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Those Who Served
Gnr. Willis Rabjohn . British Army Royal Field Artillery from Sheffield |
Dvr. Robert Baxter "Racka" Rackstraw . Royal Horse Artillery 6th. Reserve Battery from Sunderland, Durham My father was transferred to the Royal Horse Artillery from the Royal Scots on 23rd July 1916. I am trying to find any information on where he served after this time.
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Driver Robert Baxter "Racka" Rackstraw . British Army R F A 6Th. Reserve Battery from Sunderland,Durham My father was transfered to the Royal Field Artillery,Woolwich from the Royal Scots on the 16th Aug 1916. He was claimed by his older brother George Steven Rackstraw. I know nothing else of his service from then. |
Pte. Charles Radley . British Army 7th (Service) Btn. York & Lancaster from Mexborough (d.30th Jun 1918) My Great Uncle Charles Radley enlisted in 1914 when he was 17 yrs old. The only details I have are that he died of wounds on the 30th June 1918 in "France & Flanders" and he is buried in the Herissart Communal Cemetery. I have photographs of the cemetery and his grave. There is a memorial to him and others in Adwick village where he came from. |
Lt. G. K. Raine . Army 18th Btn. Durham Light Infantry (d.2nd Jul 1916) Lt Raine was killed on the 2nd of July 1916 he was 19 years old. |
Cpl. Robert Boyd Rainey . British Army 9th Btn. Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers from Newtownards, Co. Down. (d.7th Jun 1917) |
Ernest Rainsforth . British Army 2/5th Btn. West Riding Regt My Grandfather - Ernest Rainsforth, was badly injured but also survived and was repatriated
to England from France with his bicep blown off and with a serious knee injury from sharpnel: whilst fighting with the
2/5th West Riding Regiment as the Germans pulled back from the Hindenberg Line in March 1917. I am lucky enough to
have my Grandad's war discharge papers - discharged as being medically unfit for further war service - and the original telegram sent to his Mother advising her that Ernest had been wounded and admitted to hospital in London. I ache with sheer anguish for her when I read that telegram and know what his Mum must have felt at the time. My Grandad survived the war: met my Nan at Malden Hospital in Middlesex where she was nursing during WW1 and returned to his home town of Gainsbro with a beautiful new wife. Ernest lived until the age of 94. He never chose to speak to anyone about his experiences in France except to say to my younger brother - when my brother was a boy - that he laid on a stretcher in a field at a Clearing Station - gagging for a drink of water for over 24 hours and when he called the orderly for water the orderly said "shut-up Rainsforth, the bloke laid next to you has 16 bullits in him ". Grandad unrolled his shirt sleeve and showed my brother a massive intentation in his left arm where his bicep had been literally blown off. |
Pte. William "Twinny" Rainsforth . British Army 5th Btn. Lincoln Regt from Gainsbrough, Lincolnshire I am researching my Family History and have found several very interesting stories about some of my male family members
who fought so bravely in WW1. Some made it through WW1 - others were not so lucky. I have found it very harrowing and yet
very rivetting to take a look at the parallel stories of the WW1 encounters of each of the four men that I have selected
from my own Family History research and feel it worth writing in: so that other people can feel the impact of such a
senseless war: as I have felt it myself. I am torn with the futility of war and yet have so much admiration for
those who fought it. Born in an era after both World Wars: I feel that I owe it to all soldiers who fought in both
conflicts, and to myself, to explore the inevitable outcomes and sacrifices of precious lives in war and yet to marvel
at the bravery of those who so willingly engaged for King & Country at the certain risk of loosing their souls in a foreign
land. In those days: men did as they were ordered to do without question and willingly. I believe we who follow owe
it to them to remember them and to delve for their personal stories, as I have been doing of late. I hope that my
discoveries about 4 of my soldier ancestors will be of interest to many of you and may set you along the course
of investigating your own family members who made the same sacrifices and endured memories of similar experiences
and who had to live with the consequences - for the remainder of their lives - as mine did. Who knows how they
managed to live "normal" lives after such events? There are 4 soldiers in particular whose very different stories I
