I've just noticed that among 'The Originals' of the West Ham battalion, at that first Parade and the dinner given by the Borough, there is a Lt A J Dyer.
I wonder, just wonder, if the Mayor of West Ham, Councillor Henry Dyer, the man who raised the Battalion, was his father or other close relative?
If you are a relative of a soldier who served in the 13th Essex, please feel free to send details: I'll gladly look up any detail which may help you discover what happened on the day of his death or during the time of his service.
22 January 2009
15774 L/Cpl Warwick and 32349 Pte Henderson
Although both these men are late war replacements to the West Ham Battalion, rather than 'original' volunteers local to the east end, their info is included here due to the research done on the Stansted war memorial
15774 L/Cpl Peter Warwick
Peter Warwick was the son of Eliza and the late Henry Warwick, living at home with his mother and family at Lower Woodfields. Prior to the War he was employed by Messrs Mascall Bros., a local butchers. He volunteered in November 1914, enlisting at Saffron Walden and after combat in Egypt, was sent to France in early 1916 where he was soon wounded in the leg.
On sunday 30th September, the Hammers were in the Givenchy Sector. From midnight, the German's had been bombarding the positions with gas shells. It lasted until 3am when the all clear was finally sounded.
At daybreak, as the morning mist cleared, a hidden German sniper sighted a valuable prize: A dreaded Lewis Gunner, getting himself ready. With less than a blink, L/Cpl Warwick was shot in the head. He was 24 years old.
He had been home on leave only two months before his death.
His Lieutenant wrote to his mother: 'The morning before the battalion last came out of the trenches your son was hit by an enemy sniper and died before I could reach him, although at the time I was in the trench but a short distance away. It has been a great loss to the company, as your son was held in great esteem by all and was a steady and capable section leader. It is very difficult to offer you any consolation in such a great loss but I hope it will relieve your grief to know that his death was almost instantaneous and he was buried in the presence of the whole platoon. I hope you will accept my sincere sympathy.' A letter was also recieved from his Sgt Maj conveying the sincere sympathy of the NCO's and the men of the Company.
Peter Warwick's body was taken from the trenches and as the Chaplain told his mother, he was buried in a British cemetary in the presence of the whole Platoon.
32349 Alfred Henderson
Alfred William Henderson was born in Poplar in 1885, but at some point he relocated to Stansted, living at Lower Street. He was the son of Frederick Henderson and son in law of Mrs Ridgewell of Hospital Lane in Saffron Walden. He was formally in the service of Lord Peel and afterwards employed at Messrs Rochfords nurseries at Birchanger, then for the next two years he was the Prudential agent for Stansted.
Alfred was called up in October 1916 and arrived in France on January 1st 1917. He had only been there three weeks when he was granted leave to return home for a few days (until January 26th) because his wife Fanny had been taken seriously ill and removed to an institution (where she was still a patient at the time of her husband's death). They had two children, one aged five, the other only a month old.
Alfred is one of the many killed at Oppy on 28th of April, 1917, when over 240 men of the Hammers Battalion were killed during the attack.
Details of both men and the image of L/Cpl Warwick taken from the painstaking research of the Stansted War Memorial, undertaken by Glyn Warwick and published in his recent book "They Sleep In Heroes Graves" ISBN 978-0-9558964-0-8
18655 Pte Mellish
James John Mellish was born in Bow in 1886, the son of James and Esther Mellish. He worked as a fancy cord manufacturer and married Susannah E L Brown in West Ham in 1912. Mellish joined the Essex Regiment in 1914 and was posted to the 13th (West Ham) Battalion, going overseas with the original contingent of the 13th Battalion on 17th November 1915 on the Princess Victoria and, after witnessing the HS Anglia hit a mine in harbour, landed at Boulogne alongside my gtGrandfather and the other West Ham Pals at 6pm.
