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Royal Warwickshires 15th Battalion.

B

Brummie On Exmoor

master brummie
My relative, James MERDITH b Oct-Dec 1883 in the All Saints district, served in the 15th Battalion of the Royal Warwickshires. According to both CWGC and Ancestry, he died on 3 September 1916, and his name is on the Thiepval Memorial. He was a Corporal and his service no. was 253. In civilian life, he was an Insurance Clerk, though most of his immediate family were involved in the jewellery trade.

I was in the process of researching him on the web, especially exactly what happened the day he died.
Before I spotted the warning about it posted on this Forum, I tried:shifty: the website for the Birmingham Pals, and nearly got infected with Trojans etc! So the site is still absolutely infested.
I am now really nervous about looking at any other sites too closely related to the subject, so I wondered if anyone out there can tell me what the 15th Battalion was doing and where they were on 3 September 1916.

Many thanks

Jane
 
Thank you very much dib44. I shall check it out. Especially as I have just discovered that James' younger brother (b April-June 1887), a Jewel Case Maker, was a Private in the 1st/6th Battalion RWR, service no. 241644, and also died on the Somme a fortnight earler, on 18 August 1916. Again, I want to discover what was happening on the day he died. Like his brother, his name is on the Thiepval Memorial.
 
The 15th Royal Warwicks on 3/9/16 were involved in an attack on a German strongpoint known as Falfemont Farm. Which was situated to the south of the village of Guillemont. If you can get a copy of my book 'Birmingham Pals' from your local library, I give an account of the attack.
The 1/6th Royal Warwicks on 18/8/16 were attacking a German position known as the Leipzig Redoubt (near Thiepval). Over 250 Germans were captured.

I will be visiting the Somme at the end of March and I can take pictures of their names if you want me to. Also the areas of the attack.

Terry
 
thanks for the link to the site above
my granddad was at the Somme, but survived, sent home injured, and was discharged in 1919, [I think]
I can't make out which Battalion my granddad was in, but the regiment number is on this medal card that I downloaded.
[This is an image of that stored on Photobucket, which is just as well, as due to an old computer dying I lost the download document]
It's one of those damaged by water damage, unfortunately, in the blitz of WW2 I believe

https://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii258/daisy_duck_02/family pics5/family pics6/MBsmedalcard-2.jpg [link posted as image too wide]
 
:thumbsup:thanks for the info
I might do that

EDIT: oh, sorry, I have just realised, you have posted a much clearer version of the Medal card. [thank you!]
I wonder why they [some records agency, forgotten who at the moment] sold me such a bad version, as I did pay for it a few years ago.
 
You would have bought your first version from the National Archives. All they had was a version microfilmed (onto microfiche) and that resulted in the poor print you got. We all did! The colour two side versions are new, having only fairly recently been scanned.
 
Thank you so much Terry for your reply. I had found something of the Falfemont Farm action on the web, but this is fantastic to see it confirmed. The information about Leipzig Redoubt is fascinating. I would really appreciate it if you could photograph their names on the memorial. They are James and Alfred MEREDITH as I said above. I have been reading and enjoying a lot of your postings on this site, and I have also discovered 'Long, Long Trail' Chris, which I have been using a fair amount with other family members. Thank you very much to both of you for the amazing well of information you have provided for this novice WW1 researcher.
With very best wishes
Jane
 
Brother Arthur 241644 1/6th. Bham Weekly Post 16.9.16. His sister Mrs Holden of 113, Whitmore Street, Hockley, posted an appeal for information in the Missing Soldiers Bureau of the Bham Weekly Post.
 
Wow Alan, this is amazing! Thank you so much. Yes, the appeal is certainly for my relative, Mrs Holden was the oldest sister, Nora - the parents both died young and Nora seems to have kept the family together. It must have been a terrible blow to her, losing 2 brothers in a fortnight.
Thank you again, so much.
Best wishes
Jane
 
Hello again

below are three pictures taken by the RFC showing Falfemont Farm before and during the Somme fighting. The last one taken two days before the 15th attacked the strongpoint.

Terry
 
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