should like to relate, the first of whom is William Rainsforth. William was my Grandad's younger brother. He was born 14th February 1887 in Gainsborough, Lincs - the youngest son of John & Christania RAINSFORTH and one of eight children. In the 1901 census, William is listed living at home at 57 Ashcroft Road, Gainsborough, Lincs and is a grocer's assistant. Just like his 3 elder brothers, William was football mad and played for the local Working Men's Club: later playing and refereeing for Gainsbro Trinity - so he could run fast!!!!! Because William had twin older brothers: Ernest (my Granddad) and George who were locally each called "Twinny Rainsforth", William also inherited that same nickname even though he was not a twin himself. It seems if your name was RAINSFORTH and you lived in Gainsbro - you were automatically and fondly nick-named "Twinny". By 1907: William was married to Nellie Forrest and he had begun to have children of his own. At the time of going to war, he and Nellie had 3 young sons. William was there, as a machine gunner, on 13th October 1915 - that fateful day - when the 46th North Midland Division were
ordered to go over the top and to take the Hohenzollern Redoubt. Less than half an hour into the attack - 1309 men lay dead, masacred by machine gun fire - 357 of them from Lincolnshire. News of this terrible slaughter was slow to filter through to the local townspeople of Gainsborough: although most knew that there had been a dreadful battle that day and many were anxiously awaiting news of their fathers, brothers and sons. As even today, Gainsborough people are community spirited so when one person received word - they rushed off to the local newspaper clutching their missive and allowed their letters from their own loved ones to be published in the local paper: to give others hope or just to try to make sense of what had happened in France to their boys on that day in October of 1915. William's wife received a letter at their home at 3 Willoughby Street, Gainsborough, Lincs from William quite soon after the battle and had the enormous relief of knowing that her man had survived the carnage and the heavy machine gun fire from the German defenders of the Hohenzollern Redoubt that day. In the edition of the Gainsbro News
dated 22/10/1915 was William's harrowing published firsthand account transcribed as follows: "October 13th Gainsborough Will Always Remember Sad & Glorious Day for the 5th Lincolns Thrilling letter from Gainsborough Territorial I am safe and sound thank the Lord. For we have had one of the worst experiences we have ever had. I dare not tell you how many men we have lost, but it is awful to think about and I don't know what Gainsborough will think. How on earth I got through I don't know. We did real well. we took four lines of German trenches and captured a farmhouse, a big fortified position. When we got in the second line of of German trenches, two Germans came out of a dugout. I said "Hands up" and they dropped their rifles and cried for mercy. But I thought of my pals that had gone under and shot them both. I am not telling lies it is true, as if I had gone on they would have shot me, but I daresay someone will tell you about it. I cared for nothing and I don't know how I kept my nerves. Poor old--------. He said he would get killed before we went over the top and -------said I was to let the know if anything happened to him poor lad. He was the second to be shot down in his Comapny, so they will be able to get to him to bury him properly. Gainsborough will always remember the 13th October--- you don't know the half yet. The Band were pleased to see me get through all right. Six of us have been recommended for bravery on the field. We got our gun the farthest of any,and got it into action. We did mow then down. I was rushing over the open ground when two of my mates at the side of me were shot down. I think I have been very lucky but I put my trust in God. It was a treat to see us charge. Every man went over without a flinch. When we who were left came out of it we rode way in buses. They kept asking us who we were. When we said "5th Lincolns" you ought to have heard them cheer. We had taken a position the Regulars could not take, but we have suffered for it. Hope they will semd us home to dear old England after this. Good-bye and God bless till we meet again." William lived until the ripe old age of 86 dying in Gainsbro in 1973.
No doubt he carried the memories of that day with him - and of his part in the battle - for the rest of his life?
I expect that there may well be some German counterparts of mine now researching their own family history and just as
anxious and curious to know who killed their Great Uncle or Grandfather at the Hohenzollern Redoubt that day?
