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Royal Warwickshire - WWI Battles

L

llessib

Guest
I've been searching to find out more information about the death in France/Flanders of a relative of mine:

Pte Henry Lees (3660) of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment 1st Battalion who was killed in action on 30 August 1918 and is buried at VIS-EN-ARTOIS BRITISH CEMETERY, HAUCOURT.

I've tried to find out more information about the circumstances surrounding Henry's death, i..e battle, place etc but I'm struggling to find any relevant online information - can anyone point me in the right direction ?

Many thanks

Martin
 
Hi Terry

That's absolutley brilliant - many thanks

Martin
 
I am trying to find more information about my Greatuncle Arthur Sheppard
who was killed in WW1 on the 18/7/1916.
Arthur was with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment,Service no,5243.1st-5th
Battalion.
I found this information on cwgc.org.
I have looked on Service Records but cannot find out anything about him.
If anyone can help i would be very grateful.
Regards
Carol
 
Last edited:
Private Ernest POWELL 22718 !5th Bttn Royal Warwickshire Regiment

With encouragement from Terry Carter via the Birmingham Pals web site I visited my grandfather's grave Arleux-en-Gohelle on the 90th anniversary of his death on 8th May 1917. It was one of the most moving experiences I've ever had, and I'm so glad that my son and I made the effort to go. I'd recommend a memorial trip to anyone.
I found that he died whilst engaged in a fight for the nearby village of Fresnoy in which 104 men were killed. A colonel commanding the battalion wrote a report of the "disaster" of 8th May and concluded that the men were "attempting to hold an impossible salient as a defensive postion", that there was no aerial or artillery support and the appalling weather turned the area into a sea of mud with "visibility being NIL".
And this was just one tiny battle in the midst of so much . . . it certainly makes you think!
We went and had a look at Fresnoy, it's a nice little village, but with respect, I didn't rate it worth my grandfather's life, nor the misery it inflicted on my grandmother and mother in the years that followed.
Mary.
By the way does anyone know what's happened to the Birmingham Pals web site? it doesn't seem to be functioning at the moment. Apparently I have a private message waiting (now there's intriguing?) but I cannot access the Forum any longer. :boohoo:
 
Quote>> Apparently I have a private message waiting (now there's intriguing?) :boohoo:[/quote]


I had one one from it recently, but it was only a link to a 'porn' site. I think the site has been 'Hacked' into.
 
hello Maryem

I am glad the trip went well. I am off to the Somme again, myself, in February. The guy who runs the Pals site seems to have lost interest. So as I was moderator on the Birmingham Pals site I took the decision to stop access for all members and non members to access the site due to the amount of hacking that was going on and emails being sent from the site with a pornographic content. I do not know what I done, But, even I cannot get onto the site myself anymore!

Perhaps the Moderators on this excellent Forum could add another section for matters concerning 'The Birmingham Pals Battalions 1914-18'

Terry
 
Hi Terry,

Thanks for letting me know what was happening - I think you made the right decision. Well done you!

I don't envy you the Somme in February, it was wet, windy and very bleak when we went in May, and all the reports and film footage seem to depict the battlefields as either seas of mud or frozen solid. They must have had some hot and sunny weather surely in four years? Can you tell us a bit about the hardships that hot and dry weather caused the troops in the trenches? I imagine parasites were a big problem most of the time.

Cheers,
Mary
 
Hi Mary

In the past when I have visited in February, I have had some dry sunny weather and its been quite pleasant. Other times its been wet and miserable.

Regards to fighting on the Western Front during the summer time..... as you can guess this brought about much death and destruction as the troops of both sides had better conditions to fight in... and die in. When it was wet a lot of shell buried themslves in the mud before exploding and less damage was caused. However on dry ground in the summer shells exploded on contact and carnage resulted.
As you were right to say fleas and lice were also a major problem for the soldiers in milder weather. You ofted see photographs of British tommies during the summer months on the western front, 1916 onwards, wearing shortened trousers to stop the itchiness at the back of their knees.

