8th. Bn. Kings Royal Rifle Corps - 1915

[royhodgkinson]

I am seeking information relative to my Uncle, Rifleman William Edward COYNE who joined the 8th Bn. KRRC on August 11, 1914 in Winchester. He was wounded on August 5, 1915 and died later that month, on August 13. He is buried at the Etaples Military Cemetery near Boulogne.

Does anyone have information regarding the deployment of the various elements of 8th. Battalion, KRRC during July/August, 1915 and any indication whether "war diaries" were maintained - and where they might still be available and, hopefully, accessible.

Many thanks - Roy

[Sniper]

I am seeking information relative to my Uncle, Rifleman William Edward COYNE who joined the 8th Bn. KRRC on August 11, 1914 in Winchester. He was wounded on August 5, 1915 and died later that month, on August 13. He is buried at the Etaples Military Cemetery near Boulogne.

Does anyone have information regarding the deployment of the various elements of 8th. Battalion, KRRC during July/August, 1915 and any indication whether "war diaries" were maintained - and where they might still be available and, hopefully, accessible.

Many thanks - Roy

Roy,

8th Battalion KRRC were at Hooge in July 1915. They had come out of the line on the evening of 29 July and were on their way to rest billets.

7th Battalion KRRC and 8th Battalion Rifle Brigade were attacked at night, the Germans using flamethrowers for the first time.

8th Battalion KRRC marched back into the line and dug in on the edge of Zouave Wood. They were then ordered to counter-attack on the afternoon of 30 July. The attack failed.

I am not at home and cannot access my notes, but I would think it fairly safe to say that your Uncle was wounded in the fighting around Hooge Chateau in the days after the flammenwerfer attack, was evacuated and taken to Base Hospital, where he died. A special burns ward was set up at No 22 General Hospital at Camiers for those suffering from the flamethrower attacks and your Uncle may, sadly have been one of these.

I am sure that one of the experts on the KRRC will be able to give you much more detailed info.

Regards,

Sniper

[stiletto_33853]

8th KRRC were not involved in the flamethrower attack but in the afternoons counter attack. However, his record shows GSW on 5/8/15, find attached the Divisional list for the numbers wounded on that day.

Andy

[MBrockway]

Does anyone have information regarding the deployment of the various elements of 8th. Battalion, KRRC during July/August, 1915 and any indication whether "war diaries" were maintained - and where they might still be available and, hopefully, accessible.

Many thanks - Roy

Roy,

I wrote a reply to this at 3 a.m. this morning (insomnia!) but the Forum crashed before I could post it!!

We have another active Topic about the Adjutant to 8th KRRC who was killed in action at Hooge during the counter-attack on 30th Jul 1915. See here:

2nd K.R.R.C. in 1911, and 8th in 1915, How many officers in a pre-war infantry battalion?

Forum Pal shinglma has a special interest in 8th KRRC and he is gradually transcribing the complete 8th KRRC War Diary and publishing it on his website here:

Researching The Past - shinglma's website

This is a major effort by shinglma and greatly appreciated by the rest of the Rifles Family here on the Forum

Cheers,

Mark

[royhodgkinson]

Roy,

8th Battalion KRRC were at Hooge in July 1915. They had come out of the line on the evening of 29 July and were on their way to rest billets.

7th Battalion KRRC and 8th Battalion Rifle Brigade were attacked at night, the Germans using flamethrowers for the first time.

8th Battalion KRRC marched back into the line and dug in on the edge of Zouave Wood. They were then ordered to counter-attack on the afternoon of 30 July. The attack failed.

I am not at home and cannot access my notes, but I would think it fairly safe to say that your Uncle was wounded in the fighting around Hooge Chateau in the days after the flammenwerfer attack, was evacuated and taken to Base Hospital, where he died. A special burns ward was set up at No 22 General Hospital at Camiers for those suffering from the flamethrower attacks and your Uncle may, sadly have been one of these.

I am sure that one of the experts on the KRRC will be able to give you much more detailed info.

Regards,

Sniper

Sniper, many thanks for the background info. regarding 8 Bn KRRC.

