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The Royal Warwickshire Regiment
The Royal Warwickshire Regiment can be traced back to 1674.
Battalions during the Great War.
Can you add to this factual information? Do you know the whereabouts of this unit on a particular day? Which battles they took part in? Or any other interesting snipts? |
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May 2013 Please note we currently have a backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site.
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Those known to have served with The Royal Warwickshire Regiment during the Great War.
Select a story link or scroll down to browse those stories hosted on this site.
The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add,, or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please get in touch.
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678 Pte. Thomas Mayrick 14th btn. Royal Warwickshire Regt (d.28th Sep 1916) Pte Thomas Mayrick died of wounds at Netley on the 28th Sept 1916, he was 22 years old. He was buried at St Lawrence's Church, Bidford-on-Avon. |
101415 Private Ellis Taylor 2nd Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regt (d.22nd Mar 1915) He joined the militia in 1901 as a boy soldier and transfered to the teritorial and volunteer force in 1908. His regular job was as a waggoner working for the LMS railway at New Street Station in Birmingham.
At the beginning of the war he was transferred to the 2nd battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment which had recently returned from Malta.
They were sent to Belgium as part of the 7th division to assist in the defence of Antwerp, landing at the port of Zeebrugge on 6th October 1914.
They arrived too late for their intended task as Antwerp had already fallen and they were transferred in to the Ypres area where they helped to stop the advance of the Imperial German Army in the action known as the first battle of Ypres.
Ellis was wounded in the leg and was brought back to Englang around the 1st of November to the Countess of Suffolk hospital in Malmesbury where he stayed until after Christmas.
He died of pneumonia on the 22nd of March, 1915 whether this was caused by his wound is unclear.
He is buried in Witton cemetery and his name is included on the war memorial there, on screen wall 30 05213. |
146531 Private Matthew Price Royal Berkshire Regiment Matthew Price joined the Royal Warwickshire Regiment in 1904 aged 17, he was injured at Passchendale in 1917,
we think, and transferred to the Royal Berkshire Home Service Battalion due to wounds. |
145346 Lieut James William "Billy" Budd 2/5th Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regt This is a potted history of my Grandfather, James Budd he was born 22/12/1893 in Finchley. He had a good standard of education and became a qualified dentist. Joined 8th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders October 1914 (Home service training in Bedford. March 1915 Commissioned into 2/5 Royal Warwickshire Regt. Training in England until May 1916 when landed in France as part of 61st Division which was in the LAVENTIE sector. Trained in the area for the Battle of Fromelles which was due to take place on July 19 1916 and was a feint to draw German troops from reinforcing the Somme sector. War Diary - 1st July 1916 In trenches Moated Grange "Germans opened intense bombardment of our front line and placed a barrage on our post at M Sq.D. They attempted to raid but were driven off. Bombardment ceased 11.30pm. Trenches obliterated for 50 yards and serious damage along whole of line." This damage unfortunately included James "Billy" Budd who was blown up twice - according to the medical records but 3 times according to JWB. On the second occasion he was rendered unconscious and removed from the line when the Bttn went into reserve on 4th July 1916. His friends Lieut Leonard Lamaison and H Truman were killed in the same bombardment along with 21 other ranks, who are all buried together in the Rue-de-Bacquerot No 1 cemetery, Laventie. There is no record of these deaths in the war diary! JWB was unconscious for three weeks and repatriated from Boulogne on 28th July 1916 and admitted to No 4 General Hospital Denmark Hill, suffering from shell shock.The officer who signed the initial admission form at No 4 General hospital was Major Biggs. He was finally pronounced fit on August 22nd 1917 and returned to his unit at Horton Hutments Northumberland. He served the rest of the war and became ADC to Brig Gen Boyd ending up relinquishing his commission in 1920 when he was serving with 2nd Leicestershire regiment.. JWB suffered throughout his life from the devastating effects of the concussion and although becoming a company director in a pub and catering company NEVER was able to take noise of any sort, including rustling of paper, leaves blowing and doors shutting. His condition worsened with age. He died in 1965. On the day he was finally admitted to hospital in 1964, my grandmother went around the house singing and slamming all the doors. We all wondered what she was going to slam next! JWB always said that he "Left his ears at Neuve Chapelle"! |
