Transcript Document

Thorpe Thewles Roll of Honour
1914 - 1918
Robert McKeag, Sergeant
Joseph Hattle
John Thomas Bee, Sergeant
Albert Nelmes
Thomas William Wailes
Alfred Gaylor
Frederick Goldsbrough
John H. Pinch
Matthew Metcalfe
Martin Smith
1939 – 1945
John Edward Boynton
Norman Daniels
The First World War 1914 – 1918
In 1911, the parish of Grindon had a population of 428,
and yet 10 young men from this village lost their lives in
the Great War. Who were they? How did they die? Where
are they buried?
This is an attempt to find out more , using information
from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, The
Great War Forum, regimental websites, the 1901 census
and the Imperial War Museum.
It is not a complete picture. Records at this time are
sketchy, and we have to rely on probability rather than
fact.
France and Flanders
9 of the 10 men commemorated on the Thorpe Thewles
War Memorial were killed on the Western Front. 5 of
these died in 1916, two within three weeks of each other.
Sergeant Robert McKeag, 9th Battalion,
Northumberland Fusilliers
Robert McKeag was born at Carlton Station and
is listed in the 1901 census as a railway porter,
aged 19. He enlisted in Middlesbrough and was
sent to France, arriving on 8th August 1915. He
survived only four months on the Western Front,
and died on the 19th December 1915. He is
buried at Etaples military cemetery, as is Martin
Smith from Thorpe Thewles. Etaples had
several military hospitals and was situated well
behind the line.
In December 1915, the 9th Battalion were in the
Hooge sector. Hooge is a small village on the
Menin Road (the N8), around two miles east of
Ypres. The front line of the Salient was here in
1914 and there was fierce fighting in the area
over the next three years, during which the
village was totally destroyed.
The Menin Road
The road from Ypres to Hooge leads
past the infamous Hellfire Corner,
once one of the most dangerous spots
in the Salient. Today it is no longer a
corner; it is now a roundabout. As
Robert is simply listed as died, he
was probably wounded by sniper fire,
shrapnel or shells and evacuated to
the military hospital at Etaples.
The Salient in winter was like Dante’s Inferno. Shell holes full of slime, mud
everywhere. Many men were wounded and trying to get back to Dressing Stations
slipped in holes and were drowned. The Menim Road up to the Salient from Ypres
they reckon claimed 900 a month
Letter from Private Tom MacDonald, Royal Sussex Regiment
Joseph Hattle, 13th Battalion Rifle
Brigade
Joseph Hattle originally came from the Scottish borders, and is
listed in the 1901 census as a 16 year-old farmer’s son from
Swinton Duns, Berwickshire. We do not know why he moved to
Thorpe Thewles. He enlisted in Hartlepool and arrived in France
at the end of July 1915.
Joseph was killed in action on 25th January 1916, aged 44. He is
buried at Foncquevillers Military Cemetery, behind the front line.
As he is the only member of the Rifle Brigade to be buried there,
it is possible that he was the victim of a sniper, schrapnel or a
trench raid. He was probably not married as on his death he is
listed as the son of Jane Hattle.
Foncquevillers Military Cemetery
For the Duration, a book about the 13th Rifle Brigade tells of a
riotous Christmas 1915, for which an irate farmer next day
demanded 250 francs, but accepted 75 francs in payment for
damages.
“We returned to the trenches soon afterwards. During the
following weeks, nothing of much importance happened until
January 28th.”
BOMBED LAST NIGHT
Bombed last night, Bombed the night before
Gonna get bombed tonight if we never get
bombed any more.
When we’re bombed, we’re scared as we
can be.
Oh God damnn the bombin' planes from
Germany.
They’re over us, they’re over us,
One shell-hole for the four of us
Glory be to God there are no more of us
'Cause one of us could fill it all alone.
Gassed last night—gassed the night before,
Gonna get gassed again if we never git
gassed no more,
When we’re gassed, we’re as sick as we can
be,
'Cause phosgene and mustard gas is too
much for me.
