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Methwold War Memorial - Face 1 by Moominpappa06

© Moominpappa06, all rights reserved.

Methwold War Memorial - Face 1

This War Memorial for the fallen of the village of Methwold is in the cemetery. Although an extension of the church cemetery at St George, the two are about half a mile apart.

Names on this face are:-

VICTOR ALLEN
FRANK ARMIGER
WALTER R. BAILEY
HERBERT J. BLOWERS
HENRY CATLIN
GEORGE CATLIN
JESSE CROFTS
FREDERICK EAGLE
JACOB FLATT
JOSEPH FLATT
JONATHAN FLATT
WILLIAM FLATT
WILLIAM FULLER


ERNEST BLOOMFIELD
ROBERT CARTER
EDWARD DACK
ALBERT FLOGDELL
LEWIS GALLEY


I’ve added more information for each name in the comments boxes below.

General notes when reading the comments.

The Civil Registration District for registering Births, Deaths and Marriages until the end of 1938 was the Thetford District.

Neighbouring villages and hamlets of Methwold and Methwold Hythe include Brookville, Northwold, Mundford, Feltwell, Southery, Wissington, West Dereham and Wretton.

Abbreviations used.
CWGC - Commonwealth War Graves Commission
SDGW – Soldiers Died in the Great War
ICRC – International Committee of the Red Cross
MIC – Medal Index Card

As well as the memorial in the Cemetery there is also a memorial in the church itself.

20181006-DSC_4369-1 by karendore

Available under a Creative Commons by-nc license

20181006-DSC_4369-1

Shot At Dawn: 309 British and Commonwealth soldiers who were shot for desertion or cowardice during World War I. Most were sentenced after a short trial at which no real opportunity for defence was allowed. Today it's recognised that many of them were underage and suffering from shell-shock. Andy Decomyn's statue is modelled on Private Herbert Burden, of the 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, who was shot at Ypres in 1915 aged 17. In 2006 a posthumous pardon was granted.

Swanton Morley War Memorial - War Memorial by Moominpappa06

© Moominpappa06, all rights reserved.

Swanton Morley War Memorial - War Memorial

Pte Herbert Walter Beevise
Pte Herbert Walter Bone
Pte Alfred Bush
Pte George Richard Harrold
Pte George Wilfred Jarrett
Pte Harry George Lincoln
Pte Basil Reeve
Sergt Frederick George Rix
LCpl James Herbert Rix
Pte Horace Albert Rump
Pte Ernest Trollop
Pte Sydney George Tye
Pte William Dawson

See also the Breckland Roll of Honour site
www.breckland-rollofhonour.org.uk/s_morley.html
(Norlink - Norfolk County Archive Picture Library
CWGC - Commonwealth War Graves Commission
SDGW - Soldiers Who Died in the Great War database)

For more on each name – see comments below

In Honour of the men of Sloley who served in the Great War 1914 - 1919 by Moominpappa06

© Moominpappa06, all rights reserved.

In Honour of the men of Sloley who served in the Great War 1914 - 1919

C D R O Bankes
A W Bean
J S Bircham
A Clare
A J Cutting
H E Cutting
H G Cutting
T T Daines
F W Dunton
S A Dunton
E G Dunton
E V D Dyke
S Dyke
B Golder
J C Golder
E Golder
J A Golder
H S Golder
H W Goodson
H G Jeckells
J R Jeckells

P S Bean
L A Bullimore
W S Bullimore
H J L Colman
E S Eke
W S Golder
H R Jeckells
A B Kirk
L J N Neville
C R Prior
F W Thompson

T W Jeckells
T King
J W Neale
J E H Neville
F T Nockolds
H Nockolds
H A Nockolds
B Peeke-Vout
S Peeke-Vout
C S Pestell
G A Prior
C E Sandell
A A Savage
H W Savage
H J Savage
R H Savage
C B S Spackman
W Spanton
W R Suffling
R Tuddenham
T G Youells

see comments for more information

Sloley War Memorial Panel Bean, Bullimore, Bullimore and Colman by Moominpappa06

© Moominpappa06, all rights reserved.

Sloley War Memorial Panel Bean, Bullimore, Bullimore and Colman

P S Bean………………………………...............................................

BEAN, PERCY SIDNEY
Rank: Private
Service No: CH/19392
Date of Death: 03/09/1918
Age: 22
Regiment: Royal Marine Light Infantry, 1st R.M. Bn. R.N. Div.
Grave Reference: B. 17.
Cemetery : TRIANGLE CEMETERY, INCHY-EN-ARTOIS
Additional Information:
Son of Mr. A. S. Bean, of Sloley, Norwich.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/259662/BEAN,%20PERCY%...

SDGW - No match

Norlink - No match

The most likely match on the 1911 census is a 14 year old Percy, born North Frodingham, Yorkshire, who was recorded in the village on the night of the census. I do not have a subscription that gives me too much detail. It does however look likely that he has a brother, Arthur 11, born Watton Carr, Yorkshire and that his parents are Arthur, (born Neatishead, Norfolk, circa 1873) and Mary Jane, (born Dilham, circa 1867)

Going back to the 1901 census, the family are recorded at Stanningholme, Watton Carr, Yorkshire. Father Arthur S was aged 28 and an Ordinary Agricultural Labourer. Mother was a Louisa, aged 27 and from North Frodingham. Children are Percy S, (aged 4, born North Frodingham) , Annie M, (aged 2) and Arthur W , (aged 1 and born Watton Carr). That raises the question - did Louisa die and did Arthur senior remarry to provide a mother to his children.

Well a possible answer to that is the marriage of an Arthur Samuel Bean to a Mary Jane Dyball was recorded in the Smallburgh district of Norfolk in the April to June 1908 quarter. And it may be a coincidence, but the death of a Louisa Bean, aged 28, was recorded in the Driffield district of Yorkshire in the April to June 1902 quarter.

The Naval Net site has Percy as one of 11 men from the Battalion who died this day, (although two are recorded as Died of Wounds). The Drake, Hawke and Hood Battalions all suffered similar levels of casualties, so it looks like the Division was in action on this day.
www.naval-history.net/xDKCas1918-09Sep.htm

The Division was in action over the period 2nd/3rd September 1918 in the action to break the Drocourt-Queant Line.

The Drocourt-Quéant Line (Wotan Stellung) was a set of mutually supporting defensive lines constructed by Germany between the French towns of Drocourt and Quéant during World War I. This defensive system was part of the northernmost section of the Hindenburg Line, a vast German defensive system that ran through northeastern France.

The D-Q line was overwhelmed in attacks by the Canadian Corps on the 2 and 3 September 1918, during the Hundred Days Offensive
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drocourt-Qu%C3%A9ant_Line

Sir Douglas Haig’s dispatch on the battle.

“Monday’s operations, south of the Scarpe, were completely successful. The enemy was heavily defeated in his prepared defences on the Drouourt-Queant system, with the result that he is retiring, this morning, practically along the whole battlefront. In Monday’s battles, beside inflicting heavy casualties, we captured about 10,000 men. Our troops now advancing are reported to have entered Pronville, Doignies and Bertincourt.

The Canadians showed the greatest skill and courage in storming the Drocourt-Queant lines, which had been perfected during the last 18 months, and provided a most formidable obstacle, being furnished with every device of modern engineering defences. The enemy here had been reinforced to such a degree that on a front of 8000 yards 11 Germans divisions were identified. Undeterred by the strength of the enemy’s defensive organisation, the Canadians, assisted by English troops on the left, carried all before them. Southwards of the Canadian corps, English, Scottish and naval troops of the 17th Corps, under Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Ferguson, performed a no less gallant and arduous task in storming the junction of Drocourt and Queant and the Hindenburg systems. These were of the most formidable character, but the troops swept over and around them, encircling Queant from the north. As a result, this important pivot fell into our hands by nightfall. The tank corps again assisted materially in the success of the operations.

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=AG...

*********************************
L A Bullimore…….......................................................

BULLIMORE, LESLIE ARTHUR
Rank: Private
Service No: 52843
Date of Death: 28/09/1918
Age: 19
Regiment: Northumberland Fusiliers, 1st Bn.
Grave Reference : V. B. 30.
Cemetery : TERLINCTHUN BRITISH CEMETERY, WIMILLE
Additional Information:
Son of George and the late Sarah Bullimore, of Sloley, nr. Norwich.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/4024675/BULLIMORE,%20...

SDGW has Leslie Arthur down as born “South Ripps” Norfolk but with no place of residence recorded.
He is listed as 52843, Northumberland Fusiliers.

According to his Medal Index Card listing at the National Archive, he had previously been Private 42133 Machine Gun Corps.

Norlink - No match

The 1 year old Leslie A. born Stratton Strawless, Norfolk, was recorded on the 1901 census at 3 Woodhouse, Scottow., Norfolk. This was the household of his parents, George, (aged 33 and a Teamster on farm from North Walsham) and Sarah, (aged 34 and from Swanton Abbott, Norfolk). Their other children living with them are:-
Ellen M……………..aged 4.………..born Frettenham
Ernest G…………….aged 6.……….born Frettenham

However, an on-line family tree shows the William Sidney below as living with George and Sarah on the 1911 census, aged 15 and born Frettenham.
freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vivianegan/tre...

The baptism of Ernest George, (no date of birth recorded), took place at All Saints, Frettenham in 1894, (exact date not recorded), that of William Sidney in 1895 and that of Ellen Mary in 1896. All list parents as George and Sarah.

By the time of the 1911 census George & Sarah and their children, Ernest George, William Sydney , Ellen Mary, Leslie Arthur and a 9 year old Cecil Edward, (born Scottow), are all recorded at a dwelling in Sloley.

Terlincthun British Cemetery

Historical Information
The first rest camps for Commonwealth forces were established near Terlincthun in August 1914 and during the whole of the First World War, Boulogne and Wimereux housed numerous hospitals and other medical establishments.

The cemetery at Terlincthun was begun in June 1918 when the space available for service burials in the civil cemeteries of Boulogne and Wimereux was exhausted. It was used chiefly for burials from the base hospitals, but Plot IV Row C contains the graves of 46 RAF personnel killed at Marquise in September 1918 in a bombing raid by German aircraft.

In July 1920, the cemetery contained more than 3,300 burials, but for many years Terlincthun remained an 'open' cemetery and graves continued to be brought into it from isolated sites and other burials grounds throughout France where maintenance could not be assured.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2027534/TERLINCTHUN...

W S Bullimore………………………………....................................

BULLIMORE, WILLIAM SIDNEY
Rank: Private
Service No: 15759
Date of Death: 27/03/1918
Regiment: Norfolk Regiment, 7th Bn.
Panel Reference : Panel 23.
Memorial : POZIERES MEMORIAL
CWGC www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1578129/BULLIMORE,%20...

SGW has William Sidney recorded as born Frettenham, Norfolk, but with no place of residence recorded. He was 15759 Norfolk regiment.

The medal index card listing at the National Archive however shows him as serving with the 2nd Battalion Norfolk Regiment.

Norlink - No match

See brother Leslie above for census and baptism details, as well as a link to an on-line family tree.

On the day

Battalion War Diary 27th March 1918.

NB there is a note at the end of the March entries.
The original diary was destroyed by shell fire while being carried back from Brigade HQ to a place of safety on 27th March. The diary had therefore to be written up from such information and documents as were available.

(The diary was written in thick pencil, rather than typed, so difficult to make out some of the words - apologies if I’ve mis-transcribed).

At 4am Battn. HQ moved back to the bank on the crest behind the Northants. From then onwards, this position was heavily shelled and was also swept by machine gun fire. During the morning the right flank retired, but the enemy did not press his attack, and the machine gun fire slackened somewhat. Lt.Col. Rees took out about 40 men and re-established this line. Much trouble was experienced at this time by M.G fire from hostile aeroplanes. Our right flank was now in the air and no information could be obtained as to the position of the Suffolk Regt. A Lewis Gun was posted on the road about 100x to our right. A party was sent out to hold the road between this section and our line bit could not maintain its position owing to artillery fire. Later, Captain Weaver (?) and RSM Golden (?) went out about 400x to their right flank and established a post there.

At about 11am, the enemy were seen advancing in large numbers into AVELUY. It appeared therefore that both our flanks were in the air. Lt.Colonel Rees therefore gave the command for the battalion and the Northants and the Essex Regt companies to withdraw in waves to the crest in rear with our left on the Bourgincourt - Aveluy Road. The withdrawal was carried out with great difficulty through a heavy artillery and machine gun barrage. It was found most difficult to form a new line on the crest but a strong point was established in the forked sunken road just south of the Aveluy - Bourgincourt Road. Here there were Lt.Col.Rees, Captain Lapply(?), Sec.Lieut. Brumbley, two M G officers with their machine guns and about 150 men. Later a few re-enforcements under Captain Weaver(?), Lieut. Hesilton(?), 2nd :Lts Lark and Philips(?) and Capt. Soames RAMC arrived and Captain, The Rev. Richards also kept in touch with the post. The position became precarious during the afternoon as the enemy established machine guns enfilading the road and were also working round our left flank. Captain Lapply(?) therefore went back to Bde HQ for instructions. Brigade said that the post was to be held if possible and sent up three Vickers Guns to assist. These never arrived, however. At dusk, the enemy had almost entirely surrounded the post and eventually rushed it. Lt.Col Rees was by this time wounded and was taken prisoner together with Capt Soames who had remained with him. Most of the garrison were however able to withdraw. Captain Lapply(?) had by this time reached the line held by the Northants in the rear of the post and hearing that it was hard pressed had taken up two platoons to reinforce. He met the garrison and put them in position on the right flank of the Northants which was then in the air.

Henencourt 28th (March) Early in the morning the Brigade was relieved by 190 Bde and returned to HENECOURT. At Bourgincourt, the remains of the battalion were met by Major West, Suffolk Regt. who had been detailed to command the battalion, with about 200 men he had collected. Henencourt was reached about 6pm and good billets were taken over.
The following casualties have been incurred.
Killed

Captain Nash MC (Charles Frederick Wybrow Nash, from Watton. Died 27/3)
www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1585926
Sec.Lieut. Scolding (George Henry Scolding, from Ashford, Middx. Died 26/3)
www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1587970
Sec.Lieut Wallis (?) - no trace on CWGC
Sec. Lieut Hewitt (Thomas, aged 25 from Stoke on Trent. Died 27/3)
www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1582541
Sec. Lieut. Brumbley MC (Walter James Joshua, from Gt Yarmouth, aged 20, died 27/3)
www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1578040
6 OR.

Missing and Wounded
Lt.Col.E T Rees MC and 2 OR’s

Wounded.
Lt. Heselton(?)
Sec.Lieut. Blake (There is a 2nd Lieut. William Lovewell Blake, aged 23 and from Gt Yarmouth, who is recorded as dieing on the 27/3 and is buried in DOULLENS COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION No.1
However his unit is recorded as the 4th Battalion, Norfolk Regiment.
www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=82513
Sec.Lieut. Philips
Sec.Lieut Havers
Sec.Lieut Hart
And 72 OR’s

Missing
Sec.Lieut Haylock
Sec.Lieut.Barker (?)
Sec.Lieut Senior, (Robert Mackenzie, died 27/3, from Salford, 4th Battn attached 7th Battn.)
www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1588050
Sec.Lieut Ingram (Edgar Charles, died 27/3, Royal Warwicks attached 7th Battn Norfolk, aged 22 and from Sparkhill, Birmingham)
www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1583211
Sec.Lieut Hopton
Sec.Lieut Clarke
Sec.Lieut Hill
Capt.Soames RAMC
And 202 other ranks

Shell Shock
Sec.Lieut D T Hedges
The rest of the day was spent on resting and kit inspection.


H J L Colman………………………………..................................

COLMAN, H J L
Rank: Private
Service No: 19202
Date of Death: 08/09/1916
Regiment: Norfolk Regiment, 2nd Bn.
Grave Reference : III. B. 8.
Cemetery : AMARA WAR CEMETERY
CWGC www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/627890/COLMAN,%20H%20...

AMARA WAR CEMETERY - Iraq

Location Information
Amara is a town on the left bank of the Tigris some 520 kilometres from the sea. The War Cemetery is a little east of the town between the left bank of the river and the Chahaila Canal.

Historical Information
Amara was occupied by the Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force on 3 June 1915 and it immediately became a hospital centre. The accommodation for medical units on both banks of the Tigris was greatly increased during 1916 and in April 1917, seven general hospitals and some smaller units were stationed there.

Amara War Cemetery contains 4,621 burials of the First World War, more than 3,000 of which were brought into the cemetery after the Armistice. 925 of the graves are unidentified.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/69100/AMARA%20WAR%2...

SDGW has a Herbert John Lake Colman born Tunstead, Norfolk and with no place of residence recorded. He is listed as 19202 Norfolk Regiment.

Norlink - no match
The baptism of a Herbert John Lake Colman, born 22nd February 1894, took place at St Mary, Tunstead on the 4th May 1894. Only his mother, Harriet Colman, is listed as a parent. Mother and child lived in Tunstead.

On the 1901 census the 7 year old Herbert J. born Tunstead, was recorded at Brick Ground, Dilham. This was the household of his step-father, Thomas Hannant, (aged 33 and an Ordinary Agricultural Labourer from Dilham) and mother Harriet Hannant, (aged 23 and from Ingham. Thomas and Harriet have a son of their own, Arthur A, (aged 2 and from Dilham).

St Barnabas Roll of Honour 1914 and 1919 by Moominpappa06

© Moominpappa06, all rights reserved.

St Barnabas Roll of Honour 1914 and 1919

1914
CSM Watering W E………………………………………..2 R Scots
L Corp Dunn T……………………………………………..2 Dragoons
Pte Betts F………………………………………………….2 Norf R
Pte Farrow A……………………………………………….1 Norf R
Pte Firman J………………………………………………..1 Norf R
Pte Leeder C………………………………………………..1 Norf R
Pte Page F A………………………………………………..1 Norf R
Pte Perfect A…………………………………………………2 W Rid R
Pte Vines H…………………………………………………5 R Fus
Pte Whitaker C.S……………………………………………R.M.L.I

THE EAST WINDOW IN THIS CHURCH IS DEDICATED TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN PROUD AND GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THE MEN CONNECTED WITH THIS CHURCH AND PARISH WHOSE NAMES ARE HERE INSCRIBED WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE CAUSE OF THEIR COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR, 1914 – 1919.

1919

L-Corp Dennis, J W………………………………………………RASC
Pte Kirkham, A G…………………………………………………10 R W Surr R
Pte Till W………………………………………………………….1 / 4 Norf R
Pte Wiseman G A………………………………………………..3 (???) Bedf R.

Worstead St Mary - Great War Roll of Honour by Moominpappa06

© Moominpappa06, all rights reserved.

Worstead St Mary - Great War Roll of Honour

*****WORSTEAD************************

With acknowledgment to the Roll of Honour Website: www.roll-of-honour.com/Norfolk/Worstead.html
(Referred to as RoH below)

Albert George BRAKENBURY………………………………...(RoH)
(George Albert on CWGC & CD). Private 240279. 1st/5th Battalion Norfolk Regiment. Killed in action in Palestine on 19th April 1917. Born Worstead. Enlisted East Dereham. Buried: Gaza War Cemetery, Israel. Ref. XXX. G. 8.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=649536
No match on Norlink

The 7 year old Albert, born Dilham, is recorded on the 1901 census at Spa Common, North Walsham. This is the household of his parents, Frank, (aged 32 and a Waterman\Wherryman from North Walsham) and Charlotte, (aged 33 and from Worstead).

19th April 1917 During the 2nd Battle of Gaza,

Facing the Tank Redoubt was the 161st Brigade of the 54th Division. To their right were the two Australian battalions (1st and 3rd) of the Imperial Camel Corps Brigade who had dismounted about 4,000 yards from their objective. As the infantry went in to attack at 7.30am they were joined by a single tank called "The Nutty" which attracted a lot of shell fire. The tank followed a wayward path towards the redoubt on the summit of a knoll where it was fired on point blank by four field guns until it was stopped and set alight in the middle of the position.

The infantry and the 1st Camel Battalion, having suffered heavy casualties on their approach, now made a bayonet charge against the trenches. About 30 "Camels" and 20 of the British infantry (soldiers of the 5th (territorial Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment) reached the redoubt, then occupied by around 600 Turks who immediately broke and fled towards their second line of defences to the rear.

The British and Australians held on unsupported for about two hours by which time most had been wounded. With no reinforcements at hand and a Turkish counter-attack imminent, the survivors endeavoured to escape back to their own lines.

To the right (west) of Tank Redoubt, the 3rd Camel Battalion, advancing in the gap between two redoubts, actually made the furthest advance of the battle, crossing the Gaza-Beersheba Road and occupying a pair of low hills (dubbed "Jack" and "Jill"). As the advances on their flanks faltered, the "Camels" were forced to retreat to avoid being isolated.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Gaza

More than a thousand one hundred of the men of the 54th posted killed wounded or missing were from the two Norfolk regiment battalions, equating to 75% of their strength. Eastern Daily Press "Sunday" section May 5, 2007
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Gaza


After Gallipoli the battalion was to take part in the campaigns in the Middle East against the Turks and by 28 Feb 1917 allied cavalry had entered Khan Yunis, a town midway between the Egyptian border and Deir el Belah. This caused the Turks to withdraw to Beersheba and Gaza and enabled the allies to push up a railway as far as Deir el Belah which could feed the allies with much needed supplies for the next push. Field hospitals were also set up here to tend wounded and sick soldiers and an airbase established.

On 19th April the Norfolks took part in a disastrous attempt to take Gaza. In this action casualties for the (1st/4th) battalion were 478 (55 killed, 323 wounded and 100 missing).

The battalion’s sister unit, 1/5th Norfolks, also took part in the assault and they fared even worse, suffering 643 casualties.
www.oldbuckenham-pri.norfolk.procms.co.uk/pages/viewpage....

Following the failure of the first two attacks by mounted forces to flank the city, it became obvious to the Turks and their German advisers that the next attack would be likely to be an infantry one, centred on taking Gaza itself.

Although inferior in numbers, the German aircraft available were technically superior to the Allied craft, and were able to carry our reconnaissance almost at will, and carry out harassing raids on the Allied build up.

To protect the city, the Turkish forces were set to digging, and more guns were brought up. Except to the north, the city was soon surrounded by a series of redoubts, intended to ensure that the Beersheba road remained open.

And so the race was on - to build up military superiority, (in terms of numbers the Allies utnumbered the Turks 2:1, but weren’t aware of it), would give the Turks time to make their defences almost impregnable. And in the eyes of the Allied Commanders in the field, Murray, Dobell and Robertson, the earlier assaults had come within a whisker of success. So in their eyes there was no time to extend the water pipeline, or build up supplies.

(Page 43)The plan also grew in size, as the Turkish construction out-paced the Allies ability to bring troops to the front. The initial plans, a two division attack, a mounted break-through along the shore-line, had to be abandoned. The generals settled on a three division attack, with the 54th (East Anglian) being allotted the eastern sector, furthest from the coast, most beset with supply troubles, and
tasked with taking the first part of the Beersheba Road line.

Further to their east was the Camel Corps and the rest of the cavalry, serving as a flank guard, but ready to sweep through any opening .

The first stage of the attack came on the 17th April. The three infantry divisions moved forward at dawn, and by 7.30 am were at their chosen positions, where they entrenched. The Turks did little to interfere, though one of the British tanks exposed itself unnecessarily and was put out of action by accurate Turkish artillery fire. Clearly one of the tasks which had been successfully accomplished by the Turkish side in the three weeks since the first battle had been accurate artillery registry of all the visible places in the area where necessarily an attack would come.

(Page 45)The second stage of the attack, after a days work on trenches and dug-outs, went as might be expected, considering it was made by soldiers walking over open ground towards well entrenched and protected men armed with rifles and machine guns. An artillery bombardment of an hour or so, including the gas shells, and including fire from the ships at sea off Gaza, seems to have woken up the Turks rather than intimidated them - there was still insufficient British artillery to provide a really serious bombardment. The Turks did not actually notice the gas shells: higher air temperature seems to have encouraged rapid evaporation.

The 54th Division set-off behind this bombardment to attack the entrenchments of the Turkish 53rd Division along the Beersheba Road.
(Page 49) From Brigade HQ, Lieutenant Buxton was sent forward to find out what was happening.