500649 Lt. D. G. H. Truman 2/5th Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment (d.1st Jul 1916) Lt Truman was killed during an intense bombardment of the front line at Moated Grange, Laventie, his friend Lt Lamasion was killed and another friend James Budd was badly injured. He was buried in the Rue-du-Bacquerot no.1 military cemetery at Laventie |
500648 Lt. Leonard William Henry Lamaison 2/5th Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment (d.2nd Jul 1916) Leonard Lamasion was the son of the late William and Marian Lamaison, of Southwold, Kenley, Surrey. He was 40 years old when he was killed during an intense bombardment of the front line at Moated Grange, Laventie, his friend Lt Truman was killed and another friend James Budd was badly injured. His wife Charlotte Florence Barton (formerly Lamaison) lived at Esmeryl, Dehra Dun, India. He was buried in the Rue-du-Bacquerot no.1 military cemetery at Laventie |
204734 Pte. Francis William Bailey 1st Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment Enlistment and training
Francis William Bailey was enlisted as a conscript under the Military Service Act of 1916. This Act deemed all males who reached the age of 18 years to have enlisted. They could choose if they preferred to go into the Royal Navy but
other than that had no choice in the matter of regiment or unit to which they
were assigned. Enlistment was a two stage process. First, the recruit, who was
called up in accordance with details given during a process of National
Registration in 1915, would attend a session where he would be medically
examined and attested for service. He would then be placed on the army
reserve and return home to await a mobilisation notice.
The information already listed provides a context for his early
service. He reached 18 in October 1917 and could have been called for
attestation and then mobilised at any time after that.
The 53rd (Young Soldier) Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment was
created on 27 October 1917 in a reorganisation of the army’s infantry training
structure. The Young Soldier units carried out the 14 week basic training
course, after which the soldier would be passed on to a Graduated Battalion.
The 53rd Battalion was based at Chisledon but moved in early November 1917
to Larkhill, both places being on Salisbury Plain. For Francis to be with the
battalion on 7 February 1918 probably implies that he had not joined the
battalion straight away after his 18th birthday but it was clearly not long after
that.
It was at this time not legally possible to send a conscripted soldier overseas
until he was aged 19. The 18 year-old trainees were held in England, carrying
on training or any other useful duty, once they had completed their basic
training. The young recruits were known as “A4 men”, after a medical category
that defined them as fit in all respects except age. Had these conditions
continued, Francis would not have been in France until late in 1918.
It is possible that he went straight from the 53rd Battalion to France, but more
likely is that he had passed for a brief time to either 51st or 52nd (Graduated)
Battalion. Both moved to Lowestoft in January 1918.
On 21 March 1918, the enemy launched a huge attack against British Fifth and
Third Armies. So great were the losses and so few the reserves that an
emergency act was carried in Parliament which enabled men who were 18½
years or more and who had more than six months training to be sent overseas.
They were hurriedly despatched to France. We believe that Francis was among
them.
Either just before embarkation or on arrival in France, Francis was
renumbered to Private 50854. By examining the records of the
Commonwealth War Graves Commission, it is certain that men numbered
nearby were in France by late May 1918 although of those posted to 1st
Battalion none lost their lives before August.
Service in France
On arrival in France, Francis was posted to join his regiment’s 1st Battalion.
Later in our report we have provided an outline of the history of the battalion.
It is reasonable to assume that Francis moved with it and took part in its
actions until he was taken prisoner. Unfortunately it is not possible to tell
solely from his number his specific role or which of the four Companies he was
posted to.
It is not easy to discover when Francis arrived or was captured. The war diary
kept by the battalion does not name other ranks. We have checked it
throughout the period March to November 1918.
Small numbers of reinforcements arrived at intervals during late March and
April 1918, and in larger drafts during May. There was a particularly large
draft of 130 men that arrived on 14 May. From June to August, there were
once again small numbers dribbling in.
There are relatively few occasions when men were reported missing. These
figures undoubtedly include some men were later confirmed or presumed
dead, but the remainder will have been taken prisoner:
- 15 April 1918: 13 missing (along with 31 dead and 183 wounded) in desperate
defensive fight near Hinges.
- 11 June 1918: 1 man reported as wounded and missing from a patrol.
- 30 June 1918: 1 man reported missing from a raiding party but believed to
have been taken to a Casualty Clearing Station.
- 1 July 1918: 1 man reported missing. Battalion was bombarded as it was being
relieved and moving to rest.