Song from the trenches
Sergeant John Thomas Bee, 16th Battalion,
Northumberland Fusilliers
John Bee’s medal roll card suggests that he
may have been accidently killed. He died,
aged 24, on 21st August 1916, and is listed
by the Commonwealth War Graves
Commission as being the son of Phyllis Bee
of Carlton Station, Ferryhill Co. Durham
and the late John Bee. Neither appear on the
1901 census. There is a John W. Bee listed
in 1901, living in an orphanage in
Knaresborough with his sister.
The railway connection was a strong one, as
John Bee joined the North Eastern Railway
Pioneers. He features on the roll of honour
for N.E.R. Men who laid down their lives
for King and Country:
Bee, J.T.H., Gangman, Norton-on-Tees,
Sergt, Nrthd. Fus
John Bee is buried at Faubourg d’Amiens
Cemetery, Arras. Faubourg was used by
field ambulances at this time. In midAugust 1916, British forces were
making “considerable progress” near
Pozières, about 20 miles NE of Amiens.
It has been raining here everyday this week which makes things very
uncomfortable, heaps of mud and lice including rats of course, but getting quite
used to the same now, my skin is quite raw owing to keeping on rubbing myself,
haven’t had a chance of getting water to wash a shirt out but hope to do
something towards comfort tomorrow.
Private A. H Hubbard, London Scottish, writing from the Somme front in
May 1916
Albert Nelmes, Private 4th Brigade Yorkshire
Regiment
Allied trenches are
shown in blue,
German in red
The son of William and Louisa Nelmes, of Zetland Terrace in New Marske,
Albert was killed in action on 15th September 1915. This was the start of
the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, in which tanks were used for the first time.
This is the Battalion War diary for this day:
15th SEPTEMBER. The assault took place at 6.22 a.m. The order of
attack was "Z" Coy right, "X" Coy centre and "W" Coy left. "Y" Coy were
in Reserve. Brigade order was 4th East Yorks, 4th Yorks and 5th Yorks.
Division order was 47th Div Right, 50th Div centre and 15th Div left.
The 150th Bde advanced in good order and quickly gained the first
objective, Hook Trench. By 7.58 they were in the second. But High Wood
and Martinpuich was still in the hands of the Germans. The 47th Div and
the 149th Brigade on the right and East Yorks on the left were held up.
By 9.57 the 150th Brigade had taken the final objective with men in Prue
trench. But the the 4th Yorks right flank was "up in the air" [Open to
German fire from the side.] at the junction of Prue Trench and Martin
Alley. This position was held despite terrific shelling which caused heavy
casualties.
By 10 a.m the 15th Div had taken Martinpuich and by 1 p.m 47 Div had
taken High Wood. The following 26 men of the 4th Yorks were killed in
action this day and have no known grave. They are commemorated on the
Thiepval Memorial. ....
Albert Nelmes is listed among those who fell
The battle resulted in a 2 kilometre
advance for the British. The tanks
were slow, and only 15 of the 49 tanks
that started made it to No-Man’sLand, because of the mud.
“Men came back absolutely weary, worn
out and wet through. Nothing had been
done for their welfare at all.
It was absolutely inconceivable how the
fighting efficiency of the men could be
kept up under these conditions.
Fortunately the rain ceased about noon
and men were enabled in some way to dry
their soaking clothes in the sun.“
Battalion war diary
Between 14th and 30th September, the
Brigade lost 98 men, many from the
Teesside area and North Yorkshire. Private
Nelmes is buried at Flatiron Copse
Cemetery, Mametz. He is the youngest of
those commemorated on Thorpe Thewles
War Memorial
Thomas William Wailes, 8th Battalion,
Yorkshire and Lancashire Regiment
Private Thomas Wailes won the Military medal, awarded to personnel of the British
Army below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land. Thomas Wailes died of
his wounds on 30th September 1916; his Military Medal is listed in the London Gazette
of December 9th 1916, but the actual citation was lost in bombing in the Second
World War, together with many other Great War records.
On enlistment, Thomas Wailes’ occupation is
given as horseman, but he came from a
railway family. His enlistment papers give
his home address as Station House Thorpe
Thewles; his mother’s name is given as
Isabella Ormston, and his stepfather was
station master there.
British troops at the Battle of Morval
Private Wailes died of his wounds following
in an action known as the Battle of Morval,
which raged from 25th – 28th September 1916.
This was a continuation of the Battle of
Flers-Courcelette , in which Albert Nelmes
died on September 15th.
