Casualty Clearing Stat Royal Army Medical Corps
11194 Private I Wantling 8th Bn. South Staffordshire Regiment
9156 Serjeant Sidney Herbert Ward 1st Bn. Border Regiment
1665 Private Joseph Albert Whall 1st/4th Bn. Royal Sussex Regiment
3/6874 Private Frederick Maurice White "B" Coy. 2nd Bn. Devonshire Regiment
2239 Private G W White 5th Bn. Border Regiment
1802 Private F Whiteley 1st/5th Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers
11748 Private Thomas Williams 2nd Bn. South Wales Borderers
3112 Private F Willoughby 1st/8th Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers
13991 Private H Wilson 8th Bn. South Staffordshire Regiment
Second Lieutenant Walter Winkworth 5th Bn. Northumberland Fusiliers
1171 Private J Winters 1st/1st Bn. Herefordshire Regiment
B/1126 Rifleman Richard Treleven Woodgate 9th Bn. Rifle Brigade
705 Corporal A Woolvett 10th Bn. London Regiment
13901 Private E Young 8th Bn. South Staffordshire Regiment
11321 Private W Young 4th Bn. The King's (Liverpool Regiment)

The image shows Etaples Military Cemetery, last resting place for three of the men remembered above.



Wednesday 5 August 2015

All quiet on the Western Front


A year and a day after Britain went to war with Germany and the 5th August 1915 was what might be termed a quiet day as regards fatalities in the British Army. According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, 165 men lost their lives on this day. Of these men, 33 died in the United Kingdom, some as a result of wounds received in action, others as a result of disease or accident in the UK, before they'd even set foot overseas.

The Durham Light Infantry lost 15 men on this day. Here they are:

4/9468 Private George Robert ACOMB aged 33
3/10665 Private James ALDERSON aged 25
14878 Lance Corporal William Gordon BURNS aged 30
19530 Private Daniel DALEY
8313 Private Frederick William HARGREAVES aged 35
Lieutenant JAMES MADDISON KENT aged 29
4/9186 Private Thomas MALLON
3/11654 Private John MALLOY aged 36
6982 Private Thomas MOCKLER aged 34
7832 Private James MOWBRAY
3/7679 Private Thomas McMAHON aged 34
3/9762 Private Gregory O'RORKE
8990 Corporal Henry THOMPSON
3/8142 Private Frank WADDLE aged 32
8984 Private Henry WEST aged 31

All of these men were serving with the 2nd Battalion when they died. I have not checked to see if individual service records survive for these men but I have checked their names against medal rolls, adding in full first names and updating regimental numbers. In a number of cases, the CWGC omits regimental number prefixes, but adding these in I was struck by just how many of these casualties had originally joined the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion and the 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion: five and two respectively. These seven men, as well as Lieutenant Kent who was also a 3rd Battalion man originally, would all have been sent out as drafts to the 2nd Battalion.

William Burns and Daniel Daley were volunteers, Kitchener men who had volunteered after Britain went to war. Both have surviving service records and we can see that Daniel had also seen prior service with the 3rd Battalion before he re-enlisted on the 21st September 1914. So no fewer than nine of the fifteen 2nd Battalion men had served with the Special or Extra Reserve.

Of the remaining men, 34-year-old Thomas Mockler was the longest-serving man. His number dates to the second half of 1899 and he had already seen service during the Boer War. The fact that he still retained this regimental number in 1914 suggests to me that he either extended his service before 1914 or else had opted to serve an additional four years on Section D Reserve (in other words, effectively extending his period of reserve service). He had arrived overseas on the 22nd October 1914.

Lieutenant Kent was killed when the battalion moved into trenches at Hooge. He is buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery. The other men were killed during an attack in the vicinity of the Crater and Stables at Hooge. The war diary for the battalion is quite detailed and lists casualties, including wounded men. A report on the attack is also included.

So, all quiet on the Western Front on the 5th August 1915, but there was weeping in the homes of 15 men from the DLI, and from the family members of the other 150 men who lost their lives on this day, one hundred years ago.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

I've borrowed the 1920 image of Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery from the Returned Services league Australia website. It's well worth a visit for anyone with an interest in this cemetery.

For assistance with your own research projects, contact me by clicking on the Research Tab on this blog. Also have a look at my Army Service Numbers blog which has a lot of useful information about regimental numbers in the British Army between 1881 and 1918.

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