(Page 50) (He subsequently reported on the attack on the redoubt) “held it for some time until the ammunition was spent. No support came and so those that did not get away, sixty in all, were captured in the Turkish counter-attack. My second tank, under Captain Carr, had done well in getting into the redoubt. The first tank had had a direct hit and was burning. It was obvious that our attack here had failed and most of our men had been killed. So I waited a bit longer, and when things were a shade quieter, I got out of my shell hole and ran back over the rise. There I came upon about 40 men of our brigade of all regiments, Major Marsh who was O C 8th Hants was there and Lieutenant Wharton of the 4th Norfolks. These men where just stragglers and all collected there. We decided it was no good going on then, so we started to dig ourselves in. This was all quite early in the morning - about 9. Marsh had a telephone line so I phoned back to Brigade HQ and gave them all the news.
(Page 51). There were a lot of dead men and wounded all round us. Some of the latter we got behind our lines, in case the Turks tried a counter -attack, We were about forty men and one Lewis Gun, and no-one on our left or right for several hundred yards. The place we were holding was the top of a rounded hillock. The Turks kept us under pretty good machine gun fire all day. Marsh and I lay in a rifle pit and ate dates and biscuits for a bit. We allowed no firing, as we wished to keep our ammunition in case of a counter attack.

About 4 in the afternoon the 5th Suffolks were sent up to support us and consolidate the position we held. This was really a great relief. About seven the Brigadier came out after dusk and saw the place. He ordered us to retire during the night right back to our starting point, for it would not have been possible to hold this advanced position as long as there was no-one on our flanks at all”

The strongpoint from now on was called Tank Redoubt.

This was an attack on a single strongpoint and a strectch of trenches little over a mile long, by four battalions. It had made no progress after being expelled from the strongpoint, and had only reached so far because of the bravery of the tank crew, (three men). The last reserve of the 163rd Brigade, the 5th Suffolks, which was at last sent forward, as Buxton noted with relief, late in the afternoon. With no more troops available, the brigadier had no option but to pull all the survivors back.
Extracts from “The Battle for Palestine 1917” by John D. Grainger
books.google.co.uk/books?id=3SVvryoR2A0C&pg=PA50&...

Ernest Alfred BRAKENBURY………………………………..........(RoH)
Private 28976. 8th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment. Died of wounds in France & Flanders on 13th January 1917. Aged 35. Born North Walsham. Lived Worstead. Enlisted Norwich. Son of Alfred and Annie Brakenbury, of Briggate, Worstead, Norwich. Buried: Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France. Ref. VIII. C. 178.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=48820
No match on Norlink

The 20 year old Ernest, born Briggate, Worstead, is recorded as a boarder at Briggate House, Briggate, Worstead, He is employed as a Cowman on Farm. On the 1891 census the 9 year old Ernest is recorded at “Bridgegate” Worstead, His birthplace this time is shown as North Walsham. This is the household of his parents, Alfred, (aged 34 and a Miller from Worstead), and Annie, (aged 32 and from Crostwright). Their other children are:-
Violet………………….aged 11.…………born North Walsham
Arthur…………………aged 7.…………..born North Walsham
Willie…………………aged 6.…………..born North Walsham
Edwin…………………aged 3.…………..born North Walsham

www.twgpp.org/information.php?id=2544761

Looking at the 8th Battalion diary, they hadn’t suffered any casualties since the 19th December - however Boulogne was one of the main hospital area’s where front-line casualties would have been fed back to, so possibly connected.

18 Dec 1916 front line trenches near Givenchy-les-la-Bassee Relieved 1/The Buffs in left subsector GIVENCHY. Enemy trench mortars active from 12.30 pm to 1.30 pm. Damage done to our trenches and saps considerable but no casualties. Night quiet. Enemy heard busy pumping and transport heard at 12.25 am and again at 2.30 a.m.
19 Dec 1916 In trenches as above. Enemy non-aggressive except for short trench mortar bombardment & rifle grenades. Casualties 1 OR killed, 2 OR wounded.
www.bedfordregiment.org.uk/

Herbert CARY……………………………….............................(RoH)
Private 41030. 2nd Battalion Essex Regiment. Formerly 20908 Norfolk Regiment. Died at home on 3rd January 1917. Aged 34. Born Reymerstone, Norfolk. Lived Lyngate, Norfolk. Son of Louis and Rebecca Cary; husband of Florence Louisa Cary, of "Lyngate, Worstead. Buried: Worstead (St. Mary) Churchyard. North of West end of church.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2803440
No match on Norlink

The Genes Reunited transcript of the 1911 Census for England and Wales has a Herbert Cary, born circa 1882 Reymerstone Norfolk and now recorded in the Smallburgh, Norfolk district.. However, this individual does not appear to be on the 1901 census.

Herbert was baptized in the church of St Peter, Reymerston on the 7th May 1882 – no birth date is given. His father is listed as Louis, whose occupation is given as farmer, and his mother is Rebecca.
The same parents had a son, Louis baptized on the 7th September 1884, as well as Charles, (baptized 1st February 1887), Bernard, (baptized 19th October 1890)and Percy, (baptized 14th April 1895)

The 2nd Essex had been in France since August 1914, although by this stage there would have been very few, if any, of the pre-war professional soldiers still in its ranks.

www.flickr.com/photos/43688219@N00/5405512339/

Herbert John COOPER………………………………...................(RoH)
Private 17050. "A Company, 8th Battalion Norfolk Regiment . Died of wounds in France & Flanders on 28th July 1916. Aged 23. Born Briggate. Enlisted Norwich. Son of Sarah and the late John Cooper, of Briggate, Worstead, Norfolk. Buried: La Neuville British Cemetery, Corbie, Somme, France. Ref. I. E. 17.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=66672
No match on Norlink

Herbert is just listed as John Cooper on the 1901 census. He is aged 7, born Worstead, and living at Briggate, Worstead. This is the household of his parents, , although its his mother Sarah, (aged 38 and from Worstead) who is listed as the head of the household. Her other children are:-
Anna……………aged 10.……………born Worstead
Cyril…………..aged 3 months……….born Worstead
George………….aged 12.…………..born Worstead…Ordinary Agricultural Labourer
Gladys………….aged 3.……………born Worstead
Robert………….aged 15.…………..born Worstead….Ordinary Agricultural Labourer

There is a Herbert John, born circa 1894 Worstead on the Genes Reunited transcription of the 1911 census, who is still recorded in the Smallburgh District which covers the village.

Sarah and the older children don’t appear to be on the 1891 census at all.

The 8th Battalion had been involved both on the first day of the Somme, (1st July), but also in an action at Delville Wood, 19th to 23rd July. In both actions the unit suffered a large number of casualties - the Battalion War diary records that the action at Delville Wood on the 19th / 20th alone cost the Battalion:-
3 Officers killed and 8 wounded
76 O.R’s killed, 2 Died of Wounds, 174 wounded, 36 missing.

Armine DAVISON M.M………………………………..................(RoH)
Corporal 12345. 11th Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment). Killed in action in France & Flanders on 15th June 1918. Born and lived Worstead. Enlisted Nottingham. Awarded the Military Medal. (MM not mentioned on CD). Buried: Granezza British Cemetery, Italy. Ref. Plot 1. Row B. Grave 4.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=638768
No match on Norlink

The 7 year old Armine, born Worstead, is recorded on the 1901 census at Church Plain, Worstead. This is the household of his parents, Austin, (aged 32 and a General Storekeeper from Westwick), and Florence, (aged 27 from Worstead), The household is made up by May Watts, who is probably Florence’s sister. Her relationship to Austin as the head of the household is described as Sister in Law. May is 17, from Worstead and single, and works as a School Teacher.

One of the most memorable literary traditions of the Great War involves the post-war pilgrimage of V.A.D. Nurse and author Vera Brittain to the grave of her brother Edward on the Asiago Plateau, described in Testament of Youth.

He had been killed in the very battle the Francis Mackay so clearly describes in the excellent new addition to the Battleground Europe series, Asiago.

This excerpt includes selections on both the assault which led to Edward's death and information on his subsequent internment. This took place around what is know alternatively as the Battle of Asiago or Operation Radeztky, part of an even larger action known as the Battle of the Piave. We pick up Francis Mackay's description the evening of the battle.

The night of 14/15 June 1918 on the Asiago plateau was damp, with a thick mist forming in hollows and valleys. At 3 am precisely Allied observers in mountain-top OPs saw hundreds of signal flares burst into life above the enemy trenches. This was immediately followed by twinkling pin-points of light on the slopes behind as masses of light and medium guns, many dragged forward from the northern valleys during the night, opened fire. Behind the northern ridges sudden flashes revealed the presence of heavier artillery pieces: Operation Radetzky had begun.

The [preliminary] Austrian barrage fell mainly on the Allied front line, but signals centres, ammunition dumps and road junctions received attention. The Granezza and Carriola bases were hit, and some shells even whistled over the escarpment to upset staff in the foothill supply dumps. The bombardment lasted for over four hours, and was followed by a massive infantry attack, launched from assembly areas just forward of the Austrian wire. The initial objectives, in the French and British sectors, were Granezza and Carriola, and the edge of the escarpment

The 23rd Division (Major-General Sir James Babington), cover[ed] a front of about 5,500 metres, had 68 and 70 Brigades in the front line and 69 Brigade in reserve. The situation facing the division was complicated. It was holding the line in preparation for the Allied offensive. . . Yet at the same time the division had to prepare for a heavy enemy bombardment, if not an attack. In view of this, and in accordance with current defense doctrine, the front line was only lightly manned. Unfortunately all battalions were seriously under-strength, so the front line was very lightly manned indeed. Apart from the ravages of 'flu', many officers, NCOs and men were absent on leave or attending courses. . .

During the battle the division [would be] attacked by elements of three k.u.k. divisions…The front line was manned by five British battalions. It was briefly breached in two places, but the k.u.k. attackers were quickly evicted and suffered horrendous losses. . . The right front battalion [Edward Brittain's unit], holding the San Sisto Ridge, was 11/Sherwood Foresters, 'The Men from the Greenwood', (Lieutenant-Colonel CE Hudson, DSO MC), with a frontage of about 1,000 metres.

. . . The Battalion [had] occupied the San Sisto feature on 11 June, after a period in reserve. It was under-strength: only 19 out of 34 officers were in the line, while the two forward companies, A and D, each had less than a hundred all ranks to man around 900 metres of trench, and provide a platoon for night picquet and outpost duty. D Company was commanded by Captain EA Frith and A Company by Captain EH Brittain MC. . .

[The infantry assault began at 6:45 am on June 15th and several breeches were made in the British line.] A Company had suffered severe casualties from artillery fire and was trying to hold nearly eight hundred metres of the line with (probably) only fifty rifles; an impossible task even when they were reinforced by the picquet platoon. Brittain, by now apparently the only unwounded officer in the company, appeared on the scene, returning from consulting with the French. Rapidly organizing a counter-attack group, which included some French soldiers, he led an attack which forced the enemy back. Some jumped out of the trench and ran back towards others coming through the wire. These enemy troops went to ground and opened fire on the Foresters, as did machine-gunners and riflemen on both sides of the wire. Brittain re-organized the defense of the trench, forming a flank with what troops were available. He apparently paused to observe the enemy, and was killed, possibly sniped by an Austrian officer. . . On the Allied right the Italian line [had been] breached, and the enemy penetrated about two kilometres towards the escarpment. They were held, but it took five days of bitter fighting to restore the line. In the centre the French beat off a mass attack with only minor casualties. The British were also attacked and the front line breached in several places, but after some hard fighting it was restored. Radetzky failed, and, after some bitter fighting, so did Albrecht. Conrad and Boroevic lost their last battles and the k.u.k. lost its will to win.

[Among the British dead was] Captain Edward Harold Brittain [who] was the adored elder brother of Vera Brittain. When war broke out the Brittain family had been living in Buxton and Edward sought a commission in the county regiment. He joined the 1 1/Sherwood Foresters in France, was wounded on the first day of the Somme, and awarded the MC. In 1914 Vera had been an undergraduate at Oxford but became a VAD Nurse after her fiancé, Roland Leighton, was mortally wounded with the 1/7 Worcesters at Hébuterne in December 1915. After the war she wrote Testament of Youth, married and was the mother of former Labour Cabinet Minister Baroness Shirley Williams.
www.worldwar1.com/itafront/vbp.htm

Frederick DELF………………………………............................(RoH)
Serjeant 23/88. 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers. Died of wounds in France & Flanders on 9th June 1918. Aged 23. Born North Walden, Northamptonshire. Enlisted Newcastle. Son of Daniel and Sophia Delf, of Worstead, Norwich. Buried: Pernes British Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France. Ref. II. F. 48.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=118763
No match on Norlink

Neither Frederick, Daniel or Sophia appear to be on either the 1901 or 1911 censuses.

Pernes-en-Artois is a small town on the main road from Lillers to St. Pol. The British Cemetery is nearly one kilometre west of the town on the road to Sains-les-Pernes.

The cemetery was not begun until April 1918 when the 1st and 4th Canadian Casualty Clearing Stations came to Pernes, driven back by the German advance. In May, the 6th and 22nd Clearing Stations arrived and in August, they were joined by the 13th. Almost all the burials were made by these units, but a few of the graves were brought into the cemetery after the Armistice (Graves 2 to 13 in Plot VI, Row C, were brought from the small British Cemeteries of Anvin and Wavrans).
www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_details.aspx?cemetery=11600&...

George Thurston GRIMES………………………………..................(RoH)
Private 28877. 7th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment. Died of wounds in France & Flanders on 25th October 1917. Aged 32. Born and lived Worstead. Enlisted Norwich. Son of William and Anna Grimes, of Fern Cottage, Worstead, Norwich. Buried: Dozinghem Military Cemetery, Poperinge, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Ref. X. D. 9.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=620816
No match on Norlink

The 16 year old George, born Worstead and already employed as a Cabinet Makers Apprentice, is recorded on the 1901 census living at Horning Row, Worstead, along with his brother Victor, (see below). This is the household of his parents, William, (aged 50 and a Teamster on Farm from Worstead), and Anna, (aged 47 and from Ingham). Their other son, Victor, aged 13 and born Worstead, is employed as a Domestic Gardener.

www.twgpp.org/information.php?id=1978974

From the battalion War Diary.

24-10-17 9 a.m. The Battalion embussed for Canal Bank, from whence it marched to Cane Trench. Dinners were served at Cane Trench and rations, water etc. served out to the men for a 48 hours tour in the trenches. In the evening the Battalion relieved the Royal Fusiliers in the line. The relief was completed in the early morning.
In the line 25-10-17 The Battalion held the line successfully. There was a great deal of shelling and incidentally our own guns fired very short.
www.bedfordregiment.org.uk/7thbn/7thbtn1917diary.html
(From the same source it should be noted the Battalion suffered a Gas attack on the 19th. However, it would be unlikely that Private Grimes would still have been so relatively close to the frontline 6 days later).

Victor Thurston GRIMES……………………………….................(RoH)
Private 18/754. 2nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry. Killed in action in France & Flanders on 28th June 1917. Aged 30. Born and lived Worstead. Enlisted West Hartlepool. Son of William and Anna Grimes, of Fern Cottage, Worstead, Norwich. Commemorated: Loos Memorial, Pas de Calais, France. Panel 106 and 107.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1764318
No match on Norlink

See brother George above for family details.

27th/28th June 1917:Very gallant raid by 2nd D.L.I. (2 officers and 84 other ranks under Capt. Fawcett) and 11th Essex (3 officers and 67 other ranks under Capt. Silver) in connection with operations of 46th Division -- though anticipated the raiders got into the enemy's trenches and remained there one hour, repelling all counter-attacks -- one prisoner taken.
www.gutenberg.org/files/20115/20115-h/20115-h.htm

Frederick Cecil LEACH……………………………….....................(RoH)
Private 5482. 16th (The Queen's) Lancers. Killed in action in France & Flanders on 12th September 1914. Born Smallburgh, Norfolk. Lived and enlisted North Walsham. Buried: Buzancy Military Cemetery Aisne, France. Ref. III. A. 2.

(NB - the only individual on the CWGC database matching the details above is an F Leach) www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=274890
No match on Norlink

The Great War Roll of Honour confirms this is a Frederick C Leach.

The 14 year old Frederick, born Smallburgh, is recorded at the Kings Head Inn, Worstead, on the 1901 Census. This is the household of his father, Henry, (aged 49 and a Farmer & Innkeeper from Hardley), and what is probably his step-mother, Sarah, (aged 28 and born Ashill). The other Leach children are:-
Basil Charles……………aged 1.………born Worstead
Ethel Joyce………………aged u/1.…….born Worstead
Henry Cyril……………..aged 2.………born Worstead

On the 1891 census, father Henry, then aged 40, is listed as the Licensced Victualler at the Kings Head Inn, Worstead. His wife is Emma,, (aged 48 and from Hapton). As well as “Fred” aged 4, there is a Sidney, (aged 3, born Smallburgh) and a Lucy, (aged 1 and born Worstead).

While I can’t find the baptism records for Frederick, Lucy was baptised at St Mary in 1890. Her parents are listed as Henry and Emma.. From the1901 census, Basil Charles (1899), Ethel Joyce (1900) and Henry Cyril (1898) were all baptised at St Mary.

Private Leach may be amongst this column of the 16th Lancers, photographed in France September 1914.
www.qrlassociation.co.uk/m_history_16.htm

The 11th had seen the British and French reach the banks of the River Aisne, who then set about preparing for an assault across the river and the over-loonking heights on the 13th.
www.1914-1918.net/french_third_despatch.html

John Henry ROPER………………………………..........................(RoH)
Private 17056. 8th Battalion Norfolk Regiment. Killed in action in France & Flanders on 1st July 1916. Aged 22. Born Briggate, Norfolk. Enlisted Norwich. Son of E. S. and Mary J. Roper, of Briggate, Worstead, Norfolk. Commemorated: Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France. Pier and Face 1 C and 1 D.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=809972
No match on Norlink

The 7 year old John H. born Worstead, is recorded on the 1901 census at Briggate, Worstead. This is the household of his parents, Edwin S, (aged 33 and a Flour Miller from Worstead), and Mary J, (aged 29 and from Southrepps). Their other children are:-
Dorothy M………………..aged 4.…………..born Worstead
Edwin T…………………..aged 8.………….born Worstead

The 6th Battalion, Royal Berks went over the top alongside the 8th Norfolks on the first day of the Somme. The story of what happened to the two units can be read here,
www.6throyalberks.co.uk/1stJuly/default.html

From the Battalion War Diary.

1st July - Assembly Trenches.

The Battalion took part on an assault of the German trenches north of CARNOY and S.W of MONTAUBAN.
The 7th Battalion of the Quuens Royal West Surrey Regiment of the 55th Brigade was on our Right, and the 6th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment, of our own brigade, were on our left.

In the early hours of the morning, the battalion was in position in the four assembly trenches, i.e in their battle position ready for attack.

The early hours of the morning were passed in comparative quietitude.

5.30am. Teas were brought up from CARNOY and served out in the Assembly trenches.

7.20am Our artillery commenced the intense bombardment and the enemys retaliation on our Fourth line assembly trench became more apparent.
7.27am. A mine and two Russian Saps were exploded on our front.
7.27 am. The first wave of our “C” and “ D” Companies deployed from our firing line and laid out in the open about 30 yards in front.This movement was accomplished without loss.
7.30 am. The assault commenced. The remainder of our two assaulting companies left our trenches and moved forward in four successive waves.
MINE TRENCH was reached and crossed by these two Companies with practically no opposition and without loss on our side. All Germans remaining alive in this trench after our artillery barrage had passed were thoroughly cowed and at once surrended. “C” Company on our right took about 30 prisoners from the West Edge of the mine craters.
MINE SUPPORT was taken about 7.40 am. The wire entanglements in front having been completely demolished by our artillery.
Up to the point, the Battalion suffered very few causlaties.
BUND SUPPORT was reached and taken at 8 a.m, where a halt was made.

The two assaulting companies on leaving BUND SUPPORT came under heavy enfilade machine gun fire from the direction of BRESLAU SUPPORT and BACK TRENCH and suffered heavily. Captain B.P Ayre being killed and Captain J H Hall being seriously wounded. By this time the following officers had been wounded. Capt & Adjt H.P Berney-Ficklin, 2nd Lieuts. J G Hampson, C.T Blackborn, L.Padfield, S.A Wharton, G R Ironmonger and E. Maclean, (at duty). There now remained no officer with the left leading company and two subalterns in the right leading company, which were now reduced to 90 and 100 men respectively.

The Left Leading Company under C.S.M A F Raven reached our first objective - POMMIERS TRENCH - and took it at about 10.30 am. A portion of the Right Leading Company also got into POMMIERS TRENCH near the East Side of THE LOOP at the same time, but the remainder of this company was held up by machine gun fire and a strong point at the junction of BOCHE TRENCH and BACK TRENCH with MINE ALLEY.

After this company had been reinforced by a platoon from the support company under 2nd Lieut G E Miall-Smith and the Battalions Bombers under Sergeant H E West had also been sent up to this point, this strongpoint fell and the garrison of about 150 Germans and 2 Officers of a Bavarian Regiment surrendered, and right leading company was then able to push forward into the East portion of POMMIERS TRENCH which up to then had not been taken. At this point in the attack, “A” company which had been in reserve and had advanced from the assembly trenches in artillery formation at 7.45am, and had been consolidating MINE TENCH, now advanced to BUND SUPPORT and commenced the consolidation of this trench. At the same “B”, the support company, advanced with three platoons, (1 already having been sent to reinforce “C”), to POMMIERS TRENCH

3pm. “B“ Company had now taken THE LOOP and both assaulting companies advanced to the MONTAUBAN ALLEY line, - the final objective of the Battalion.
Owing to machine gun firing from the line and from N.W of MONTAUBAN, “D“ company on the left suffered heavy casualties, and “C“ company, led by 2nd Lieut J H Attenborough made repeated attempts to get into MONTAUBAN ALLEY but did not succeed until a bombing party under 2nd Lieut. L.A Gundry-White gained an entrance by way of LOOP TRENCH on the left. Unfortunately, just before this had been affected, 2nd Lieutenant J H Attenborough with CSM J Coe had both been killed in the attempt to get into this trench.

5.45pm. The MONTAUBAN ALLEY line was taken and the battalion was in touch with the 7th Queens on our right and the 6th Royal Berks on our left.

6pm. The whole of “B” Company having been used to support “C” and “D” companies who were now reduced to, respectively, 70 and 80 other ranks and 1 Officer, the work of consolidating MONTAUBAN ALLEY was commenced at once and patrols were sent forward to reconnoitre along CATERPILLAR TRENCH and EAST TRENCH.
The Reserve Company who in the meanwhile had advanced and consolidated POMMIERS TRENCH and THE LOOP, were now brought up and sent forward to take up the advanced post known as the GREEN LINE.

The Green Line was taken up and strong points commenced at about 8pm and patrols were sent forward in the direction of CATERPILLAR WOOD.

8pm. From now onwards the enemy commenced a heavy and continuous bombardment with 5.9 and a few 77mm shells on the west end of MONTAUBAN ALLEY held by the Battalion, generally in the vicinity of the junction of LOOP TRENCH with MONTAUBAN ALLEY, a few shells falling in THE LOOP itself but practically none in the rear.

Our casualties for the days fighting were:-

Officers.Killed……………..2
Died of Wounds….1
Wounded…………8 including 2 at duty. These being 2nd Lieut S N Cozens-Hardy, (who was wounded just outside Battalion Headquarters which were at the S.W. end of THE LOOP where they had moved up to as soon as the MONTAUBAN ALLEY line had been reached) and 2nd Lieut. E. Maclean.
Other Ranks.

Killed………………………….102
Wounded………………………219
Missing………………………..13

Total Casualties. Officers…11 Other Ranks………….334

Charles George RUMP………………………………........................(RoH)
Lance Corporal 40618. 1st Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment. Formerly 20067 Suffolk Regiment. Killed in action in France & Flanders on 14th June 1918. aged 20. Enlisted Norwich. Son of Mr. C. Rump, of Meeting Hill, Worstead, Norwich. Buried: Cambrin Military Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France. Ref. O. 34.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=33902
No match on Norlink

The 2 year old Charles G, born Worstead, is recorded on the 1901 census at White Horse Common, North Walsham. This is the household of his parents, Charles E. (aged 28 and a Team on Farm from Worstead) and Jane E, (aged 23 and from Worstead). The Rumps also have a daughter, Lily J. aged 1.

The baptism of Charles George took place at St Mary on the 20th July 1898, his birth date being given as 9th May 1898. His parents are listed as Charles Edward and Jane Elizabeth. The family’s place of abode is shown as Worstead.

Cambrin is a village about 24 kilometres north of Arras and 8 kilometres east of Bethune on the road to La Bassee. The Cemetery is on the north side of the road and is approached by a path from the main road.