- 9 August 1918: Second Lieutenant P. Horsley and 9 men missing when their
patrol, advancing near Bobeme, found itself surrounded by the enemy. Three
men escaped back to battalion.
- 30 August 1918: 24 men reported missing after a disorganised attack near
Remy.
- 24 October 1918: 2 men missing after an attack near Verchain. These are the
last to be reported as such before the Armistice.
Given that it appears that men with numbers near to Francis were not with 1st
battalion before May, clearly the most likely times for him to have been
captured were on 9 and 30 August.
Return from POW camp, discharge from the army and after the
war
Although the medals documents give no information, Francis would have been
discharged by being transferred to Class Z Army Reserve some time in 1919.
This was the standard route out of military service for wartime volunteers and
conscripts to the regular army. It meant that the soldier could return to
civilian life but subject to being recalled if required, for twelve months after
discharge. In the event, no Class Z men were recalled and the Class was
abolished on 31 March 1920.
His campaign medals were sent to him automatically. It was not necessary to
claim them. The British War and Victory Medals were usually despatched in
1921. They were to recognise that the soldier had left his native shore and
entered a theatre of war, respectively.
Men could make a claim as to any form of disability or medical problem
arising from their war service and, subject to the approval of a Medical Board,
were usually awarded a pension, the value of which related to their marital
and family status and their degree of disablement. |
204578 Lance Corporal Frank Cressall 2nd Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment (d.04 Sept 1916) Frank Cressall, my Great Uncle was born in 1892 in Handsworth, Birmingham, to George Cressall and Louisa Cressall, nee Leather. Frank was killed in action in the Somme, on 4 September 1916, aged about 24, He was buried in Plot 2, Row C, Grave 9, Corbie Communal Cemetery, Somme, France.
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168464 Gnr. Frederick Lewis Bond 1/7th Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment My Grandad Frederick Lewis Bond served with Royal Navy in Devonport from 1914 to 1915 then went into 1/7th Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment to back up troops of the regiment that lost their lives on the Somme. His dad Abraham James Bond was with the 3rd Reserve Battalion that did all the training of the troops ready to go to the war so he probably trained is own son. He was shot and blown up in France and Flanders but survived the war, coming home at the end of 1918. He worked in a factory in Coventry called Courtalds for about a year then he rejoined the Royal Warwickshire Regiment again in 1919 and stayed in until 1923. He then left the Royal Warwicks and joined the 5th Pack Brigade, Royal Garrison Artillery at Warwick on the 20/4/1923 as a gunner, aged 28 years 353 days. He went to Helmieh in Egypt with the RGA and was discharged on 8/10/1925 at Dover. |
146535 Pte. Richard Fountain 1st/6th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment (d.22th May 1916) Richard Fountain arrived in France on 22nd March 1915. He was wounded and died of his wounds at the CSS at Gezaincourt on 22nd May 1916. |
500798 Pte. Alfred J. Hodgkinson 2/8th Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment ALfred and John Hodgkinson served with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment |
204958 G. H. Brincklow Royal Warwickshire Regiment Private G H Brincklow served with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. He died in 1920 and was buried in Birmingham Plot 10. |
204988 Pte. Albert Brain 2nd Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment (d.21st Nov 1914) Albert enlisted in the Royal Warwickshire regiment at Coventry whilst living in Banbury. The date of enlistment is not known but the 1911 census records taken on Sun 2nd April 1911 show that he was then serving overseas in Bombay with the 1st Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire regiment. The 1st battalion sailed for England on December 11th 1912 arriving there on 2nd Jan 1913. It was then based at Shorncliffe, near Folkestone. The battalion was in the 10th Brigade 4th Division.
On 8th Aug 1914 the battalion travelled by train to Yorkshire (to assist in countering any threatened German invasion). From Yorkshire it moved to Southampton. On 22nd August the battalion sailed on the SS Caledonian disembarking at Boulogne on 23rd August.
Sadly, Albert was killed on 21st November 1914 whilst serving with “A” Company of the 2nd battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and he is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial in Belgium.
Albert’s death certificate states that he was ‘Presumed Killed In Action’. The certificate also states his rank as Lance Corporal.
Therefore, sometime between 21st January 1913 (when the First Battalion arrived back in England) and 21st Nov 1914 Albert transferred from the First Battalion to the Second Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment.