- I plan to visit Hooge later this year and, specifically Sanctuary & Zouave Woods. Many thanks again, Roy

[royhodgkinson]

Sincere thanks to all who have responded to my enquiry regarding the deployment of 8th. Bn. KRRC during July/August, 1915. As a result of the information which you have provided I plan to visit Hooge and the specific areas of Sanctuary & Zouave Woods later this year to further investigate. Roy

[the gunners dream]

This is the OH map for the Flame Thrower attack.

Steve

[MBrockway]

Pals,

Steve, Andy and I have posted a series of useful maps covering the 14th Division Hooge action of 30/31 Jul 1915 in this Topic:

9th Battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps July 1915, Looking for help on trenches or maps

Readers interested in the Hooge liquid fire attack will definitely find them useful.

Cheers,

Mark

[AdamGoodmanBolton]

Hi Roy,

Have a look at:

http://www.resthepast.co.uk/military/wardi...krrc_index.html

This is a transcript of the 8th Btn from leaving Aldershot in May 1915 up to July 1916.

My great-uncle Wilfred Hutchins signed up with the 8th Btn in Winchester on 27th August 1914 and was killed by a shell on July 5th 1915:

5th Monday. Battn remain in YPRES. New method of spraying smoke helmets carried out. Bomb throwers under Danville go to trenches in morning. Rfn Hutchins & Rfn Freeman m/gunners killed by shell. Rfn Andrews & Rfn Fletcher wounded.

There isn't any specific mention of your uncle, nor of any incidents on August 5th. Although the day before saw some casualties. he may have been amongst these:

4th Wednesday. Casualties from Whizzbangs in A & D Company.

Hope this is useful- good luck!

ps let me know if you find anything more about the 8th around this time.

Adam

[MBrockway]

Hi Roy,

Have a look at:

http://www.resthepast.co.uk/military/wardi...krrc_index.html

This is a transcript of the 8th Btn from leaving Aldershot in May 1915 up to July 1916.

..

..

Adam

Roy / Adam,

This is Forum Pal shinglma's website I referred to (with Link) higher up

Cheers,

Mark

[Liz in Eastbourne]

Hi Mark and all, a mere five years later,

I am trying to find out what I can about Temp. 2/Lt Philip Brydges Gutterez Henriques, 8th Bn KRRC, DOW 24 July 1915 aged 20, buried Lijssenhoek Military Cemetery Grave no.1.A,1, as he is one of 51 men commemorated on the Ascham St Vincents Memorial Arch in Eastbourne and a group of us here are doing a commemorative booklet about them.

I have found quite a bit about his family via Ancestry and the Times Digital Archive, but could do with a little more information about what the 8th Bn were doing at the time of his death. Some of the In Memoriam notices placed by his parents from 1917 to 1939 state that he was wounded the previous day, 23rd July.

The kRRC Annals state, in the section on the 14th Division at Hooge:

"Other attempts were made to capture a piece of the enemy's line on July 22, but without success. The area had become very 'unhealthy', and was subject to constant shelling."

(Incidentally the Annals list of casualties has his third name as 'Gutterlz', which is also on his MIC, and is wrong.)

This is when Henriques was wounded. Does anyone have the war diary or any further details? Sadly, the website referred to above seems to be defunct.

Liz

[Liz in Eastbourne]

Since posting the above I've found an interesting snippet on the Wartime Memories project website from the grandson of Henriques's batman, who was said in their family to have brought him in from no man's land and returned his belongings to the family. At that time Philip's father, Sir Philip Guterrez Henriques, previously a well-known barrister, was Assistant Financial Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions. I'll try to contact the writer.

I'd still be interested in a war diary reference for the period 21-25 July if anyone has it and would kindly post it, though.

Liz

[stiletto_33853]

Hi Liz,

21/7 Poperinghe.

Get ready for move tomorrow

22/7 Poperinghe/Ypres

Take over right of "C" sector trenches from 4th Gordon Highlanders, 8th Bde. (This was the last entry of Capt. W.J. Davis killed in action 30/7/15)

23/7 Sanctuary Wood

"C" Coy occupies C.1 & C.2 right. 1 Platoon "D" Coy is C.2 left isolated. 1 Platoon "D" Coy in support, 2 Platoons "D" and "A" Coy at Btn HQ in Sanctuary Wood. "B" Coy at Halfway House. C.2 left shelled in afternoon and damaged, built up by working party at night. 2nd Lt. Henriques wounded by a bullet in head in F.1. 3 men wounded.