At one time, the village of Cambrin housed brigade headquarters but until the end of the First World War, it was only about 800 metres from the front line trenches. The village contains two cemeteries used for Commonwealth burials; the churchyard extension, taken over from French troops in May 1915, and the Military Cemetery "behind the Mayor's House." Cambrin Military Cemetery, often called Cambrin Chateau Cemetery, was begun in February 1915 and used as a front line cemetery until December 1918.
www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_details.aspx?cemetery=3400&a...

In the Battalion War diary, the 14th and 15th June are bracketed together with the note “Quiet - 6 casualties”
1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=123596

Henry SCOTT……………………………….......................................(RoH)
Sapper 84958. 207th Field Company, Royal Engineers. Died of wounds in France & Flanders on 5th August 1916. Born North Walsham. Lived Worstead. Enlisted Norwich. Commemorated: Bottom Wood Cemetery, Dantzig Alley British Cemetery, Mametz, Somme, Memorial 10.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=548310
No match on Norlink

There initially appears to be no obvious match on the 1901 census. Looking at the high-level search on the 1911 census, there is a Henry born circa 1876 North Walsham, who at the time of the census was recorded in the Aylsham District.

207th (Norfolk) Field Company joined the 34th Division in February 1915. Made up of many Pals Units from the North East, the Division was decimated by the first day of the Somme.

Thomas SELF………………………………...................................(RoH)
Corporal 1424. 1st/5th Battalion Norfolk Regiment. Died on 12th August 1915 (CD gives 28th August) in Gallipoli. Aged 29. Born Worstead. Enlisted Westwick, Norfolk. Son of Tom and Harriett Self, of East Ruston, Norfolk; husband of Harriet Self, of 7, Bacton Rd., North Walsham, Norfolk. Commemorated: Helles Memorial, Turkey. Panel 42 to 44.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=685201
No match on Norlink

There is no obvious match on either the 1901 or 1911 census given the details above. The 1911 census has a Thomas Edward, born Tunstead circa 1899 and now recorded in the Smallburgh District.Going back to look at the same individual on the 1901 census, the then 2 year old Thomas E. (born Tunstead) is recorded at 2 Tunstead Road, Sco Ruston. This is the household of his parents, Thomas, (aged 43 and a Cattleman on Farm from Acle) and Harriet (aged 35 and from Ashmanhaugh). Their other children are:-
Dorothy V………..aged 4.…………….born Tunstead
Elsie M…………..aged 6.…………….born Tunstead
Emma……………aged 7.…………….born Tunstead
Lilian…………….aged less than one month….born Tunstead
The Self’s also have a16 year old Harriet Bloomfield living with them, whose status and occupation are given as nurse - presumably to help with the new-born child.

The baptism of Thomas Edward took place at St Mary, Tunstead on the 22nd October 1899. His date of birth was given as 2nd March 1899. His parents are Thomas and harriet Mary Ann, and the family abode is given as Tunstead. His fathers occupation is given as Labourer.

The Norfolks left Liverpool aboard the SS Aquitainia on 29 July and arrived at Suvla Bay in Gallipoli on 10 August 1915. Just two days later the 1/5th battalion were ordered to clear Turkish positions on the Anafarta Plain prior to the Allied advance. Their sister battalion, the 1/4th waited in reserve and were not involved in the events that followed. The outcome was typical of the poor planning which characterized the whole campaign. The attack was to be made in broad daylight without adequate maps against the well-prepared Turks, who were firmly dug in along a ridge of hills overlooking the bay. The enemy were armed with machine guns and supported by dozens of snipers, many of them teenage girls, camouflaged and hidden in trees. The Norfolk battalion was made up of 16 officers and 250 men and was led by a veteran of the campaign in the Sudan, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Horace Proctor-Beauchamp. As they left their positions, the 1/5th battalion were joined by hundreds of other British soldiers from battalions of the Suffolk and Hampshire regiments.
The attack quickly turned into a massacre. For some reason during the advance the Norfolks turned slightly to the right, opening up a gap between them and the other British troops from whom they had become separated. As the exhausted Norfolks fixed bayonets and prepared to charge the Turkish positions on the Kavak Tepe ridge they were picked off by snipers and mown down by machine gun fire. Lt-Col Beauchamp was last seen leading his doomed men into a burning forest from which they never emerged. As night fell the few survivors, wounded and exhausted, began to filter back to the British positions at Suvla Bay. The 1st/4th Battalion War Diary held at the National Archives records the following under the date 12 August 1915:
"163rd Brigade made a frontal attack on strong Turkish position. 5th Norfolks on right met a strong opposition and suffered heavily. Lost 22 officers and about 350 men. Held our lines during the night in spite of heavy enemy fire."

The actual fate of the battalion was discovered in 1919 at the end of the war when the Commonwealth War Graves Commission began searching the battlefields at Gallipoli for the remains of soldiers. There an investigator discovered a cap badge belonging to a soldier of the Norfolk regiment hidden in sand 800 yards behind the Turkish lines at Suvla Bay. This led the commanding officer to write home triumphantly: "We have found the 5th Norfolks." When this news reached the War Office they sent a chaplain who had served during the campaign back to Gallipoli to investigate. The Rev Charles Pierrepoint Edwards examined the area where the cap badge had been uncovered and found a mass grave containing 180 bodies, from which the remains of 122 were identified as members of the "Vanished Battalion." The remains included those of their commanding officer, Lt-Col Beuchamp, who was identified by the distinctive shoulder flashes on his uniform. Of the 266 officers and men reported as missing, 144 remained unaccounted for, but a number of these had been captured and some had subsequently died in the notorious Turkish prison camps. A few had survived captivity to describe what had really happened, but their stories did not emerge until half a century later.

In his book The Vanished Battalion (1991) McCrery revealed new evidence that explained why the full facts discovered by the clergyman who visited the mass grave were not revealed in 1919. He found there was evidence of an official cover-up but this was not to hide evidence of an extraterrestrial kidnapping. In this case it was to conceal evidence of both a military blunder and a war crime. For it emerged that of the bodies discovered that many had been shot through the head as the Turkish soldiers did not like to take prisoners of war. His evidence was backed up by the story of a British survivor of the massacre, who testified before his death in 1969 that he had seen Turkish soldiers bayoneting wounded and helpless prisoners and shooting others in the wood where the battalion disappeared. The survivor escaped only because of the intervention of a German officer who saved his life and he spent the remainder of the war in a prison camp.

It appears that the Rev Charles Pierrepoint Edwards concealed this disturbing evidence in his report to the War Office so as to spare the feelings of the families and the King, who continued to believe their loved ones died gallantly in battle with the enemy.
www.drdavidclarke.co.uk/vanbat.htm

George SIDELL………………………………................................(RoH)
Private 50991. 1st Battalion Middlesex Regiment. Formerly 1328 Royal West Kent Regiment. Killed in action in France & Flanders on 23rd April 1917. Born Antingham, Norfolk. Lived Worstead. Enlisted Norwich. Buried: Wancourt British Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France. Ref. VII. E. 10.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=33014
No match on Norlink

The 23 year old George, (born Worstead and working as a Domestic Gardener), is recorded as a Lodger at Garden Cottage, Gasthorpe (near Diss) on the 1901 Census. Going back 10 years to the 1891 census, the 13 year old George is recorded at Brockley, Worstead, and is working as an Agricultural Labourer. This is the household of his parents, William, (aged 33 and a Painter from Westwick), and Rachel, (aged 41 from Sutton, Cambridgeshire). Their other children are:-
Sidney……………..aged 11.……………born Worstead
Frederick…………..aged 9.…………….born Worstead
Charles……………….aged 7.………………….born Worstead
Arthur…………………aged 5.…………………born Worstead
Walter………………aged 3.……………………born Worstead
Sabina………………aged 1.……………………born Worstead

On the 12th the 98th Brigade moved into the Cojeul Valley in close support, relieving the 19th Brigade in the Hindenburg Line on 16th, the 1st Middlesex and 4th Suffolks moving up into the front line, though, owing to faulty guides, it was the 17th before the Middlesex were able to relieve two companies of the 20th Royal Fusiliers in some isolated trenches ("mere ditches," the Diary calls them). But the Battalion was relieved on 20th and 21st, and on 22nd was in the sunken road between Henin-sur-Cojeul and Neuville Vitasse preparing for the operations on 23rd.
The men were issued with bombs, rifle grenades, Very lights, ground flares and sandbags, and at 4.30 p.m. the Battalion again marched off to the front line, relieving the Cameronians. These trenches were some 1,500 yards south east of Heninel, not quite half-way between that village and Fontaine-lez-Croisi1les. "A" Company was on the right and "C" on the left, "B" and "D" (right and left respectively) occupying trenches in rear of the front line. At 11.30 p.m. the two latter Companies moved into their assembly trenches just behind the front line.
By 1.30 a.m. all companies had taken up their allotted positions, "A" and "C" the first wave, "B" and "D" the second wave. Zero hour was 4.45 a.m.
Under cover of the barrage, described in the diaries as "excellent," the 98th Brigade attacked the enemy at 4.45 a.m. (23rd), 4th Suffolks on the right, and A. and S. Highlanders in the centre, and 1st Middlesex on the left. There were two separate final objectives, different means being necessary to reach each. The Suffolks had to bomb down the Hindenburg Line to the Sensée, whilst the Highlanders and the Middlesex made a frontal attack across the open; the centre of their first objective was a small oblong copse.
The attack of the Suffolks proceeded well down both trenches of the Hindenburg Line, but the Highlanders, in the centre, and "A" and "B" Companies of the Middlesex, were hung up in front of the small copse. The two left Companies of the latter Battalion ("C" and "D"), however, reached their first objective without much opposition, where 30 prisoners were taken and sent back. They then pressed on to their final objective, which they reached successfully and dug themselves in. Here they were joined by "A" Company of the Highlanders, who had fought their way past the copse. But now, unfortunately, a serious position presented itself to these three Companies, for it appeared that they were not only in the air, but the enemy was still between them and their original "jumping-off " line. Captain Beesham, therefore, made his way back along the Hindenburg Line in order to report the situation to Brigade Headquarters. But whilst he was away the enemy counter-attacked and succeeded in cutting off a portion of the Hindenburg Line, thus completely cutting off all communication with "C" and "D" Companies in their forward exposed position. To make matters worse, troops on the left of these two Companies fell back, taking with them a small party of Middlesex "moppers-up" which had taken possession of that portion of the first objective captured by "C" and "D".
The position as it affected the 1st Middlesex now stood as follows: The enemy was again in full possession of his original front line; "A" and "B" Companies of the Battalion were held up in front of the copse, i.e., the line of the first objective, and were digging themselves in; the left flank of the Battalion was absolutely in the air; the enemy had regained a portion of the Hindenburg Line; "C" and "D" Companies had broken through and had reached their final objective, but were entirely cut off, the enemy being in front and behind them.
At 12 noon all units of the 98th Brigade, with the exception of "A" Company of the 2nd A. and S. Highlanders and "C" and "D" Companies of the 1st Middlesex, were back in their original lines. Indeed, it is with these very gallant fellows who, though surrounded and subjected to violent efforts to dislodge them and capture them, resisted every attempt and bloodily repulsed the enemy again and again, that the story is chiefly concerned. The old Die-Hard spirit once more shone clearly, and the indomitable pluck of the Middlesex and their Highland comrades added yet another splendid incident to their already glorious Regimental history.
Another attack by the 98th Brigade was ordered for 6.24 p.m., to be preceded by, and under cover of, a heavy barrage. Only a very slight advance was made, and by this time orderlies, signallers and officers servants had all been pressed into the thin line.
At 8 p.m. news was received at Battalion Headquarters, 1st Middlesex, that the enemy had formed a barricade in the Hindenburg Line and was advancing towards Brigade Headquarters, but he was first held up and then driven back to his original position by the Suffoiks.
Under cover of darkness, men who had been lying out all day in shell holes crawled back, and the front line of the Brigade now consisted of about 300 men from 1st Middlesex, 2nd R.W. Fusiliers and 1st Cameronians.
But no word was received of the gallant fellows who were surrounded. The barrage for the attack at 6.24 p.m. had passed over them, but apart from knocking their trenches about considerably had fortunately inflicted very few casualties.
The night 23rd/24th passed quietly, though the enemy was obviously nervous, for he continually fired Very lights.
As dawn broke on the 24th, certain movements on the part of the enemy gave rise to the suspicion that he had vacated his position. Patrols were sent out and returned with the information that the Germans had fallen back. The 1st Middlesex, therefore, advanced at once and took possession of the hostile front-line trenches, pushing out other patrols to discover the extent of the enemy's retirement. A message now came in from the two forward Companies ("C" and "D"): they were still holding on to their position, they had even taken a few prisoners, but both officers had been wounded.
During the morning the 1st Middlesex were relieved by the 20th Royal Fusihers, but owing to the enemy's activity it was deemed unwise to withdraw "C" and "D" Companies until nightfall. But as soon as possible after darkness had fallen the intrepid Die-Hards and Highlanders were relieved, after a 40-hours' fight, completely surrounded, and reached the sunken roads at 11 p.m. It is interesting to note that of the 16 Lewis guns which the two Companies had with them, all were brought back, only one having been damaged.
freespace.virgin.net/howard.anderson/2ndbattleofscarpe.htm

Walter William WRIGHT………………………………..................(RoH)
Gunner 54767. 68th Heavy Battery, attached to Government Dairy Farm (Amara), Royal Garrison Artillery. Died in Mesopotamia on 22nd October 1918. Aged 24. Born and lived North Walsham. Enlisted Norwich. Son of Arthur and Bessie Wright, of Crossing Gates, Heath Farm, North Walsham, Norwich. Buried: Amara War Cemetery, Iraq. Ref. XIV. C. 22.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=630864
No match on Norlink

The 5 year old Walter W, (born North Walsham), is recorded on the 1901 census at Norwich Road, North Walsham. This is the household of his parents, Arthur, (aged 33 and a Railway Shunter from Croxton), and Bessie, (aged 26 and from Thetford). Their other children are:-
Maud. E…………aged 7.………….born North Walsham
Rachel E………..aged 3.………….born North Walsham

Herbert Ernest YOUELLS………………………………................(RoH)
Lance Corporal 41420. 1st Battalion Royal Irish Rifles. Formerly 6547 Norfolk Regiment. Killed in action in France & Flanders on 4th October 1918. Aged 26. Born Worstead. Enlisted Norwich. Son of Thomas and Emma Youells, of Worstead, Norfolk. Buried: Haringhe (Bandaghem) Military Cemetery, Poperinge, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Ref. III. A. 15.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=94261
No match on Norlink

The 8 year old Herbert, born Worstead, is recorded on the 1901 census next door to Worstead House, Worstead. This is the household of his parents Thomas, (aged 75? And a Cattleman on Farm from Worstead), and Emma, (aged 35 and from Smallburgh). Their other children are:-
Charlie………….aged 5.…………..born Worstead
Emma…………..aged 10.…………born Worstead
John……………aged 16.…………born Worstead…..Agricultural Labourer
Thomas…………aged 13.…………born Worstead…Agricultural Labourer

The Genes Re-united transcriber has the whole family down as Youell, but the “s” can be seen on the scanned original document.

I can only trace the baptism of Thomas (George) on line, (the son aged 13 above). His baptism took place at St Mary on the 1st August 1887. His date of birth is shown as the 26th June 1887. His parents are Thomas and Emma, the family reside at Worstead. Father’s occupation is shown as Labourer.
www.twgpp.org/information.php?id=2120264

The Royal Irish Rifles were part of the general advance then taking place, leading to the breaching of the Hindenburg line over the following few days - an event that signified to the German Government and Military High Command that defeat was inevitable.

Simon Knott's take on the church itself
www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/worstead/worstead.htm

St Augustine - Great War Roll of Honour Panels 3 and 4 by Moominpappa06

© Moominpappa06, all rights reserved.

St Augustine - Great War Roll of Honour Panels 3 and 4

*****************Private Bertie Cushion********************************

Possibly
Name: CUSHION, BERTIE CECIL
Rank: Private
Regiment: Norfolk Regiment Unit Text: 1st/4th Bn.
Date of Death: 19/08/1915 Service No: 1591
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 42 to 44. Memorial: HELLES MEMORIAL
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=694843

Great War Roll of Honour has this man down simply as Bertie Cushion.

But could also be this individual

Name: CUSHION Initials: B E
Rank: Private
Regiment: Norfolk Regiment Unit Text: 1st Bn.
Date of Death: 25/06/1915 Service No: 7271
Grave/Memorial Reference: F. 29. Cemetery: DICKEBUSCH NEW MILITARY CEMETERY
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=441427

This individual is recorded as a Bertie E on the Great War Roll of Honour.

There are no other Bertie’s listed on that document.

There is a picture of a Bertie Cecil of the 4th Battalion on Norlink
norlink.norfolk.gov.uk/02_Catalogue/02_013_PictureTitleIn...
Additional notes read:-
Born at Norwich, 13th July 1894 and educated at Quay Side School, Private Cushion enlisted in July 1911. He was killed in action at the Dardanelles, 19th August 1915

From the diary of Captain Montgomerie, of the 1st/4th Battalion.

" 15th. - lt was decided that our first line should be relieved by the Essex brigade. I, from my ridge, was to give covering fire.
The 1st Battalion Essex advanced well and lost few men. The other battalions, who had delayed, suffered more severely. All we could do was to keep down the fire of the snipers by shooting into the trees. Rumour has it that some of these snipers were tied to trees, with water and food within reach. Women snipers have been caught within our lines with their faces, arms, legs, and rides painted green.
After dark our men began to come in. Some came in well, but there were cases where the confusion was great. The last to come in were a party of 100-150 with Captains Hughes and Fisher. These officers had behaved magnificently throughout this show and they finished by leading the men back in very good order."
On the 16th both the Norfolk battalions were moved to a point near Kiretch Tepe Sirt on the ridge running north-east from SuvIa Point, where the 31st brigade was.
16th - I was relieved on the ridge by the 4th Essex early in the morning. The battalion joined up in trenches some 300 yards in rear of the ridge. We were busy digging trenches all day, and trying to collect the men to their various companies. In the late advance we had been in reserve, and three companies and one platoon had reinforced the first line, so they had become very scattered.
" In the afternoon the 10th division advanced along the ridge and cleared the whole hill of the enemy. Unfortunately we were unable to hold on to the extreme east of it. It was a fine sight to watch from the valley below.
user.online.be/~snelders/sand.htm


***********Private Thomas S Crosskill*********************************

Name: CROSSKILL Initials: T S
Rank: Private
Regiment: Canadian Infantry (Central Ontario Regiment) Unit Text: 20th Bn.
Date of Death: 23/04/1918 Service No: 57162
Grave/Memorial Reference: II. B. 24. Cemetery: WAILLY ORCHARD CEMETERY
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=35879

No match on Norlink

Wailly is a village in the Department of the Pas-de-Calais about 6 kilometres south-west from Arras. The cemetery was begun in May 1916 by the Liverpool battalions of the 55th (West Lancashire) Division, as a front line cemetery, screened from German observation by a high wall. It was little used in 1917, but in March-August 1918, it was considerably enlarged by the Canadian and other units defending the Third Army front.
www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_details.aspx?cemetery=3700&a...

The Canadian National Archive confirms this is a Thomas Stephen Crosskill, born 23rd June 1890. His attestation papers can be seen here
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/cef/001042-119.02-e...
And
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/cef/001042-119.02-e...
They tell us that he was born London, England, and is a Shoemaker by trade. His next of kin is his mother, Elizabeth, who resides at 8 St Augustines, Norwich.. He had previously done military service with the Royal Field Artillery. He enlisted in Toronto on the 8th January 1915. His medical notes tell us that he was 5 feet 6 ½ inches, with Brown hair, Brown eyes, and a dark complexion. His religious denomination is shown as Baptist.

The 11 year old Thomas “H” is recorded on the 1901 census at 10 Bull Row in the parish of St Pauls, having been born Peckham, London. This the household of his parents, Walter P. (aged 42 and a Tinsmith from Norwich), and Elizabeth, (aged 39 and from Norwich). Their other children are:-
Charles P…………..aged 9.…………born Camberwell, London
Daniel………………aged 4.…………born Norwich
Susanna……………aged 18.………..born Norwich
William…………….aged 2.…………born Norwich

While there were casualties, (three wounded, 2 Sergeant, one Private) on the 21/4, the war diary of the 20th Battalion gives no indication of any further casualties on either the 22nd or 23rd.

23rd April 1918. Neuville Vitasse
At 1.15 am the O.C “C” Coy on our left reported that he had been relived north of the
BEAURAINS - NEUVILLE VITASSE road by the 18th Cdn Bn. And that he is now all south of the road except for one L.G post north of the north edge. MAP111 shows this alteration in his disposition. The platton relieved was employed during the remainder of the night deepening and fire-stepping the trench in M..24.b During the night, “A” Coy in the right front line set out 200 yds of single apron wire in N.19.e.

Two patrols were out on each company front last, on the right both were battle patrols, on the left the first patrol was a small reconnoitring. This patrol located an enemy …..at M24.b.95.05
During the day the enemy was very quiet, very little hostile shelling. E.A flying low over our area at 2.50 pm was engaged. It is reported to have landed either in “no-mans land” or just in its own lines in front of the Bn on our left.
A work party totalling 1 Officer and 35 O.R.s reported to 2nd Cdn Pioneers at 9.30 pm and worked for three hours in the INTERMEDIATE line in M.23.b, M.24.a, and M.18,c.
At 10.45pm an enemy wiring party was reported at M.19.c.35.70.. This was reported to and engaged by the 4th T.M. Batty. guns at M..24.b.3.3.
At 11.35pm two six or eight inch dud shells from our own batteries fell just in front of our right support coy.trench. Shorts also occurred from the 18 pdrs. about 50 yards behind our front line at N.19.c
data2.collectionscanada.ca/e/e039/e000960728.jpg
data2.collectionscanada.ca/e/e039/e000960729.jpg

A small picture of the headstone can be seen here
twgpp.org/information.php?id=1280588

*****************Private Bertie C Crosskill******************************

No match on CWGC

No match on Norlink

The 3 year old Bertie, born Norwich, is recorded on the 1901 census at 3 Eagle Opening, Sussex Street, in the Parish of St Augustines. This is the household of his grandmother, the widow Maria Bone. Maria is employed as a “Fitter in Coal Trade”. Living with her is her widowed daughter, (and presumably Bertie’s mother), Maria, (aged 34 and a Machinist from Norwich)

The Great War Roll of Honour lists a Private Bertie “G” Crosskill, 27049 Wiltshire Regiment, who died 1918.

Due to a typo, the same individual turns up on the GWGC database as
Name: CROSKILL, BERTIE GEORGE
Rank: Private
Regiment: Wiltshire Regiment Unit Text: 2nd Bn.
Date of Death: 08/05/1918 Service No: 27049
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 119 to 120. Memorial: TYNE COT MEMORIAL
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=841915

The War diaries of the 2nd Wiltshires are available on line, however that for the 8th May 1918 provides no indication of why Private Crosskill not only died, but died in such a way that his body was never discovered and he had to therefore be commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial. Additionally, the German spring offensives had petered out by now, so its difficult to see his grave being lost as a result of subsequent fighting, leading to him being commemorated on the Memorial. I can only assume he was on attachment with another unit at the time.

8th May 1918 Le Paradis

Working party under Lieut S COLLIER rejoined from WATOU.
www.thewardrobe.org.uk/wardiary.php?action=date&regim...
The entry for the previous day reads , “All quiet, nothing to report”

***************Private Edward H Dennis*********************************

Only E H Dennis in the CWGC database
Name: DENNIS, EDWARD HENRY
Rank: Serjeant
Regiment: West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) Unit Text: 2nd Bn.
Age: 26 Date of Death: 01/07/1916
Service No: 8975
Additional information: Son of Mr. and Mrs. Dennis, of 90, Magpie Rd., Norwich; husband of Maria Sarah Hunt (formerly Dennis), of Railway Cottage, Ledge Fenn, Lakenheath, Suffolk.
Grave/Memorial Reference: Pier and Face 2 A 2 C and 2 D. Memorial: THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=756620

Norlink has a picture of Sergeant Edward Henry Dennis of the 2nd Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment. The only additional information is that Sergeant Henry was from Norwich.
norlink.norfolk.gov.uk/02_Catalogue/02_013_PictureTitleIn...

