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Royal Warwickshire 1/8 Battalion

rupedenby

proper brummie kid
i am looking for any help regarding info about 1/8 battallion t.f. royal warwicks or my grandad lieutenant colonel philip henry whitehouse who was awarded the d.s.o. during the same action as w amery was awarded the v.c . in anticipation thanks.
 
Wiki entry - Amey not Amery

William Amey (VC, MM) (5 March 1881 - 28 May 1940) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
He was 37 years old, and a lance-corporal in the 1/8th Battalion, The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 4 November 1918 at Landrecies, France, when many hostile machine-gun nests were missed by the leading troops owing to fog, Lance-Corporal Amey led his section against a machine-gun nest under heavy fire and drove the garrison into a neighbouring farm, finally capturing 50 prisoners and several machine-guns. Later, single-handed and under heavy fire he attacked a machine-gun post in a farmhouse, killed two of the garrison and drove the remainder into a cellar until assistance arrived. Subsequently he rushed a strongly-held post, capturing 20 more prisoners.
He later achieved the rank of corporal. Grave/memorial at Buried at All Saint's Churchyard, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England. Headstone.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Royal Regiment of Fusliliers Museum (Royal Warwickshire)

Robert Williams thesis on the 1/8th which can be found on the internet...
The final award of the DSO to the Battalion was of an altogether different character. It was gazetted on 10 December 1919 and was for the same action in which Lance-Corporal Amey won his VC:

For gallant leadership during the crossing of the Sambre-Oise Canal and the capture of Landrecies on the 4th November, 1918. His battalion fought their way down to and across the canal against heavy opposition and helped to take Landrecies, capturing over 200 prisoners, some guns and many minenwerfer and machine-guns, he did fine work.

This citation reads as though the gallantry that was displayed for this award was that of his men, and that Lieutenant-Colonel Philip Whitehouse was rewarded for his leadership of such men.

(incidentally on 4.11.18 Wilfred Owen was also killed crossing the Sambre-Oise Canal)
 
thanks both of you for the replies both very interesting especially the thesis but keep the replies coming please ,the more the better
 
There is a problem here. Why were Amey and Whitehouse in France on November 4th 1918? The 1/8th Bn together with the other three Warwickshire Territorial bns (1/5th; 1/6th; 1/7th; 1/8th) were all in Italy at that time as part of 143rd Brigade (see the Long, Long Trail web site).
 
Hi Rupdenby

As it's much more fun to find stuff out yourself, here are a couple of links for tracing the 1/8 battalion:


https://battlefields1418.50megs.com/regiment012.htm>


https://www.1914-1918.net/warwicks.htm>

Within these sites you will find further links and be able to find your relative's medal card. The 1/8 battalion was a territorial force and the designation 1/ x meant they could be sent to fight abroad. The battalions numbered 2/ x were for home defence but, because the early battles more or les annihilated the professional and territorial soldiers, the Govt. decided around the middle of 1915 that every volunteer had volunteered to fight abroad and sent 2/ x battalions to France to join the Battle of the Somme. The 48th South Midland Division of which the 1/8 battalion was part, fought in Somme and suffered severe casualties.

Hope this helps.
 
The problem I posed isn't one. In 1918 the War Cabinet decided that brigades of the British Army would be reduced from 4 battalions to 3 and the 1/8th became the fall guys of 143rd Bde and were sent back to France from Italy - leaving the latter by train on September 14th.
 
thanks again alan and downard , i knew grandad was in italy as he was awarded the italian croce di guerra, but i am just not that good at the research and i need you out there to keep pushing me in the right directions
 
Re: 1/8 Battallion TF. Royal Warwicks

Give me a couple of weeks or so and I will supply a bit more info and photographs of Lt Col P H whitehouse. A friend of mine has his medals and other info. Just to let you know a lot of his WW1 service was with the 2/8th Royal Warwicks.

Terry
 
Dear Terry

I will also be very keen to see whatever you have on the 2/8 btn. as my grandfather, Sgt. C. H. Downard, was with the btn. and died of wounds 16th August 1916. I suspect he was wounded in the Action at Fromelles. Perhaps Rupendy's relative was my grandfather's Colonel. Really looking forward to information or links you offered to supply.
regards
Downard
 
Hello Downard

There was a book published concerning the War history of the 2/8th Royal Warwicks and if I remember right, it was a limited edition of 200 copies. It is called 'Black Square Memories'. The black square being the battle patch that the men of the 2/8th wore on their uniform. The B'ham central library should have a copy and no doubt a copy could be obtained from the Library inter-loan system. Off the top of my head I cannot remember the author. I will get back to you.

Regards

Terry
 
Author of Black Square - H.J.Chidgey. 184pp. Published 1924. Reprint 2003.
Black Square was a dining club of the 2/8th.

Reference Library - L75.12 316661
 
Hello again

Fortunately, I photo-copied the book. Sgt C H Downard was not wounded in the action at Fromelles as you can see.

Regards

Terry
 
Hello Terry, knowing virtually nothing about the army, i wonder if you have any information on a Sergeant Major Dye or a Mr Niblett,both of the Royal Warwicks. Also have you any photographs of the Warwickshire regiment of the royal engineers,Thanking you in anticipation...Cat:)
 
Hello Terry, knowing virtually nothing about the army, i wonder if you have any information on a Sergeant Major Dye or a Mr Niblett,both of the Royal Warwicks. Also have you any photographs of the Warwickshire regiment of the royal engineers,Thanking you in anticipation...Cat:)

2 Dyes and 4 Nibletts died serving as Royal Warwicks. Any more detail like forenames.
 
Thank you Terry i have been and had a look. I realise now that i did not make myself very clear.

Terry/ Alan
I have a photograph and on the back is written Mr Niblett and a Sergeant Major Dye (no other names) with their wives and my grandfather Thomas Herrick, looking at the photograph again it says Sergeants' Mess 580 LLA Regiment then 5..8..Royal Warwickshire reg TA. on a board between them, there is only one man in uniform he being younger than my grandfather and the other gent. My grandfather was also a sergeant. thank you again in anticipation of more information...Cat
 
hello terry, great to recieve a reply from you . i have just replaced all nine of grandads medals for my mother to wear as she has four in her own right from ww2. as regards the photos we have about 200 of grandad in service ,home and abroad including a good aerial of the trenches.grandad wrote a book about the 1/8th i dont know how many were published apart from ours if any i have attached a couple of photos. but please any more military help would be greatly appreciated as ours is only family history. also is a photo of a magazine grandad was on the front cover of. thanks again, rupert denby.
 
downard, only just replied then looked in my grandads book which has the entry, sergt charles henry downard, 2742 16.8.16 , a coincidence or what .
 
Terry

You know, I joined this forum only a week ago today and thanks to you I already know where and when my grandfather, Charles Downard, died. His wife, my grandmother, did not know, nor his daughter (my mother) who born just a year before he was killed and died herself aged 90. We had his last two letters and those from an officer and from a nurse after his death but to see his name in print and to know the action in which he was wounded - that's fantastic. Thank you so much for taking so much trouble for me. Thank you.
Downard
 
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