Andy

[Liz in Eastbourne]

Many, many thanks, Andy. That is just the information I needed for my short biography.

In addition the grandson of Henriques' batman, Rfn Marson, has kindly sent me the text of the letter Philip Henriques senior (not yet Sir) sent him to thank him for his help to their son and ask him to visit them as they wanted to give him 'some slight gift' in remembrance of him.

Rfn Marson never went, but the letter was kept safe.

As I mentioned above, Henriques' parents put In Memoriam notices in The Times until 1939.

Liz

[Tans]

Hi all,

I recently discovered a half-great-great uncle, Reginald Parkes R/38911 who was killed on the 13/10/1917 and is buried at Godewaersvelde British Cemetery in Nord, France.  I noted that he was killed on the same day as two soldiers from the 7th Battalion - can anyone help as to the whereabouts of the 8th Battalion on the 13th, were they at Passchendaelle?  All help gratefully appreciated.

Tans

[stiletto_33853]

Tans

8th KRRC diary for the relevant time

[Tans]

28 minutes ago, stiletto_33853 said:

 

 

Thanks stilleto_33853, unfortunately I am a novice at deciphering these records ... if he died on the 13th October would he have been at Brandhoek?

Tans

 

[MBrockway]

I think that's December Andy (your PDF #48) !

 

I have 8/KRRC at POLDERHOEK on 13 Oct 1917.  Diary entry is succinct: "Continual shelling. Casualties 8 killed 11 wounded"

 

However, the diary names all of these men in an Appendix and  R/38911 Rfn Parkes is not among them. 

 

He in fact appears in the same Appendix as R/38011 Rfn R. Parkes wounded on 11 Oct 1917.  Obviously the service number is a typo - the war diary was not the definitive record for casualty lists.

 

8/KRRC were in the same positions at POLDERHOEK on 11 Oct.

 

The war diary gives:

"Army Barrage at 5 am and 5.10 pm.  The enemy replied with a heavy barrage on both occasions. Casualties 11 killed & 14 wounded"

 

GODEWAERSVELDE cemetery, where he lies at rest, was used by 11th, 37th and 41st Casualty Clearing Stations and is some 30km further back from the battalion at Polderhoek. 

 

Parkes must have Died of Wounds at one of these three CCSs on 13 Oct 1917 from wounds sustained two days earlier.  Wounds from artillery shrapnel/shell splinters would seem to be the most likely cause.

 

 

Mark

 

Edited 15 November , 2018 by MBrockway

[stiletto_33853]

My apologies Tan, Mark is absolutely correct in that by accident I placed Decembers diary here.

 

Andy

[MBrockway]

Another 8/KRRC 11 Oct 1917 casualty here:

 

 

[MBrockway]

On 13/11/2018 at 22:33, MBrockway said:

 

GODEWAERSVELDE cemetery, where he lies at rest, was used by 11th, 37th and 41st Casualty Clearing Stations and is some 30km further back from the battalion at Polderhoek. 

 

Parkes must have Died of Wounds at one of these three CCSs on 13 Oct 1917 from wounds sustained two days earlier.  Wounds from artillery shrapnel/shell splinters would seem to be the most likely cause.

 

 

Mark

 

 

Tans,

I have posted some 14th (Light) Division documents detailing the medical evacuation arrangements for this period in this topic here:

 

 

I think you find them interesting as they'll help you follow Rfn Parkes' movements from receiving his wound to his death

[Tans]

Thank you very much both Mark and Andy.  Clearly he was injured on the 11th and died 2 days later which explains where he is buried.  I would like to understand more about the battle he was in if you already have that information?

 

Sadly I am finding my 4 other great great uncles have no known grave so more difficult to work out what happened to them.  I have also just found out that one of my great great uncles that made it back (only to die in port) had a 3 year old son.  He then became an aircraft man in WW2 and died as a POW of the Japanese.  So sad but important to find out as much as possible to remember them by telling their stories.

 

Tans