The 10 year old Edward, born Norwich, is recorded on the 1901 census at 67 Barn Road, in the Parish of St Benedicts. This was the household of his parents, James, (aged 37 and an Auctioneer’s Porter from Norwich), and Elvina, (aged 35 and a Boot Machinist from Norwich). Their other children are:-
Christiana……………….aged 8.………………born Norwich
James……………………aged 14.…………….born Norwich……Shoemaker
Roseanna………………..aged 6.………………born Norwich

(There is a baptism record for James William. This took place on the 30th January 1887 at St James with Pockthorpe. The data of birth is stated to be 15th June 1886. The parents are recorded as James and “Elaina”Adelaide. The family reside “OTP” (Outside the Parish). The father’s occupation is listed as Labourer.)

1st July 1916

The battalion was part of the second wave as far as I can ascertain, however in many places this suffered just as badly - the first wave having been wiped out, holed up or pinched out and surrounded, the German machine gunners could concentrate on the next wave, and the untouched German artillery caused devastation in the units forming up for the next assault - there were several units almost entirely eliminated from the battle before they even crossed the original British front line,

The battalion formed part of 23rd Brigade.

Ovillers

Here the 8th Division …was tasked with a direct assault on the village itself. In this area No Man's Land was 400 yards wide. Right from the start it was known that there would be no chance of success if the flanking Divisions did not make simultaneous progress with the 8th Division attackers.

The village of Ovillers sits on the southern side of a spur of land which points towards Albert. It was thus hoped that the 25th Brigade who would be attacking the village would have some cover up until the last few hundred metres as they came over the ridge.

To their right the 23rd Brigade would be very badly exposed as they made their way up Mash Valley. They would also be required to cross the widest section of no man's land on the Corps Front.

To the north of the ridge 70th Brigade were required to advance across another valley - called Nab Valley at the time but later designated as Blighty Valley. It was their task to push on past the village and up as far as Mouquet Farm.

Just before Zero at 07:30 hours the Division had put down a short barrage of Stokes Mortars onto the German positions giving the first wave of the assault an opportunity to get out into no man's land and closer to the German front line.

Leading the 23rd Brigade out into Mash Valley, the 2nd Bn Middlesex Regiment and 2nd Bn Devonshire Regiment managed to gain the German front lines and even a distance beyond, but they found themselves being fired at from three sides and their casualties soon grew to a thousand men between them - more than half their number. 70 survivors managed to hang on in the German front line for a while but soon their grenades and ammunition ran out and they were forced out of it by a counter-attack after 2 hours. .

Of about 300 officers and 8000 men, the Division lost 189 officers and 4719 men dead or wounded.
forum.irishmilitaryonline.com/showthread.php?t=9058
www.webmatters.net/france/ww1_ovillers.htm

According to the Devon's after action report, Lieutenant Colonel Sunderland could see very little of the action.
'At first and for some little time owing to mist and dust caused by our shell fire, it was difficult to realise what had happened … The lines appeared at first sight to be intact… Colonel Sunderland could make out rows of his men lying down. He demanded 'Why aren't they advancing?' The Adjutant, peering through his binoculars turned to the CO and replied 'They're all hit, sir!'.
The survivors bunched as they advanced through the few gaps in the enemy wire and the original wave formation soon ceased to exist, and the remains of companies became mixed together, making a mass of men, among which German fire played havoc'. The German eye witness wrote:
'All along the line, men could be seen throwing up their arms and collapsing, never to move again. Badly wounded rolled about in their agony, and others, less severely injured, crawled to the nearest shell hole for shelter. The extended lines, though badly shaken and with many gaps, now came on all the faster. Instead of a leisurely walk they covered the ground in short rushes at the double..'
The Devon's report recorded that 'only a very few reached the German lines alive. Some got into the German trenches, where they put up a determined fight against enormous odds and were soon killed'. The toehold that the Devons had gained could not be reinforced, as the curtain of fire that the German artillery put down in the middle of no-man's-land had halted the waves of C and D Companies. They were driven to ground by German machine gun fire. 2nd W Yorks, who moved forward behind the Devons at 0825 hours came under fire . By this time the attacking infantry had lost the barrage, which went on as planned. Consequently, only a few of C and D Companies along with A Company 2nd West Yorks reached the German line.
Despite acts of heroism, determination, by 0900 hours, the attack of the 8th Division had failed along the length of it's front. At 0930 hours, Major General Hudson instructed commanders of 23 and 25 Brigades to gather their men and repeat the attack, until it was pointed out that a repeated bombardment would hit the men thought to be stranded in the enemy position.
As late as 1430 hours, there were observers' reports that 'bomb fighting' was going on in the German lines. However, for those remaining out in no man's land it was fortunate that the shell holes, which had earlier hindered the movement of advancing men, now provided cover from enemy fire.
The Devon's Medical Officer, in his aid post dugout in the reserve line, after the initial rush of walking wounded, had few casualties to deal with, as:
'great difficulty was found evacuating the wounded to the Regimental Aid Post. The trenches were too narrow to allow a stretcher to pass and also the trenches had been so knocked about that in many places one was exposed to hostile machine gun and shell fire'
Wounded men succumbed to their wounds, who if properly treated, would have survived. Many lay in agony until, eventually the British barrage, was brought back to the enemy front line. Under its cover many men
regained their frontline and more returned under the cover of darkness.
www.keepmilitarymuseum.org/somme/reg_2nd_devons_1_jul.php?

Lt Col E T F Sandys, CO of the 2nd Middlesex (also of the 23 Bde 8 Div) had been concerned before the battle began about uncut German wire and the enemy trenches which were still occupied despite the heavy Allied barrage in the area of Mash Valley. His battalion had 750 yards of No Man’s Land to cross and they were cut down as he had predicted. The disaster so preyed on his mind that he shot himself in September and died a few days later.
(Extract from ‘When the Barrage lifts" by Gerald Glidden)
www.pricewebhome.co.uk/Docs/Stone/Death_of_Sergeant_HT_St...

A map of the British front line on the 1st July 1916 in this sector, and the German trenches facing them, can be seen here
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:La_Boisselle_sector_1_July_191...

The position of the lead units of the Brigade, (2nd Middlesex and 2nd Devons,) can also be seen here
1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=64507

************Private Ernest Denham**************************************

Name: DENHAM, ERNEST
Rank: Private
Regiment: Norfolk Regiment Unit Text: 1st Bn.
Age: 39 Date of Death: 28/10/1917
Service No: 17234
Additional information: Son of the late Mr. and Mrs. W. Denham, of 65, Patteson Rd., Norwich; husband of Martha Sarah Ann Denham, of 14, Cross St., Sussex St., Norwich, Norfolk.
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 34 to 35 and 162A. Memorial: TYNE COT MEMORIAL
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1629786

No match on Norlink

No baptism record on FreeReg

The 22 year old Ernest, (born Norwich and employed as a Furniture ??? - handwriting is illegible, but the census analyser has added “Carman“ so I‘m assuming the word should be deliverer) is recorded as a boarder at 65 Patteson Road along with his wife Martha, (aged 21 and a Silk Weaver from Norwich). This is down as the household of William J Denham, (aged 45 and a Tobacco Cutter from Norwich) and his wife, Isabella, (aged 44 and from Norwich). Given the information on the CWGC database, it seems odd that Ernest and his wife Martha are described as having no other relationship than being boarders.

On the 1891 Census, the 12 year old Ernest is recorded at 47 Albany Road in the Parish of St Clements. This is the household of his parents, William J and Isabella. They have other children living with them at this time:-
George A.G……………….aged 17.…………….born Norwich………Clicker
Emmeline S……………….aged 15.…………….born Norwich………Upholsterer
Frederick.W………………..aged 14.…………….born Norwich………Cabinet Maker

Going back to the 1881 census, the family can be found at 2 Britannia Terrace, in the Parish of St Clements, although then the mother’s name looks closer to Sarah then Isabella - the curse of census taker’s handwriting strikes again.

Although I’ve not been able to locate the was diary for the 1st Norfolk, the diaries for the 1st Bedfords are fully on line and can be an indication of what or where the 1st Norfolks were up to, as they were in the same brigade. For the period 25th to 28th October, the 1st Bedfords held a position called “Stirling Castle”, and would support an attack on Polderhoek Chateau on the 26th. They took about working with the 1st Cheshires, another Brigade Unit. Havng suffered 103 casualties during their three days in the front line, the 1st Bedfords were relieved by the 1st Devons - the inference being that the 1st Cheshires were relieved by the 1st Norfolks.
www.bedfordregiment.org.uk/1stbn/1stbtn1917diary.html

However, another source has the whole 5th Division being relieved by the 14th Division on this day.
forum.irishmilitaryonline.com/showthread.php?t=11535&...

*****************Private Albert Fox**************************************
Probably
Name: FOX, ALBERT
Rank: Private
Regiment: Norfolk Regiment Unit Text: "A" Coy., 1st/4th Bn.
Age: 19 Date of Death: 21/04/1917
Service No: 200949
Additional information: Son of Fred and Ellen Fox, of Norwich; husband of Mabel Longbone (formerly Fox), of 93, Aylsham Rd., Norwich.
Grave/Memorial Reference: A. 117. Cemetery: DEIR EL BELAH WAR CEMETERY
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=645596

Also 112 other possibles in the CWGC database

No match on Norlink

The 3 year old Albert, born Norwich, can be found on the 1901 census at 23 Newbegins Yard, St Marys Plain, in the Parish of St Marys Coslany.. This is the household of his parents, Fredk. G, (aged 34 and a Boot Finisher from Norwich) and Ellen J. (aged 32 and from Norwich). Their other children are:-
Arthur……………..aged 1.………….born Norwich
Ernest……………..aged 5.………….born Norwich
Rosana……………aged 7.……………born Norwich
There are three more children in the household, presumably Ellen’s from a previous marriage.
Ellen I Perriment……..aged 15.…….born Norwich………..Tailoress
Ethel Perriment………aged 11.…….born Norwich
Fredk Perriment………aged 9.……..born Norwich

On 28 February 1917, the cavalry of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force entered Khan Yunus, midway between the Egyptian border and Deir el Belah causing the Turks to withdraw to Gaza and Beersheba. The railway was pushed forward to Deir el Belah, which became the railhead in April 1917, and an aerodrome and camps were established there. The cemetery was begun towards the end of March and remained in use until March 1919. Most of the burials were made either from field ambulances from March to June 1917, or from the 53rd, 54th, 66th and 74th Casualty Clearing Stations, and the 69th General Hospital, from April 1917 until the Armistice with Turkey. A number of graves, the majority of which were originally at Khan Yunus, were brought into the cemetery after the Armistice.
www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_details.aspx?cemetery=71200&...

On 19th April the Norfolks took part in a disastrous attempt to take Gaza. In this action casualties for the battalion were 478 (55 killed, 323 wounded and 100 missing). The battalion’s sister unit, 1/5th Norfolks, also took part in the assault and they fared even worse, suffering 643 casualties.
www.oldbuckenham-pri.norfolk.procms.co.uk/pages/viewpage....

While we cannot be sure Arthur died as a result of injuries in the action at Gaza it seems more than probable that this is the case.

****************Private Robert Fuller*************************************

Prime candidate
Name: FULLER Initials: R
Rank: Private
Regiment: Gloucestershire Regiment Unit Text: 12th Bn.
Age: 21 Date of Death: 20/04/1917
Service No: 22258
Additional information: Son of Samuel and Mary Ann Fuller, of 112, Aylsham Rd., Norwich.
Grave/Memorial Reference: I. A. 12. Cemetery: SUCRERIE CEMETERY, ABLAIN-ST. NAZAIRE
www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=561424

Great War Roll of Honour confirms this is a Robert
1901 Census likely match.
Robert, aged 4, born Norwich. Recorded at 5 Hindes Yard, St Augustines. Parents are
Samuel, (aged 41, Boot Finisher from Norwich), and Mary Ann, (aged 35 and from Norwich). Siblings are Arthur, (9), Charles, (u/1), Elizabeth, (8), Nellie, (3),

The Gloucester Regiment Museum confirms that Private 22258 Robert Fuller was born and enlisted Norwich. His previous unit was the “Hussars of Line”, where his service number was 19928. He is recorded as Killed in action.
www.glosters.org.uk/soldier/13107

From the Battalion War Dairy.
20th April. In trenches. Bois de Hirondelle

In front line. Heavy Enemy Shelling. 7 O.R Killed. 15 O.R wounded. 5 O.R joined as reinforcements.

**********************Private John J Fuller*****************************

5 possible matches on CWGC

No match on Norlink

1901 Census possibles.
John, aged 2, born Norwich. Recorded at 35 Magpie Road. Parents are Robert, (aged 34, Carman from Norwich) , and Ann, (aged 33, from Norwich). Siblings, Elizabeth, (13), Ernest, (0), Esther, (6), James, (10), Robert, (aged 3) and William, (8). All born Norwich.

On the 1911 census there is one John James with a Norwich connection, and it seems to be the one from Magpie Road.

By a process of elimination, this individual on the CWGC database is our most likely Match
Name: FULLER Initials: J J Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Private Regiment/Service: Royal Fusiliers Unit Text: 4th Bn. Date of Death: 31/08/1918 Service No: 72688 Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: I. B. 32. Cemetery: H.A.C. CEMETERY, ECOUST-ST. MEIN
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=303889

The Great War Roll of Honour confirms this is a John J

The 4th Fusiliers were part of the 3rd Division for the the whole. One of the divisional battle honours is
Second Battle of Bapaume. 31 Aug-3 Sep 1918.

On August 31st the 4th Battalion, who had moved up to
positions south-east of Ecoust, attacked eastwards. Ten
minutes before zero the assembly positions were subjected
to a heavy shell and machine-gun fire, and there were
many casualties ; and when our barrage began, five minutes
later, it missed the chief obstacles in the way of the Royal
Fusiliers' advance. As a consequence, while the battalions
on both flanks advanced with little trouble, the 4th Royal
Fusiliers were decisively checked by machine-gun fire from
the sunken road, about 250 yards to the east. Z Company
made several most gallant attempts to reach these guns,
but the men were mown down, and all the officers but one
became casualties. The tank which should have assisted
in coping with this obstacle caught fire a few minutes
before zero. Another tank broke down actually in the
road, and a German officer, climbing on top of it, shot or
took prisoner the whole of the crew. A machine-gun nest
in the south of Ecoust also devoted too much attention to
the battalion, who were completely held up.
About 8 p.m.
the 1st Northumberland Fusiliers cleared the sunken road
under a creeping barrage, and before dawn on September
1st the 4th Royal Fusiliers had advanced 1,500 yards. At
6 p.m. on the same day, with only eight casualties, the
battalion carried the line still further, clearing the sunken
road midway between Longatte and Noreuil. In this
operation 70 prisoners and several machine guns and trench
mortars were captured.
www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/h-c-herbert-charles-oneill...


**************************Private A Fulcher*******************************

Possibly
Name: FULCHER Initials: A
Rank: Private
Regiment: Norfolk Regiment Unit Text: 2nd Bn.
Date of Death: 02/11/1915
Service No: 7638
Grave/Memorial Reference: B. 17. Cemetery: KUT WAR CEMETERY
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=637920

Great War Roll of Honour has this soldier listed as an Archie Fulcher


Less likely
Name: FULCHER Initials: A G H
Rank: Private
Regiment: Norfolk Regiment Unit Text: 2nd Bn.
Age: 22 Date of Death: 27/09/1918
Service No: 30383
Additional information: Son of Richanda Alice Beaumont Fulcher, of I, School Rd., Runham, Vauxhall, Gt. Yarmouth, and the late Henry Thurtell Fulcher.
Grave/Memorial Reference: I. N. 17. Cemetery: BASRA WAR CEMETERY
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=509914

Great War Roll of Honour has this soldier listed as an Alfred G H.

Or
Name: FULCHER, ARTHUR JOHN
Rank: Private
Regiment: Norfolk Regiment Unit Text: 1st/4th Bn.
Age: 37 Date of Death: 01/09/1915
Service No: 2243
Additional information: Son of Mrs. Elizabeth Fulcher, of Wymondham, Norfolk, husband of Laura Fulcher, of Damgate Bridge, Wymondham, Norfolk.
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 42 to 44. Memorial: HELLES MEMORIAL
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=681137

No match on Norlink

1901 Census matches using search criteria Fulcher and Norwich.
Arthur aged 2, born Norwich. Recorded at 9 Fishers Buildings, parish of St Phillips. Parents are John, (aged 36, Tailor from Rushmere, Suffolk) and Emily, (aged 36, from Norwich). Siblings are, Bertie, (8), Edith, (3), and Thomas, (4) - all born Norwich.

Arthur G, aged 7, born Wymondham. Recorded at 21 Egyptian Road, Bishops Bridge Road. Parents are George, (aged 35 - Railway Plate Layer, Wymondham) and Elizabeth, (aged 35, Norwich), Siblings are Ernest, (1), Margaret, (5), and Thomas (3) - all born Wymondham.

Albert aged 9, born Norwich. Recorded at 107 Dereham Road. Parents are Robert, (aged 42, Licensed Victualler from Norwich), and Hannah, (aged 41, from Norwich), Siblings are Adlaine, (14), Donald, (3), Leonard, (7), Lucy, (17) - all born Norwich.

The 1911 census has only one match for an Archie Fulcher for the whole of England and Wales. This individual is shown as being born circa 1891 at St Marys, Norwich, Norfolk. His current whereabouts are not however listed. As St Marys is the neighbouring parish to St Augustines, this tends to strengthen the case for this being our man.

Archie does not appear to be on either the 1901 or 1891 Census for England and Wales.

From India to Mesopotamia
To protect the British owned oil fields in Persia and to stop Turkish domination of the Middle East an Indian Expeditionary Force was sent to the Persian Gulf. As part of this Force the Norfolk Regiment left Belgaum for Bombay under the command of Lieu-Colonel E C Peebles and boarded HM Transport Elephanta on 6 November1914. The 2nd Norfolks arrived at Seniyeh in the Persian Gulf on 15 November 1914 and joined the 18th Brigade, which consisted of the 7th Rajput's, 110th Mahratta Light Infantry and 120th Rajputana Infantry.

The 2nd Norfolks took part in several battles during the advance, finally culminating in the Battle of Ctesiphon on the 22/11/1915, when British force of 11000 defeat a Turkish force of over 18000. Battle ends with a bayonet charge across open ground. Norfolks suffer 6 officers killed 27 men killed, 225 wounded and 2 missing.

However, with opposition mounting, on the 24th November 1915,the Brigade under the command of General Townshend suffering losses and sickness has to withdraw to Kut. The Norfolks form the rear guard as the Brigade withdraws. The 44 miles to Kut is covered in 36 hours. The 2nd Norfolks now comprise half their effective fighting

Kut- al-mara, having been taken in July had been the Allies strong-point and medical base, so its likely that Archie died either as a result of wounds sustained in July or as a result of illness.
www.stephen-stratford.co.uk/pte_wilby.htm


****************Private Herbert Gooch*********************************

Probably
Name: GOOCH, HERBERT FRANCIS
Rank: Lance Corporal
Regiment: King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) Unit Text: 1st Bn.
Age: 29 Date of Death: 20/04/1918
Service No: 28285
Additional information: Son of Mr. and Mrs. Gooch; husband of Mrs. Gooch, of 38, Magpie Rd., Norwich. Native of Norwich.
Grave/Memorial Reference: XXIX. K. 4A. Cemetery: ETAPLES MILITARY CEMETERY
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=501487

During the First World War, the area around Etaples was the scene of immense concentrations of Commonwealth reinforcement camps and hospitals. It was remote from attack, except from aircraft, and accessible by railway from both the northern or the southern battlefields. In 1917, 100,000 troops were camped among the sand dunes and the hospitals, which included eleven general, one stationary, four Red Cross hospitals and a convalescent depot, could deal with 22,000 wounded or sick.
www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_details.aspx?cemetery=56500&...

No match on Norlink

The 12 year old Herbert F, (born Norwich), is recorded on the 1901 census at 60 Beaconsfield Road, in the Parish of St James. This is the household of his parents, Thomas, (aged 44 and a “Restry Cook and Cow Feetner” - Genes Re-united transcriber, or “PastryCook and Confectioner” - Moominpappa, from Great Yarmouth), and Harriet F, (aged 41 and from Ludham). Their other children are:-
Annie M……………….aged 10.………….born Norwich
Arthur S……………….aged 17.…………..born Norwich………Railway Telegraphist
Audrey A………………aged 19.………….born Norwich
Charles Ed……………..aged 14.………….born Norwich………Railway Telegraph Messenger
Edward E………………aged 4.…………born Norwich
Ernest………………….aged u/1.………..born Norwich
Frederick J…………….aged 7.………….born Norwich
George Wm……………aged 5.…………born Norwich

The International Genealogical Index has further details. Herbert Francis was born the 25th July 1888 in the parish of St Peter Parmentergate. He would marry Alice Maud Armes, on the 10th November 1917 in the Parish Church of St Augustines.. His place of death is recorded as the 4th General Hospital, Carniers.
www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/IGI/individual_record.asp...
Alice was born 1897 and would finally die in 1994, having been 75 years a widow.

His parents were Thomas Wade Gooch and Harriet Frances Storey.
www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/IGI/individual_record.asp...

The 4th Division, of which the 1st Kings Own formed part were heavily engaged in March and April 1918 in fighting off the the German Spring offensive including
First Battle of Arras. 28 Mar 1918.
Battle of Hazebrouck. 12-15 Apr, including the defence of the Hinges Ridge and the Nieppe Forest.
Battle of Bethune. 18 Apr 1918, including the second defence of Givenchy.

L\Corporal Gooch could have succumbed to wounds received in any of these actions.

*******************Private Ralph V Gant********************************

Only R V Gant on the CWGC database
Name: GANT, RALPH VICTOR
Rank: Private
Regiment: Essex Regiment Unit Text: 10th Bn.
Date of Death: 21/03/1918
Service No: 34675
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 51 and 52. Memorial: POZIERES MEMORIAL
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1581248

No match on Norlink

A family web-site adds that he was the husband of a Glady Gant
www.gant-name.org.uk/lestweforget.html

The 7 year old Ralph, (born Norwich), is recorded on the 1901 census at 30 Old Palace Road, Norwich, in the parish of St Bartholomew. This is the household of his parents, Benjamin, (aged 42 and a house builder from Reedham), and Emma, (aged 50 and from Norwich). Their other children are:-
Alice………………aged 17.……………born Norwich…….Dressmaker
Benjamin………….aged 13.……………born Norwich
Ethel………………aged 20.……………born Norwich…….Tailoress
Frederick………….aged 19.……………born Norwich…….Carpenter

The Gants also have a boarder living with them, Caroline Thompson, aged 20 and from Strumpshaw who works as a dressmaker.

Given that information and checking the family web-site we can also identify that brother Frederick fell in the Great War.

Name: GANT Initials: F T
Rank: Rifleman
Regiment: King's Royal Rifle Corps Unit Text: 11th Bn.
Age: 35 Date of Death: 25/09/1917
Service No: R/15481
Additional information: Son of Emma and the late Benjamin Gant, of 67, West End St., Norwich, Norfolk.
Grave/Memorial Reference: VI. B. 11A. Cemetery: WIMEREUX COMMUNAL CEMETERY
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=508460

21st March 1918
From the diary of the 8th Battalion East Surrey Regiment, who were in the same division.

21st March 1918. St Quentin, Soissons, Amiens.
The enemy artillery had been gradually increasing in intensity all night, and at 4.30 am reached a maximum, and the battalion was ordered to stand to. The shelling was all east of the CROZAT CANAL and no shells fell near the camp.
At 12.30 pm the commanding officer received a verbal order from the Divisional Headquarters to take the Battalion at once to a position of assembly on the Western outskirts of REMIGY and to proceed himself to the H.qtrs of the 10th ESSEX REGT at LY FONTAINE, where he would received further orders from the G.O.C 53rd Inf. Bde. This order was carried out at once, Companies being in the assembly area by 1.30pm.

The C.O reported to the Hqts 10th Essex Regt but found no orders for him there until about 2pm when Col.Minette DSO MC DGMO turned up with orders from the Division to hold LY FONTAINE - GIBECOURT SWITCH LINE, on the west of LY FONTAINE.

As parties of the enemy could now be seen close to the switch line on the east of LY FONTAINE, the Commanding Officer decided to send “D” Company to make good that section of the line, and for “A” and “C” companies to hold the LY FONTAINE - GIBECOURT SWITCH with “B” Co in Battalion reserve, ½ mile North of REMIGY. These dispositions were taken up and about 3.30 pm a message was received from Brig.Gen Higginson, DSO commanding 53rd Bde that enemy cavalry were working round our left rear from the direction of MONTESCOURT.

