1/4 West Riding Regiment

[DDP1955]

Hi Guys

Could somebody help me with this please:

I have posted previously about Thomas Hartas who had multiple service numbers and was in various battalions

I have now lined up the battalions with dates and got everything in more or less the right chronological order. The service papers are so water damaged though that its possible he was transferred to yet another battalion and I dont know about it!

He was in the 1/4th Battalion on 24/11/1917 when he was wacked with mustard gas. He was rescued by the 1/3 West Riding Field Ambulance. First of all is this the correct Field Ambulance for this date and battalion. Any ideas where this would have taken place based on the date and battalion

Many thanks

Dianne

[mmm45]

Dianne

Give us a few days see what i can dig up.

1/3rd WR Field ambulance sounds fine they were part of 49th Div as were 1/4th WRR.

Ady

[DDP1955]

Give us a few days see what i can dig up.

1/3rd WR Field ambulance sounds fine they were part of 49th Div as were 1/4th WRR.

Hi Ady

Thank you very much! Could you also tell me where you are getting your information from ... I have about half a dozen WRR soldiers to check up on and it would be good if I could sort out the problems myself, rather than posting every time I hit a problem. Mind you I am getting better because I lined up the Battalions and service numbers with the dates in the UK and France

Dianne

[mmm45]

Hi Dianne

A lot of it from newspapers of the time...Cleckheaton had lots of lads in 1/4th it was one of the pre war Company locations.

Also the editors son was in 1/4th so theres a lot of letters in it from the son!

Are your WRR lads TF guys? If so PM me details.Theres also a couple of other publications available at local libraries.

Theres a lot of WRR Knowledge on the forum, my particular interest is B Coy 1/4th.

Ady

[matchless]

Hello Dianne,

I believe that Ady answered a previous post with the info that on 19/11/17 the shelters

of HQ details was gassed but I don’t know if it would take 5 days to get him to Etaples.

This is the only mention of gas for this period in the Battalion history but the war diary

may mention others.

The Battalion was brigade right support on Anzac ridge on 19/11/17 and on 23/11/17 they

Relieved the 1/6th D.O.W in the Molenaarelsthoek sector and the line was on the forward

Slope of the Broodseinde ridge,

in brief the history then says due to a battle further north allied barrages were continually

put down in the vicinity to distract the enemy from the real point of attack.

In response the German artillery was very active; frequently parts of the line were heavily shelled

And barrages at night on no mans land were common, also the back areas were shelled night after night.

The Battalion was relieved by the 1/5th Battalion K.O.Y.L.I on 27/11/17

In amongst all these shells I’m sure would have been gas shells so although not able to say exactly

Where it may have happened you now have the area he was in during that period.

Andrew

[mmm45]

Theres no mention in the 1/4th War Diary of gas on the date of 24/11/17 so he must have been evacuated with the ones on the night of 19/20th Nov when HQ were caught by 5 gas shells in their vicinity.

Ady

[DDP1955]

Theres no mention in the 1/4th War Diary of gas on the date of 24/11/17 so he must have been evacuated with the ones on the night of 19/20th Nov when HQ were caught by 5 gas shells in their vicinity.

Hi Ady

Thank you very much for checking the diaries and other documents. I appreciate the time you have spent trying to sort this out for me.

Dianne