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Pte. Frank Chapman MM.
British Army 1st Btn. Lincolnshire Regiment
from:Gainsborough, Lincolnshire
Private 21503 Frank Chapman M.M., my Grandfather, who served with the 1st Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment in the Great War. On 10th April 1917 he together with his comrades were awaiting orders in the trenches and sunken roads East of Boiry Becquerelle which is a small village south of the city of Arras. My Grandfather was assigned the role of runner (messenger) to his commanding officer, Lt Edward Catton of Welton, near Lincoln.
The unit received instructions to proceed overnight to the road between the villages of Croisilles and Henin where they were to await the end of an artillery bombardment . They were sent over the top at 0630 hrs on 11th April in an attempt to break through the heavily defended Hindenberg Line at that location. Lt Catton led the first wave of his troops but instructed my grandfather to remain in the trench until the second wave of allied troops were able to go over the top, but to keep him (Lt.Catton) in view in order to relay any messages he had for the second wave.
As in previous engagements the bombardment only served to send the Germans underground for shelter and as soon as the lads went over the top they were mown down by heavy machine gun fore from the fortified German trenches.
Lt Catton almost made it to the German barbed wire before he was shot and wounded , falling into a shell crater. My Grandfather saw him fall and despite being ordered to remain in the trench had followed his officer out into the battlefield, he noted and marked where he had fallen. But before he could get to Lt Catton the retreat was sounded. Upon returning to his trench my Grandfather decided that he could not let Lt Catton lay wounded in the shell crater to await a German hunting party that would inevitably be looking for British wounded to finish off later that night. He decided to crawl across the battlefield on his stomach under heavy machine gun fire and when he reached Lt Catton, he tied him to himself using his Puttees as a makeshift sling. He then began to crawl back to the allied trench. The whole rescue took in excess of 2 hours with my Grandfather resting in shell holes. Lt Catton was by now unconscious and it was only when he was recovering at a field hospital did he have this story related to him by another officer who had witnessed the act .
Lt Catton compiled a report for the war office detailing My Grandfather’s bravery in rescuing him and saving his life. He recommended that he receive the Victoria Cross. However, according to Lt Catton, due to the fact there was a delay in his report being compiled this was not to be the case and my Grandfather was awarded the Military Medal. His citation read that should he commit any further act of bravery no matter how minor he would be considered for the V.C.
This story was never related to our family by my Grandfather who, like so many others, was extremely modest and all he would say was “They all deserved medals for what they went through in that war.“ The full story only came to light in April 1967, when the Gainsborough newspaper ran an article titled “50 years ago on this day“. There was a very brief mention that Private F. Chapman of Gainsborough had been awarded the Military Medal for bravery in France in April 1917. A relative of Edward Catton saw the article and brought it to his attention. This prompted Edward Catton to write a full article which was published in the Gainsborough newpaper that month in 1967 telling the full story of his rescue.
Sadly my Grandfather died in 1967, and I am fortunate to remember him. Research by various members of the family over the years has revealed that his Military Medal was donated by an uncle to the Lincolnshire regiment museum, as was a Gold watch presented to him by Mr Catton’s grateful parents as a measure of their gratitude towards him for saving their son from certain death .
I am currently planning a trip to the area near Arras, France where this brave deed occurred and will be taking my father and son along to pay homage, not just to my Grandad but to all the brave lads who served in WW1, many of whom did not return, as I feel we owe it to them to remember their sacrifice.