Guillemont 1916
James was wounded on 8th August 1916 during the night assault on Waterlot Farm (the sugar beet refinery area) at Guillemont when the battalion suffered 90 casualties, mainly from C and D Companies (see previous posts)
Moeuvres 1917
Lance Corporal Mellish was again wounded at the Battalion’s famous action at Moeuvres on 30th November 1917 when they held up the German counter attack in the Cambrai area. In total the battalion suffered over 370 casualties with D Company being surrounded and captured after an epic resistance
9th Battalion
When the 13th Battalion was disbanded in February 1918, Mellish was transferred to the 9th Essex. In April 1918 Acting Corporal Mellish was taken prisoner during the fighting around Albert, finally being discharged to Class Z reserve on 13th February 1919.
The Second World War
James is believed to be entitled to the Defence Medal, for service with the Home Guard.
biography courtesy of 'Owen' - many thanks to you, sir
Guillemont 1916
James was wounded on 8th August 1916 during the night assault on Waterlot Farm (the sugar beet refinery area) at Guillemont when the battalion suffered 90 casualties, mainly from C and D Companies (see previous posts)
Moeuvres 1917
Lance Corporal Mellish was again wounded at the Battalion’s famous action at Moeuvres on 30th November 1917 when they held up the German counter attack in the Cambrai area. In total the battalion suffered over 370 casualties with D Company being surrounded and captured after an epic resistance
9th Battalion
When the 13th Battalion was disbanded in February 1918, Mellish was transferred to the 9th Essex. In April 1918 Acting Corporal Mellish was taken prisoner during the fighting around Albert, finally being discharged to Class Z reserve on 13th February 1919.
The Second World War
James is believed to be entitled to the Defence Medal, for service with the Home Guard.
biography courtesy of 'Owen' - many thanks to you, sir
21 January 2009
The Last Stand Of D Company
Here is a map of the Cambrai area uf operations in November 1917
(click to enlarge, click back to return)
The West Ham Battalion were again alongside their brigade friends The Footballers and facing the German front line ('The Hindenburg Line'), towards the town of Mouevres - in this image below, the Germans are positioned on the left with the British on the right.
You can clearly see the canal, Canal Du Nord, running through the google map image. In November 1917, that was still being built. It was something like 30 feet deep and lined with brick tiles on the walls and floor...
Here is an aerial recce photo taken a few days before the battle. You can see the empty canal and at the bottom of the picture, the lines of zigzagging British trenches. In the centre is Lock No5.
On the 30th November, at 6am (represented by the Yellow Line on the image below), D Company was dug in around the earthworks of Lock 5. They were facing the town on their left flank. On the other side of the canal gap in equally muddy building works was B Company.
Suddenly, out of seemingly nowhere, grey waves of Germans came flooding towards the British Lines, in a very well planned counter attack.
In the book "Up the Hammers!" I have plotted all the subsequent action and the epic two day defense, including research from audio interviews and the personal memoirs of men who were there that day. It is an incredible story.
I thought it might also be interesting to hear how "what happened" was told to young boys, just a few months after the battle, in 'The Children's Story Of The War'.
I cant imagine similar being published in these 'politically correct' days! The particular chapter is entitled "A Glorious Stand" and is on page 355.
"A correspondent, describing the fighting astride of the Nord Canal, says:
'There were desperate duels with bombs on the dry floor of the canal, while groups of Germans and British sniped from their shelters on the banks above. The enemy tried to overwhelm the tired garrison in the night, hoping to find our men exhausted and sleeping, or overcome with gas; but their reception was always the same. A staff officer said to me, a few days later, that these men, like their comrades on the right, appeared to have solved the problem of doing without sleep. Fresh ammunition came up steadily, and the fire never slackened. Prisoners expressed amazement when they found that positions which they had vainly sought to take were held by so few men ; and a German regimental commander reported that the British had received heavy reinforcements which was not the case.
'This fighting in the bed of the Nord Canal and on its banks was the strangest feature of the Battle of Cambrai. It was a battle within a battle, and when our troops came back to their present line a few days later the floor of this disused waterway was covered with German dead and wounded."