War Diary
8th Yorkshire
and Lancashire
Regiment
British troops at Morval
Martinpuich 28th September 7pm
B Coy 11th Sherwood Foresters attacked
DESTREMONT FARM, but before
reaching their objective were met with
heavy machine gun and rifle fire and
returned to their own trenches.
Martinpuich 29th September 12
midnight
Orders were received for us to take the
above named farm without delay. C Coy
were detailed. The attack was launched
promptly at 6am and was entirely
successful, despite the fact that almost
800 yards of open ground had to be
traversed by our men. The men charged
with great spirit, cheering when just
approaching their objective. The enemy
offered very little resistance and fled in
disorder, leaving a number of dead men
and one machine gun, which was
brought back by our men.
War Diary
8th Yorkshire and
Lancashire Regiment
The farm was immediately
consolidated and one platoon
commanded by 2nd Lieut. J. W.
Medley left as a garrison The
Farm was heavily shelled during the
whole of the day and caused several
casualties among the garrison.
During the day 2nd Lieut Medley was
wounded. Lieut T. H. Searles then
took command and he too was
seriously wounded. 2nd Lieuts N.
Gavin-Taylor, R. Turner and finally
Lieut. J. Goldspink all in turn
commanded the garrison.....
Sometimes evidence is interesting
because of what it does not say. Only
commissioned officers are named and
there is no mention here of Tom Wailes’
heroism
Casualties – 2nd Lieut J.V.Medley
wounded (slight)
3 other ranks killed and 14 wounded.
Alfred Gaylor, Rifleman, Prince Consort’s Own
Brigade
Alfred was the son of one of the gamekeepers at Wynyard Hall. He arrived in France on
29th July 1915 and was killed in action on 14th November 1916, aged 25. He is
commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial and does not have a specific grave.
He died in the battle to take Beaucourt , part of the battle of the Somme. The Brigade War
Diary states that they had been sent up to the line on the 13th September.
The battalion left bivouacs in Hedauville and moved to advanced Div. H.Q. (63rd R.N.D.)
just South of Englebelmer and was placed at the disposal of 63rd (R.N.) Division. At 3.15
pm the Battalion moved to Mesnil, on through Hamel to the Green Line west of Station
Road. This position was reached about midnight. Hostile barrage was put on the track and
the Battalion suffered about 40 casualties - 2 officers being wounded.
14/11/16.
At 4 am orders were received to attack at 6.15 am.
The Battalion was to attack Beaucourt Trench, from
Railway Alley to a point 400 yards N.W. It was to
keep touch with the H.A.C. on the right and the 14th
Royal Fusiliers on the left, who were to take
Beaucourt Trench from the left of this Battalion to
Leave Avenue. The Battalion was held up by Rifle
and M.G. fire at 6.10 am to 7.15 am. The barrage
(first one) of our artillery had been very high, but the
second barrage enabled the advance to be resumed
and by 8 am Beaucourt Trench was captured to a
point 300 yards N.W. or Railway Alley. The men who
assaulted Beaucourt Trench where it cuts the village
of Beaucourt, found that the enemy had evacuated it
and were forming up to surrender. These were
captured and several of our parties who went into the
village, captured many more of the enemy after a
little opposition.
The 13th Royal Fusiliers had come up on the right of
the Battalion, but the left flank of the Battalion was
exposed, the enemy sniping heavily from this flank.
Hostile barrage was very slight until 11.30 am. "D"
Company started bombing up Beaucourt Trench
towards Leave Avenue and by midnight had advanced
300 yards.
Frederick Gouldsbrough, Canadian Infantry
Frederick Gouldsbrough was one of 10 children
born to Ralph and Jane Gouldsbrough of Orchard
Farm, Thorpe Thewles. He left Liverpool for
Canada on 5th April 1913 at the age of 23.
He joined the 116th Battalion of the Second Central
Ontario Regiment in February 1916, and died of his
wounds on 28th July 1917. He is buried at the
Barlin Communal Cemetery near Noeux-les-Mines
in northern France, having possibly been involved
in the preliminaries to the Canadians taking Hill 70,
a strategic point overlooking the town of Lens in
the Pas de Calais.
We know very little more about Frederick
Gouldsbrough. His name is misspelt on the Roll of
Honour, which led us to investigate the wrong man.
