217273 Rfmn. George Robert Heath British Army 7th Batallion Kings Royal Rifles from:Borrowdale Road, Northfield, Birmingham My grandfather, George Robert Heath (no A1426), who lived in Borrowdale Road, Northfield, Birmingham served with the 7th Battalion of the Kings Royle Rifle Corp (KRRC). He signed up on 22nd August 1914 (his 20th birthday). After initial training in the UK he arrived in France on 18 May 1915 and went to the front line around the Belgium town of Ypres. He was involved in the trench warfare there – notably on the 30 July 1915 he was in the unit in the trenches at Railway Wood (opposite Bellewaarde Farm) where flamethrowers were first used against British forces. In the battle that took place his Battalion incurred heavy casualties (13 officers and 289 men out of around 1000 in the battalion). He spent from May 1915 to February 1916 fighting in the Ypres area before then being moved down to Arras where he was based until 29 July 1916. At this time the 7th Battalion KRRC moved to billets around Albert ready to join the Battle of the Somme.
At the Somme my grandfather was involved in major conflicts on the 18th August and the 15th September. On the 18th August the 7th Battalion KRRC attacked and captured, suffering heavy casualties (3 officers and 42 men killed and 3 officers and 174 men wounded), the German Orchard Trench which was in the notorious area of Delville Wood. After this they were taken out of the front line in order to bring new recruits to the Battalion and to give those soldiers, involved in the conflict since they entered France, a much needed rest. Some of the soldiers were taken, in two groups of 30, to Ault on the French coast. They returned into action on the 15th September 1916, again in trenches by Delville Wood, to take part in the notorious Battle of Flers- Courcellette. This is of note since it is the first time that tanks were used in the war. The tanks were used to good effect and much ground was taken. It was, however, at this Battle where my grandfather was shot and wounded. He remained in no-mans land for a period of days before he was recovered and, expected to die, returned to hospital in the UK. Whilst suffering permanent injury to his shoulder and chest he did in fact survive and was invalided out of the army, declared unfit for active service on the 29th od May 1917. During this Battle the of Fler-Courcellette casualties for the Battalion were again high with 34 killed, 189 wounded and 120 missing.
Eventually after his return to the UK he married Emma Gittins on 8th February 1919. Emma had two children, Charles and Margaret, from her previous marriage to Charles Anthony Gittins. Charles Gittins served in the 2/6 Batallion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and was killed in action on 26th August 1917 in Flanders. His grave is at Zonnebeke.
George and Emma went on to have 5 children, George, Joan, Olive, Sid and John and in total of 12 grandchildren.
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