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234737

Pte. Benjamin Bullman

British Army 2nd Battalion Suffolk Regiment

from:Midenhall

(d.16th Aug 1916)

Benjamin Bullman is listed on the Thiepval Memorial

No Known Grave - The Story of Benjamin Bullman

When I was a small boy I remember being taken to the cemetery in Stretham, Cambridgeshire, to pay respects to ancestors who had been laid to rest there. The visit would always end by viewing the war memorial commemorating those who had fallen in the First and Second World Wars. On one face of the memorial is the name, Benjamin Bulman. I can't remember how old I was when my father produced a large bronze medal, The Memorial Plaque. And so for many years, as I grew up, I thought of what had happened to my Great Uncle, how he might have lived and died in the trenches.

I have read articles of many long lost heroes of the Great War, they all sport fantastic stories of fighter pilot aces, company commanders who lead their troops into battle and men decorated for their gallant acts in conditions that we can only try to image, along with pictures of them and their medals. So what of Benjamin Bullman, was he one of these few that have a story that can be collated and put in the history books? Starting with a name and date of death I set about the task of putting together his history. With the Internet at my fingertips I began my search, my first stop being the War Graves Commission where I found details of his regiment, battalion, service number and date of death.

Further searches turned up more references in his commemoration: Stretham Memorial in Cambridgeshire, Kenny Hill Memorial in Suffolk, Mildenhall Memorial in Suffolk and Thiepval Memorial in France.

So, he has been remembered in so many different places and remembered on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month ever since. I had found a wealth of new information including his regiment, battalion, serial number and how old he was when fell. But what of his history, when did he enlist, fight, die and where was he buried? There is No Known Grave.

Like millions of others who fought and died from all the nationalities in the First World War, Benjamin Bullman was not a fighter ace, a commander leading his troops into battle or a decorated hero. He was another ordinary man thrust into the horrors of modern warfare, the likes of which had never been seen before. Like millions of others there are no photographs, obituaries or personal details, just carvings of a name in stone.

Even so, here is his story from the records and accounts that are available. Benjamin Bullman was born in Kenny Hill, his birth and baptism in 1890 was recorded in Mildenhall, the son of Charles Bullman and Anne Maria Dorkings. The 1891 Census records Benjamin at the age of 1 year old living in Soham and the 1901 Census records him in Mildenhall in Suffolk. From my father's research into his family history I can presume that Benjamin would have led a humble life as his parents worked the land as farm workers.

At the outbreak of war Benjamin would have been 23 years old, and fighting commenced across France and Belgium as both sides dug in. It is impossible to date Benjamin's exact enlistment date due to 70% of the military records being destroyed in the blitz of the Second World War. Benjamin would have received basic training at the Suffolk's deport in Bury St. Edmunds. Although training times to moving to France could vary from regiment to regiment and the need for infantrymen during the war, the general opinion seems to be a basic training of 12 weeks, and a further 4 weeks before joining a battalion in France. As he was not awarded the 1914 - 15 Star which would indicate that he arrived in France after 1916, but the exact date is unknown.

The 2nd Battalion were part of the regular army which formed the British Expeditionary Force in France in 1914; The BEF was badly depleted in the Battles of Mons and The Marne so the volunteers of Kitchener's New Army were used to replenish their numbers. During 1916 the 2nd Suffolks took part in the actions of The Bluff in February and St Eloi Craters in March. The fighting was not only the familiar trench warfare of attacks and counter attacks, but mines and gas attacks too.

In March the 2nd Suffolks moved to The Somme. They were stationed at the depot at St Omer for training in open warfare in preparation for the Big Push of The Somme offensive. On July 1st, the first day of the battle, the 2nd Suffolks set out from St Omer for the Somme. They arrived at the front on July 8th, where they bivouacked in Carnoy (known as Death Valley) and were placed in reserve, and then on July 14th they were moved into the southern end of Caterpillar Valley, to the east of Albert.

Two companies of the 2nd Suffolks were sent to support the attack on Longueval and Delville Wood, the scene of many weeks of bitter fighting, attacks and counter attacks from both side. During this time the 2nd Suffolks took many casualties of which some are laid to rest at Delville Wood Cemetery, Longueval. This is also where the South African Memorial is located. Abandoned German trench in Delville Wood. The War Diary of the 2nd Suffolk Regiment notes there were around 30 casualties taken at this time.