The Second Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire regiment was in Litchfield from 1908-1911. Then for a short time at Shornciffe then Portland until it sailed for Malta on December 22nd 1912. It remained in Malta until 19th August 1914 when it left for England landing there on September 19th 1914. Based in Lyndhurst the battalion was then attached to the 22nd Brigade 7th Division and the battalion subsequently left for Flanders landing at Zeebrugge on 6th October 1914.
Unfortunately the true manner of Albert’s death is unlikely to ever be known but it is very probable that he was killed whilst the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Warwicks was being relieved by the 2/Queens (Royal West Kent) Battalion. |
204972 Pte. Jeremiah Reid 2/8th Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment (d.28 Mar 1918) Jeremiah Reid was my late Dad's older brother b. 27 February 1899 in Liverpool and baptised on 3 March 1899 @ St Augustine's RC Church, Gt Howard St., Liverpool. His parents (my grandparents) were Christopher & Christina Reid, both of whom were born in Liverpool. My grandfather Christopher was a merchant seaman.
On 18 September 1915 my uncle Jeremiah enlisted into the Kings Liverpool Regt., in Liverpool and undertook training in nearby Seaforth Barracks. He would have been 16 years old at the time. His regimental number was 46128 and his description was as follows:-
height - 5 ft 2 1/4 ins,
weight - 104 lbs,
33" Chest - girth fully expanded,
Range of expansion - 2 1/2",
During his time in the army he was transferred to several regiments including Herefordshire Regt., Monmouth Regt., Base Depot and finally Royal Warwickshire Regt.
At one point he acquired another army number, 228873 or 2128873 (I can't quite make it out from the damaged document) but on transfer to the Warwickshire's he became Pte Jeremiah Reid 315136.
On 28th March 1918 my uncle was killed in action, in the field, aged just 19 years. Theatre of War is given as - France & Flanders. Sadly, we have no photographs of him. Like thousands of other parents, on receipt of this dreadful news my grandparents were devastated.
My family have been researching our family history for about 30 years now and, thanks to a cousin who discovered a bag containing old documents in his deceased mother's loft some years ago, we have been able to piece together a short story to our uncle Jeremiah.
On finding his details on CWGC website my sister and I travelled over to France to 'claim the grave' in our late Dad's memory and I am now working on our family history book in which I'm incorporating every letter, document and detail I can find. I have photographs of the grave which is situated in Roye New British Cemetery, France.
Pte Jeremiah Reid 325136 will always remain in our thoughts and in our writings for future generations.
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205351 Pte. Horace Victor Chatterley 12th Btn. Royal Sussex Regiment (d.25th Sep 1917) Horace was my uncle. He joined the Royal Warwickshire in 1917. I have photo of him in uniform at home and at training camp. He was at Southampton on the 3rd September 1917 awaiting embarkation, I have a lettercard from him describing the port and all the ships. Apparently he was a good rifleman, due to his childhood upbringing by his father who used to teach him to shoot rabbits. He was killed at Dumbarton Lakes on 25 September 1917, he was shot by a German sniper, and is buried at Hooge Crater cemetery. His gravestone gives him as serving in the Royal Sussex Regiment. I have his Captain's daily log extract (12th battalion Royal Sussex) for the days leading to his death and the operations the battalion was undertaking.
I would like to know more about his enlistment and his service number whilst he was with the Warwicks and why he was transfered. |
207090 Pte. Henry Edward Allen 5th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment (d.21st Jun 1915) Henry Allen was my uncle and was married to Rose Rann. They had a son Henry.Henry senior was a sniper with the Territorials Royal Warks Regt, the unit was based at Thorpe Street Barracks in Birmingham City Centre.
Harry, as he was known, was shot by a German sniper. Apparently, so the story was told to his mother by a fellow that served with him and was present at his death. He went to fetch some water when he was shot in the head which took the back of his head off. He is buried at, Comines-Warneton, Hainault, Belgium in Berks Cemetery Extension.
