2nd Bn Northamptonshire Regt

[andy1400]

Would anyone know what the 2nd Bn Northamptonshire Regt were doing on the 4th of March 1917. I have various diary extracts but nothing for this date. The reason I am looking is to find out how 25561 Pte James was killed in action.

Thanks for any help.

Regards

Andy

[Stebie9173]

I'm getting round to it, Andy! Honest, guv.....

Here's an extract from the Regimental History:-

I've still got to scan and add late 1916, which is when I believe Pte James went to France.

(58th = 2nd Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment, 48th = 1st Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment, for the unitiated...)

The battle which then began was the Third Battle of Ypres, in which both the 48th and 58th were engaged, the share of the latter being the greater, as the 2nd Battalion took part in the opening phase, whereas the 1st Battalion did not come in until later. We propose, therefore, to go back now to the 58th, which we left on the Somme; follow its doings in pursuing the Germans to the Hindenburg Line in March and April; narrate its transfer north; and be with it, from the opening of the Third Battle of Ypres on July 31st, till the close of 1917. Having done that, we shall then take up the 48th, which was re-forming and refitting after the disaster at Nieuport, and tell its story for the latter half of that year. Then with both battalions, so to speak, under our hand, we can take a breath, have a look round, and then prepare a "lay-out" for the real year of Victory, 1918, and the End of the War.

It will be remembered that at the end of 1916 the 24th Brigade was in shelters at Bronfray Farm, the remainder of the 8th Division being in line. Relief soon came, and on January 10th, 1917, the bulk of the division retired for a further fortnight's training in the vicinity of Belloy St. Leonard. As for the 58th, to follow its movements with more exactitude, it marched on the 10th to Sailly-le-Sec and bivouacked there for the night. The next day it moved to Mericourt, where it entrained for St. Airaines and marched thence to St. Maulvis. Further movements were an entrainment at Oisemont on the 22nd; a journey to Edgehill and thence by route march first to Camp 13, and then to Camp 17, near Sezanne. Towards the end of the month the division was in the line again, taking over the left of the XV Corps front, relieving the 40th Division. While the 8th Division had been at rest the XV Corps had side-stepped to the right, and the 24th Brigade, in the southern sub-sector, found itself with its right on Bouchavesnes. This point marked the junction of the British and French Armies; the 58th was in brigade reserve. There is now a mention in the war diary of carrying and working parties, but this was practically all that fell to the 58th during January. The month had been really peaceful, the bulk of it being taken up by training, gas helmet drill, bombing instruction, interior economy, inspections and church parades. A warlike note is sounded, however, by the entry on January 14th of the formation of a Battle Patrol Platoon, under Lieutenant Jarvis. The weather was exceptionally cold, a very keen frost setting in towards the end of January. Although the ground was so hard as to make digging difficult, all ranks preferred the cold to the never-ending struggle with the mud which had marked their previous period in the line.

February was also a peaceful month — more or less — with the usual in-and-out of the line, but there is a note in the war diary for the 21st hinting at "training for offensive operations." To cut a long story short, the British attacks north of the Ancre, and the losses inflicted, had convinced the Germans of the necessity of shortening their line. The Germans had been seriously shaken by the Somme fighting of 1916. In the neighbourhood of Beaumont Hamel the 63rd Division had made an important advance early in 1917. It had become increasingly evident that the German defence was weakening, and with the spring the conditions became relatively favourable for a withdrawal on their part, for the thaw which succeeded the period of exceptional frost had turned the old Somme battlefield into a quagmire once again, while exerting but little effect on the roads elsewhere. As a consequence, the Germans, if they chose to retire, could do so fairly quickly, whereas the Allies, in following up and being confronted first by the quagmire, must do so very slowly; and this takes no account of the artificial expedients which the Germans could employ to delay the pursuit still further. A withdrawal by the Germans on a wide scale had therefore been expected, and it had been definitely ascertained that they had been feverishly at work upon a new defensive line in rear.