Two platoons of “B” Co were therefore ordered to take up a line facing N.W to guard against surprise from that quarter. Battalion H.qrs were established in the North end of REMIGY.

At 9.30pm an order was received from the 53rd Bde to the effect that the battalion would take up a line N and E of REMIGY to cover the retirement of units of the 53rd Bde at 10.30 pm, and that when this operation had been completed, the battalion would withdraw in rearguard formation to the West of CROZAT CANAL and rendezvous at FRIERES - FAILLOUEL, this withdrawal to commence at midnight.
qrrarchive.websds.net/PDF/ES00819180304.pdf

Update 08/01/2020 see the comments box below for more on Ralph

*******************Private Arthur Grady*********************************

Possibly
Name: GRADY Initials: A
Rank: Private
Regiment: Norfolk Regiment Unit Text: 1st Bn.
Date of Death: 27/11/1914 Service No: 6248
Grave/Memorial Reference: A. 10. Cemetery: BAILLEUL COMMUNAL CEMETERY (NORD)
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=197599

The Great War Roll of Honour confirms this is an Arthur Grady, and in fact he would appear to be the only one. The same source has an Arthur B, a Corporal in the East Surrey Regiment who died in 1916, but underneath is added ALIAS Cumbers. However, on the CWGC database, there is no match under Grady, but there is an Arthur Bertie Cumbers listed.
www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=757942

No match on Norlink

The 17 year old Arthur, (born Norwich), is recorded at Vine Cottage, Yarmouth Road, Thorpe - next - Norwich. He is employed as a Labourer. He is shown as the son of the householder Henry Murrell, (aged 60 and a Coach-builder from Caston, Norfolk), and Susanna, (aged 62 and from East Dereham), however, presumably Henry is his step-father. By the time of the 1911 census, Arthur is recorded at Bakewell,

Bailleul was occupied on 14 October 1914 by the 19th Brigade and the 4th Division. It became an important railhead, air depot and hospital centre, with the 2nd, 3rd, 8th, 11th, 53rd, 1st Canadian and 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Stations quartered in it for considerable periods.
www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_details.aspx?cemetery=200004...

18/11/14 Took over trenches at KEMMEL from the French.
27/11/14 Relieved by ROYAL FUSILIERS and moved to billets at DRANOUTRE.
1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t...

********************Private Fred H Hall*********************************

5 potential matches on the CWGC, none with an obvious link.

No match on Norlink

No obvious Fred H, Frederick H or Fredrick H Hall with a Norwich connection on the 1911 census.

Possibles from the 1901census
Fredrick aged 9, born Norwich, recorded at Hammonds Yards in the Parish of St Augustine. Father Arthur, (aged 41, Stone Marble Mason born Norwich) and Harriet, (aged 43, born Norwich). Also Edgar, (12), Frank (3), Gertrude (5), Jessie (7).

Frederick aged 3, born Norwich, recorded at 16 Waterloo Road in the parish of Christ Church. Father George, (aged 38, Boot Riveter, born Norwich) and Rosa (aged 36, born Norwich). Also Arthur, (u/1), Ernest, (9), Ethel, (6), George, (12).

Frederick aged 8, born Norwich, recorded at 63 Albany Road in the parish of Christ Church. Father Robert, (aged 42, Boot Finisher born Norwich) and Mary (aged 39 born Norwich). Also Arthur (12), Charles (1), Elizabeth (21), Flora (17), Hannah (14), Herbert (4), Robert (16), Walter (10).

Great War Roll of Honour
Fred H. Private11589N&D R1914
Looks like that this is a Frederick Henry who came from Chesterfield
www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=878878

Frederick H Private 475135 RAMC1918
www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=288602

Still no obvious match for this man.

**************Private Sidney Howard*********************************

Number of potentials but no obvious match on CWGC

No match on Norlink

Possibles on the 1901 census

Sidney, aged 5, born Norwich, recorded at 76 Calvert Street in the parish of St George of Colegate. Father John (aged 41 Brushmaker from Norwich) and Eliza (aged 40 and from Norwich). Also Alice (18) and Eliza (13).

Sidney, aged 10, born Norwich, recorded at 2,Popes Building, Calvert Street on the parish of St George Colegate. Father is David, (aged 48, Coach Makers Packer from Norwich) , there is no mother shown although there is a 43 year old unmarried female visitor staying with the family on the night of the census, Christiana Lowe, a dressmaker from Norwich. Making up the rest of the family is Ernest (13) and a boarder George Lowe, (18 an a Boot maker).

Possibly
Name: HOWARD Initials: S
Rank: Private
Regiment: Norfolk Regiment Unit Text: 7th Bn.
Date of Death: 05/12/1917 Service No: 27344
Grave/Memorial Reference: II. C. 56. Cemetery: HONNECHY BRITISH CEMETERY
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=572295
The Great War Roll of Honour confirms this is a Sidney

Honnechy was part of the battlefield of Le Cateau in August 1914, and from that time it remained in German hands until the 9th October 1918, when the 25th Division and the 6th Cavalry Brigade captured it. It had been a German Hospital centre, and from its capture until the end of October it was a British Field Ambulance centre. The village was inhabited by civilians during the whole of the War. The cemetery stands on the site of a German Cemetery begun in the Battle of Cambrai 1917 and used by German troops and then by British until the 24th October 1918. The 300 German graves were removed to another burial ground, leaving 44 British graves; and the cemetery was re-made in 1922 and 1923 by the concentration of British graves almost entirely from German Cemeteries,
www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_details.aspx?cemetery=63203&...

Giving the date and the way in which the cemetery was used, Private Howard was a prisoner, possibly captured and wounded in an action that had taken place a few days earlier.

Battalion War Diary
Trenches 30th About 7 am a very heavy Hun barrage commenced, and at 7.40 am he attacked in Mass, in enormous numbers from GONNELIEU, which he had just previously taken about 7.35am and also from BANTEAUX. The Bosche attacked the Battalion from the right flank and the front. Our Lewis gunds did splendid work, mowing down the enemy in large numbers, but by weight of numbers he forced the Battalion to fall back on to Battalion Headquarters in BLEAK TRENCH and a strong point on our left front. The Hun succeeded in surrounding many of our men, who were thereby forced to surrender. We made a splendid fight and accounted for enormous numbers of the enemy. About 10.00am Sec.Lieut G Maddison was the only officer left, and he, along with the remaining men of the Battalion, attached himself to the 9th Fusiliers Regt.

Our casualties were as follow
Killed
Captain + acting (M) A M Charlton M C
Sec.Lieut. H E A Payne
Wounded
Capt F R G Haward
Lieut M L Chaland M C
Sec Lieut A M Brown
H Kontili
E C Page
J I Stubbs
C E Pratley
A Anable
Wounded and missing
Lt Col H L F A Gielgud MC
Capt K R Potter M C
Lieut W G Collins
Sec Lieut W H Parish
G D Summers
Missing
Sec Lieut A S Goddard

Sec Lieut W J Kemp was admitted to hospital suffering from shell shock.Our casualties among the rank and file were:-

Killed 27
Wounded89
Missing204
Wounded and Missing 13

There is a note at the end of the page
During the Hun Counter-attack, the War Diary for November was unfortunately lost* and the months diary has had to be compiled from the only information available, which was very little indeed.

* for “lost” read “destroyed when the enemy attacked on Nov.30th”

***************Private Edward Halfacre*********************************

There is also a full panel dedication.

“Sacred to the memory of
Rfm Edward C Halfacre
8th London P.O. Rifles
One of our Sunday School Teachers
Who passed away
21st May 1919”

Edward does not appear to be commemorated on the CWGC database and I can only assume he had already been discharged from the Army when he succumbed to his wounds.

But note there is
Name: HALFACRE, JAMES
Rank: Private
Service: Army Service Corps Unit Text: Labour Coy.
Age: 51 Date of Death: 03/02/1916
Service No: SS/18150
Additional information: Husband of Emily Halfacre, of 20, Bull Close Rd., Norwich. Grave/Memorial Reference: C. VII. 5. Cemetery: PIETA MILITARY CEMETERY
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=115295

No match on Norlink.

The 5 year Edward C, (born Norwich), is recorded on the 1901 census at Kerrisons Yard, Tombland, in the Parish of St Georges Tombland. This is the household of his parents, Edward,(aged 44 and a Coachman from Wokingham, Berkshire) and Elizabeth M A, (aged 42 and a Brushmaker from Norwich),

The baptism of Edward Charly took place at St George’s Tombland on the 5th May 1895, with Theodore Parks officiating. His date of birth is listed as the 2nd April 1896, (but must surely be 1895). His parents Edward and Elizabeth May Alice were in attendance, with his fathers occupation listed as coachman. The family reside at Kerrisons Yard.

Looks like James and Edward are probably cousins, as James father was also from Wokingham in Berkshire,

**************Private William A Hudson********************************

Name: HUDSON, WILLIAM ALFRED
Rank: Private
Regiment: King's Own Scottish Borderers Unit Text: 2nd Bn.
Age: 19 Date of Death: 13/09/1914
Service No: 11521
Additional information: Son of William John and Maria Hudson, of 2, Anchor Yard, St. George's, Norwich.
Memorial: LA FERTE-SOUS-JOUARRE MEMORIAL
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=879162

No match on Norlink

The 6 year old William A, born Norwich, is recorded on the 1901 census at 5 Reads Court, in the Parish of St Marks, Lakenham. This is the household of his parents, William I. (aged 32 and a Bricklayers Labourer from Norwich), and Maria (aged 27 and from Norwich). Making up the household is a daughter, Ivy A. aged 2 and born Norwich.

The War diaries of the 1st Battn East Surrey Regiment, who were in the same Division although different brigade, are available on line.

They talk of how they and a battalion of Manchesters, (presumably the 2nd Battalion from the 14th Brigade), with the assistance of Royal Engineers, constructed rafts to cross the Aisne on the 13th, and there met up with units from the 4th Division and together advanced up the spurs towards the heights. In the entry for the 14th there is a mention of forming up with two (unnamed) battalions of the 13th Brigade who had crossed the Aisne further up by bridge.
qrrarchive.websds.net/PDF/ES00119140907.pdf

**************Private George W Howell********************************
Name: HOWELL, GEORGE WILLIAM
Rank: Private
Regiment: Canadian Infantry (Central Ontario Regiment) Unit Text: 4th Bn.
Age: 22 Date of Death: 23/04/1915
Service No: 11244
Additional information: Son of Arthur and Charlotte Howell, of 52, Esdelle St., Norwich, England.
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 18 - 24 - 26 - 30. Memorial: YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1593158

No match on Norlink

George Williams enlistment papers can be seen here
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/cef/001042-119.02-e...

www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/cef/001042-119.02-e...

He was born 22/03/1893 and gives his birthplace as Norwich, England. It looks like his occupation is plowman, although given the handwriting it could equally be plummer. He was 5 feet 4 inches with blue eyes and brown hair.
His next of kin was his mother , Charlotte Howell, then of 63 Esdelle Street. He had previously served in the 36th Regiment of Militia. He enlisted on the 22nd September 1914.

George W is on the 1901 census for England and Wales. Aged 8 and born Norwich, he is recorded at 63 Esdelle Street, in the parish of St Augustines. This is the household of his parents, Arthur, (aged 31, and a Stone Mason from Norwich), and Charlotte, (aged 36 and from Wellingham (?), Norfolk). Their other children are:-
Arthur……………………..aged 9.……………..born Norwich
Lottie M…………………..aged 6.……………..born Norwich
Mabel K…………………..aged 1.……………..born Norwich
Reginald J…………………aged 3.…………….born Norwich

Extract from the War Diary.
23rd April VLAMERTINGHE
12.30 am the Battalion moved off, crossed No.4 Pontoon bridge of the YSER canal at 4.10 a.m.

4.30 am Battalion halted at a farmhouse 1200 yards west of PICKLEN were the enemy were entrenched. We commenced to advance towards ridge at 5.25 am, B COY leading and occupying a portion of 150 yards frontage. The other Coys followed. Artillery and Machine Gun fire of the enemy very heavy. Entrenched at 400 yards from enemy. Lieut-Col Birchall took command of C Coy when Coy Commander was wounded.

7 pm Lieut-Col Birchall killed.
9pm Battalion came out of action relieved by East Yorks. Adjutant killed, 2nd in command wounded, 16 other casualties amongst Officers, other ranks 487. The Battalion congregated at Transport Lines B.29.B and remained there during the night. Major Ballantine in Command.
data2.collectionscanada.ca/e/e044/e001077583.jpg
data2.collectionscanada.ca/e/e044/e001077584.jpg

*******************Private John Hardy**********************************

Possibly
Name: HARDY, JOHN
Rank: Private
Regiment: Norfolk Regiment Unit Text: 2nd/4th Bn.
Age: 45 Date of Death: 21/02/1916
Service No: 2166
Additional information: Husband of Mary Helen Hardy, of 39, St. George's St., Norwich. Grave/Memorial Reference: DD. 95. Cemetery: AYLESBURY CEMETERY
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=343756

No match on Norlink
The 29 year old John, (born Norwich and employed as a Shoe Maker), is recorded on the 1901 census as the Head of household at 6 Angel Yard in the Parish of St Martin at Oak. His wife, Mary, is aged 24 and from Norwich. Their children then are:-
Alice………………aged 1.…………..born Norwich
John……………….aged 5.…………..born Norwich
Rosa……………….aged 2.…………..born Norwich

On the 1891 census the 19 year old John is recorded in Colchester Barracks, as a private soldier in the 2nd Norfolk Regiment. On the 1881 census the 9 year old John is recorded at 7 Reeves Yard in the Parish of St Marys Coslany. This is the household of his parents Robert and Maria and is one of seven children.

2/4th Battalion
Formed in Norwich in September 1914 as a Second Line Battalion. Disbanded in UK in June 1918.
www.1914-1918.net/norfolks.htm

**************Private Ernest C Jolly*************************************

4 potential matches on CWGC, no obvious candidates

No match on Norlink

There is a baptism record for an Ernest Jolly which took place on the 22nd March 1899 at St Peter Parmentergate. Ernest was born 30th December 1881. His father is listed as William, a Brush Maker. The family reside at Kings Street. No mothers name is recorded.

There are no obvious Ernest C’s on the 1911 Census for England and Wales and there are no Ernest C’s on the Great War Roll of Honour, which leads me to wonder if this is actually Ernest G.

Name: JOLLY, ERNEST GEORGE
Rank: Private
Regiment: King's Own Scottish Borderers Unit Text: 1st/5th Bn.
Date of Death: 19/04/1917 Service No: 201807
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panels 23 and 24. Memorial: JERUSALEM MEMORIAL
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1645813

However, while there are two potential matches for an Ernest Jolly on the 1901 census with a Norwich connection, one is ruled out by a different initial, while the other is recorded at 5 Globe Place in the Parish of St Bartholomew. He is aged 5, born Norwich, and is the step-son of the head of the household, Charles, (aged 45 and a House Painter, shown as a British Subject born India). His wife, Ernest’s mother is Rosetta, (aged 35 and born Norwich). As well as Ernest, she has brought another son Percy, (aged 9), with her. .Meanwhile the Harper’s have a daughter of their own, Alice L. aged 1.

The individual baptised at St Peter Parmentergate in 1899 does not appear on the 1891, 1901 or 1911 censuses.

*******************Private Arthur Lane***********************************

Too many possible, no obvious candidates
No match on Norlink

No obvious match on the 1901 or 1911 census for England and Wales.

************Private Edward H Loombe**********************************

No matches at all for the surname Loombe on the CWGC database

No match on Norlink

The 1911 census has an Albert Edward, born Norwich\Kent(?) circa 1893 and still recorded in Norwich,

The 7 year Albert, (born Norwich) is recorded on the 1901 census at 24 Silver Street in the Parish of St James, Pockthorpe. This is the household of his parents, Robert W (aged 46, and a Labourer in an Electrical Works from Norwich) and Caroline, (aged 45 and from Norwich). Their other children are:-
Alice N……………aged 17.………..born Norwich……………Woollen Jacket Member
Bessie L……………aged 15.……….born Norwich…………….Yarn Packer
Ethel M……………aged 10.……….born Norwich
Leah M…………….aged 19.……….born Norwch…………….Crepe Worker
Robert M…………..aged 12.………born Norwich

However, there is an Albert Edward Loombe recorded as the Landlord of the Magpie Public House, Magpie Road, from 1934 to 1940.
www.norfolkpubs.co.uk/norwich/mnorwich/nchmagp.htm

I then started looking at other sources for similar sounding surnames.

The Great War Roll of Honour lists a Private Edward Loome, 43262 Norfolk Regiment who died in 1916.

This leads us to this gentleman
Name: LOOME, EDWARD HENRY
Rank: Private
Regiment: Norfolk Regiment Unit Text: 1st Bn.
Age: 35 Date of Death: 04/09/1916
Service No: 43262
Additional information: Son of Edward Mark and Harriett Loome; husband of Susanah Ruth Loome, of 10, Esdelle St., St. Augustines, Norwich.
Grave/Memorial Reference: Pier and Face 1 C and 1 D. Memorial: THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=801343

The battalion attack was on Falfemont Farm. The attack was held up and casualties were being caused by bombing and small arms fire before they eventually took the objective only to come under friendly artillery fire that caused serious casualties. According to the Regimental casualty book 56 all ranks were killed, 219 wounded and 94 missing, believed killed, a total of 369. The battalion was relieved the next day.
1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t...
(Private Cannell who is also commemorated on this Roll of Honour died in the same action)

The 1901 census has the 19 year old Edward H, born Norwich, single and employed as a journeyman baker, recorded at 12 Esdelle Street in the parish of St Augustines. This is the household of his parents, Edward M, (aged 46 and a Brewery Cooper from London), and Harriet, (aged 46 and from Barton Mills, Suffolk). Their other children are:
Ethel M……………aged 14.………………born Norwich……………..Tailoress
Frederick G………..aged 7.………………..born Norwich
Maud L……………aged 12.……………….born Norwich
Sydney F…………..aged 16.………………bprn Norwich……………Journeyman Baker

Although I do not have detailed access to the 1911 census, there is a Ruth Susannah, born Circa 1882, Ryland South (?) Great Yarmouth.who lives in the same Norwich household as an Edward Henry who is aged 29 and was born Norwich..

By a process of trial and error !, we can also establish that living in the same household is Lily Ethel Maud Loome, (born circa 1906, St Augustines, Norwich), May Ruth Loome, (born circa 1908 St Augustines, Norwich), and Rosa Harriett Loome, (born circa 1910, St Augustines, Norwich).

The balance of evidence so far is that the name carved on the St Augustines Roll of Honour was incorrect, and one wonders if it caused concern and distress at the time.

**************Private Albert J Lundy*************************************

Only one A J Lundy on the CWGC database

Name: LUNDY, ALBERT JAMES
Rank: Private
Regiment: Northumberland Fusiliers Unit Text: 1st Bn.
Date of Death: 19/09/1914
Service No: 1263
Memorial: LA FERTE-SOUS-JOUARRE MEMORIAL
CWGC <a href="http://www.cwgc

Postwick War Memorial - 1 by Moominpappa06

© Moominpappa06, all rights reserved.

Postwick War Memorial - 1

A great deal of research has already been done on the WW1 only names on the memorial at the Roll Of Honour site - :
www.roll-of-honour.com/Norfolk/Postwick.html

Any information taken from that source is identified as (RoH) and is not intended to infringe any copyright.

BALDERSTONE Edmund Augustus …………….(RoH)
Corporal 21328. 8th Battalion Border Regiment. Killed in action in France & Flanders on 5th July 1916. Born Lexham, Norfolk. Enlisted Norwich. Commemorated: Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France. Pier and Face 6 A and 7 C.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=772119

The 1901 and 1891 Censuses have no match for an Edmund or an Augustus. The 1901 Census has one Balderstone recorded as being born at Lexham, but her name is Mary and by the time of the Census she is in North Yorkshire as a live in servant. Mary does not appear to be on the 1891 Census.

Edmund gets a mention on a family tree web-site, which confirms he was born East Lexham 17th August 1888 and died on the Somme, 5th July 1916.
balderstonesofnorfolk.co.uk/wc_idx/Descendants of John BALDERSTONE.pdf

After being engaged in a disastrous action near Ovillers on the 3rd, the 8th Borders appear to have been out of the line on the 5th, but more research is needed to confirm this. (The battalion were in the 75th Brigade of the 25th Division).
www.1914-1918.net/border.htm
forum.irishmilitaryonline.com/showthread.php?t=9058


BARKER Stephen Clare …………………………..(RoH)
Private 22759. 9th Battalion Norfolk Regiment. Killed in action in France & Flanders on 15th September 1915. Born Postwick. Enlisted Norwich. Could not find on CWGC.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=769542

The CWGC entry tells us he was 20, gives the year of death as 1916 rather than 1915, and tells us that he was the son of Mr & Mrs Robert Barker, High House, Postwick.

Norlink - No Picture in the Archive.

On the 1901 Census, the 5 year old Stephen is living at Marsh Road, Postwick - the village of his birth. This is the household of his parents, Robert, a 39 year old Teamman on Farm who comes from Postwick, and Caroline, (also aged 39 and from Postwick). Their other children are Bertie, (aged 7), Lily (aged 13), Louis, (aged 10), Mary (aged 2), and William, (aged 14 and a Stable Boy on Farm).
15th September 1916 Battle of the Somme
The last great Allied effort to achieve a breakthrough came on 15 September in the Battle of Flers-Courcelette with the initial advance made by 11 British divisions (nine from Fourth Army, two Canadian divisions on the Reserve Army sector) and a later attack by four French corps.
The battle is chiefly remembered today as the debut of the tank. The British had high hopes that this secret weapon would break the deadlock of the trenches. Early tanks were not weapons of mobile warfare—with a top speed of 2 mph (3.2 km/h), they were easily outpaced by the infantry—but were designed for trench warfare. They were untroubled by barbed wire obstacles and impervious to rifle and machine gun fire, though highly vulnerable to artillery. Additionally, the tanks were notoriously unreliable; of the 49 tanks available on 15 September, only 32 made it to the start line, and of these, only 21 made it into action

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Flers-Courcelette

What is known is that on 15th September the battalion was engaged in very heavy fighting as part of the Battle of the Somme and had taken up a position near the village of Ginchy in order to attack a German strongpoint called ‘the Quadrilateral’. As part of this attack the British were to use a new weapon for the first time; the tank was to be used to help punch the way through. It was hoped that the very presence of such a weapon would help to carry the day but unfortunately for the Norfolks the new weapon was to prove disastrous.

Tank tactics had yet to be worked out and little or no exercises had been conducted between the infantry and the tankies. Instead of being used en masse the tanks were used in penny packets all along the line and their effectiveness was thus reduced. Three tanks were supposed to precede the Norfolks twenty minutes before they went over the top. Two of these broke down. The third became totally disorientated and mistook the Norfolks forming up trench for the German front line and began to saturate the whole length of the trench with machine gun fire. A great many Norfolks were killed or wounded before one of the company officers managed to stop the tank and point it in the right direction. Despite these enormous losses the battalion managed to advance but was held up in front of uncut barbed wire that a preliminary bombardment was supposed to have cut. Here they were pinned down for most of the day, all the time being subject to German shellfire and casualties rose. On this single day the battalion suffered 432 casualties, about half their strength.

www.oldbuckenham-pri.norfolk.procms.co.uk/pages/viewpage....

