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Information sought on great grandfather, 11th Battalion Royal Warwickshire killed at Arras on 28 May 1917

LeoSeaton

New Member
Hi, my great grandfather Private Hugh Victor Alexander SEATON, Service Number: 240621 of the 11th Bn., Royal Warwickshire Regiment died on 28 May 1917 aged 28.
Commemorated on Arras Memmorial. That’s the only information I can find, beyond general information about the 11th Battalion’s actions around that period. The regiments action at Arras concluded about a month prior to his death, and he died about a month before they moved on to Ypres. So I’m intrigued as to his cause of death. Or any other information. I know it’s a tall order. With him being private rank.
 
hi leo ancestry hold war diaries that may give a bit more info about the battalions movements but i would have though that along with thousands of other (sometimes unidentified) soldiers your gt grandad will go down as killed in action..i dont think his service records survived the bombings of ww2 but will double check that however ancestry does hold his soldiers effects record leaving his effects to wife fanny...

lyn


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Hugh Victor Alexander Seaton
Birth Place:Aston, Birmingham
Death Date:28 May 1917
Death Place:France and Flanders
Enlistment Place:Birmingham
Rank:Private
Regiment:Royal Warwickshire Regiment
Battalion:11th Battalion
Regimental Number:240621
Type of Casualty:Killed in action
Theatre of War:Western European Theatre
Other Records:Search for 'Hugh Victor Alexander Seaton' in other WWI collections
War Diaries (France, Belgium, Germany):Search for 'Royal Warwickshire Regiment' in the WWI War Diaries (France, Belgium, Germany) collection
War Diaries (Gallipoli):Search for 'Royal Warwickshire Regiment' in the WWI War Diaries (Gallipoli) collection
 
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It looks as if he has no grave. Over 34000 are commemorated at Arras. Not all have graves because some were never identified. Some are in graves with no name. Some are just a name on the memorial. With so many dying each day it is often hard to know how they died.
 
thanks jan...his medal card is also on ancestry but no sign of his war records

lyn
I have looked on Find My Past and have not been able to find any military records other than of his death. I note that Hugh's wife Fanny Seaton was living in Arthur St Small Heath at the time of his death. My Grandfather,who died at the Battle of Cambrai 1917, had a family living in Arthur St also. There is a photo of Arthur St on this forum that shows Arthur St with a Street Memorial in the background.
 

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On 28 May 1917, the 11th Royal Warwicks were in the front line area east of Arras. The previous day, they had been providing working parties improving the Wancourt-Feuchy defensive line. Later on 28 May, they were relieved by another unit and marched out to Achicourt. The battalion's war diary can be downloaded free of charge from the National Archives website if you register your email address (or you can pay £3.50). It makes no mention of casualties on the day, but in the circumstances it is likely that Hugh was a chance victim of enemy shellfire.
 
I have visited Arras on more than one occasion in the one square the impact marks are against the wall where they executed the resistance. If you ever go to Vimy Ridge the trenches are still there and a strange silence in the air, there were no birds in the Woodland.
 
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