At this time a desperate struggle was taking place for the possession of that part of the Hindenburg Line which runs from Moeuvres westward to Tadpole Copse. You will remember that it was held by the right brigade of the 56th Division. The enemy made attack after attack, and actually managed to reach the headquarters of the 8th Battalion Middlesex Regiment.
Assisted by the headquarters staff, the battalion made a desperate rally. By means of bombs it held off the enemy until reinforcements arrived, and the position was recovered. Every battalion in this part of the line vied with its neighbour in the valour of its resistance.
Later in the evening the enemy made another attack in force to the south-east of Mceuvres, and again managed to enter our trenches. During this attack a company of the 13th (West Ham) Battalion Essex Regiment, 2nd Division, was holding a position along the west side of the Canal du Nord. The enemy waves flowed on each side of the Essex men and cut them off.
For some hours these gallant fellows held out, and about 4 p.m., seeing that relief was improbable, the two surviving officers, Lieutenant J. D. Robinson and Second- Lieutenant E. L. Corps summoned Company Sergeant- Major A. H. Edwards and Platoon Sergeants C. Phillips, F. C. Parsons, W. Fairbrass, R. Lodge, and L. S. Legg to a council of war.
I need not tell you what their decision was: they determined to fight to the last, and not to think of surrender. Two runners were sent back to the battalion headquarters to inform the commanding officer of the fact, and then the men betook themselves to their rifles and bombs, and continued the struggle with unfaltering courage.
All through the night strenuous efforts were made to send assistance to these devoted men, but in vain. They fought to the death, and maintained to the last a bulwark of valour and undying resolution against the tide of attacking Germans. With their lives they barred the way, and sacrificed themselves to relieve the pressure on the main line of our defence. They fought Britain's Thermopylae, and their glorious heroism must never be forgotten.
A correspondent thus sums up the result of the fighting on the north side of the salient:
" The net result of this carefully-planned German 'surprise', which sacrificed a number of perfectly good divisions in the battle area west of Cambrai, was to give our 2nd Division a better position at the end of the battle than they held when they took over the line from the Ulsters a few days before the attack, except on the left, where the canal lock was lost.
After this slight retirement the division never lost a yard of ground. Although worn out by constant fighting and digging, the men not only threw back the picked German storm troops, but pushed a fresh chain of posts into the enemy's country."
This is a just snippet from the after action report in the war diary. Battalion HQ was at that time codenamed 'Chingford':
The events were dramatically portrayed by the artist Richard Caton-Woodville in a double page spread for the Illustrated London News in February 1918. That young officer with his pistol raised would be Capt Reg Box from Manor Park.
(click to enlarge, click back to return)The West Ham Battalion were again alongside their brigade friends The Footballers and facing the German front line ('The Hindenburg Line'), towards the town of Mouevres - in this image below, the Germans are positioned on the left with the British on the right.
Here is an aerial recce photo taken a few days before the battle. You can see the empty canal and at the bottom of the picture, the lines of zigzagging British trenches. In the centre is Lock No5.
On the 30th November, at 6am (represented by the Yellow Line on the image below), D Company was dug in around the earthworks of Lock 5. They were facing the town on their left flank. On the other side of the canal gap in equally muddy building works was B Company.
Suddenly, out of seemingly nowhere, grey waves of Germans came flooding towards the British Lines, in a very well planned counter attack.
In the book "Up the Hammers!" I have plotted all the subsequent action and the epic two day defense, including research from audio interviews and the personal memoirs of men who were there that day. It is an incredible story.
I thought it might also be interesting to hear how "what happened" was told to young boys, just a few months after the battle, in 'The Children's Story Of The War'.
I cant imagine similar being published in these 'politically correct' days! The particular chapter is entitled "A Glorious Stand" and is on page 355.
"A correspondent, describing the fighting astride of the Nord Canal, says:
'There were desperate duels with bombs on the dry floor of the canal, while groups of Germans and British sniped from their shelters on the banks above. The enemy tried to overwhelm the tired garrison in the night, hoping to find our men exhausted and sleeping, or overcome with gas; but their reception was always the same. A staff officer said to me, a few days later, that these men, like their comrades on the right, appeared to have solved the problem of doing without sleep. Fresh ammunition came up steadily, and the fire never slackened. Prisoners expressed amazement when they found that positions which they had vainly sought to take were held by so few men ; and a German regimental commander reported that the British had received heavy reinforcements which was not the case.