151 Soldiers of the 9th Battalion appear to have died on this day on the CWGC database.
William Aldis, age 25 of Alpington, Norfolk
Herbert Aldis, age 22, his brother, of Alpington, Norfolk
Kenneth Alexander, age 23, of Long Stratton
Frederick Bailey
William Baker, age 29, born Shropham nr Thetford, resident Watton
W M Bale, age 23 of Broome, Bungay
Robert Barber
Stephen Barker, age 20, of Postwick, Norwich
Richard Barnes
2nd Lt John Bashford
Percy Bayes
William Beck, age 19, of Brundall
Arthur Betts
Edward Betts, age 33, of Great Melton
William Bezance, age 21, of Great Yarmouth
John Bird, age 27, of Seething
William Bloomfield, age 20, of Roydon, Diss
John Blowers, age 40, of Castleacre, Kings Lynn
Augustus Bolderstone, age 22, of Burnham Thorpe
Burrel Bond
H Bradbrook, age 20, native of Overstrand
Albert Brock, age 27, Hardwick
A W Brooks, age 32, North Pickenham
Paul Samuel Brooks, age 35, Filby and Norwich
James Brown
Bertie Brown, age 29, from Norwich
Arthur Bryant, age 22, of Winfarthing
Richard Bullard
Frederick Burton
James Bussey, age 26, of Langley
William Butcher
Richard Carver
W Carver
Albert Caston
James Catchpole, age 22, of Dickleburgh
Alfred Clarke,
Frederick Clarke, age 21, of Gorleston
C Clarke
Geoffrey Collins, age 20, of Great Yarmouth
Charles Constable, age 19, Albany Road, Catton, Norwich
Albert Copeman
James Curry
W Dann
Robert Davey, age 32 from Bermondsey, London
Frederick Dawson, age 20, of Burnham Thorpe
Captain William De Caux
W Dewing, age 19, of Great Walsingham
George Dixon
D Doran
George Douglas
Company Sergeant Major Samuel Earnshaw, age 32, of Grant Street, Norwich
Sidney Easter
George Ellis
Arthur English
E L Fawkes, of Narborough
Herbert Fisher, age 21, of Stoke Holy Cross
Leonard Foster
F A Fox
Edward Francis
Robert Futter
Fernby Gamble
John Garner, age 21, of Bluebell Road, Eaton, Norwich
Thomas Gent, age 24, of Feltwell, Brandon
H W Gibbons, age 22
Robert Goatson
Robert Godbolt
Lieutenant John Goddard, age 21, of Harrow, Middlesex
M F Gotts
Austin Gower age 24 of Wortwell
John Green, age 27, of Castleacre, Kings Lynn
Henry Grimmer, age 23, of Haddiscoe
Arthur Groom
Louis Gunton
Francis Gurney, age 20, of Fenny Stratford, Bucks
Charles Gutberlet
George Hagon
Arthur Halls, age 25
William Harnwell
A W Harrison
J E Hayes
Frederick Helsdon
Sam Hendry
William Heyhoe
Christopher Horn, age 24, of Thetford and Garboldisham
Matthew Howling, age 21, of Brisley, Elmham
W Huggins
E R Hunt
Sidney James
Frederick Kenny
Charles Kettle, age 32, of Felbrigg
George Kitchen, age 37, of Diss
E A Lambert, age 24, of Saxlingham
C E Larkins
Joseph Larter, age 28, of Swainsthorpe
G Lawes
Charles Lawrence, age 21, of Harpole, Northamptonshire
Sidney Laws, age 21, of Stradsett
Alfred Layton
Harry Leggett, age 26, of Wymondham
Ernest Leman
Douglas Lidington, age 37, of London
Edwin London, age 25, of Great Yarmouth
Charles Love, age 19, of Elmham
Thomas Masters, age 26, of Docking
R Mayes
A Meachen
Cecil Meek
Alfred Merton
George Mooney, age 23, of Pimlico, London
John Moore
Hugh Morter, age 27, of Hoveton St Peter
James Moy, of Kings Lynn
Charles Nash
Cecil Newton
F Nunn, age 20, of Eccles near Attleborough
John Osborne, age 22, of Harpley
James Palmer
Walter Peake, age 21, of Roydon, Diss
William Peeling
William Pidgeon
William Pinner, age 31, of Little Snoring and East Harling
Sergeant Benjamin Povey, age 30, of Newbury, Berks
B A Preston, age 30, of Bale, Melton Constable
Ernest Pye
W Quantrill, age 19, of Millers Lane, New Catton, Norwich
Frank Raines
Herbert Ramm
W F Read, age 18, of Swaffham and West Raynham
Sergeant Albert Reece, age 28, of Cardiff
Robert Reeve
Harry Rowell
F Rush
Walter Sargent, age 24, of Maida Vale, London
Rudolph Saunders
Sidney Smith age 24, of Northrepps and Norwich
George Smith
Benjamin Snelling
Frederick Sowells
Reginald Staff
Aubrey Stone
Henry Suffling, of Kentish Town, London
George Temple
Thomas Tooley
George Townshend
William Turner, age 26, of Thorpe Market
Bertie Wakefield, age 23, of Guist
Archie Ward
Thomas Warnes
George Watson
Richard Webb

There are five more men from the 9th listed as dying on the 16th September, with three buried in cemeteries associated with the casualty clearing stations set up to deal with the seriously wounded of the Somme battles. The other two are listed on the Thiepval monument as having no known grave.

DREWRY George ………………………(RoH)
Private 1460. 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers. Killed in action in France & Flanders on 20th September 1914. Aged 25. Born Norwich. Enlisted Fakenham. Son of George and Bridget Drewry, of 1, Harbour Rd., Thorpe Hamlet, Norwich. Commemorated: La Ferte-Sous-Jouarre Memorial, Seine-et-Marne, France.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=878446

Norlink - No Picture in the Archive.

The 1901 Census finds the 14 year old George working as a Milk Car Driver. While this doesn’t quite tie in with him being 25 in 1914, I suspect it is the right individual. Having been born in Great Plumstead, (Not Norwich), he was by now living at Hall Lane, Postwick, with his parents, George, (aged 45 and a dairyman on farm, originally from Gt Plumstead), and Bridget, (aged 40 and from the same village). The rest of their children are Dorothy, (aged 5), Kate, (aged 16), Mary, (aged 8), Robert, (aged 21 and a Milkman on Farm), and Walter, (aged 12),

There are many units serving with the British Expeditionary Force, (BEF) who have the battle honour Action on the Aisne Heights, 20th September 1914. This includes the 1st Northumberland Fusiliers. However the internet seems to be less than forthcoming. It would appear that following defeat on the River Marne earlier in September, the German Army retreated to the line of the River Aisne, whose steeply rising heights, and the excellent arterial road, the Chemin des Dames along the top seemed an idealdefensive position. The French and the BEF pursued them , and between the 10th to 15th September, they crossed the river and fought their way onto the heights, seizing part of the Chemin des Dames. The only reference I came across to the events of the 20th, was a reference to 6th Division troops, newly arrived in France who were marched up to the Chemin des Dames on the 21st to relieve a number of units who’d taken a hammering fighting off the sustained German counter-attack the previous day.

EDWARDS William Bruce ………………….(RoH)
Private 41657. "W" Company, 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment. Formerly 5464 Norfolk Regiment. Killed in action in France & Flanders on 14th April 1917. Aged 38. Born and lived Postwick. Enlisted Norwich. Son of John and Mary Anne Edwards, of Postwick. Norwich. Commemorated: Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France. Bay 7.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1541240

Norlink - No Picture in the Archive.

The 1901 Census has the 22 year William B Edwards living at Marsh Road, Postwick and working as a Carter on Farm. This was the village of his birth. The address was the household of his parents, John, (aged 69 and a General Farm Labourer), and Mary A, (aged 59), both natives of Postwick. Also living with them are son Henry, (aged 40, Single, and a General Farm Labourer), and Samuel, (age 23, Single and a Cowman on Farm).

Thu., Apr 12, 1917
The Bn. marched from billets at FOSSEUX to ARRAS (abt 10 miles) and on arrival was at once ordered to proceed with the remainder of the 88th Bde to relieve the 37th Bde near MONCHY-LE-PREUX. The Bn arrived at ARRAS at 3pm and left to carry out the relief 4 miles off at 6.30pm. Owing to intense congestion on the road and other delays the relief was not completed until 3am on 13th.
Prior to leaving ARRAS orders had been issued for an attack on the German line in company with the 1st NFLD to be made on the 13th at an hour to be notified later.
The attack was to be made from an Assembly trench which was to be dug on the night of the 12/13 by 2nd Hants, 4th Worcs were in support to the attack.
Owing to the late hour at which the Brigade relief was completed & consequent impossibility of making adequate preparation for the attack the operation was postponed.
At daylight therefore on the 13th the Brigade was situated as shown in the attached map.
At 11am orders were received to make the attack at 2pm. These orders also were cancelled a few minutes before Zero.
During the night 13/14 the 2nd Hants dug the required assembly trench and operation orders were issued to the Bn. by Lt. Col. Halaham. App. B.
At 5.30am on 14th the barrage fell and the battalion left the trench & carried out the assault.
In spite of a certain weakness of the barrage the objective was gained and by 6.30am all companies had reported that they were busy digging in.
In the mean time "X" Coy detailed to form a flank guard to the thence attacking Coys had at once come in contact with the enemy.
Therefore acting under Capt. Foster's orders No. 5 Platoon got into shell holes at about 0 1b 8.1 and opened fire. No. 8 Platoon being checked by machine gun fire from ARROW COPSE No 7 was directed to outflank this copse with the result that No 8 could again get forward , capturing the 2 machine guns & driving the enemy out of the copse. The small wood at O 2a 7.5 was also in hostile occupation but was cleared by Lewis Guns & Rifle Grenades. The Company then moved forward to the N. end of the copses where all platoons came under fire from a line of hidden machine guns. The company now began to form the chain of strong points as detailed in operation orders.

From this point no further definitive news could be gathered as to the fate of this company. A few men eventually rejoined the battalion & from their statements it is certain that all Platoons their proper positions where they were at once attacked by very superior German forces & were finally overwhelmed in these positions at a time between 6.30 and 7.30 am.
The main attack by the remaining 3 Coys having reached their objective by 6.30 am started to dig in and reports were sent back to Bn. Hqrs that large forces of the enemy could be seen in the BOIS du SART & the BOIS des AUBE PINES and that all covering parties were sent forward were at once coming under heavy machine gun & rifle fire.
It became apparent rapidly to the Coy commanders that an immediate counter attack was being prepared and this also was reported to Bn. Hqrs. These reports were confirmed by two Coy commanders in person returning wounded from the main attack. [Capt Tomlinson, Capt Caroline]
Steps had already been taken to get the Artillery on to the points where the enemy was reported to be massing but owing to the destruction of the wires by shell fire it was an hour before the guns opened fire.
By 7.30am the counter attack had fully developed in all its strength of at least 9 battalions. The weight of the attack seams to have come from the N. East & thus fell on "X" Coy. This Coy in spite of a stout resistance was gradually overwhelmed. Vide app. C.
From 7.30 onwards no reports, messages or wounded men arrived at Bn Hqrs or the Aid Post it is therefore apparent that "X" Coy having been overrun the hostile forces got between MONCHY & the attacking Companies of the Essex & NLFD. No men have returned from these Companies.
As soon as it became clear that MONCHY itself was being attacked patrols were put out from Hqr party to hold street barricades in MONCHY. No German succeeded in entering MONCHY. It must be remembered that during all this time the town was under an intense enemy barrage thus rendering it almost impossible to reinforce or support the two Battalions & making the work of the respective Hqrs parties extremely arduous.
Except for a certain amount of support from the 4th Worcester & 2dn Hants they fought on alone & these two battalions broke up a German attack designed not to drive them back but to retake MONCHY itself.
Appendix C. contains a copy of the Special Order issued by the G.O.C. 88th Bde.
Of the Officers who went into action the following is killed : 2/Lt. L. Cousins.
The following are wounded :- Capts R.E.G. Caroline, J. Tomlinson, Lieuts ?.W.J. Taylor
R. Eastwood. 2/Lt's H. Ockendon, S. ?. Andrew, F.W. Barker.
The following are missing :- Capt H.J.B. Foster, Lt C.R. Brown, 2/Lts A.L. Piper, S.N.R. Eyre, C.H. Feline H.R. Newth, P.W. Coombs, L.F. Portway; G.W. Turk.
Total casualties 17 officers & 644 OR. out of a strength of 31 officers & 892 O.R.


Sun., Apr 15, 1917
The remnants of the Battalion were now withdrawn & went to billets in ARRAS.

1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=594...

LEGGETT Cecil George …………………….(RoH)
Rifleman 45201. 16th Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps. Formerly S/303537 Royal Army Service Corps. Died of wounds in France & Flanders on 27th October 1918. Born Harlesdon, Norfolk. Enlisted Norwich. Son of Mrs. Holmes, of Church St., Bawburgh, Norwich. Buried: Awoingt British Cemetery, Nord, France. Ref. I. F. 18.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=536637


Norlink - No Picture in the Archive.

There are two likely Cecil Leggetts on the 1901 Census for England and Wales, but neither were born in Harlesdon. One, aged 7 was living with his Grandfather at Pulham St Mary, while the other was aged 21 and lived on Bury Street, Norwich with his 74 year old widowed mother. Of the two, I presume its more likely our chap was the 7 year old, but none of this provides a link to Postwick.

The Battle of the Selle 1918, (17th to 25th October) had involved the 16th Battalion, as part of 100 Brigade, 33rd Division.
www.ordersofbattle.darkscape.net/site/warpath/divs/33_div...
www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_selle.html



PRIMROSE (The Rt. Hon.) M.C. Neil James Archibald …(RoH)
Captain (The Rt. Hon.). 1st/1st Battalion Royal Buckinghamshire Hussars. Killed in action on 15th November 1917. Aged 34. Second son of 5th Earl of Rosebery (the former Prime Minister) and Countess of Rosebery; husband of Lady Victoria Primrose (now Lady Victoria Bullock), of Swynford Paddocks, Six Mile Bottom, Newmarket. Privy Councillor and Member of Parliament for Wisbech Division, Cambs. since 1910. Awarded the Military Cross. Buried: Ramleh War Cemetery, Israel. Ref. D. 49.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=653139


Norlink - No Picture in the Archive.
No obvious match on the 1901 Census for England and Wales, but if he was a career soldier, he could have been serving overseas at that time.

Created a Privy Counsellor in 1917, he was killed in November at Gezer during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign while leading his squadron against Turkish positions on the Abu Shusheh ridge during the Third Battle of Gaza.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Primrose_(politician)

fp.underw.f9.co.uk/bucksrems/casualties/m1131.html
hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1917/nov/19/death-of-...

There is a photograph of Neil Primrose in the Library of Congress collection on Flickr
www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/3121124446/
The British Jewry Book of Honour lists three Rothschilds who had commissions in the regiment during the First World War. One of them, Major Evelyn Achille de Rothschild, was wounded on 13 November 1917 in the cavalry charge at El Mughar in the Palestine campaign and died four days later. His cousin Neil Primrose also fell. He was the son of Hannah Rothschild who, to the chagrin of both families, married the 5th Earl of Rosebery. Neil Primrose, Evelyn de Rothschild's cousin, also served in the Royal Bucks Hussars in Palestine. He was killed on 15 November 1917.
www.hellfire-corner.demon.co.uk/snillop.htm

www.firstworldwar.com/source/jerusalem_masterman.htm


TURNER Alfred Edward…………………..(RoH)
Serjeant 16837. 7th Battalion Norfolk Regiment. Killed in action in France & Flanders on 13th October 1915. Aged 30. Born Blakeney, Norfolk. Enlisted Norwich. Son of Edward Clifford Turner and Anna Turner. Commemorated: Loos Memorial, Pas de Calais, France. Panel 30 and 31.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1771046

Or Could be: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=31860
Name: TURNER, ALFRED EDWARD
Rank: Private Regiment/Service: Norfolk Regiment Unit Text: 9th Bn.
Age: 30 Date of Death: 21/09/1916 Service No: 15323
Additional information: Son of John and Elizabeth Turner, of Walcot, Norfolk; husband of Mrs. N. Turner, of Colby, Long Rd., Aylsham, Norfolk.
Grave/Memorial Reference: I. H. 9. Cemetery: GROVE TOWN CEMETERY, MEAULTE

The 9th Battalion soldier was living at Bell Yard, White Street Martham at the time of the 1901 Census, having been born at Rollesby. He was aged 15 and employed as a Hay Trusser. This was the household of his parents, John, (a 44 year old Domestic Coachman), and Elizabeth, (aged 45). Their other children are Andrew, (aged 8), Charles, (aged 16 and a “Stoke Freeder on Farm”), and Rosetta, (aged 5)

No obvious match on the 1901 Census for the 7th Battalion man,

Norlink - No Picture in the Archive.

1939 - 1945

Bernard Eric Allen

Name: ALLEN, BERNARD ERIC
Rank: Private Regiment/Service: Royal Army Medical Corps
Date of Death: 21/12/1943 Service No: 7359592
Grave/Memorial Reference: 2. A. 4. Cemetery: TOBRUK WAR CEMETERY
www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2224643

Edward Rivers-Fletcher

Name: FLETCHER, EDWARD RIVERS
Rank: Lieutenant
Regiment: Royal Armoured Corps Unit Text: 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry
Age: 35 Date of Death: 28/06/1944 Service No: 222645
Additional information: Son of Muriel Fletcher; husband of Dora Fletcher, of Paddington, London.
Grave/Memorial Reference: VII. G. 14. Cemetery: ST. MANVIEU WAR CEMETERY, CHEUX
www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2061066

The Allied offensive in north-western Europe began with the Normandy landings of 6 June 1944. Those buried in St. Manvieu War Cemetery died for the most part in the fluctuating battles from mid June to the end of July 1944, in the region between Tilly-sur-Seulles and Caen.
www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_details.aspx?cemetery=200480...

2 NY served as the reconnaisance regiment of 11th Armoured Division until disbanded in August 1944. Operated Cromwells and Fireflies. The late Keith Jones' autobiography '64 days of a Normandy Summer' covered his service with the regiment

The 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry landed their Cromwells on Gold Beach near Courseulles sur Mer on 18th June 1944. As the Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment of the 11th Armoured Division their basic role was to probe the enemy defences, maintain contact and report information back to Divisional Headquarters. After the landing the Regiment de-waterproofed their tanks.

On 26th June the 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry were ordered to push on through Cheux and capture the bridges over the Odon. Torrential rain caused three days delay and the enemy moved two armoured divisions into place.

airfixtributeforum.myfastforum.org/about14717.html&vi...

26th June 1944. At 1250 one squadron from the 11th Armoured Division's reconnaissance regiment, deployed north of Cheux, was ordered to advance towards the Odon[74] as the precursor to an attempt by the division's armoured brigade to rush the bridges.[38] Owing to minefields near the village, debris blocking its streets, and German holdouts attacking the tanks, it was not until 1400 that the regiment was finally able to make progress. By 1430 the squadron arrived on a ridge south of Cheux, where it was engaged[74] by twenty Panzer IVs (diverted by the 12th SS Panzer Division from the Rauray area), Tiger tanks from the 3rd Battalion 101st Heavy SS Panzer Battalion, and additional armour from the 21st Panzer Division.[75] More tanks from the 11th Armoured Division arrived, but determined German resistance halted any further advance;[74] by the end of the day the division had lost twenty-one tanks.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Epsom



Arthur James Webb
Name: WEBB, ARTHUR JAMES
Rank: Private Regiment/Service: Royal Norfolk Regiment Unit Text: 4th Bn.
Age: 24 Date of Death: 11/02/1942 Service No: 5775351
Additional information: Son of Alfred James Webb and Blanche Evelyn Webb; husband of Gertrude Evelyn Webb, of Norwich.
Grave/Memorial Reference: 17. A. 18. Cemetery: KRANJI WAR CEMETERY
www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2821944

The 4th Battalion were captured with the Fall of Singapore, with many prisoners subsequently being worked to death by the Japanese. Private Webb was one of the many who would die in the confused fighting on Singapore Island in the last few days before the surrender.
www.cofepow.org.uk/pages/armedforces_r_norfolk.html
www.britain-at-war.org.uk/WW2/royal_norfolks_in_far_east/...

Postwick War Memorial 3 by Moominpappa06

© Moominpappa06, all rights reserved.

Postwick War Memorial 3

A great deal of research has already been done on the WW1 only names on the memorial at the Roll Of Honour site - :
www.roll-of-honour.com/Norfolk/Postwick.html

Any information taken from that source is identified as (RoH) and is not intended to infringe any copyright.

BALDERSTONE Edmund Augustus …………….(RoH)
Corporal 21328. 8th Battalion Border Regiment. Killed in action in France & Flanders on 5th July 1916. Born Lexham, Norfolk. Enlisted Norwich. Commemorated: Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France. Pier and Face 6 A and 7 C.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=772119
Norlink

The 1901 and 1891 Censuses have no match for an Edmund or an Augustus. The 1901 Census has one Balderstone recorded as being born at Lexham, but her name is Mary and by the time of the Census she is in North Yorkshire as a live in servant. Mary does not appear to be on the 1891 Census.

Edmund gets a mention on a family tree web-site, which confirms he was born East Lexham 17th August 1888 and died on the Somme, 5th July 1916.
balderstonesofnorfolk.co.uk/wc_idx/Descendants of John BALDERSTONE.pdf

After being engaged in a disastrous action near Ovillers on the 3rd, the 8th Borders appear to have been out of the line on the 5th, but more research is needed to confirm this. (The battalion were in the 75th Brigade of the 25th Division).
www.1914-1918.net/border.htm
forum.irishmilitaryonline.com/showthread.php?t=9058


BARKER Stephen Clare …………………………..(RoH)
Private 22759. 9th Battalion Norfolk Regiment. Killed in action in France & Flanders on 15th September 1915. Born Postwick. Enlisted Norwich. Could not find on CWGC.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=769542

The CWGC entry tells us he was 20, gives the year of death as 1916 rather than 1915, and tells us that he was the son of Mr & Mrs Robert Barker, High House, Postwick.

Norlink - No Picture in the Archive.

On the 1901 Census, the 5 year old Stephen is living at Marsh Road, Postwick - the village of his birth. This is the household of his parents, Robert, a 39 year old Teamman on Farm who comes from Postwick, and Caroline, (also aged 39 and from Postwick). Their other children are Bertie, (aged 7), Lily (aged 13), Louis, (aged 10), Mary (aged 2), and William, (aged 14 and a Stable Boy on Farm).
15th September 1916 Battle of the Somme
The last great Allied effort to achieve a breakthrough came on 15 September in the Battle of Flers-Courcelette with the initial advance made by 11 British divisions (nine from Fourth Army, two Canadian divisions on the Reserve Army sector) and a later attack by four French corps.
The battle is chiefly remembered today as the debut of the tank. The British had high hopes that this secret weapon would break the deadlock of the trenches. Early tanks were not weapons of mobile warfare—with a top speed of 2 mph (3.2 km/h), they were easily outpaced by the infantry—but were designed for trench warfare. They were untroubled by barbed wire obstacles and impervious to rifle and machine gun fire, though highly vulnerable to artillery. Additionally, the tanks were notoriously unreliable; of the 49 tanks available on 15 September, only 32 made it to the start line, and of these, only 21 made it into action

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Flers-Courcelette

What is known is that on 15th September the battalion was engaged in very heavy fighting as part of the Battle of the Somme and had taken up a position near the village of Ginchy in order to attack a German strongpoint called ‘the Quadrilateral’. As part of this attack the British were to use a new weapon for the first time; the tank was to be used to help punch the way through. It was hoped that the very presence of such a weapon would help to carry the day but unfortunately for the Norfolks the new weapon was to prove disastrous.

Tank tactics had yet to be worked out and little or no exercises had been conducted between the infantry and the tankies. Instead of being used en masse the tanks were used in penny packets all along the line and their effectiveness was thus reduced. Three tanks were supposed to precede the Norfolks twenty minutes before they went over the top. Two of these broke down. The third became totally disorientated and mistook the Norfolks forming up trench for the German front line and began to saturate the whole length of the trench with machine gun fire. A great many Norfolks were killed or wounded before one of the company officers managed to stop the tank and point it in the right direction. Despite these enormous losses the battalion managed to advance but was held up in front of uncut barbed wire that a preliminary bombardment was supposed to have cut. Here they were pinned down for most of the day, all the time being subject to German shellfire and casualties rose. On this single day the battalion suffered 432 casualties, about half their strength.

www.oldbuckenham-pri.norfolk.procms.co.uk/pages/viewpage....

