218864 Pte. William Charles Pierson British Army 1/5th Battalion The Buffs (East Kent Regiment) from:Northfleet, Kent William Charles Pierson was born in 1889 in Milton, the only child of Charles Pierson, a Cordwainer (Boot and Shoemaker) and Sarah Ann Buley.
After working as a bricklayer he joined the army for a 4 year term on 6 March 1911 when he was 22. He joined the 1/5th Battalian, East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) and served with them for 8 years, finally being discharged on 20 April 1919.
Having researched the Battalian here is a summary of their movements and events that I believe William Pierson was involved in:
The 1/5th Battalian was formed in August 1914 in Ashford and on 29 October 1914 was sent to India. The Division was broken up on arrival in Bombay in December and this Battalian joined Jubbulpore Brigade in 5th (Mhow) Division which was a regular Division of the Indian Army and remained in India.
In November 1915 the Buffs then joined the 35th Brigade in 7th (Meerut) Division, another regular division of the Indian Army, and were sent to Mesopotamia in December 1915 after having spent some time in India.
They landed at Basra on 31 December 1915. They went to Mesopotamia in order to relieve the forces besieged at Kut al Amara. Their first action was on 7 January 1916 when they lost 251 officers and men at Sheikh Saad on the northern bank of the Tigris. The battalion was reduced by half after an attempt to attack through floodwater and then they joined a flanking movement but were forced by the enemy to retreat. After another attempt to attack through floodwater they received the news on 29 April 1916 that Kut had fallen to the Turks.
The following month, in May 1916, the Brigade moved to the newly formed 14th (Indian) Division (which served in Mesopotamian until the Armistice on 31 October 1918). The Buffs then returned to action a few weeks later in December 1916 in the advance to Hai and in the clearing of Khadairi Bend. On 15 February the Buffs launched a successful attack at Dahra Bend pushing in a north easterly direction to the bank of the Tigris and broke the Turks’ defence lines capturing 1000 Turks who surrendered and having suffered 80 casualties. Dahra was finally taken on 16 February. The British recaptured Kut a few days later on the 24 February in the second battle of Kut after crossing the Tigris on 23 February. The troops then joined the March on Baghdad which resumed on 5 March 1917. Three days later they reached the Diyala River in the outskirts of the city after some exhausting marches and a few brief fights. After a sudden assault by the British on 10 March 1917 the Ottoman troops evacuated.
The Buffs reached the Iron Bridge at dawn on March 11 1917 and the 1/5 were ordered to lead the 35th Brigade across the river in a variety of native boats. They entered the citadel without a fight and hauled down the Turkish flag, and hoisted a Union Jack that today hangs on the wall of Canterbury Cathedral.
The Turks battled on and the 5th were kept marching and fighting them for another 9 months. In December 1917 they then returned to occupational duties having won honours. The Battalian had lost 689 men.
The 1/5th Battalian Buffs remained in Mesopotamia until 31 October 1918.
This information has been gathered from a variety of sources on the web and also from a Book about the East Kent Regiment.
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