'This fighting in the bed of the Nord Canal and on its banks was the strangest feature of the Battle of Cambrai. It was a battle within a battle, and when our troops came back to their present line a few days later the floor of this disused waterway was covered with German dead and wounded."
At this time a desperate struggle was taking place for the possession of that part of the Hindenburg Line which runs from Moeuvres westward to Tadpole Copse. You will remember that it was held by the right brigade of the 56th Division. The enemy made attack after attack, and actually managed to reach the headquarters of the 8th Battalion Middlesex Regiment.
Assisted by the headquarters staff, the battalion made a desperate rally. By means of bombs it held off the enemy until reinforcements arrived, and the position was recovered. Every battalion in this part of the line vied with its neighbour in the valour of its resistance.
Later in the evening the enemy made another attack in force to the south-east of Mceuvres, and again managed to enter our trenches. During this attack a company of the 13th (West Ham) Battalion Essex Regiment, 2nd Division, was holding a position along the west side of the Canal du Nord. The enemy waves flowed on each side of the Essex men and cut them off.
For some hours these gallant fellows held out, and about 4 p.m., seeing that relief was improbable, the two surviving officers, Lieutenant J. D. Robinson and Second- Lieutenant E. L. Corps summoned Company Sergeant- Major A. H. Edwards and Platoon Sergeants C. Phillips, F. C. Parsons, W. Fairbrass, R. Lodge, and L. S. Legg to a council of war.
I need not tell you what their decision was: they determined to fight to the last, and not to think of surrender. Two runners were sent back to the battalion headquarters to inform the commanding officer of the fact, and then the men betook themselves to their rifles and bombs, and continued the struggle with unfaltering courage.
All through the night strenuous efforts were made to send assistance to these devoted men, but in vain. They fought to the death, and maintained to the last a bulwark of valour and undying resolution against the tide of attacking Germans. With their lives they barred the way, and sacrificed themselves to relieve the pressure on the main line of our defence. They fought Britain's Thermopylae, and their glorious heroism must never be forgotten.
A correspondent thus sums up the result of the fighting on the north side of the salient:
" The net result of this carefully-planned German 'surprise', which sacrificed a number of perfectly good divisions in the battle area west of Cambrai, was to give our 2nd Division a better position at the end of the battle than they held when they took over the line from the Ulsters a few days before the attack, except on the left, where the canal lock was lost.
After this slight retirement the division never lost a yard of ground. Although worn out by constant fighting and digging, the men not only threw back the picked German storm troops, but pushed a fresh chain of posts into the enemy's country."
This is a just snippet from the after action report in the war diary. Battalion HQ was at that time codenamed 'Chingford':
The events were dramatically portrayed by the artist Richard Caton-Woodville in a double page spread for the Illustrated London News in February 1918. That young officer with his pistol raised would be Capt Reg Box from Manor Park.
In the book "Up The Hammers!" I have found the family of the officer in charge of B Company (an original volunteer to the West Ham Battalion) who have not only given me his memories of that day but also an audio interview with one of the Essex lads who was captured at the Lock 5 fighting...
It is eerie to hear his voice as he describes how "we were throwing grenades at each other as close as I am to you..."
It is eerie to hear his voice as he describes how "we were throwing grenades at each other as close as I am to you..."
359 CSM White
'Owen', good friend of 13th Essex blog, has sent some details of this fantastic gentleman and his lengthy service to the Essex Regiment.
James White was born in Stock near Chelmsford in 1863, the son of Joseph and Elizabeth. He enlisted in the Essex Regiment on 13th February 1882, age 19 years 3 months and was a brickmaker by trade. He became a Drummer on the 3rd of May 1883.