151 Soldiers of the 9th Battalion appear to have died on this day on the CWGC database.
William Aldis, age 25 of Alpington, Norfolk
Herbert Aldis, age 22, his brother, of Alpington, Norfolk
Kenneth Alexander, age 23, of Long Stratton
Frederick Bailey
William Baker, age 29, born Shropham nr Thetford, resident Watton
W M Bale, age 23 of Broome, Bungay
Robert Barber
Stephen Barker, age 20, of Postwick, Norwich
Richard Barnes
2nd Lt John Bashford
Percy Bayes
William Beck, age 19, of Brundall
Arthur Betts
Edward Betts, age 33, of Great Melton
William Bezance, age 21, of Great Yarmouth
John Bird, age 27, of Seething
William Bloomfield, age 20, of Roydon, Diss
John Blowers, age 40, of Castleacre, Kings Lynn
Augustus Bolderstone, age 22, of Burnham Thorpe
Burrel Bond
H Bradbrook, age 20, native of Overstrand
Albert Brock, age 27, Hardwick
A W Brooks, age 32, North Pickenham
Paul Samuel Brooks, age 35, Filby and Norwich
James Brown
Bertie Brown, age 29, from Norwich
Arthur Bryant, age 22, of Winfarthing
Richard Bullard
Frederick Burton
James Bussey, age 26, of Langley
William Butcher
Richard Carver
W Carver
Albert Caston
James Catchpole, age 22, of Dickleburgh
Alfred Clarke,
Frederick Clarke, age 21, of Gorleston
C Clarke
Geoffrey Collins, age 20, of Great Yarmouth
Charles Constable, age 19, Albany Road, Catton, Norwich
Albert Copeman
James Curry
W Dann
Robert Davey, age 32 from Bermondsey, London
Frederick Dawson, age 20, of Burnham Thorpe
Captain William De Caux
W Dewing, age 19, of Great Walsingham
George Dixon
D Doran
George Douglas
Company Sergeant Major Samuel Earnshaw, age 32, of Grant Street, Norwich
Sidney Easter
George Ellis
Arthur English
E L Fawkes, of Narborough
Herbert Fisher, age 21, of Stoke Holy Cross
Leonard Foster
F A Fox
Edward Francis
Robert Futter
Fernby Gamble
John Garner, age 21, of Bluebell Road, Eaton, Norwich
Thomas Gent, age 24, of Feltwell, Brandon
H W Gibbons, age 22
Robert Goatson
Robert Godbolt
Lieutenant John Goddard, age 21, of Harrow, Middlesex
M F Gotts
Austin Gower age 24 of Wortwell
John Green, age 27, of Castleacre, Kings Lynn
Henry Grimmer, age 23, of Haddiscoe
Arthur Groom
Louis Gunton
Francis Gurney, age 20, of Fenny Stratford, Bucks
Charles Gutberlet
George Hagon
Arthur Halls, age 25
William Harnwell
A W Harrison
J E Hayes
Frederick Helsdon
Sam Hendry
William Heyhoe
Christopher Horn, age 24, of Thetford and Garboldisham
Matthew Howling, age 21, of Brisley, Elmham
W Huggins
E R Hunt
Sidney James
Frederick Kenny
Charles Kettle, age 32, of Felbrigg
George Kitchen, age 37, of Diss
E A Lambert, age 24, of Saxlingham
C E Larkins
Joseph Larter, age 28, of Swainsthorpe
G Lawes
Charles Lawrence, age 21, of Harpole, Northamptonshire
Sidney Laws, age 21, of Stradsett
Alfred Layton
Harry Leggett, age 26, of Wymondham
Ernest Leman
Douglas Lidington, age 37, of London
Edwin London, age 25, of Great Yarmouth
Charles Love, age 19, of Elmham
Thomas Masters, age 26, of Docking
R Mayes
A Meachen
Cecil Meek
Alfred Merton
George Mooney, age 23, of Pimlico, London
John Moore
Hugh Morter, age 27, of Hoveton St Peter
James Moy, of Kings Lynn
Charles Nash
Cecil Newton
F Nunn, age 20, of Eccles near Attleborough
John Osborne, age 22, of Harpley
James Palmer
Walter Peake, age 21, of Roydon, Diss
William Peeling
William Pidgeon
William Pinner, age 31, of Little Snoring and East Harling
Sergeant Benjamin Povey, age 30, of Newbury, Berks
B A Preston, age 30, of Bale, Melton Constable
Ernest Pye
W Quantrill, age 19, of Millers Lane, New Catton, Norwich
Frank Raines
Herbert Ramm
W F Read, age 18, of Swaffham and West Raynham
Sergeant Albert Reece, age 28, of Cardiff
Robert Reeve
Harry Rowell
F Rush
Walter Sargent, age 24, of Maida Vale, London
Rudolph Saunders
Sidney Smith age 24, of Northrepps and Norwich
George Smith
Benjamin Snelling
Frederick Sowells
Reginald Staff
Aubrey Stone
Henry Suffling, of Kentish Town, London
George Temple
Thomas Tooley
George Townshend
William Turner, age 26, of Thorpe Market
Bertie Wakefield, age 23, of Guist
Archie Ward
Thomas Warnes
George Watson
Richard Webb

There are five more men from the 9th listed as dying on the 16th September, with three buried in cemeteries associated with the casualty clearing stations set up to deal with the seriously wounded of the Somme battles. The other two are listed on the Thiepval monument as having no known grave.

DREWRY George ………………………(RoH)
Private 1460. 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers. Killed in action in France & Flanders on 20th September 1914. Aged 25. Born Norwich. Enlisted Fakenham. Son of George and Bridget Drewry, of 1, Harbour Rd., Thorpe Hamlet, Norwich. Commemorated: La Ferte-Sous-Jouarre Memorial, Seine-et-Marne, France.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=878446

Norlink - No Picture in the Archive.

The 1901 Census finds the 14 year old George working as a Milk Car Driver. While this doesn’t quite tie in with him being 25 in 1914, I suspect it is the right individual. Having been born in Great Plumstead, (Not Norwich), he was by now living at Hall Lane, Postwick, with his parents, George, (aged 45 and a dairyman on farm, originally from Gt Plumstead), and Bridget, (aged 40 and from the same village). The rest of their children are Dorothy, (aged 5), Kate, (aged 16), Mary, (aged 8), Robert, (aged 21 and a Milkman on Farm), and Walter, (aged 12),

There are many units serving with the British Expeditionary Force, (BEF) who have the battle honour Action on the Aisne Heights, 20th September 1914. This includes the 1st Northumberland Fusiliers. However the internet seems to be less than forthcoming. It would appear that following defeat on the River Marne earlier in September, the German Army retreated to the line of the River Aisne, whose steeply rising heights, and the excellent arterial road, the Chemin des Dames along the top seemed an idealdefensive position. The French and the BEF pursued them , and between the 10th to 15th September, they crossed the river and fought their way onto the heights, seizing part of the Chemin des Dames. The only reference I came across to the events of the 20th, was a reference to 6th Division troops, newly arrived in France who were marched up to the Chemin des Dames on the 21st to relieve a number of units who’d taken a hammering fighting off the sustained German counter-attack the previous day.

EDWARDS William Bruce ………………….(RoH)
Private 41657. "W" Company, 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment. Formerly 5464 Norfolk Regiment. Killed in action in France & Flanders on 14th April 1917. Aged 38. Born and lived Postwick. Enlisted Norwich. Son of John and Mary Anne Edwards, of Postwick. Norwich. Commemorated: Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France. Bay 7.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1541240

Norlink - No Picture in the Archive.

The 1901 Census has the 22 year William B Edwards living at Marsh Road, Postwick and working as a Carter on Farm. This was the village of his birth. The address was the household of his parents, John, (aged 69 and a General Farm Labourer), and Mary A, (aged 59), both natives of Postwick. Also living with them are son Henry, (aged 40, Single, and a General Farm Labourer), and Samuel, (age 23, Single and a Cowman on Farm).

Thu., Apr 12, 1917
The Bn. marched from billets at FOSSEUX to ARRAS (abt 10 miles) and on arrival was at once ordered to proceed with the remainder of the 88th Bde to relieve the 37th Bde near MONCHY-LE-PREUX. The Bn arrived at ARRAS at 3pm and left to carry out the relief 4 miles off at 6.30pm. Owing to intense congestion on the road and other delays the relief was not completed until 3am on 13th.
Prior to leaving ARRAS orders had been issued for an attack on the German line in company with the 1st NFLD to be made on the 13th at an hour to be notified later.
The attack was to be made from an Assembly trench which was to be dug on the night of the 12/13 by 2nd Hants, 4th Worcs were in support to the attack.
Owing to the late hour at which the Brigade relief was completed & consequent impossibility of making adequate preparation for the attack the operation was postponed.
At daylight therefore on the 13th the Brigade was situated as shown in the attached map.
At 11am orders were received to make the attack at 2pm. These orders also were cancelled a few minutes before Zero.
During the night 13/14 the 2nd Hants dug the required assembly trench and operation orders were issued to the Bn. by Lt. Col. Halaham. App. B.
At 5.30am on 14th the barrage fell and the battalion left the trench & carried out the assault.
In spite of a certain weakness of the barrage the objective was gained and by 6.30am all companies had reported that they were busy digging in.
In the mean time "X" Coy detailed to form a flank guard to the thence attacking Coys had at once come in contact with the enemy.
Therefore acting under Capt. Foster's orders No. 5 Platoon got into shell holes at about 0 1b 8.1 and opened fire. No. 8 Platoon being checked by machine gun fire from ARROW COPSE No 7 was directed to outflank this copse with the result that No 8 could again get forward , capturing the 2 machine guns & driving the enemy out of the copse. The small wood at O 2a 7.5 was also in hostile occupation but was cleared by Lewis Guns & Rifle Grenades. The Company then moved forward to the N. end of the copses where all platoons came under fire from a line of hidden machine guns. The company now began to form the chain of strong points as detailed in operation orders.

From this point no further definitive news could be gathered as to the fate of this company. A few men eventually rejoined the battalion & from their statements it is certain that all Platoons their proper positions where they were at once attacked by very superior German forces & were finally overwhelmed in these positions at a time between 6.30 and 7.30 am.
The main attack by the remaining 3 Coys having reached their objective by 6.30 am started to dig in and reports were sent back to Bn. Hqrs that large forces of the enemy could be seen in the BOIS du SART & the BOIS des AUBE PINES and that all covering parties were sent forward were at once coming under heavy machine gun & rifle fire.
It became apparent rapidly to the Coy commanders that an immediate counter attack was being prepared and this also was reported to Bn. Hqrs. These reports were confirmed by two Coy commanders in person returning wounded from the main attack. [Capt Tomlinson, Capt Caroline]
Steps had already been taken to get the Artillery on to the points where the enemy was reported to be massing but owing to the destruction of the wires by shell fire it was an hour before the guns opened fire.
By 7.30am the counter attack had fully developed in all its strength of at least 9 battalions. The weight of the attack seams to have come from the N. East & thus fell on "X" Coy. This Coy in spite of a stout resistance was gradually overwhelmed. Vide app. C.
From 7.30 onwards no reports, messages or wounded men arrived at Bn Hqrs or the Aid Post it is therefore apparent that "X" Coy having been overrun the hostile forces got between MONCHY & the attacking Companies of the Essex & NLFD. No men have returned from these Companies.
As soon as it became clear that MONCHY itself was being attacked patrols were put out from Hqr party to hold street barricades in MONCHY. No German succeeded in entering MONCHY. It must be remembered that during all this time the town was under an intense enemy barrage thus rendering it almost impossible to reinforce or support the two Battalions & making the work of the respective Hqrs parties extremely arduous.
Except for a certain amount of support from the 4th Worcester & 2dn Hants they fought on alone & these two battalions broke up a German attack designed not to drive them back but to retake MONCHY itself.
Appendix C. contains a copy of the Special Order issued by the G.O.C. 88th Bde.
Of the Officers who went into action the following is killed : 2/Lt. L. Cousins.
The following are wounded :- Capts R.E.G. Caroline, J. Tomlinson, Lieuts ?.W.J. Taylor
R. Eastwood. 2/Lt's H. Ockendon, S. ?. Andrew, F.W. Barker.
The following are missing :- Capt H.J.B. Foster, Lt C.R. Brown, 2/Lts A.L. Piper, S.N.R. Eyre, C.H. Feline H.R. Newth, P.W. Coombs, L.F. Portway; G.W. Turk.
Total casualties 17 officers & 644 OR. out of a strength of 31 officers & 892 O.R.


Sun., Apr 15, 1917
The remnants of the Battalion were now withdrawn & went to billets in ARRAS.

1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=594...

LEGGETT Cecil George …………………….(RoH)
Rifleman 45201. 16th Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps. Formerly S/303537 Royal Army Service Corps. Died of wounds in France & Flanders on 27th October 1918. Born Harlesdon, Norfolk. Enlisted Norwich. Son of Mrs. Holmes, of Church St., Bawburgh, Norwich. Buried: Awoingt British Cemetery, Nord, France. Ref. I. F. 18.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=536637


Norlink - No Picture in the Archive.

There are two likely Cecil Leggetts on the 1901 Census for England and Wales, but neither were born in Harlesdon. One, aged 7 was living with his Grandfather at Pulham St Mary, while the other was aged 21 and lived on Bury Street, Norwich with his 74 year old widowed mother. Of the two, I presume its more likely our chap was the 7 year old, but none of this provides a link to Postwick.

The Battle of the Selle 1918, (17th to 25th October) had involved the 16th Battalion, as part of 100 Brigade, 33rd Division.
www.ordersofbattle.darkscape.net/site/warpath/divs/33_div...
www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_selle.html


PRIMROSE (The Rt. Hon.) M.C. Neil James Archibald …(RoH)
Captain (The Rt. Hon.). 1st/1st Battalion Royal Buckinghamshire Hussars. Killed in action on 15th November 1917. Aged 34. Second son of 5th Earl of Rosebery (the former Prime Minister) and Countess of Rosebery; husband of Lady Victoria Primrose (now Lady Victoria Bullock), of Swynford Paddocks, Six Mile Bottom, Newmarket. Privy Councillor and Member of Parliament for Wisbech Division, Cambs. since 1910. Awarded the Military Cross. Buried: Ramleh War Cemetery, Israel. Ref. D. 49.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=653139


Norlink - No Picture in the Archive.
No obvious match on the 1901 Census for England and Wales, but if he was a career soldier, he could have been serving overseas at that time.

Created a Privy Counsellor in 1917, he was killed in November at Gezer during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign while leading his squadron against Turkish positions on the Abu Shusheh ridge during the Third Battle of Gaza.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Primrose_(politician)

fp.underw.f9.co.uk/bucksrems/casualties/m1131.html
hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1917/nov/19/death-of-...

There is a photograph of Neil Primrose in the Library of Congress collection on Flickr
www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/3121124446/
The British Jewry Book of Honour lists three Rothschilds who had commissions in the regiment during the First World War. One of them, Major Evelyn Achille de Rothschild, was wounded on 13 November 1917 in the cavalry charge at El Mughar in the Palestine campaign and died four days later. His cousin Neil Primrose also fell. He was the son of Hannah Rothschild who, to the chagrin of both families, married the 5th Earl of Rosebery. Neil Primrose, Evelyn de Rothschild's cousin, also served in the Royal Bucks Hussars in Palestine. He was killed on 15 November 1917.
www.hellfire-corner.demon.co.uk/snillop.htm

www.firstworldwar.com/source/jerusalem_masterman.htm


TURNER Alfred Edward…………………..(RoH)
Serjeant 16837. 7th Battalion Norfolk Regiment. Killed in action in France & Flanders on 13th October 1915. Aged 30. Born Blakeney, Norfolk. Enlisted Norwich. Son of Edward Clifford Turner and Anna Turner. Commemorated: Loos Memorial, Pas de Calais, France. Panel 30 and 31.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1771046

Or Could be: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=31860
Name: TURNER, ALFRED EDWARD
Rank: Private Regiment/Service: Norfolk Regiment Unit Text: 9th Bn.
Age: 30 Date of Death: 21/09/1916 Service No: 15323
Additional information: Son of John and Elizabeth Turner, of Walcot, Norfolk; husband of Mrs. N. Turner, of Colby, Long Rd., Aylsham, Norfolk.
Grave/Memorial Reference: I. H. 9. Cemetery: GROVE TOWN CEMETERY, MEAULTE

The 9th Battalion soldier was living at Bell Yard, White Street Martham at the time of the 1901 Census, having been born at Rollesby. He was aged 15 and employed as a Hay Trusser. This was the household of his parents, John, (a 44 year old Domestic Coachman), and Elizabeth, (aged 45). Their other children are Andrew, (aged 8), Charles, (aged 16 and a “Stoke Freeder on Farm”), and Rosetta, (aged 5)

No obvious match on the 1901 Census for the 7th Battalion man

Norlink - No Picture in the Archive.

Postwick War Memorial 2 by Moominpappa06

© Moominpappa06, all rights reserved.

Postwick War Memorial 2

A great deal of research has already been done on the WW1 only names on the memorial at the Roll Of Honour site - :
www.roll-of-honour.com/Norfolk/Postwick.html

Any information taken from that source is identified as (RoH) and is not intended to infringe any copyright.

BALDERSTONE Edmund Augustus …………….(RoH)
Corporal 21328. 8th Battalion Border Regiment. Killed in action in France & Flanders on 5th July 1916. Born Lexham, Norfolk. Enlisted Norwich. Commemorated: Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France. Pier and Face 6 A and 7 C.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=772119

The 1901 and 1891 Censuses have no match for an Edmund or an Augustus. The 1901 Census has one Balderstone recorded as being born at Lexham, but her name is Mary and by the time of the Census she is in North Yorkshire as a live in servant. Mary does not appear to be on the 1891 Census.

Edmund gets a mention on a family tree web-site, which confirms he was born East Lexham 17th August 1888 and died on the Somme, 5th July 1916.
balderstonesofnorfolk.co.uk/wc_idx/Descendants of John BALDERSTONE.pdf

After being engaged in a disastrous action near Ovillers on the 3rd, the 8th Borders appear to have been out of the line on the 5th, but more research is needed to confirm this. (The battalion were in the 75th Brigade of the 25th Division).
www.1914-1918.net/border.htm
forum.irishmilitaryonline.com/showthread.php?t=9058


BARKER Stephen Clare …………………………..(RoH)
Private 22759. 9th Battalion Norfolk Regiment. Killed in action in France & Flanders on 15th September 1915. Born Postwick. Enlisted Norwich. Could not find on CWGC.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=769542

The CWGC entry tells us he was 20, gives the year of death as 1916 rather than 1915, and tells us that he was the son of Mr & Mrs Robert Barker, High House, Postwick.

Norlink - No Picture in the Archive.

On the 1901 Census, the 5 year old Stephen is living at Marsh Road, Postwick - the village of his birth. This is the household of his parents, Robert, a 39 year old Teamman on Farm who comes from Postwick, and Caroline, (also aged 39 and from Postwick). Their other children are Bertie, (aged 7), Lily (aged 13), Louis, (aged 10), Mary (aged 2), and William, (aged 14 and a Stable Boy on Farm).
15th September 1916 Battle of the Somme
The last great Allied effort to achieve a breakthrough came on 15 September in the Battle of Flers-Courcelette with the initial advance made by 11 British divisions (nine from Fourth Army, two Canadian divisions on the Reserve Army sector) and a later attack by four French corps.
The battle is chiefly remembered today as the debut of the tank. The British had high hopes that this secret weapon would break the deadlock of the trenches. Early tanks were not weapons of mobile warfare—with a top speed of 2 mph (3.2 km/h), they were easily outpaced by the infantry—but were designed for trench warfare. They were untroubled by barbed wire obstacles and impervious to rifle and machine gun fire, though highly vulnerable to artillery. Additionally, the tanks were notoriously unreliable; of the 49 tanks available on 15 September, only 32 made it to the start line, and of these, only 21 made it into action

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Flers-Courcelette

What is known is that on 15th September the battalion was engaged in very heavy fighting as part of the Battle of the Somme and had taken up a position near the village of Ginchy in order to attack a German strongpoint called ‘the Quadrilateral’. As part of this attack the British were to use a new weapon for the first time; the tank was to be used to help punch the way through. It was hoped that the very presence of such a weapon would help to carry the day but unfortunately for the Norfolks the new weapon was to prove disastrous.

Tank tactics had yet to be worked out and little or no exercises had been conducted between the infantry and the tankies. Instead of being used en masse the tanks were used in penny packets all along the line and their effectiveness was thus reduced. Three tanks were supposed to precede the Norfolks twenty minutes before they went over the top. Two of these broke down. The third became totally disorientated and mistook the Norfolks forming up trench for the German front line and began to saturate the whole length of the trench with machine gun fire. A great many Norfolks were killed or wounded before one of the company officers managed to stop the tank and point it in the right direction. Despite these enormous losses the battalion managed to advance but was held up in front of uncut barbed wire that a preliminary bombardment was supposed to have cut. Here they were pinned down for most of the day, all the time being subject to German shellfire and casualties rose. On this single day the battalion suffered 432 casualties, about half their strength.

www.oldbuckenham-pri.norfolk.procms.co.uk/pages/viewpage....

151 Soldiers of the 9th Battalion appear to have died on this day on the CWGC database.
William Aldis, age 25 of Alpington, Norfolk
Herbert Aldis, age 22, his brother, of Alpington, Norfolk
Kenneth Alexander, age 23, of Long Stratton
Frederick Bailey
William Baker, age 29, born Shropham nr Thetford, resident Watton
W M Bale, age 23 of Broome, Bungay
Robert Barber
Stephen Barker, age 20, of Postwick, Norwich
Richard Barnes
2nd Lt John Bashford
Percy Bayes
William Beck, age 19, of Brundall
Arthur Betts
Edward Betts, age 33, of Great Melton
William Bezance, age 21, of Great Yarmouth
John Bird, age 27, of Seething
William Bloomfield, age 20, of Roydon, Diss
John Blowers, age 40, of Castleacre, Kings Lynn
Augustus Bolderstone, age 22, of Burnham Thorpe
Burrel Bond
H Bradbrook, age 20, native of Overstrand
Albert Brock, age 27, Hardwick
A W Brooks, age 32, North Pickenham
Paul Samuel Brooks, age 35, Filby and Norwich
James Brown
Bertie Brown, age 29, from Norwich
Arthur Bryant, age 22, of Winfarthing
Richard Bullard
Frederick Burton
James Bussey, age 26, of Langley
William Butcher
Richard Carver
W Carver
Albert Caston
James Catchpole, age 22, of Dickleburgh
Alfred Clarke,
Frederick Clarke, age 21, of Gorleston
C Clarke
Geoffrey Collins, age 20, of Great Yarmouth
Charles Constable, age 19, Albany Road, Catton, Norwich
Albert Copeman
James Curry
W Dann
Robert Davey, age 32 from Bermondsey, London
Frederick Dawson, age 20, of Burnham Thorpe
Captain William De Caux
W Dewing, age 19, of Great Walsingham
George Dixon
D Doran
George Douglas
Company Sergeant Major Samuel Earnshaw, age 32, of Grant Street, Norwich
Sidney Easter
George Ellis
Arthur English
E L Fawkes, of Narborough
Herbert Fisher, age 21, of Stoke Holy Cross
Leonard Foster
F A Fox
Edward Francis
Robert Futter
Fernby Gamble
John Garner, age 21, of Bluebell Road, Eaton, Norwich
Thomas Gent, age 24, of Feltwell, Brandon
H W Gibbons, age 22
Robert Goatson
Robert Godbolt
Lieutenant John Goddard, age 21, of Harrow, Middlesex
M F Gotts
Austin Gower age 24 of Wortwell
John Green, age 27, of Castleacre, Kings Lynn
Henry Grimmer, age 23, of Haddiscoe
Arthur Groom
Louis Gunton
Francis Gurney, age 20, of Fenny Stratford, Bucks
Charles Gutberlet
George Hagon
Arthur Halls, age 25
William Harnwell
A W Harrison
J E Hayes
Frederick Helsdon
Sam Hendry
William Heyhoe
Christopher Horn, age 24, of Thetford and Garboldisham
Matthew Howling, age 21, of Brisley, Elmham
W Huggins
E R Hunt
Sidney James
Frederick Kenny
Charles Kettle, age 32, of Felbrigg
George Kitchen, age 37, of Diss
E A Lambert, age 24, of Saxlingham
C E Larkins
Joseph Larter, age 28, of Swainsthorpe
G Lawes
Charles Lawrence, age 21, of Harpole, Northamptonshire
Sidney Laws, age 21, of Stradsett
Alfred Layton
Harry Leggett, age 26, of Wymondham
Ernest Leman
Douglas Lidington, age 37, of London
Edwin London, age 25, of Great Yarmouth
Charles Love, age 19, of Elmham
Thomas Masters, age 26, of Docking
R Mayes
A Meachen
Cecil Meek
Alfred Merton
George Mooney, age 23, of Pimlico, London
John Moore
Hugh Morter, age 27, of Hoveton St Peter
James Moy, of Kings Lynn
Charles Nash
Cecil Newton
F Nunn, age 20, of Eccles near Attleborough
John Osborne, age 22, of Harpley
James Palmer
Walter Peake, age 21, of Roydon, Diss
William Peeling
William Pidgeon
William Pinner, age 31, of Little Snoring and East Harling
Sergeant Benjamin Povey, age 30, of Newbury, Berks
B A Preston, age 30, of Bale, Melton Constable
Ernest Pye
W Quantrill, age 19, of Millers Lane, New Catton, Norwich
Frank Raines
Herbert Ramm
W F Read, age 18, of Swaffham and West Raynham
Sergeant Albert Reece, age 28, of Cardiff
Robert Reeve
Harry Rowell
F Rush
Walter Sargent, age 24, of Maida Vale, London
Rudolph Saunders
Sidney Smith age 24, of Northrepps and Norwich
George Smith
Benjamin Snelling
Frederick Sowells
Reginald Staff
Aubrey Stone
Henry Suffling, of Kentish Town, London
George Temple
Thomas Tooley
George Townshend
William Turner, age 26, of Thorpe Market
Bertie Wakefield, age 23, of Guist
Archie Ward
Thomas Warnes
George Watson
Richard Webb

There are five more men from the 9th listed as dying on the 16th September, with three buried in cemeteries associated with the casualty clearing stations set up to deal with the seriously wounded of the Somme battles. The other two are listed on the Thiepval monument as having no known grave.