This was the famous Hindenburg Line of history, which branched off from the original German defences near Arras, ran south-east for twelve miles to Queant, and thence west of Cambrai in the direction of St. Quentin. The immediate object appeared to be escape from the salient between Arras and Le Transloy but it was also evident, from the preparations which the Germans were making on a grand scale, that line contemplated an evacuation on much wider lines. The underlying motive of a withdrawal generally was in husband strength. The move back to the Hindenburg system would cause a considerable diminution of the German front and a consequent increase in the number of German reserves. It was clearly necessary for the Germans to take these measures. They had lost very heavily on the Somme, and they knew perfectly well that the French were meditating a great offensive in the "Year of Victory." There was, too, always the possibility of Russia even yet doing something big, and America might not always be too proud to fight.

During the night of February 23rd/24th the Germans began their first movement of retreat, although long before this date the British Higher Command, in spite of the incredulity of the French, had been convinced that a far greater withdrawal was in course of preparation. It was, of course, obviously important that the retreat should be harried as much as possible and that the Germans should not be allowed to saunter back unmolested to another position according to plan. This is the explanation of the proposed offensive of the 8th Division. The ten days in reserve were devoted to intensive preparation and rehearsals against a faithful reproduction of the German trench system. The frost which then prevailed made the preparation of gun positions, various headquarters, etc., a matter of great difficulty. But the thaw which came on February 20th, and brought rain with it, made matters ten times worse. So bad were the conditions that several men of the 4th Division were actually drowned during the relief of the 8th Division on February 21st. There were cases where officers and men had to be cut out of their nether garments and hauled by main force from their boots before they could be extracted from the mud. In these circumstances an attack was out of the question, and the date was put forward from February 27th to March 4th.

The objective was the possession of the German positions on the "hog's back" overlooking Bouchavesnes. The 8th Division detailed two brigades for the operation, the 25th on the right and the 24th on the left. In the latter brigade two battalions were in the front line of about 800 yards, namely, the 1st Worcestershire Regiment and 2nd Northamptonshire Regiment. Owing to the rain and mud it had not been possible to construct assembly trenches, and the two leading waves formed up on the front and support line posts. A feature of this attack was that chewing gum was issued to the troops, both to stop coughing during the preliminary wait and to give the men something to occupy their minds.

Zero hour had been fixed for 5.15 a.m., and shortly before that hour the barrage descended, lifting five minutes later. The assaulting troops carried Pallas Trench, their first objective, with little loss, and in strict accordance with schedule. A small section of German trench, opposite the junction of the two British brigades, had, however, been overlooked, and its garrison was causing some trouble to "C" Company, under Lieutenant Bird. The annoyance was, however, promptly dealt with by the Battle Patrol Platoon, under Lieutenant Jarvis, and twenty prisoners were bagged. Leaving Pallas Trench to be consolidated by the "moppers-up" the attacking troops continued their advance, and with similar success gained the second objective. So splendid was the dash and vigour of the attack - writes the historian of the 8th Division - that in one place where Pallas Support had been so destroyed by our artillery as to be no longer recognizable in the half light, part of "B" Company, under Captain Fergusson, swept past it and on to the German line. Here they killed several of the enemy, captured a machine gun, bombed a dug-out, and then, discovering their error, withdrew in good order Pallas Support.

The enemy, however, fought with great bravery and determination. The key of the position was am arrangement of trenches known as "The Triangle," and here the victory was assured only by a sterling piece of co-operation between the 1st Worcestershire Regiment and the 58th. "C" Company of the latter had more than it could do to be able to hold all this important point, but the left company of the Worcestershires immediately extended its inner flank to co-operate in the defence. The attack of "C" Company was also materially assisted by an act of conspicuous gallantry performed by Lance-Corporal Rickard and Private Ette, of that company. These two rushed an enemy machine gun which was holding up the attack, putting the gun out of action and killing or capturing the gun team. Another act of great gallantry was performed by Private H. Bamford, of "B" Company. In the fight for the last strong point holding out in front of the 58th, Private Bamford, while working his Lewis gun, was struck in the face by a shell splinter and lost the sight of one eye. But he refused to leave his post, and, although half blinded and in great pain, worked his gun for two hours after he was hit, until he was wounded a second time.