Hopefully we will be able to access Canadian
WW1 records and find out more about this son of
Thorpe Thewles.
Canadian soldiers drinking
coffee at a soup kitchen
100 yards away from
German lines on Hill 70.
The hill was successfully
taken by the Canadians in
August 1917
John H. Pinch, Royal Engineers
John Pinch was a sapper with the 227th
Company of Royal Engineers. His father was
a railway platelayer and in 1901 he lived
with his parents at no 4, Wynyard Station.
Matthew Metcalfe, who was killed in
Palestine, lived two doors down, at no 6.
John enlisted in Stockton, and was killed in
action on 22nd October 1917, aged 26. This
was the dreadful time of Passchendaele, and
the most intense artillery concentrations of
the whole war. With his railway background,
he was quite possibly involved in laying a
light railway in preparation for the Second
Battle of Passchendaele which began on 26th
October. Light railways were used to
transport and supply troops, and also to
evacuate the wounded.
There was no specific action on the day
John died, but artillery action at this time
was intense, and working parties were
often caught up in it.
John is the only Royal Engineer to be
buried at Talana Farm Cemetery in
Belgium.
Martin Smith, 10th Battalion Scottish Rifles
Martin Smith was the son of a woodman
who lived at 48 Springbank, Grindon. In
1901, Martin is already listed as a labourer
at the age of 14. By the time war broke out,
Martin would have been 29. He was
married.
He enlisted in Stockton and died of his
wounds, probably in Etaples where there
were several military hospitals. He is buried
in Etaples Military Cemetery.
He died as troops were amassing for the
major battle of Spring 1918, known as the
Kaiserschlacht (The Emperor’s Battle) or
First Battle of Arras. As he was not killed in
action, it is likely that he was wounded in
everyday trench activity, such as shelling,
sniping, trench raids and so on.
Kaiserschlacht
The Kaiserschlacht: 21st March 1918
In March 1918, the Germans decided to launch a massive offensive on the
Western front to bid for victory before the increasingly engaged Americans
could affect the balance of power. Their principal target was the British Army.
The attack began on 21st March with a brief hurricane bombardment, with the
initial strike on British batteries, strong points and command posts.
I was awakened at 4 a.m. by the most terrific gunfire I
had ever heard. Only by shouting on the phone could I
find out that all Batteries were answering on SOS
Targets. The front line was one blaze of exploding shells
and high bursting shrapnel. ‘Very’ lights and every
coloured rocket imaginable. Long range guns were
sweeping the back areas, and about ten minutes after
the firing started a shell burst just outside our dug-out
and blew up the telephone lines to Corps HQ and to
Batteries!
As none of our infantry were seen we concluded they
had been wiped out.....
Second Lieutenant E. J. Ruffell, 342 Siege Battery.
Paul Nash, Ypres Salient at
Night 1917 - 1918
Matthew Metcalfe, 179th Company,
Machine Gun Corps
Like John Pinch, Matthew Metcalfe
lived at Wynyard Station. His father,
like John Pinch’s dad, was also a
platelayer.
Unlike the other Great War casualties
from Thorpe Thewles, Matthew
Metcalfe is buried in Palestine, in the
Ramleh War Cemetery. He died of
his wounds on 14th January 1918.
Ramleh was used as a casualty
clearing station.
The 179th Company of the Machine
Guns Corps were part of the 60th
Division, who had been active at the
end of December in the Defence of
Jerusalem. It is possible that he was
wounded here.
British artillery placements during the Battle of
Jerusalem, 1917.
Jerusalem had been captured by Allied Forces
under General Allenby before Christmas, but
the opposing Turkish army immediately
counter-attacked, leading to the Defence of
Jerusalem.
What we don’t know
So this is what we have found out so far about the soldiers from Thorpe Thewles who
died in the Great War. There is so much that we don’t know about their lives before
1914, and about how their families coped with their loss.
And of course, the fatalities were only part of the story. Others, like Albert Fishburn and
the McLaren sons were disabled and all involved in the Great War will have been
affected for the rest of their lives by their experiences in the trenches. This is now the
focus for our research. Can you help us with your family’s story? If you can, please
get in touch!
©Thorpe Thewles History Group
November 2010