Pvt A. Tatum, 12926, Essex Regt

[keithtatum]

Hi,

I have just come into possesion of my great uncles WW1 medals and am interested in finding out more about him, having checked in the national archive ww1 medal register i have found no details, so far all i know is he died in Feb 1919 as a prisoner of war and is buried in East Bergholdt, Suffolk and i believe that the task of putting army records that survive online have only reached up to N. Can anyone suggest what else i should look at?

Many thanks

[SteveE]

having checked in the national archive ww1 medal register i have found no details

Here's his Medal Card, nothing recorded on the back, shows his entitlement to the trio, entered theatre of war 28th August 1915 which is consistant with that of the 11th Battalion Essex Regiment.

[keithtatum]

Here's his Medal Card, nothing recorded on the back....

many thanks, may i ask where u looked as having put his details in the search at the national archive i got no hits at all

[SteveE]

The image is courtesy of Ancestry, he is on the National Archives site as well though.....

Description Medal card of Tatum, A

Corps Regiment No Rank

Essex Regiment 12926 Private

Date 1914-1920

Catalogue reference WO 372/19

Regards

Steve

[keithtatum]

The image is courtesy of Ancestry, he is on the National Archives site as well though.....

Description Medal card of Tatum, A

Corps Regiment No Rank

Essex Regiment 12926 Private

Date 1914-1920

Catalogue reference WO 372/19

Regards

Steve

again many thanks, tried those details but got nothing but new to this

[SteveE]

These are his details from CWGC...

Name: TATUM, ARTHUR

Initials: A

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Private

Regiment/Service: Essex Regiment

Age: 23

Date of Death: 09/02/1919

Service No: 12926

Additional information: Son of Harry and Elizabeth Tatum, of Heath Rd., East Bergholt. A Prisoner of War.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: "C." 12. 21.

Cemetery: EAST BERGHOLT CEMETERY

and additional details from SDGW (Soldiers Died in the Great War), although perhaps SKS with access to the disk can see if the birthplace, residence and enlistment location are correct? I don't trust Ancestry on these and think that residence and enlistment location are transposed?....

Name: Arthur Tatum

Birth Place: East Bergholt, Suffolk

Residence: Colchester

Death Date: 9 Feb 1919

Enlistment Location: East Bergholt

Rank: Private

Regiment: Essex Regiment

Battalion: 11th Battalion.

Number: 12926

Type of Casualty: Died of wounds

Steve

[owen4256]

Arthur Tatum was reported "Missing" in the War Office Weekly Casualty List of 15th May 1918. This list included the members of the 11th Essex who were killed or taken POW during the action at Morchies on 21st/22March.

His service number indicate that he originally enlisted in September 1914

The extract below is from the History of the 6th Division. This history is available online via project Gutenberg and gives an overview of the 11th Essex's role. For more detail try the Burrows history of the Essex Regiment, available via Essex Libraries.

Regards

Clive

Reports from deserters that we were to be heavily attacked were

persistent, and the Division stood to arms twice before 21st March. On

20th March aeroplane photos disclosed ammunition pits for seventy

extra batteries opposite the divisional front, and when at 5 a.m. on

21st March the bombardment commenced, there was no doubt but that a

real offensive had begun. Warning had been given overnight for all

troops to be in battle positions by 5 a.m., but it came too late to

stop working parties, and the reserve battalions of all brigades had

marched ten miles before the battle commenced.

Fog favoured the Germans in that it prevented us seeing when the

attack was launched, but every credit must be given them for the skill

they evinced and the dash with which they pushed forward and brought

up successive waves of attackers. By concentrating their efforts on

the three main valleys, i.e. Noreuil Valley on our extreme left,

Lagnicourt Valley in the centre and Morchies Valley on our extreme

right, they avoided much of the fire which they would have encountered

on the broad spurs, and thus worked round and isolated the garrisons

of the latter. For five hours the bombardment continued with

tremendous force, first with gas and H.E. on back areas to cut

communications and disorganize reinforcements, later about 7 to 8 a.m.

with smoke and H.E. on the forward system. The intensity of it may be

gauged by the fact that four out of five concealed anti-tank guns were

knocked out by direct hits.

This bombardment annihilated the garrisons of the forward system, and

few survivors came back to the reserve line.