On the 25th July they were relieved by the Staffordshire Regiment and they moved back to Mountauban, then Bois De Tallies on the 26th July and finally to Mericourt on the 28th July.

n early August the 2nd Suffolk Regiment undertook elementary training, route marches and made up working parties on the corps line between Montauban and Bernafay Wood. They left Mericourt on the 11th August for The Sandpits (near Meaulte), just south of Albert. Here they were reinforced with a draft of 116 O.R. (other ranks). The Regimental diary at this time states: Practiced company in extended order, & once in attack, their knowledge of either was practically nil.

On 14th of August they moved up the line through Bois De Talus, where they were shelled and took casualties, then probably through Chimpanzee Alley and into the front line trenches.

The Regimental diary states:

Relief completed by midnight and work carried on until Stand To at 3.30am, in widening and deepening trench, and connecting up the left of Shute and left of Assembly. Battalion was disposed as follows:-

  • 2 Platoons of Z.Coy. in Shute Trench (left)
  • 2 Platoons of Z.Coy. in Assembly Trench(left)
  • 2 Platoons of Y.Coy. in Shute Trench (Right)
  • 2 Platoons of Y.Coy. in Shute Trench (Right)
  • W. Company in Duncan Alley
  • 3 Squads of Bombers in Extension of Cochrane Alley
  • H.Q. at junction of Maltz Horn and Duncan Alleys

During the 15th of August the Suffolks continued to improve the trenches under very difficult circumstances; Also the carrying of water and ratios and removing the dead and wounded was no easy matter. The officers surveyed the ground in front of the front trench to familiarised themselves with the ground for the attack and a patrol party was sent out to locate the German trench which was reported to be about 100 yards in front and to the left of Shute Trench.

16th August 1916. Dawn Attack.

Information from the Regimental Diary:

The battalion was deployed for the attack with two platoons each of the Z and Y companies in the front line, followed by a further two platoons 50 yards behind in support. X company were in the second line and W company, held in reserve, moved from Duncan Alley to Edward Trench. 3 squads of bombers were to rush the German block in Cochrane Alley and 2 squads were to move in support of the first line as clearing parties. Snipers were detailed to snipe at machine guns and the company Lewis guns were positioned on the flank to support the line. At zero hour the battalion moved forward closely following the barrage. Z company, on the left, progressed 120 yards but were met by machine gun fire and lost all its officers and platoon commanders; in total they lost 3 officers and 90 other ranks. The remainder of the company remained in shell holes and retired to Shute Trench after dark. The right company were also met with machine gun fire. One platoon of X company and one platoon of Y company were sent to connect up with the French down Cochrane Alley and they were able to dig a trench to the left of the French. The remainder of Y company fell back after dark to Cochrane Alley which was consolidated as a firing line. Y company casualties were 1 officer and 85 other ranks.

The gain of the attack was about 250 yards of Cochrane Alley and the capture of six Germans of the 124th Regiment.

Account from Wikipedia:

On 16 August the French 153rd Division advanced north-west of Maurepas and into Maurepas ravine, before being repulsed by a counter-attack at 10:30 p.m. The 3rd Division had relieved the 55th Division on the night of 14/15 August, ready to attack at 5:40 p.m. on 16 August, which dawned bright and hot. On the right of the 76th Brigade, a battalion quickly cleared Cochrane Alley to the Hardecourt to Guillemont road and took the trench along the road, despite machine-gun fire from Lonely Trench, which was too close to the British front line to be bombarded by artillery. A Stokes mortar bombardment on it failed and attacks by the left-hand battalion of the 76th Brigade and right-hand battalion of the 9th Brigade were defeated, despite several more attempts. The left-hand battalion of the 9th Brigade was also stopped soon after beginning its advance. After dark, the British withdrew on the right, only the ground in Cochrane Alley being retained.

At some point on the 16th August 1916 during this battle, Benjamin Bullman was killed. In early August 2016 we visited the site of the battle and surrounding area in memory of his loss. Longueval and Delville Wood

During the war the dead, if recovered, were buried in many small clusters of graves near to where they fell. After the war many of these graves were moved to larger, nearby cemeteries. Most of the dead found around the Guillemont area were relocated to the Guillemont Road Cemetery. In this cemetery are a few known men from the 2nd Suffolks who died on the 16th August 1916, but out of the 2,263 Commonwealth burials 1,523 of the burials are unidentified, some of them citing Suffolk Regiment on the headstone.

We placed a tribute of remembrance to Benjamin Bullman, 18966, 2nd Suffolk Regiment who was killed in action on the 16th August 1916, at the foot of the memorial in Guillemont Cemetery as he has no known grave.

March to the front line and into the trenches 14th August 1916

Maltz Horn Farm trench map 1916

View across the fields where Cochrane Alley, Assembly Trench and Shute Trench were situated

Tribute to Benjamin Bullman



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