Walter Leonard Nixon

Remembering my grandfather, Walter Leonard Nixon, who was born 119 years ago today on the 1st February 1893.  A First World War veteran who served with the Royal Garrison Artillery, he was much loved by his family and, 32 years after his death, is still remembered with much fondness.  He sparked my interest in the WW1 and my one regret is that I did not ask him more about it.  Happy Birthday. May God rest his soul. 

50143 Gnr William H Birks, RGA

50143 Gunner William Henry Birks of the 19th Heavy Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery was killed in action on the 19th October 1917, one of 475 British Army officers and men to lose his life on this date. He was born in Lewisham and was living there when he enlisted at Woolwich. At the time of his death he was 21 years old, the son of William and Kate Birks, of 13 Bedford Grove, Eastbourne, Sussex. He is buried in Canada Farm Cemetery near Ypres in Belgium.


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

Maj Claude Q L Penrose MC, RGA

547 men lost their lives on the 1st August 1918. Major Claude Quayle Lewis Penrose of the Royal Garrison Artillery died on this day. He was 27 years old and was the son of Harry Hugh and Mary Penrose, of Kinsale, Ireland. He lived at Deepcut Bungalow, Frimley Green, Surrey and had been educated at the United Services College and the R.M.A., Woolwich. As well as the award of the Military Cross he had twice been Mentioned in Dispatches.

The London Gazette incorrectly notes his date of death as the 18th August, and his regiment as the Royal Field Artillery. He was though, commanding the 245th Siege Battery, RGA. He is buried in Esquelbecq Military Cemetery in France.

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

Sources:

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

166381 Gnr Richard Peet, RGA

166381 Gunner Richard Peet of 208 Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, died of wounds on the 25th June 1917. He is buried in Trois Arbres Cemetery in Steenwerck, Belgium.

Richard was a Lancashire man, born in Southport and living in Walton when he enlisted. He joined the RGA at Preston.

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

62276 Bdr Robert Patchett, RGA

62276 Bombardier Robert Patchett of the 2nd Siege Battarey, Royal Garrison Artillery, was killed in action on the 12th June 1917. He was the the son of William and Harriett Patchett, of Leicester; husband of Ann Lucy Clarice Patchett, of 68 Ivanhoe Street, Leicester. He is buried in Henin Communal Cemetery Extension in France.

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

1739 Gnr William A Lewry, RGA

1712 Gunner William Albert Lewry of 74th Company Royal Garrison Artillery, died in India on the 4th June 1918. He was born in Wakefield, Sussex and was living at North Road, Brighton when he enlisted in London.

William's medal index card indicates entitlement to the British War and Victory medals, which in turn indciates that he did not travel overseas until 1st Janaury 1916 at the earliest. His army number does not belong to a Territorial outfit and seems to low for a New Army enlistment. It's possible that the number belongs to the Special Reserve series and was issued in September 1914. In the absence of a service record, however, this must remain conjecture.

William was buried in the Agra Cantonment Cemetery and is commemorated on the Madras 1914-1918 War Memorial in Chennai.

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

152633 Gnr Arthur James Arnold, Royal Garrison Artillery

152633 Gunner Arthur James Arnold of the 393rd Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, died of wounds in England on the 23rd November 1918, one of 91 men to die on this date. He was 21 years old, the son of Mrs Eliza Frances Topp of Barford St. Martin in Salisbury.

Arthur had been born in Parkstone, Dorset but enlisted at Devizes in Wiltshire. He is buried in the cemetery of the pretty St John The Baptist church at Burcombe in Wiltshire. Click here for views of the cemetery. The War Graves Photographic Project has a photograph of his grave.

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
The War Graves Photographic Project

68320 Gnr Arthur Gunton, RGA

68320 Gunner Arthur Gunton of the 162nd Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery died of pneumonia on the 29th October 1918. Parts of his service record survive in the WO 363 burnt documents series and the following information is largely taken from these.

Arthur attested at Chatteris in Cambridgeshire on the 18th November 1915. He gave his address as the parental home: 45 West Street, Chatteris, his age as 24 years, and his occupation as farm labourer. He was five feet eleven inches tall.

On 11th February 1916 he was mobilised with the Royal Garrison Artillery and after seven months in England (during which time he obtained a qualification in signalling and telephony) he sailed for France, arriving at Havre on the 5th September 1916.

His service record is difficult to read in places but it looks as though he was granted UK leave twice: once in October 1917 and then again in October 1918. This latter leave commenced on the 8th October and ended on the 22nd. Five days later Arthur was admitted to the 42nd Casualty Clearing Station in France, suffering from pneumonia and he died there two days later, his service record stating, "died from pneumonia due to illness attributed to active service operations."

Arthur is buried in Douai British Cemetery at Cuincy and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission provides useful information about the cemetery:

"Douai was occupied by French troops and the Royal Naval Air Service on the 22nd September, 1914, and captured by the Germans on the 1st October; it remained in enemy hands until the 17th October, 1918. The 42nd Casualty Clearing Station was posted in the town from the 28th October, 1918, to the 25th November, 1919. Douai British Cemetery was begun at the end of October, 1918, and closed in November, 1919; but graves were brought into it later from the neighbouring battlefields and from other burial grounds, including:- EMERCHICOURT CHURCHYARD, which contained 20 Commonwealth burials (mainly Canadians) of October and November, 1918. PETIT-CUINCY GERMAN CEMETERY, CUINCY, which contained 12 Commonwealth burials. There are over 200, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, a small number are unidentified and a special memorial is erected to a soldier from the United Kingdom, buried in RAIMBEAUCOURT GERMAN CEMETERY, whose grave could not be found. The British Cemetery covers an area of 718 square metres and is enclosed by a low stone rubble wall."

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

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (MIC, WO363)
Army Ancestry
Army Service Numbers 1881-1918
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

77491 Gunner Joseph Myton, Royal Garrison Artillery

77491 Gunner Joseph Myton of the Royal Garrison Artillery died of wounds on 19th September 1917. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records his name as Joe Myton and notes that he was 37 years old and serving with the 262nd Siege Battery when he died. He was the brother of Charles Myton of Marshall Street, Stanley in Wakefield.

Joseph, a colliery labourer, was conscripted on 2nd May 1916 and joined the RGA at Great Yarmouth. His partial service records survives in WO 363 at the National Archives.

Joe Myton is buried in Dozinghem Military Cemetery at Poepringhe in Belgium; grave reference V.D.2.

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