The only authenticated accounts of a successful resistance in the

front system were from the 71st Infantry Brigade, where both 9th

Norfolks and 2nd Sherwood Foresters repulsed the first attack. By

10.30 a.m. the enemy had nearly reached Noreuil and had driven back

the 59th Division on our left, leaving the left flank of the 16th

Infantry Brigade in the air, while its right flank went shortly

afterwards, as the enemy captured Lagnicourt, driving in the Sherwood

Foresters in the valley. The 16th Infantry Brigade was gradually

squeezed out towards the corps line, where at 4 p.m. parties from the

Divisional Bombing School counter-attacked and drove the enemy out of

trenches on the immediate left. The 71st Infantry Brigade, with its

right flank secure, threw back a defensive flank south-west of

Lagnicourt, and successfully prevented issue from that village to the

high ground. The enemy broke into Skipton Reserve Strong Point, but

were thrown out again by a counter-attack of Norfolks and Leicesters.

Coming up a subsidiary valley the enemy nearly drove a wedge between

71st and 18th Infantry Brigades, but the 2nd D.L.I. counter-attacked

gallantly and kept them out till dusk. On the right of the 18th

Infantry Brigade, however, the enemy advanced up the Morchies Valley,

capturing the left trenches of the 51st Division on our right at about

10 a.m.

The 2nd West Yorks, reinforced by two companies 11th Essex, gallantly

led by Lt.-Col. Boyall, D.S.O., who was subsequently wounded and

captured, drove back three attacks issuing from our support line. The

18th Infantry Brigade held on till 7 p.m. when, in trying to withdraw,

it suffered heavy casualties. The last company was not overwhelmed

till 8.30 p.m. The 18th and 71st Infantry Brigades, therefore,

maintained their hold on the ground Lagnicourt and the Morchies Valley

all day, though the enemy had penetrated far in rear on both flanks.

When darkness fell the remnants of the Division were back in the corps

line, together with three battalions of the 75th Infantry Brigade

(25th Division), the remaining troops of the Division not being

strong enough to hold the line unaided. The 11th Cheshires were with

18th Infantry Brigade, 2nd South Lancs with 71st Infantry Brigade, and

8th Border Regiment with 16th Infantry Brigade.

The night was quiet, both sides preparing for the next day's struggle.

At 7.30 a.m. on 22nd March the 16th Infantry Brigade repulsed an

attack, but the enemy renewed his efforts with great persistence, and

with much heavy bombardment and trench-mortaring, at 9.30 a.m. and

onwards in the vicinity of Vaux and Méricourt Woods. Though frequent

counter-attacks were made, the troops were forced back little by

little from the corps line towards some improvised trenches hastily

dug under the C.R.E.'s (Col. Goldney) direction some 1,000 yards in

rear, and manned partially by men from the Corps Reinforcement Camp

under Major Jones of the 2nd D.L.I. As an example of the tenacious

fighting, a sunken road which contained the Headquarters of the 16th

and 71st Infantry Brigades changed hands three times. Throughout the

day Lt.-Col. Latham, D.S.O., commanding 1st Leicesters, and Lt.-Col.

Dumbell, D.S.O., commanding 11th Battalion Essex Regiment,

distinguished themselves greatly in the defence of their sectors of

the line. On the right of the Division the control had passed by dusk

to the G.O.C., 75th Infantry Brigade (29th Division)--the 18th

Infantry Brigade having only about 100 of all ranks left. On the left

there was a large gap between the 16th Infantry Brigade and the 40th

Division, which had been pushed up towards Vaux Vraucourt, and this

the 6th Division had no troops with which to fill it. The enemy's

pressure on the flanks of the 16th Infantry Brigade and in the centre

on the 71st Infantry Brigade caused the line to fall back on the new

Army line which was being dug and wired. This was done in good order,

and at nightfall the weary remnants of the Division were relieved by

the 41st Division and concentrated in the vicinity of Achiet, the

artillery remaining behind and fighting in the subsequent

withdrawal up to 26th March.

[ralphjd]

Steve is correct.Soldiers Died cd states born and resident East Bergholt enlisted Clochester, died of wounds. Ralph.

[Sparky]

I have been researching the men from East Bergholt who served in the two world wars for several years now, so have quite a bit on your Great Uncle Arthur Tatum, and his two brothers George, and Harry.

If you want to PM me with your e-mail address I am more than happy to share with you what I have.

Best wishes

Mark

[keithtatum]

I have been researching the men from East Bergholt who served in the two world wars for several years now, so have quite a bit on your Great Uncle Arthur Tatum, and his two brothers George, and Harry.

If you want to PM me with your e-mail address I am more than happy to share with you what I have.

Best wishes

Mark

Many thanks to all who have posted i now have a lot more information to go on.

I will send you my email address Mark as soon as i have worked out how to do it just joined and its not letting me send PM's at the moment

Regards

Keith

[keithtatum]

Many thanks to all who have posted i now have a lot more information to go on.

I will send you my email address Mark as soon as i have worked out how to do it just joined and its not letting me send PM's at the moment

Regards

Keith

unable to PM at mo hopefully this will show my email addy, keen to learn more about Arthur, George and Harry