Well....William, by his own written admission, killed at least two such persons in that charge that day.....
but what choice did he have? The other 3 persons who I wish to mention were my Grandfather - Ernest Rainsforth,
elder brother of William whose story I have told above - who was badly injured but also survived and was repatriated
to England from France with his bicep blown off and with a serious knee injury from sharpnel: whilst fighting with the
2/5th West Riding Regiment as the Germans pulled back from the Hindenberg Line in March 1917. I am lucky enough to
have my Grandad's war discharge papers - discharged as being medically unfit for further war service - and the original telegram sent to his Mother advising her that Ernest had been wounded and admitted to hospital in London. I ache with sheer anguish for her when I read that telegram and know what his Mum must have felt at the time. My Grandad survived the war: met my Nan at Malden Hospital in Middlesex where she was nursing during WW1 and returned to his home town of Gainsbro with a beautiful new wife. Ernest lived until the age of 94. He never chose to speak to anyone about his experiences in France except to say to my younger brother - when my brother was a boy - that he laid on a stretcher in a field at a Clearing Station - gagging for a drink of water for over 24 hours and when he called the orderly for water the orderly said "shut-up Rainsforth, the bloke laid next to you has 16 bullits in him ". Grandad unrolled his shirt sleeve and showed my brother a massive intentation in his left arm where his bicep had been literally blown off. Then there is my Grandmother's Uncle Albert H Dean; an ambulance man from New Malden
in Surrey who survived almost to the last day of the war only to die in the 10th Military Hospital in France of
bronch-pneumonia, leaving a young and devoted widow named Mabel and two very young sons.
Albert had asked his cousin to "look after Mabel and the boys" should anything happen to him. His cousin
married Mabel and did take good care of his boys. I am in possession of Albert H Dean's original military
death certificate and I was lucky enough to meet his 95 year old surviving son, Arthur Dean, a couple of years back
who was able to describe the day that they received word that his father had died and was to be buried at Rouen.
Arthur Dean still commemorates his father's life - all of these many years later - on Armistice Day. He cried when
I was able to hand over a small Bible (which had been left to me amongst family papers and photos and other memorabilia)
that had once belonged to his father when his father was a boy. My final candidate is another ancestor named Robert
Edward Ryder from Harefield in Middlesex. Robert was born in December 1895 in Harefield and served with
12th Battalion Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge Own) enlisting in 1914. He won the Victoria Cross for
" most conspicuous bravery" at Theipval on September 25th 1916. Robert was just 20 years old when he found himself
fighting to take Theipval, with all Officers wounded, dead or down. He single handedly charged a German trench with his
lewis gun when, for want of leadership, the attack was flagging. When I discovered that Robert's very young wife
had recently died of "consumption" (more likely of asbestosis because she had been working in a local asbestos factory
near Harefield), it did make me wonder if Robert just "did not give a damn" since his lovely young Bride had
just died so horribly? His VC is now in the Imperial War Museum. The quote with his medals says quite simply:
" I don't know what came over me...normally...I wouldn't hurt a fly". Just a story of 4 men. As William
Rainsforth said in his letter in 1915 to his wife, Nellie, "Gainsborough will always remember 13th October"...
and yet...I wonder just how many Gainsborough people alive and well today even know about this piece of history
and think about the impact that it had on so many lives? |
William Rainsforth . Army Machine Gun Section 5th Lincolnshire Regiment William RAINSFORTH is the 1st man 2nd row from the back - to the left in the Machine Gun Section of the 5th Lincolnshire Foreign Service Territorial Regiment - 13th October 1915 - before the battle to take Hohenzollern Redoubt.
This is also a poem (attached) that was published at the time in the local Gainsbrough newspaper in which William "Twinny" Rainsforth is mentioned.
Boys of the Old Brigade
The boys I’m going to write about,
Though not up to perfection,
I’m simply paying a tribute
To the veterans of our section.
Comprised of men from Gainsborough,
And also from Grimsby.
Some of the very finest men
That you could wish to see.