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206759 Pte. Joseph Goodyear 1st Battalion Royal Warwickshire (d.26th Apr 1915) Joseph Goodyear was my Grandfather. He went to war leaving a wife Elizabeth and two daughters Mary and Emily at home, my mother, Emily, was born in June 1914 and never knew her father. There are no photos of him and my mother had no memories of him to share with us. I have found out that he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Ypres Menin Gate Memorial in Belgium. If anyone has any photos of this Battalion or of my grandfather I would truly love to see them |
206990 L/Cpl. Percy Cresswell 2nd Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment (d.25th Sep 1915) Percy Cresswell was born 6 September, 1888, at Dunnington Salford, Warks, to parents, Lucy & Walter Cresswell. It is not known when Percy joined the Army, but he did enlist at Warwick, and because he had a three figure Army number, it seems likely that he was a pre-war regular. He appears in the Medal Roll of the India General Service Medal 1908, with Northwest Frontier Clasp, which shows he was serving with the 1st Battalion R.W.R., in India, and was in action in April & May 1908. The Medal Roll shows that the then, Private Cresswell served against the Mohmands and also in action at Matta.
After the Great War began, Percy, still with the 1st Battalion, is recorded in the Birmingham Daily Post, dated, 30th November 1914, as `Missing` then, in the same paper, dated 11th October 1915, he is recorded as `Rejoined`. Finally, now with the 2nd Battalion, again the same paper, dated 21st October 1915 he is reported `Killed`.
This was at the Battle of Loos. Percy was killed sometime between 6.30am, when the Battalion advanced, and Midnight, when they were in position in a support trench 400 yards west of the "Quarries". On the 1st September 1915, the Battalion Diary records a strength of 24 Officers and 936 Other Ranks . At Midnight on the 25th September, it records; Missing, 273 - Wounded, 171, and, Killed, 64. The Battalion could only muster (No figure,) Officer and 140 Men.
Like many, many other poor souls, Percy`s body was never recovered, but he is commemorated on Panel 22 - 25 at the Loos Memorial.
To All Who Gave Their Lives ~ R.I.P. |
206994 Capt. John William Griffin MC. Royal Warwickshire Regiment John William Griffin was a regular solder and initially joined the Royal Dragoons in 1907 as a trooper, and served time in Britain, India and South Africa. This was where his unit was in 1914 when his Regiment was recalled to England where he reached Tidworth in Hampshire in early September. His unit reached France in October and fought through the 1st Battle of Ypres. He progressed through the ranks and at some point was given a wartime commission and was transferred to the Royal Warwickshire Regiment.
In April 1918 he organised the defence of his section of the line under severe pressure and being greatly outnumbered. For this he was awarded the Military Cross. But was captured by the Germans afterwards. He spent the rest of the war in a prision camp in Germany, now in what is modern day Poland. As an officer he was allowed to visit the local town to obtain a few extra rations, and we have a number of postcards purchased there, along with his prisoner of war identity pass.
In 1919 on discharge he trained as a veterinary surgeon in Edinburgh. This was a reaction to the suffering of animals in wartime, he lived in South London and then Sussex until his death in 1952. |
206326 Sgt. Walter Ernest Frost MM. 7th Btn. Royal Warwicks My Grandfather, Sgt Walter Frost, served in the 7th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment 1914-1918. We know he was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in the Italian Campaign but the records were destroyed in the Coventry Blitz 1940. I have his medals and also correspondence relating to the Military Medal but this medal is not recorded on his medals card. I have the original medal but we are unable to find any facts as to what lead to the award. |
206203 Pte. James Clark Warwickshire Regiment There is a family story that James signed up for the services under age and gave his brothers date of birth. James enlisted on 30 November 1904 and served for 13 years 200 days and was discharged for being no longer physically fit for War Services. His certificate states that he had 6 wound scars on his left leg.
He served in South Africa 29.11.1904 to 28.11.1906; - India 29.11.1906 to 08.11.1912;
- France 09.08.1914 to 05.06.1915;
- France 08.05.1916 to 19.08.1916;
- France 09.06.1917to 07.08.1917.
He received 3rd Class Certificate 21.03.1905 and 2nd Class Certificate 29.04.1912.
I have been unable to find James on the 1911 Census, although I have found his brother, Amos Stephen Clark. Amos was serving with 2nd Battalion North Staffs Regiment in Peshawar NWFP India. He is recorded as a drummer, 24 years unmarried born Birmingham.
