2nd Leicestershire Regiment - 11th March 1915

There are 839 deaths recorded on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website for 8th March 1915. Seven of these men were serving with the Leicestershire Regiment and their names are recorded below:

8342 Private R A Claybyn
11187 Private H E Davenport
9833 Private William Dingley
11902 Private C Genders
Second Lieutenant William Murphy
8732 Private Percy Robinson
9701 Private J Snow

All of the men died whilst serving with the 2nd Battalion and with the exception of Private Davenport who had joined the Special Reserve in 1913, all of the men were regular soldiers. The oldest hand was Private Claybyn who had joined the regiment in 1908 whilst the most recent recruit was Private Genders whose number dates to August 1914.

Three of the men are buried in Merville communal cemetery, depicted in the image on this post (courtesy of map-france.com).

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

32825 Pte Owen Needham, 6th Leicestershire Regiment

32825 Pte Owen Needham of the 6th Leicestershire Regiment died of wounds on the 28th or 29th April 1917. He was 19 years old.

The 1911 census shows Owen as a 13-year-old living at Charnwood Road, Shepshed with his parents and seven siblings. No service record survives for him but his regimental number dates to late October 1916. He was probably conscripted as an eighteen-year-old, arriving in France in 1917.

Soldiers Died in the Great War notes that he enlisted at Leicester and died of wounds on the 29th April, whilst the Commonwealth War Graves Commission gives his date of death as the 28th April. After the war, his parents paid for an inscription to be added to his headstone in Bucquoy Road Cemetery, Ficheux: ETERNAL REST / GIVE UNTO HIM O LORD.  They also paid for the same inscription to be added to his brother Frank's headstone. Frank Needham was killed in action serving with the Machine Gun Corps on the 5th October 1918.

I met Owen and Frank's brother Ernest Needham whilst I was a student at Loughborough University in the 1980s and have published a brief profile of him on my World War 1 Veterans' blog.

Owen and Frank Needham are both remembered on the at memorial at Shepshed.

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


Shepshed war memorial image courtesy Leicestershire County Council.

1734 Pte Harry Plowman, 1/5th Leics Regt

1734 Private Harry Plowman of the 1/5th Leicestershire Regiment, died on the 27th July 1915. He was born in St Mary's, Melton Mowbray, and joined the 5th Leicestershire Regiment at Melton Mowbray in November or December 1913.

Harry served with B Company and was the son of Elizabeth Plowman of 12 Sydney Street, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. He is buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery.

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

Sources:

Ancestry (MIC)
Soldiers Died in The Great War
Army Service Numbers
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission

10061 Cpl William Bolesworth, 1st Bn, Leics Regt

10061 Corporal William Bolesworth of the 1st Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment, died of wounds on the 13th May 1915. He was one of 961 British Army officers and men to die on this day. William was born in Hinckley and was living there when he enlisted. He joined the regiment at Leicester.

William's number dates to the 3rd October 1908, a special reservist who later transferred to the regular, 1st Battalion, and retained his special reserve number. His partial service record survives in the WO 363 series at the National Archives and we can see that in October 1908 he was 28 years and four months old, five feet ten inches tall, and working as a hosiery hand.

William was a committed Special Reservist. He underwent a musketry training course for one month in 1909 and was present at the 3rd Battalion's annual training camps every year from 1909 to 1914. The duration of these courses - or William's attendance anyway - varied from two to three weeks and it was whilst he was attending the 1914 course that Britain went to war with Germany. He was mobilised the following day and promoted to corporal on the 8th August. On the 9th November 1914, having transferred to the 1st Battalion, embarked for France.

William was a married man and a father. His wife, Enid, is recorded as his next of kin and a son - Walter George Bolesworth - is also mentioned. William's home address is given as 17 Spring Gardens, Hinckley.

William is buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension (Nord).

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

Sources:

Ancestry (MIC, WO 363)
Soldiers Died in The Great War
Army Service Numbers
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission

9288 Pte William Arthur Gardiner, 2nd Bn, Leics Regt

9288 Private William Arthur Gardiner of the 2nd Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment, died of wounds on the 20th November 1914. William was a Londoner who had been born in Walworth and was living in Peckham when he enlisted. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission tells us that he was 20 years old, the son of William A and Elizabeth Gardiner of 2 Downe's Place, Peckham, London. His army number tells me that he joined the Leicestershire Regiment around early August 1911.

Arthur arrived in France on the 12th October 1914. He is buried in Le Touret Military Cemetery.

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

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (MIC)
Army Ancestry
Army Service Numbers 1881-1918
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Soldiers Died in The Great War

38652 Pte Robert Frederick Drennan, 7th Bn, Leicestershire Regt

I was gratified to receive two comments yesterday, both from relatives of men that I have commemorated on this blog. Those men are Private James Lavin (killed in action 11/11/1918) and Pte Selim Bernstein (died of wounds 08/09/1915). As a result of those comments I now know a little more about both men. Thank you Phil and Rebecca.