A year and half in different parts
They’ve stood the mud and the stench.
And though they’ve been through trying times,
They’ve never lost a trench.
There’s Twinny Rainsforth, Tommy Dann,
And also Billy Gunthorpe.
Three of the very best we’ve got,
Although one comes from Scunthorpe.
There’s Sergeant Duncan, Sergeant Holmes,
The Senior N.C.O’s.
You’ll always find them thereabouts
To guard against the foes.
And then we’ve two full corporals
Walt Jenkinson is one,
And then comes young Bert Holliday,
In French he’s simply bon.
There’s still a lot of splendid boys,
Too numerous to mention,
And I can tell you all of them.
Deserves an army pension.
At ___________ when they first went in
To do their little bit,
Up to their waist in water,
They were never known to quit.
They stuck it there for three long months.
Then someone an order sent
Saying we want these men at ___________,
To hold the salient.
Oh what a change from __________ boys,
Was _______ salient.
But they stuck like glue for fourteen weeks,
Before relief was sent.
And then came _________ offensive.
To that district they were trailed.
And they tried their hardest to succeed,
Where other men had failed.
They made a brilliant charge and though
So many were knocked out,
At last they gained a footing,
In Hohenzollern Redoubt.
At last the _________ came to relieve
And looked on them with pride,
For they knew without us telling them,
How many poor lads died.
Excepting once at ______________
And once at _______________
They were given, I am pleased to say,
The rest they’ve earned so well.
Early in the present year
They received a big surprise
They were booked to go to _____________-
That’s good, the boys all cried.
So oe’r the sea we went these good men,
Where many dangers lurk.
To take part in a new campaign.
And crush the mighty Turk.
I’ll say no more of these good boys,
But before they had the chance,
To have a go at the Sultan’s troops,
They were hurried back to France.
They once ran Territorial’s down,
But by the God Almighty,
A different tale you’ll hear them tell,
When we’ve won and got to Blighty.
By Private Charles Tear, 138th Brigade, M.G.C.
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Lt. L. A. Ramsay . Army 8th Btn. Durham Light Infantry |
Pte. Bertram Ramsden . Army 5th Btn. Durham Light Infantry |
Sjt. G. Randall . Army 2/8th Btn. Durham Light Infantry |
Rfm. Joseph James Randall . British Army 3rd Btn. Rifle Brigade from Putney Common (d.1st Feb 1915) |
Rfm. Joseph James Randall . British Army 3rd Battalion Rifle Brigade from Putney Common (d.1st Feb 1915) My grandfather, Joseph James Randall was killed in action on 1st February 1915. His body was never found but he is listed on the Ploegsteert Memorial.
I have not been able to find out any information about him and would be grateful if anyone has any information. He was killed two weeks before my father was born. |
Pte. William Ratcliffe . British Army 28th Divisional Cyclist Company Army Cyclist Corps from Salford, Lancashire My grandfather William Radcliffe, enlisted in the Kings Own Royal Lancaster Regiment on 24/01/1911. He was serving in India with the 2nd Battlion at the outbreak of WW1, and was brought back to England. It appears that on arrival in the UK, he was transferred to the newly formed 28th Divisional Cyclist Company latterly XVI Corps Cyclist Battalion. William arrived in France 19/01/1915 and served there until 24/10/1915 when the unit embarked for service in Salonika. I regrettably have no other details until his ultimate ill health discharge on 15/01/1919. |
Private James "The Longfellow" Rathbone . Britsh Army Motor Company Army Service Corps from Bromborough, Cheshire My Grandfather, James Rathbone, was chauffeur to Lord Leverhulme prior and after the War. I have a letter written from John Roebuck of the Star Works, Coventry, written in July 1915. It relates to a bus that my grandfather was to collect, but it does not specify what it was required for. The letter states that if asked, my grandfather was only to say that Sir William (Leverhulme) required it for a very special purpose and that he was not to give away any information to anyone about any other vehicles that Sir William had in use. Very mysterious!