I would love to know more about my great grandfather. |
205649 Pte. Albert Edward Brain 2nd Btn. Royal Warwickshire (d.21st Nov 1914) Albert enlisted in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment at Coventry whilst living in Banbury. The date of enlistment is not known but the 1911 census records taken on Sun 2nd April 1911 shows that he was then serving overseas in Bombay, India with the First Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. The 1st Battalion sailed for England on December 11th 1912 arriving there on 2nd Jan 1913. It was then based at Shorncliffe, near Folkestone. The battalion was in the 10th Brigade 4th Division.
It is probably safe to assume that Albert was transferred to the 2nd Battalion at some time on or after 6th October 1914 the date when the Second Battalion landed in France. So Albert was possibly with the First Battalion in France from 23rd August to 6th October. We cannot, of course, be certain of this since, for some reason, he may have stayed behind in England and did not travel to France with the First Battalion but travelled with the Second Battalion from England.
It is possible to ascertain the events leading up to Albert’s death on 21st November 1914 from the 2nd battalion’s war diaries. The 2nd Battalion was not engaged in an actual battle i.e. major offensive at this time. It had been withdrawn from the Ypres Salient on 7th November before the First Ypres Battle ended on November 17th 1914. Trench warfare then took over.
On the 10th Nov the Battalion was in Bailleul. On the 11th to 12th Nov it was in Merris. Four hundred and eight new drafts arrived during the stay at Merris. We cannot tell if Albert was one of these. On the 15th to 20th Nov they were in trenches at La Boutillerie near Fleurbaix. On the 20th Nov the Battalion was relieved by the 2/Queens (Royal West Kent) Battalion. It then marched to billets at Rue de Bataille in Fleurbaix. Another draft of 98 OR’s under Lt B. Bernard joined on that day, presumably, whilst in the billets. The Battalion remained here up to the 23rd Nov when it returned to the trenches near Fleuraix.
So, curiously, it appears that the Battalion was in billets on 21st November 1914 when Albert died.
What is known is that the relief of a regiment/battalion usually took place overnight, for obvious reasons. They were often protracted affairs, consequently, this relief could have spilled into the early hours of the 21st November. The 2/Queen’s war diary states that they started to enter the trenches at 4.45 pm on the 20th. Men were put at risk as they were leaving the front line. It was likely, therefore, that Albert was killed during the relief of the battalion.
Albert is commeorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial. |
205779 Pte. Henry Hill 2/7th Btn. Royal Warwickshires I have various items relating to my Dad's service in WW1, including his Pay Book, Lifetime Pension papers, photographs and medals.
I took this 'memorabilia' to the Royal Warwickshire's Museum and the Superintendent there was able to give me some fascinating details about my Dad.
First of all - photographs. One shows him sitting with a group of other soldiers, nearly all with different cap badges. I know that because some of the battalions were decimated, regiments were made up from survivors of other units.
Secondly, Dad has 3 stripes on the lower part of his sleeve. I was told, no it didn't indicate his rank, it indicated that he had been wounded 3 times. Well, the words '3rd time B.E.F' are written in the front of his paybook. The date of his Attestation is written as 18.10.15 (age 18).
His Pension papers show 'Gunshot Wound to the Head' and Neurasthenia. An attempt had been made to delete the latter word!
Two puzzles. 1). Why only 1 payment made - One shilling and fourpence, dated 2.4.1918 in his Pay Book? The Station is Horton Hutments, and 2) it is in regard to a badge found in the same box as his 2 WW1 medals. It has 'On War Service - 1916' and shows 3 cannon. Was he in munitions for a time? His vaccinations show Feb 1916 and TAB 1.3.1918.
I know that Horton Hutments was in Northumberland (Newcastle). He married my mother in 1919 - she came from Newcastle.
Like many other ex-soldiers, D ad never talked about his war experiences. He briefly mentioned 'Wipers' - Ypres - and Amiens, but that is all. (A programme featuring those two battles happened to be being shown on TV at the time). He walked out of the room, clearly upset.