The enemy was not yet done with. The Germans may have been retiring "according to plan," but they were determined to show their teeth while doing so. Five counter-attacks were launched by them across the open, and, although these were repulsed, the enemy also made several vigorous attempts to re-enter his last positions at points where German communication trenches led away from the last objective gained by us. These attempts were defeated, and Sergeant Parker, of "D" Company, distinguished himself by holding a post on the extreme left for half an hour single handed, until relieved by a party of the Sherwood Foresters.

At dusk the enemy at length, thoroughly beaten, gave up the struggle for the day. The attack had cost the 58th dear. The casualties were 242. In officers (here were killed Captain Knight, Lieutenant Bird, and Lieutenant Palmer, while Second-Lieutenants Woodyat, Bishop, Jones and Frost were wounded. Shelling continued throughout the night, but at 3 a.m. the battalion was relieved by the 2nd Devons and returned to dug-outs at Asquith's Flats.

Private Francis John James' number, 25561, is amongst a fairly large group of men from the Hertfordshire and Bedfordhsire area who attested under the Derby Scheme in November/December 1915, and were called up for duty on the 5th June 1916. These men all seem to be married men with children between the ages of 30 and 35, which is certainly consistent with Francis James' own home situation, so I am very much convinced that this is what happened, and when. Soldiers Died indicates that Francis James enlisted (probably attested in this case) at Hitchin, though I don't have a residence for him. He would have been about 34 years of age in late 1915, if I have the right Birth reference.

Having reported to the army on 5th June 1916, all the men I can trace records of in this group were posted to the 8th Battalion of the Northamptonshire Regiment on 6th June 1916, and allocated their Northamptonshire Regiment number. On the 1st September 1916, the 8th Battalion converted into the 28th Battalion of the Training Reserve, but it appears that a lot of men actually moved to the 3rd Battalion at this point, agaon including all the men of this group that I have found records for.

The preceding paragraph, whilst only speculative, is I think pretty likely the route that Private James took whilst in England.

I cannot with any accuracy indicate the date that Private Hames embarked to France, but only give a range of options.

There were several groups of men who went to France in the later months of 1916 from the 3rd battalion and ended up with 2nd Battalion - these men were entitled to the BWM/VM "pair" in most cases, unless they had seen previous service, and spent several days/weeks at No. 17 Infantry Base Depot, before being posted onto their battalions:

- Embarkation to France, 7-11-1916. Joined 2nd Battalion, 20-11-1916.

- Embarkation to France, 11-11-1916. Joined 2nd Battalion, date unknown.

- Embarkation to France, 1-12-1916. Joined 2nd Battalion, 8-12-1916.

There may be other dates of embarkation and joining the 2nd Battalion that I have not found yet, but any of the above dates are possible for Private James' move to France. The 2nd Battalion war diary report is very quiet on Drafts of men arriving in late 1916, though no doubt men were arriving regularly to swell the ranks again following the Somme battles. The only mention in the war diary is of a draft arriving - of unspecified size - on 19-11-1916, which may be the draft that appears in soldiers records as the 20-11-1916, but there are no other mention of drafts in war diary of November/December 1916.

SDGW records 25561 as being Killed in action as a Private with the 2nd Bn. on the 4th March 1917, and he is commemorated on THIEPVAL MEMORIAL.

Personal details (possible only - from search of records):

Born in 1881 at Aspenden/Buntingford, Herts. (Royston RD)

Son of Benjamin James (Police Constable as of 1891 and 1901) and Mrs Clara James (nee Downton, M. 1879) Living with Aunt, Emma Thompson (63, widowed, launderer), at The Warren, Royston, aged 19, and employed as a painter, as of 1901. Rest of family (Benjamin, 45 - Police Constable; Clara, 44; Rosa, 14; and Alfred, 12) living at 11 Park Road, Ware, Herts. as of 1901.

Family (Benjamin, 35 - Police contable; Clara, 35; Francis John, 9; Florence Emma, 7; Rosa Mary Ann, 4; and Alfred George, 2) living at Lower Cravells Rd., Harpenden, Herts. as of 1891.