Today, I pay tribute to Robert Frederick Drennan who died on this day, the day after the Armistice had been declared, in 1918. Robert's partial service record survives at the National Archives and the following information is taken from this.

Robert Drennan attested for service at West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire on 11th December 1915 and he was called up on 2nd June 1917. He gave his age as 36 years and six months, his address as 60 Gordon Road, West Bridgford, and his trade as a tailor's cutter. He had married Dorothy Gertrude Seddon at Trinity Church, Chesterfield in June 1908 and the couple had two daughters: Dorothy Marjorie Drennan (born July 18th 1912) and Jean Mary Drennan (born September 8th 1914).

At some point during his service, his wife appears to have moved house as her address (as the next of kin) is given as 11 West Street, Chesterfield. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission notes the same street for her but gives the number 9.

Effects Form 118A records that any "articles of personal property" should be sent to Mr James Drennan of Beauchief near Sheffield, whilst medals were to be sent to Mr D G Drennan of 60 Gordon Road, West Bridgford. Robert's father was James and I presume that D G Drennan was a brother.

I am not clear on the exact sequence of Robert's army service but he had two numbers: 87531 and 38652 and it is the latter number (with the Leicestershire Regiment) that appears on his medals. At one stage he was with the 1/5th Leicestershire Regiment but he was serving with the 7th Battalion when he died. He arrived in France on 2nd October 1917 and was posted to the 7th Battalion five days later.

At the time of his death, Robert was Prisoner of War, No: 1152. He died in the Prisoner of War hospital at Gottingen in Germany at 7am on the 12th November 1918. His religion is recorded as Anglican but there is no cause of death noted. He is buried in Niederzwehren Cemetery in Hessen, Germany.

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

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (MIC, WO 363 service record)
Army Ancestry
Army Service Numbers 1881-1918
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

22517 Pte Ernest Freer Jelley, 1st Bn, Leicestershire Regiment

22517 Pte Ernest Jelley of the 1st Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment was killed in action on the 20th September 1918. He was born in Walcote and living there when he enlisted on 1st November 1915.

Ernest's surviving papers in the WO 363 series at the National Archives reveal that he was aged 19 years and nine months and working as a plumber. He attested with the 11th (Pioneer) Battalion at Leicester.

Typically for the WO 363 series, Ernest's service record is quite badly damaged and it is possible to only make out partial information from it. He served with A Company of the 11th Battalion and embarked for France on the 26th March 1916. He was posted to the 8th (Service) Battalion on 26th October 1917 and then to the 3rd Battalion on 21st May 1918. After that it looks as though he was posted to the 14th Battalion and then to the 1st, although I can't be sure.

In February 1918 he was docked two days' pay for being unshaven on parade and on 24th April 1918 he was admitted to hospital in Camiers, France with boils on his back and arm. These were severe enough for him to be returned to England. By 22nd June however, he was back in France at K Infantry Base Depot and the following day he was posted to the (regular) 1st Battalion.

Ernest Jelley has no known grave and is commemorated on the Vis-en-Artois memorial in France. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission notes that he was the son of Elisha and Margaret Jelley, of Baker Street, Lutterworth, Rugby and that he was 22 years old when he died. Ernest's wallet, letters and cards were amongst the few personal effects returned to hi mother after he had been killed.

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

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (MIC, WO 363)
Army Ancestry
Army Service Numbers 1881-1918
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

34281 Pte George Frederick Heaton, 6th Bn, Leicestershire Regiment

34281 Pte George Frederick Heaton of the 6th Bn, Leicestershire Regiment, died this day - 12th August - in 1918. Soldiers Died in The Great War notes that he was the only Leicestershire Regiment casualty on this day and that he was born in Blackpool and enlisted in Halifax, Yorkshire.

George is buried in Tincourt New British Cemetery having died - according to his service record - in Germany. This seems unlikely but it may well be that he died whilst in German hands and was originally buried in a cemetery made by the Germans. His water-damaged service record survives in the WO 363 (Burnt Documents) series at The National Archives, and the following information is taken from this.

He attested at Halifax on 22nd February 1917 with the Leicestershire Regiment, giving his address as 16 Prescott Street, Halifax. He was a young man, his age noted as 17 years and 353 days, and his occupation is recorded simply as "Clerk". He was just short of five and a half feet tall and his next of kin is recorded as his mother, Annie Heaton, also of 16 Prescott Street.

George was posted to the Leicestershire Regiment's 3rd (Reserve) Battalion on 24th February 1917 and then to No 12 Infantry Base Depot in France on 19th January 1918. He was immediately posted to the 8th Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment on the same day, and was posted again on 3rd February 1918 to the 6th Battalion.

There is no legible information on his service record which indicates where he was captured, but the sheet giving medical information states, as I indicated earlier, that he died in Germany. He was 20 years old.

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

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (MIC, WO 363 service record)
Army Service Numbers 1881-1918
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Soldiers Died in the Great War
The image, taken from USGenNet, shows British graves in Tincourt just after the war.