His war record was destroyed along with a lot of others during WW2 bombing. Such a pity.He died on 2.2.1969 aged 72. |
205487 Pte. Algernon Alfred Casterton 1st Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regt (d.30th Nov 1917) Cousin Algie (to my mother) always called at her parent's house prior to travelling home on leave during WWI. This was so that she and her sister could get him cleaned up before his mother saw him.Initially he joined The Leicesters and then transferred to The Warwicks. He was wounded during an attack near Les Boeufs (halfway between Bapaume & The Somme) in October 1916 and subsequently killed, aged 25, by sniper fire on 30th November 1917. He lies in the Windmill British Cemetery at Monchy-le-Preux just to the east of Arras. |
205422 Sig. Frederick Richmond 10th Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment (d.19th Apr 1918) Signaller Frederick Richmond was born in 1900 to Albert and Jane Richmond of Blackburn, Lancashire. When WW1 broke out Fred left home to join the army. He would only have been about 16 years old. He went against his parents wishes. No-one ever knew what became of Fred and to the day she died my grandmother Jane always believed that one day Fred would walk through her door. Upon becoming interested in family research along with my cousin Jack Duckworth, I began looking through records and came across the Commonweath War Graves Commission internet site. Upon searching this site I found that Fred had a commemoration in the Tyne Cot Memorial in Belgium. According to that information he died on 19th April, 1918 aged 19 years.Some time later Jack Duckworth was in Blackburn Public Library and came across a newspaper cutting referring to Fred. He took a photocopy of it which reads as follows:
"Signaller Fred Richmond (35549, "A" Company, 10th Royal Warwickshires and late of the 3rd East Lancs. Regt), whose parents reside at 168 Accrington Road, Blackburn, is reported missing since the 10th April, 1918. Information concerning him will be gratefully received at the above address."
However, nothing was heard of Fred. My grandparents were always in the dark as to what happened to him.
Since that time, in 2005, Jack Duckworth along with his wife and son, went to pay a visit to the Tyne Cot Cemetery and they found Fred's name in the memorial book with Panel Numbers 23-28 & 163A. Jack found the name on a panel with others of the same regiment. He was also told that as bodies were recovered, they are buried in separate graves and if they can be identified their names and regiment are put on the headstone. Unfortunately, Jack couldn't find 163A as there are so many graves. So it is still a bit of a mystery about Fred's grave, but his name is there on a panel. It was very moving to finally uncover the mystery of Frederick Richmond, who would have been my uncle if he had survived the war. |
1529 Lt. Frederick Philip Smith 10th Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment Frederick P Smith is mentioned in the book Landers War: The War Diaries of Lt. Charles Herbert Lander Frederick was Bert's best man. He was gassed towards the end of June, 1917, and was evacuated to England and convalesced in Dover with Slim. He rejoined the battalion in time for the Armistice.
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207204 Pte. Samuel Hickling 2nd Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment (d.25th Sep 1915) Samuel was killed in action on the 25th Sept 1915, during the battle of Loos, and is commemorated on the wall at the Loos Memorial for the fallen whose resting place has not been identified. He left behind a wife and five children. |
207728 Pte. Clive Williams 1/8th Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment (d.20th Nov 1918) My family is fortunate not to have endured any casualties during either WWI or WWII. After many years attending the Cenotaph in London, I realised that I wanted to focus my remembrance on one particular service person. In November 2005 I undertook a search of the Commonwealth War Grave Commission website to see if a Clive Williams had died in either War. I found 57334, Private Clive Williams, 1/8 Royal Warwickshire Regiment,
I now do all I can to research his life and keep his memory alive. I plan to visit his grave in France, but I would really like to find relatives, or perhaps even a photograph. To the best of my research, Clive did not marry, and so, like many others of his generation, he died leaving nothing but his name. I am not sure if that is better than leaving behind a wife and family, but at least in one’s children, one can survive and live on. Clive, as far as I know, has no one to remember him.
It seems strange writing from my heart about a man I never knew, who had no connection with me other than sharing a name, and who had already been dead for over fifty years by the time I was born in 1972. I fear disturbing his spirit, when he laid down his life to rest in eternal peace, yet I feel driven to search out more and more information about this stranger. I am no relation to Private Clive Williams but I share his name and wish to keep his memory alive. I wish I could find a photograph.
Clive was born on the 18th of May 1894 at Langley, Worcestershire. His Grandfather was Levi Williams, who married Dinah Lewis, 10 June 1840 at St. Leonard’s Clement, they had a child, Levi Arthur. Levi senior married a second time to Jane Shaw on the 1st of September 1862 at St Thomas’s, Dudley. Clives parents were Levi Arthur Williams, (1854 - 1909), and Emma J Godfrey, who married in the September Quarter 1874 at Rowley Regis. Clive's sister was Henrietta Amplias Swain Williams, (1882 - ?), born in Rowley Regis, Staffordshire. She married Dr Daniel McColl, in the September Quarter 1911, at Tamworth. He also had a brother, Arthur Swain Williams, (1892 - ?), born at Rowley Regis, Staffordshire.