Probably married in OND Qtr 1901 to probably EITHER Mercy Salt or Alice Eliza Drage.

The Regimental History covering the period from late October 1916 to the end of 1916 (I think the fact that it was slightly MUDDY gets a passing mention):

The 8th Division was now relieved and marched back into the XIV Corps reserve area. Rest and refitting was now the order, or, as the war diarist curiously puts it for October 29th: " The soldiery were given a chance to clean up during the day, but rain prevented their feet being exposed to the sun and air." There is something delightfully maiden-auntish about this.

After a week's rest the division returned to the line, going on this occasion to the right sector of the XIV Corps, in front of Les Boeufs, the 58th suffering the loss of two officers killed in Captain Trefusis and Second-Lieutenant Rawlings. The effect of the weather had made this Somme country the most God-forsaken and miserable area in France, bar possibly the salient at Ypres. The whole countryside was churned-up, yeasty mass of mud as a result of the weather and of the battle, which even yet had not petered out. Constant rain was varied by spells of intensely cold weather and some very heavy snowfalls. Everything was mud, mud—and again mud. There was thin, liquid, watery mud—mud like inferior gruel. There was a slightly thicker mud—a porridgey kind of mud. But the bulk of the mud was mud like simmering glue—in everything but the temperature, for it clung with icy chill. Billets in the back area were camps of dirty, wet and decrepit huts—gloomy archipelagos rising from mud seas. The front "line" just beggars description. It consisted of a mass of shell holes; of an ocean of mud; of gulfs, inlets, lagoons and lakes of icy water. Trenches scarcely existed, except for short lengths on higher ground : of communication trenches there were practically none; men had to do the best they could to improve such shell holes "as were least full of water and other more unpleasant relics of the battle." Villages there were in profusion—on the map; but in reality they were flattened brickwork. Looking back on those days, it is hard to realize how human beings could have existed in such conditions. Mud, mud, nothing but mud. Mud that squelched; mud that gurgled; mud that gripped the ankles like a vice; mud that often wrenched the boots off a man's feet; mud that made movement a painful, dragging labour; thin mud, thick mud, never-ending, incredible mud. Mud that made reliefs a nightmare and ration-carrying like a scene from Dante's Inferno. A watcher from Mars might well have conceived that the earth was covered with a festering sore, and might have mistaken the million or so combatants for loathsome bacteria swarming in the oozy putrescence of the Somme.

The difficulty of rationing the front line under these conditions can be imagined. The 2nd Battalion, however, like the 1st, was fortunate in its quartermaster. Lieutenant R. Mayes (since promoted Major for his services), who served continuously with the 2nd Battalion throughout the war, was untiring in his zeal for his unit; assisted by Regimental Quartermaster-Sergeant Buck and a keen and efficient Transport Section, he did much to alleviate the prevalent discomfort.

During the night of November 17th/18th the 8th Division left this hell and crawled back to billets. Its moral and temper were at a low ebb. It had taken part in the fierce and unsuccessful attacks in July, and, with the sense of failure on it, had been sent to hold a sector which had been deliberately overstretched so that troops might be set free for the struggle on the Somme. Before it had time to find itself, it had been hurried back to take its share in the last and most trying portion of the advance. Fate had given the 8th Division no direct share in the victories, but had dealt out full measure of the bitterest and darkest hours of the Somme. A rest, a clean up, training and games did wonders. The 58th responded quickly, and in December won the Divisional Football Cup by defeating the 23rd Machine Gun Company, at St Maulvis, by 3-2. Then came the third Christmas in France. The war diarist records no banqueting or joviality. He merely prints CHRISTMAS DAY in block capitals, and the adds, rather sourly, "There were no parades". The end of the year found the 58th in harness again, for on December 30th it marched out into Divisional reserve huts at Camp 107 near Billon Wood.

Steve.

[Stebie9173]

Map from the 8th Division's History:

Steve.

[andy1400]

Cheers Steve, Knew I could rely on you for some Northamptonshire information. Sorry about the delay in replying, was not able to get logged on.

Happy Christmas and hopefully catch up in the New Year.

Thanks once again,

Andy