Grandfather spent the war years in the East Africa Campaign as a Motor Driver, but what action he saw I was never told. He embarked at Devonport on the HMAT Beltana on 19th August 1916 and arrived in Kilindini on 3rd October 1916. He contracted malaria on 30th March 1917 and was admitted to hospital in Mombasa, but transferred to Nairobi on 4th April 1917. He was discharged on 9th April 1917 when he returned to duty. He also seems to have passed through Dar es Salaam, but how long he spent there is not known.
My grandfather died during WWII, not as a direct result of enemy action, but he was repairing a roof, possibly as a result of bomb damage, when he fell and sustained head injuries. He was in the Home Guard in WWII and carried out Fireman duties. I still have his fireman's axe.
Sadly I never met my grandfather as I was born after he died. |
Capt. J. N. Rattray . Canadian Army 1st Canadian Tunnelling Coy. |
Pte. John William Ray . British Army 8th Battalion Durham Light Infantry from 2 St Vincent St, Gateshead (d.26 Mar 1918) John Ray was my grandfather's cousin, though I only found out about him when I started doing family history. He was born in 1888 and was a hairdresser before the war. He married in 1910 and in the 1911 census he was living with his in-laws. Reading between the lines, this arrangement might have been a bit awkward, as he'd obviously got his wife Jane (nee Bowman) pregnant well before their marriage. He was killed during the German offensive of March 1918 which inflicted heavy casualties on the Allies and is buried in Assevillers war cemetery. He left behind a daughter, Mary Annie, aged 7 and two boys: John (5) and Robert (3). |
Cpl. M. Raymon . Army 1st Btn. Durham Light Infantry |
Pte. Eber Read . British Army 5th Battalion. Highland Light Infantry from Chapel Greenwillenhall (d.29th Sep 1918) |
Cpl. Ezra Read . British Army 51st Brigade 'A' Battery Royal Field Artillery from Chapel Green, Willenhall (d.1st Sep 1917) |
Mjr. Stanford Read . Army Royal Army Medical Corps. |
Readhead . Army 7th Btn. Durham Light Infantry |
Pte. Alfred Edward Reavell . British Army 2nd Btn. Northumberland Fusiliers (d.15th Feb 1915) |
Pte. George Reay . British Army 20th Battalion Tyneside Scottish Northumberland Fusiliers from Hexham (d.5th Jun 1917) George would have my mother's uncle. All she knew was that he was killed sometime in the Great War and had no known grave. He was 31 when he died, some years before she was born. I have recently managed to ascertain he is named on the Arras memorial and have taken the above details from their website. Does anyone have any more information? |
L/Cpl. J. Reay . British Army 9th Btn. The Green Howards (d.8th Jun 1917) |
Pte. A Redford . 20th Battalion from (d.15th April 1917) I knew nothing about Pte. Redford, while doing my family tree I found were he was buried and went over to France to see his grave stone and leave flowers. I just want to pay my respects to him, and put him name on here. He will never be forgotten. |
Pte. G. Redshaw . Army 6th Btn. Durham Light Infantry |
Pte. Joseph Reed . British Army 2nd Btn. Northumberland Fusiliers from 133, Northbourne St., Elswick, Newcastle-on- (d.3rd May 1915) Joseph was the second son of Edward and Alice Reed, of 133, Northbourne St., Elswick, Newcastle-on-Tyne, twin brother of Mary. I believe Joseph may have been a regular soldier, he served in the 2nd Battalion Northumberland Fussiliers and was killed in action on 3rd May 1915. The eldest brother, Edward survived the war, but the youngest, Thomas was also killed
in action at the Battle of Messines on the 7th of June 1917 whilst serving with the 11th Btn. Northumberland Fusiliers. Both Thomas and Joseph died aged 25 and their sister Mary never forgot them and referred to them always as "our Joe and our Tom". Thomas is listed on the Menin Gates Memorial and Joseph is buried in Bedford House Cemetery. |
Pte. Robert Reed . British Army 2nd Btn. Northumberland Fusiliers (d.22nd Feb 1915) |
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