Terry
 
Maryem said:
They must have had some hot and sunny weather surely in four years? Can you tell us a bit about the hardships that hot and dry weather caused the troops in the trenches? I imagine parasites were a big problem most of the time.

Cheers,
Mary
Click to expand...

Reading this reminded me of a documentary, it showed soldiers running a lighted candle along the hems and seams of their clothing to kill off the fleas etc that would hide there, i suppose it did help a little but must have made them miserable with all they had to endure.


bren
 
good evening hope everyone is ready for Christmas. I was just wondering how I find out where the 7th warwickshire were in the war as my Grandad was Albert Chapman.
He was one of the lucky ones as he lived, I have his medals but would love to go and see where he was in the first world war.
Thankyou Andrew
 
Andrew

can you supply us with a service number from his medals. Are there three medals or two?. We have to establish which battalion he served in. The 1/7th or 2/7th Royal Warwicks.

Regards

Terry
 
Terry I have five medals in total for albert Chapman d89 42.
the one has on it 7th d gds.
Any info on where he was in the war would be fab.
thankyou Andrew
 
Hi Andrew

Need a bit more info. Do you know what medals they are? Service numbers are also stamped on the edge of some medals. Where was he born etc.

d89 42...... is that a number?

7th d gds...... that looks like 7th Dragoon Guards

Terry
 
Good afternoon
yes pte d- 8942 is his number I believe.
I have the Italian Star.
I have a medal with Iraq on it, it has a lady with wings on.
I ALSO HAVE A MEDAL WITH TWO SWORDS GOING THROUGH IT, AND THE CROWN ON TOP.
THEY ALL HAVE 7TH D D=GDS ON.
THANKYOU ANDREW
 
Hi Andrew

It appears that his WW1 service was spent serving in the 7th Dragoon Guards. His Medal Card Index on Ancestry UK is listed under Bert Chapman.... see below.

I do know for a fact that when serving on the Somme, 14 July 1916, the 7th Dragoon Guards and the 22nd Deccan Horse took part in a Cavalry charge towards High Wood and several of the enemy were lanced and taken prisoner.

However, I doubt if we will ever know if he took part in that incident, but, I do have more info. The following info was taken from 'Chris Baker's' WW1 site

7th (Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards
August 1914 : in Secunderabad in India, part of the Secunderabad Cavalry Brigade.
Moved with Brigade to France as part of 1st Indian Cavalry Division, landed Marseilles at 13 October 1914.
23 December 1914 : transferred with Brigade to 2nd Indian Cavalry Division.
26 November 1916 : 2nd Indian Cavalry Division renamed as 5th Cavalry Division.
February 1918 : Division broken up; regiment transferred on 10 March 1918 to 7th Cavalry Brigade in 3rd Cavalry Division.

Regards

Terry

p.s what made you think he served with the 7th Royal Warwicks?
 
I dont know,
I have his medals and he was born in Birmingham Warwickshire.
They have 7th on them,
Thankyou for the info on my grandad.
would he have been a horse man then.
Why were they called the dragoons Guards.
Thankyou I will go and visit the somme next year just to see where he was.
Merry Christmas Andrew
 
llessib said:
I've been searching to find out more information about the death in France/Flanders of a relative of mine:

Pte Henry Lees (3660) of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment 1st Battalion who was killed in action on 30 August 1918 and is buried at VIS-EN-ARTOIS BRITISH CEMETERY, HAUCOURT.

I've tried to find out more information about the circumstances surrounding Henry's death, i..e battle, place etc but I'm struggling to find any relevant online information - can anyone point me in the right direction ?

Many thanks

Martin
Click to expand...
Hi, Henry Lee's is my grandad on my moms side, what is your relationship? I have a photo and so.e history from the royal Warwickshire regiment but the dates of his death are different. Do you have any further info?
 
Welcome to the forum.
I am sorry but llessib is no longer a member of the forum so will be unable to reply unless they re-register.
(it says "guest" under the avatar).
 
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