Clive worked as a Colliery Labourer, at Pooley Hall Colliery and at Kingsbury Colliery Co. up until 1916. In 1894 he lived at Vicarage Road, Langley, Worcestershire, In 1901 then Census records him at ‘Myrtle Cottage’, Waterfall Lane, Rowley Regis, Warwickshire (now Staffordshire)
and on the 1911 Census at 4 Watling Street, Wilnecote, Tamworth, Staffordshire. In 1918 his sister Amplias lived at ‘Holy Cottage’, Polesworth, Tamworth, Warwickshire (now Staffordshire)
Clive enlisted in 1916, Tamworth, Warwickshire and died on the 20/11/1918 at No. 12 General Hospital of wounds sustained in the Battle of the Sambre. He is buried in grave S.III.W.5, at St. Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen, France. His death was reportedin the Tamworth Herald on the 7/12/1918 & 14/12/1918 with a memorial message on 20/11/1919: "Make Firm O God The Peace For Which He Died". He is commemorated in the War Memorial, Holy Trinity Church, Wilnecote, Tamworth, Warwickshire (now Staffordshire), on the Tamworth & District War Memorial, Tamworth, Warwickshire (now Staffordshire) and Pooley Hall Memorial, Warwickshire.
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204974 Pte. Leonard Twamley 2/7th Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment (d.19th Jul 1916)  Leonard Twamley was a 19 year old lad who joined the 2/7th Royal Warwickshires in November 1915 as a volunteer. He had formerly been a turner at the Singer factory in Coventry. 2/7th was a territorial battalion whose base was Coventry. It became part of the 61st Division which after training in Northampton, Essex and Salisbury Plain left Southampton on 22nd May 1916 for le Harve.
The 2/7th together with a number of other South Midlands battalions were near Laventie in July 1916. On 19th July 1916 he was part of three companies of the 2/7th that went into battle about 6pm and reached the German trenches. Within a couple of hours they retreated and Len was killed together with a large number of others, British and Australian in the Battle of Fromelles.
On 1st September 1916 his mother Drucilla placed an appeal in the Coventry Herald for information as he was missing in action at the time. In 1917 He was officially assumed to have been killed in action. Len's total service in the army was 245 days. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Loos memorial. He is also commemorated, together with his brother George on his mother's grave in London Road Cemetery, Coventry. George was killed in Belgium in July 1917.
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208004 Sgt. Charles Henry Downard 2/8 Battalion Royal Warwickshire (d.16th Aug 1916)  Charles Henry Downard, and his comrades of the 61th Division, were veterans of the Battle of Fromelles. Charles Henry Downard, born in 1888 in Brighton, Sussex, moved to Birmingham in 1893 and became a tram driver there in 1911. He married at age 26 Nellie Bracebridge, who gave birth to Gwendoline on 19th February 1915. She died aged 90 in 2005 and never saw her father.
Charles was enlisted as a sergeant in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and because of varicose veins was not required for front line duty. However, he became so depressed by the numbers of men he trained were being killed, he volunteered for France. His unit, assigned to the 61th British Division, landed in France in May 1916. After a short training in trench warfare, the division was selected to participate in the Battle of Fromelles, 19 July 1916. On 9th August 1916, Charles left the billets at Riez bailleul for a ten-day tour in the trences. (In a letter home he complains that they are asking too much of the men). On the 16th August around 6.00 pm, Charles and his comrades were ordered to engage the right flank of the German Army at Fauquissart. Wounded by a mortar bomb that appears to have disembowelled him, he was evacuated to a military hospital where he died after two days. We have letters from Medical Officer and Nurse to his wife Nellie confirm that he survived 2 days after his official date of death. Charles is buried in the British military cemetery at Merville
In the 1930s, the British survivors, traumatized by these early battles, placed on the wall of the town hall in Laventie a plaque in memory of their comrades, such as Charles Downard, killed in battle nearby. This is a major place for the commemoration of the British victims of the battle. Red poppies are regularly hooked upon it.
This year a new place will commemorate some of the victims of the Battle at Fromelles, where now lie some 250 bodies of Australian and British soldiers exhumed from mass graves dug by the Germans after the battle. |
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