On 13th December 1886, James White married Hannah Cornish at the Parish Church in Warley. The couple had three children James (1891) William (1893) and Lilian (1901). White was appointed Unpaid Lance Corporal Drummer 22 January 1887. He later resigned as Lance Corporal Drummer at his own request on the 28th of March the same year.
1st Battalion
White transferred to the 1st Battalion on 1.4.87 as Lance Corporal. Appointed Paid Lance Corporal 15.2.88, promoted to Corporal 24.5.88 appointed Unpaid Lance Sergeant 7.11.89, Paid Lance Sergeant 1.3.90 and promoted Sergeant on 22.6.90
3rd Battalion
Sergeant White transferred to the permanent staff of the 3rd Battalion on 1.3.90. He was promoted Colour Sergeant on 2.2.92.
South Africa 1902
Colour Sergeant White sailed on the SS Orotava with the main body of the 3rd Battalion, on the 7th October 1902. He remained in South Africa with the Battalion until returning to England on 12th February 1903.
3rd Battalion 1902-1904
Colour Sergeant White served with the 3rd Militia Battalion until his discharge 20th October1904 after 22 years and 237 days’ service.
The Great War 1914-1919
Rejoined the Regiment in 1914 and was appointed as Company Sergeant Major of B Company, 13th Battalion. Landed with the main body of the 13th Battalion 17th November 1915.
Labour Corps
CSM White transferred to the Labour Corps as 345851 in April 1917 being finally discharged on medical grounds on 14th August1918 at the age of 55.
I dont, as of yet, know what actions CSM White was involved in, but April 1917 was the fighting at Oppy Wood, alongside the 17th Middlesex, during the Battle Of Arras. Specifically, 4.40 am, 28th April, when the 13th Essex were seriously smashed up, with over 245 men killed and every officer wounded or killed.
You can only wonder at the full nature of James White's career in the Essex Regiment and of his loyal service to our country.
James White was born in Stock near Chelmsford in 1863, the son of Joseph and Elizabeth. He enlisted in the Essex Regiment on 13th February 1882, age 19 years 3 months and was a brickmaker by trade. He became a Drummer on the 3rd of May 1883.
On 13th December 1886, James White married Hannah Cornish at the Parish Church in Warley. The couple had three children James (1891) William (1893) and Lilian (1901). White was appointed Unpaid Lance Corporal Drummer 22 January 1887. He later resigned as Lance Corporal Drummer at his own request on the 28th of March the same year.
1st Battalion
White transferred to the 1st Battalion on 1.4.87 as Lance Corporal. Appointed Paid Lance Corporal 15.2.88, promoted to Corporal 24.5.88 appointed Unpaid Lance Sergeant 7.11.89, Paid Lance Sergeant 1.3.90 and promoted Sergeant on 22.6.90
3rd Battalion
Sergeant White transferred to the permanent staff of the 3rd Battalion on 1.3.90. He was promoted Colour Sergeant on 2.2.92.
South Africa 1902
Colour Sergeant White sailed on the SS Orotava with the main body of the 3rd Battalion, on the 7th October 1902. He remained in South Africa with the Battalion until returning to England on 12th February 1903.
3rd Battalion 1902-1904
Colour Sergeant White served with the 3rd Militia Battalion until his discharge 20th October1904 after 22 years and 237 days’ service.
The Great War 1914-1919
Rejoined the Regiment in 1914 and was appointed as Company Sergeant Major of B Company, 13th Battalion. Landed with the main body of the 13th Battalion 17th November 1915.
Labour Corps
CSM White transferred to the Labour Corps as 345851 in April 1917 being finally discharged on medical grounds on 14th August1918 at the age of 55.
I dont, as of yet, know what actions CSM White was involved in, but April 1917 was the fighting at Oppy Wood, alongside the 17th Middlesex, during the Battle Of Arras. Specifically, 4.40 am, 28th April, when the 13th Essex were seriously smashed up, with over 245 men killed and every officer wounded or killed.
You can only wonder at the full nature of James White's career in the Essex Regiment and of his loyal service to our country.
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