DREWRY George ………………………(RoH)
Private 1460. 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers. Killed in action in France & Flanders on 20th September 1914. Aged 25. Born Norwich. Enlisted Fakenham. Son of George and Bridget Drewry, of 1, Harbour Rd., Thorpe Hamlet, Norwich. Commemorated: La Ferte-Sous-Jouarre Memorial, Seine-et-Marne, France.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=878446

Norlink - No Picture in the Archive.

The 1901 Census finds the 14 year old George working as a Milk Car Driver. While this doesn’t quite tie in with him being 25 in 1914, I suspect it is the right individual. Having been born in Great Plumstead, (Not Norwich), he was by now living at Hall Lane, Postwick, with his parents, George, (aged 45 and a dairyman on farm, originally from Gt Plumstead), and Bridget, (aged 40 and from the same village). The rest of their children are Dorothy, (aged 5), Kate, (aged 16), Mary, (aged 8), Robert, (aged 21 and a Milkman on Farm), and Walter, (aged 12),

There are many units serving with the British Expeditionary Force, (BEF) who have the battle honour Action on the Aisne Heights, 20th September 1914. This includes the 1st Northumberland Fusiliers. However the internet seems to be less than forthcoming. It would appear that following defeat on the River Marne earlier in September, the German Army retreated to the line of the River Aisne, whose steeply rising heights, and the excellent arterial road, the Chemin des Dames along the top seemed an idealdefensive position. The French and the BEF pursued them , and between the 10th to 15th September, they crossed the river and fought their way onto the heights, seizing part of the Chemin des Dames. The only reference I came across to the events of the 20th, was a reference to 6th Division troops, newly arrived in France who were marched up to the Chemin des Dames on the 21st to relieve a number of units who’d taken a hammering fighting off the sustained German counter-attack the previous day.

EDWARDS William Bruce ………………….(RoH)
Private 41657. "W" Company, 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment. Formerly 5464 Norfolk Regiment. Killed in action in France & Flanders on 14th April 1917. Aged 38. Born and lived Postwick. Enlisted Norwich. Son of John and Mary Anne Edwards, of Postwick. Norwich. Commemorated: Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France. Bay 7.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1541240

Norlink - No Picture in the Archive.

The 1901 Census has the 22 year William B Edwards living at Marsh Road, Postwick and working as a Carter on Farm. This was the village of his birth. The address was the household of his parents, John, (aged 69 and a General Farm Labourer), and Mary A, (aged 59), both natives of Postwick. Also living with them are son Henry, (aged 40, Single, and a General Farm Labourer), and Samuel, (age 23, Single and a Cowman on Farm).

Thu., Apr 12, 1917
The Bn. marched from billets at FOSSEUX to ARRAS (abt 10 miles) and on arrival was at once ordered to proceed with the remainder of the 88th Bde to relieve the 37th Bde near MONCHY-LE-PREUX. The Bn arrived at ARRAS at 3pm and left to carry out the relief 4 miles off at 6.30pm. Owing to intense congestion on the road and other delays the relief was not completed until 3am on 13th.
Prior to leaving ARRAS orders had been issued for an attack on the German line in company with the 1st NFLD to be made on the 13th at an hour to be notified later.
The attack was to be made from an Assembly trench which was to be dug on the night of the 12/13 by 2nd Hants, 4th Worcs were in support to the attack.
Owing to the late hour at which the Brigade relief was completed & consequent impossibility of making adequate preparation for the attack the operation was postponed.
At daylight therefore on the 13th the Brigade was situated as shown in the attached map.
At 11am orders were received to make the attack at 2pm. These orders also were cancelled a few minutes before Zero.
During the night 13/14 the 2nd Hants dug the required assembly trench and operation orders were issued to the Bn. by Lt. Col. Halaham. App. B.
At 5.30am on 14th the barrage fell and the battalion left the trench & carried out the assault.
In spite of a certain weakness of the barrage the objective was gained and by 6.30am all companies had reported that they were busy digging in.
In the mean time "X" Coy detailed to form a flank guard to the thence attacking Coys had at once come in contact with the enemy.
Therefore acting under Capt. Foster's orders No. 5 Platoon got into shell holes at about 0 1b 8.1 and opened fire. No. 8 Platoon being checked by machine gun fire from ARROW COPSE No 7 was directed to outflank this copse with the result that No 8 could again get forward , capturing the 2 machine guns & driving the enemy out of the copse. The small wood at O 2a 7.5 was also in hostile occupation but was cleared by Lewis Guns & Rifle Grenades. The Company then moved forward to the N. end of the copses where all platoons came under fire from a line of hidden machine guns. The company now began to form the chain of strong points as detailed in operation orders.

From this point no further definitive news could be gathered as to the fate of this company. A few men eventually rejoined the battalion & from their statements it is certain that all Platoons their proper positions where they were at once attacked by very superior German forces & were finally overwhelmed in these positions at a time between 6.30 and 7.30 am.
The main attack by the remaining 3 Coys having reached their objective by 6.30 am started to dig in and reports were sent back to Bn. Hqrs that large forces of the enemy could be seen in the BOIS du SART & the BOIS des AUBE PINES and that all covering parties were sent forward were at once coming under heavy machine gun & rifle fire.
It became apparent rapidly to the Coy commanders that an immediate counter attack was being prepared and this also was reported to Bn. Hqrs. These reports were confirmed by two Coy commanders in person returning wounded from the main attack. [Capt Tomlinson, Capt Caroline]
Steps had already been taken to get the Artillery on to the points where the enemy was reported to be massing but owing to the destruction of the wires by shell fire it was an hour before the guns opened fire.
By 7.30am the counter attack had fully developed in all its strength of at least 9 battalions. The weight of the attack seams to have come from the N. East & thus fell on "X" Coy. This Coy in spite of a stout resistance was gradually overwhelmed. Vide app. C.
From 7.30 onwards no reports, messages or wounded men arrived at Bn Hqrs or the Aid Post it is therefore apparent that "X" Coy having been overrun the hostile forces got between MONCHY & the attacking Companies of the Essex & NLFD. No men have returned from these Companies.
As soon as it became clear that MONCHY itself was being attacked patrols were put out from Hqr party to hold street barricades in MONCHY. No German succeeded in entering MONCHY. It must be remembered that during all this time the town was under an intense enemy barrage thus rendering it almost impossible to reinforce or support the two Battalions & making the work of the respective Hqrs parties extremely arduous.
Except for a certain amount of support from the 4th Worcester & 2dn Hants they fought on alone & these two battalions broke up a German attack designed not to drive them back but to retake MONCHY itself.
Appendix C. contains a copy of the Special Order issued by the G.O.C. 88th Bde.
Of the Officers who went into action the following is killed : 2/Lt. L. Cousins.
The following are wounded :- Capts R.E.G. Caroline, J. Tomlinson, Lieuts ?.W.J. Taylor
R. Eastwood. 2/Lt's H. Ockendon, S. ?. Andrew, F.W. Barker.
The following are missing :- Capt H.J.B. Foster, Lt C.R. Brown, 2/Lts A.L. Piper, S.N.R. Eyre, C.H. Feline H.R. Newth, P.W. Coombs, L.F. Portway; G.W. Turk.
Total casualties 17 officers & 644 OR. out of a strength of 31 officers & 892 O.R.


Sun., Apr 15, 1917
The remnants of the Battalion were now withdrawn & went to billets in ARRAS.

1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=594...

LEGGETT Cecil George …………………….(RoH)
Rifleman 45201. 16th Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps. Formerly S/303537 Royal Army Service Corps. Died of wounds in France & Flanders on 27th October 1918. Born Harlesdon, Norfolk. Enlisted Norwich. Son of Mrs. Holmes, of Church St., Bawburgh, Norwich. Buried: Awoingt British Cemetery, Nord, France. Ref. I. F. 18.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=536637


Norlink - No Picture in the Archive.

There are two likely Cecil Leggetts on the 1901 Census for England and Wales, but neither were born in Harlesdon. One, aged 7 was living with his Grandfather at Pulham St Mary, while the other was aged 21 and lived on Bury Street, Norwich with his 74 year old widowed mother. Of the two, I presume its more likely our chap was the 7 year old, but none of this provides a link to Postwick.

The Battle of the Selle 1918, (17th to 25th October) had involved the 16th Battalion, as part of 100 Brigade, 33rd Division.
www.ordersofbattle.darkscape.net/site/warpath/divs/33_div...
www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_selle.html



PRIMROSE (The Rt. Hon.) M.C. Neil James Archibald …(RoH)
Captain (The Rt. Hon.). 1st/1st Battalion Royal Buckinghamshire Hussars. Killed in action on 15th November 1917. Aged 34. Second son of 5th Earl of Rosebery (the former Prime Minister) and Countess of Rosebery; husband of Lady Victoria Primrose (now Lady Victoria Bullock), of Swynford Paddocks, Six Mile Bottom, Newmarket. Privy Councillor and Member of Parliament for Wisbech Division, Cambs. since 1910. Awarded the Military Cross. Buried: Ramleh War Cemetery, Israel. Ref. D. 49.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=653139


Norlink - No Picture in the Archive.
No obvious match on the 1901 Census for England and Wales, but if he was a career soldier, he could have been serving overseas at that time.

Created a Privy Counsellor in 1917, he was killed in November at Gezer during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign while leading his squadron against Turkish positions on the Abu Shusheh ridge during the Third Battle of Gaza.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Primrose_(politician)

fp.underw.f9.co.uk/bucksrems/casualties/m1131.html
hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1917/nov/19/death-of-...

There is a photograph of Neil Primrose in the Library of Congress collection on Flickr
www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/3121124446/
The British Jewry Book of Honour lists three Rothschilds who had commissions in the regiment during the First World War. One of them, Major Evelyn Achille de Rothschild, was wounded on 13 November 1917 in the cavalry charge at El Mughar in the Palestine campaign and died four days later. His cousin Neil Primrose also fell. He was the son of Hannah Rothschild who, to the chagrin of both families, married the 5th Earl of Rosebery. Neil Primrose, Evelyn de Rothschild's cousin, also served in the Royal Bucks Hussars in Palestine. He was killed on 15 November 1917.
www.hellfire-corner.demon.co.uk/snillop.htm

www.firstworldwar.com/source/jerusalem_masterman.htm


TURNER Alfred Edward…………………..(RoH)
Serjeant 16837. 7th Battalion Norfolk Regiment. Killed in action in France & Flanders on 13th October 1915. Aged 30. Born Blakeney, Norfolk. Enlisted Norwich. Son of Edward Clifford Turner and Anna Turner. Commemorated: Loos Memorial, Pas de Calais, France. Panel 30 and 31.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1771046

Or Could be: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=31860
Name: TURNER, ALFRED EDWARD
Rank: Private Regiment/Service: Norfolk Regiment Unit Text: 9th Bn.
Age: 30 Date of Death: 21/09/1916 Service No: 15323
Additional information: Son of John and Elizabeth Turner, of Walcot, Norfolk; husband of Mrs. N. Turner, of Colby, Long Rd., Aylsham, Norfolk.
Grave/Memorial Reference: I. H. 9. Cemetery: GROVE TOWN CEMETERY, MEAULTE

The 9th Battalion soldier was living at Bell Yard, White Street Martham at the time of the 1901 Census, having been born at Rollesby. He was aged 15 and employed as a Hay Trusser. This was the household of his parents, John, (a 44 year old Domestic Coachman), and Elizabeth, (aged 45). Their other children are Andrew, (aged 8), Charles, (aged 16 and a “Stoke Freeder on Farm”), and Rosetta, (aged 5)

No obvious match on the 1901 Census for the 7th Battalion man


Norlink - No Picture in the Archive.

1939 - 1945

Bernard Eric Allen

Name: ALLEN, BERNARD ERIC
Rank: Private Regiment/Service: Royal Army Medical Corps
Date of Death: 21/12/1943 Service No: 7359592
Grave/Memorial Reference: 2. A. 4. Cemetery: TOBRUK WAR CEMETERY
www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2224643

Edward Rivers-Fletcher

Name: FLETCHER, EDWARD RIVERS
Rank: Lieutenant
Regiment: Royal Armoured Corps Unit Text: 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry
Age: 35 Date of Death: 28/06/1944 Service No: 222645
Additional information: Son of Muriel Fletcher; husband of Dora Fletcher, of Paddington, London.
Grave/Memorial Reference: VII. G. 14. Cemetery: ST. MANVIEU WAR CEMETERY, CHEUX
www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2061066

The Allied offensive in north-western Europe began with the Normandy landings of 6 June 1944. Those buried in St. Manvieu War Cemetery died for the most part in the fluctuating battles from mid June to the end of July 1944, in the region between Tilly-sur-Seulles and Caen.
www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_details.aspx?cemetery=200480...

2 NY served as the reconnaisance regiment of 11th Armoured Division until disbanded in August 1944. Operated Cromwells and Fireflies. The late Keith Jones' autobiography '64 days of a Normandy Summer' covered his service with the regiment

The 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry landed their Cromwells on Gold Beach near Courseulles sur Mer on 18th June 1944. As the Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment of the 11th Armoured Division their basic role was to probe the enemy defences, maintain contact and report information back to Divisional Headquarters. After the landing the Regiment de-waterproofed their tanks.

On 26th June the 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry were ordered to push on through Cheux and capture the bridges over the Odon. Torrential rain caused three days delay and the enemy moved two armoured divisions into place.

airfixtributeforum.myfastforum.org/about14717.html&vi...

26th June 1944. At 1250 one squadron from the 11th Armoured Division's reconnaissance regiment, deployed north of Cheux, was ordered to advance towards the Odon[74] as the precursor to an attempt by the division's armoured brigade to rush the bridges.[38] Owing to minefields near the village, debris blocking its streets, and German holdouts attacking the tanks, it was not until 1400 that the regiment was finally able to make progress. By 1430 the squadron arrived on a ridge south of Cheux, where it was engaged[74] by twenty Panzer IVs (diverted by the 12th SS Panzer Division from the Rauray area), Tiger tanks from the 3rd Battalion 101st Heavy SS Panzer Battalion, and additional armour from the 21st Panzer Division.[75] More tanks from the 11th Armoured Division arrived, but determined German resistance halted any further advance;[74] by the end of the day the division had lost twenty-one tanks.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Epsom



Arthur James Webb
Name: WEBB, ARTHUR JAMES
Rank: Private Regiment/Service: Royal Norfolk Regiment Unit Text: 4th Bn.
Age: 24 Date of Death: 11/02/1942 Service No: 5775351
Additional information: Son of Alfred James Webb and Blanche Evelyn Webb; husband of Gertrude Evelyn Webb, of Norwich.
Grave/Memorial Reference: 17. A. 18. Cemetery: KRANJI WAR CEMETERY
www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2821944

The 4th Battalion were captured with the Fall of Singapore, with many prisoners subsequently being worked to death by the Japanese. Private Webb was one of the many who would die in the confused fighting on Singapore Island in the last few days before the surrender.
www.cofepow.org.uk/pages/armedforces_r_norfolk.html
www.britain-at-war.org.uk/WW2/royal_norfolks_in_far_east/...

Innocent Target by topcat_angel

© topcat_angel, all rights reserved.

Innocent Target

Close up of The Shot at Dawn Memorial can be found near Alrewas in Staffordshire in an area which is first touched by the dawn light in remembrance of the 306 British and Commonwealth soldiers executed for a variety of believed offences including cowardice and desertion during World War I

The statue of a young blindfolded soldier is modelled on the likeness of Private Herbert Burden, 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, who lied about his age in order to enlist and who was shot for desertion in 1915 at Ypres aged 17.

His name and the names of those others who suffered the same fate of being shot at dawn are listed on the wooden stakes arranged behind him .

This 8.5 foot white concrete statue was created by the artist Andy De Comyn and was unveiled by Mrs Gertrude Harris, on 21st June 2001.

Source The National Memorial guide book, United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials, and Wikipedia

Pity the fallen by topcat_angel

© topcat_angel, all rights reserved.

Pity the fallen

The Shot at Dawn Memorial in remembrance of the 306 British and Commonwealth soldiers executed for a variety of believed offences including cowardice and desertion during World War I can be seen near Alrewas in Staffordshire and can be found in the area which is first touched by the dawn light in the most easterly part of this 150 acre site

The Shot at Dawn statue of a young blindfolded soldier with target hung around his neck was modelled on the likeness of Private Herbert Burden, 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, who lied about his age in order to enlist and who was shot for desertion in 1915 at Ypres aged 17.

His name and the names of those others who suffered the same fate of being shot at dawn are listed on the wooden stakes arranged behind him .

This 8.5 foot white concrete memorial was created by the artist Andy De Comyn and was unveiled by Mrs Gertrude Harris, daughter of Private Harry Farr, on 21st June 2001.

Source The National Memorial guide book, United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials, and Wikipedia

Executed by topcat_angel

© topcat_angel, all rights reserved.

Executed

The Shot at Dawn Memorial can be seen near Alrewas in Staffordshire in an area which is first touched by the dawn light in remembrance of the 306 British and Commonwealth soldiers executed for a variety of believed offences including cowardice and desertion during World War I

The statue of a young blindfolded soldier is modelled on the likeness of Private Herbert Burden, 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, who lied about his age in order to enlist and who was shot for desertion in 1915 at Ypres aged 17.

His name and the names of those others who suffered the same fate of being shot at dawn are listed on the wooden stakes arranged behind him .

This 8.5 foot white concrete statue was created by the artist Andy De Comyn and was unveiled by Mrs Gertrude Harris, on 21st June 2001.

Source The National Memorial guide book, United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials, and Wikipedia

Private Herbert Burden age 17 by topcat_angel

© topcat_angel, all rights reserved.

Private Herbert Burden age 17

Side view of The Shot at Dawn Memorial - with texture - can be seen near Alrewas in Staffordshire in an area which is first touched by the dawn light in remembrance of the 306 British and Commonwealth soldiers executed for a variety of believed offences including cowardice and desertion during World War I

The statue of a young blindfolded soldier is modelled on the likeness of Private Herbert Burden, 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, who lied about his age in order to enlist and who was shot for desertion in 1915 at Ypres aged 17.

His name and the names of those others who suffered the same fate of being shot at dawn are listed on the wooden stakes arranged behind him .

This 8.5 foot white concrete statue was created by the artist Andy De Comyn and was unveiled by Mrs Gertrude Harris, on 21st June 2001.

Source The National Memorial guide book, United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials, and Wikipedia

bullet - straight and true by topcat_angel

© topcat_angel, all rights reserved.

bullet - straight and true

The Shot at Dawn Memorial - with texture - can be seen near Alrewas in Staffordshire in an area which is first touched by the dawn light in remembrance of the 306 British and Commonwealth soldiers executed for a variety of believed offences including cowardice and desertion during World War I

The statue of a young blindfolded soldier is modelled on the likeness of Private Herbert Burden, 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, who lied about his age in order to enlist and who was shot for desertion in 1915 at Ypres aged 17.

His name and the names of those others who suffered the same fate of being shot at dawn are listed on the wooden stakes arranged behind him .

This 8.5 foot white concrete statue was created by the artist Andy De Comyn and was unveiled by Mrs Gertrude Harris, on 21st June 2001.

Source The National Memorial guide book, United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials, and Wikipedia

Shot by topcat_angel

© topcat_angel, all rights reserved.

Shot

Rear view of the Shot at Dawn Memorial, a British Monument located at the National Memorial Arboretum near Alrewas, in Staffordshire, in memory of the 306 British and Commonwealth soldiers executed for a variety of believed offences including cowardice and desertion during World War I. This statue was the main reason I travelled to Alrewas after first seeing a pictue of it on Flickr.

The memorial portrays a young British soldier blindfolded with target hung around his neck and tied to a stake in anticipation of execution by firing squad. The memorial was modelled on the likeness of Private Herbert Burden, of the 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, who lied about his age in order to enlist in the forces and was later shot for desertion at Ypres in 1915 aged 17. His name and the names of those others who suffered the fate of being shot at dawn are listed on the wooden stakes arranged in the form of a Greek theatre around the 8.5 foot concrete statue, symbolising the tradedy that these events signify These names included: Harry Farr, Thomas Highgate, Eric Poole, and Lance Corporal Peter Goggins.

The memorial was created by the artist Andy De Comyn and was unveiled by Mrs Gertrude Harris, daughter of Private Harry Farr, 21st June 2001. Mrs Marina Brewis, the great niece of Lance Corporal Peter Goggins, also attended the service.

The location of this memorial in the most easterly point of the Arboretum means that it is the first place to be touched by the dawn light. The mass pardon of 306 British and Irish soldiers executed during the Great War was enacted in Section 359 of the Armed Forces Act

Source The National Memorial guide book, United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials, and Wikipedia

Bound by topcat_angel

© topcat_angel, all rights reserved.

Bound

Rear view of the Shot at Dawn Memorial, a British Monument located at the National Memorial Arboretum near Alrewas, in Staffordshire, in memory of the 306 British and Commonwealth soldiers executed for a variety of believed offences including cowardice and desertion during World War I. This statue was the mean reason I travelled here after first seeing a pictue of it on Flickr.

The memorial portrays a young British soldier blindfolded with target hung around his neck and tied to a stake in anticipation of execution by firing squad. The memorial was modelled on the likeness of Private Herbert Burden, of the 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, who lied about his age in order to enlist in the forces and was later shot for desertion at Ypres in 1915 aged 17. His name and the names of those others who suffered the fate of being shot at dawn are listed on the wooden stakes arranged in the form of a Greek theatre around the 8.5 foot concrete statue, symbolising the tradedy that these events signify These names included: Harry Farr, Thomas Highgate, Eric Poole, and Lance Corporal Peter Goggins.

The memorial was created by the artist Andy De Comyn and was unveiled by Mrs Gertrude Harris, daughter of Private Harry Farr, 21st June 2001. Mrs Marina Brewis, the great niece of Lance Corporal Peter Goggins, also attended the service.

The location of this memorial in the most easterly point of the Arboretum means that it is the first place to be touched by the dawn light. The mass pardon of 306 British and Irish soldiers executed during the Great War was enacted in Section 359 of the Armed Forces Act

Source The National Memorial guide book, United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials, and Wikipedia

Shot At Dawn by topcat_angel

© topcat_angel, all rights reserved.

Shot At Dawn

The Shot at Dawn Memorial is a British Monument located at the National Memorial Arboretum near Alrewas, in Staffordshire, UK in memory of the 306 British and Commonwealth soldiers executed for a variety of believed offences including cowardice and desertion during World War I and was the main reason I travelled here after first seeing a picture of Andy DeComyn's staute on Flickr.

The memorial portrays a young British soldier blindfolded with target hung around his neck and tied to a stake in anticipation of execution by firing squad. The memorial was modelled on the likeness of Private Herbert Burden, of the 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, who lied about his age in order to enlist in the forces and was later shot for desertion at Ypres in 1915 aged 17. His name and the names of those others who suffered the fate of being shot at dawn are listed on the wooden stakes arranged in the form of a Greek theatre around the 8.5 foot concrete statue, symbolising the tradedy that these events signify These names included: Harry Farr, Thomas Highgate, Eric Poole, and Lance Corporal Peter Goggins.

The memorial was created by the artist Andy De Comyn and was unveiled by Mrs Gertrude Harris, daughter of Private Harry Farr, 21st June 2001. Mrs Marina Brewis, the great niece of Lance Corporal Peter Goggins, also attended the service.

The location of this memorial in the most easterly point of the Arboretum means that it is the first place to be touched by the dawn light. The mass pardon of 306 British and Irish soldiers executed during the Great War was enacted in Section 359 of the Armed Forces Act

Source The National Memorial guide book, United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials, and Wikipedia