Lt. Walter George Bartholomew, DCM, 1st Borders

[leanes-trench]

Hello all,

Can anybody provide me with biographical details of Lieutenant Walter George Bartholomew, 1st Battalion The Border Regiment, who died of wounds at Gallipoli on April 26, 1915? Maybe a place of birth, parents' names, etc.? So far this is what I have on him:

BARTHOLOMEW, Lieutenant William George

Commanding Officer, No.16 Platoon, “D” Company, 1st Battalion

Father of Hugh Bartholomew. He served in The Border Regiment during the Boer War (No.3569) and was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for gallantry at Oliphant’s Nek on January 24, 1901. He was awarded the Queen’s South Africa Medal with five clasps and the King’s South Africa Medal with clasps SOUTH AFRICA 1901 and SOUTH AFRICA 1902. In 1914 he was gazetted 2nd lieutenant from the rank of regimental sergeant major. He was mortally wounded while leading his platoon in the advance to aid the 2nd Royal Fusiliers northeast of “X” Beach, Helles, on April 25, 1915, and died at 4:00 a.m. the following morning (April 26). That afternoon he was buried at “X” Beach. Name commemorated on Special Memorial 122 in Pink Farm Cemetery, Helles.

Thank you,

The Ever-Grateful Pat

[azureus]

Name: BARTHOLOMEW, WILLIAM GEORGE

Initials: W G

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Lieutenant

Regiment/Service: Border Regiment

Unit Text: 1st Bn.

Secondary Unit Text: formerly (3569 QMS)

Age: 40

Date of Death: 26/04/1915

Additional information: Husband of Hettie Octavia Bartholomew of Plymouth.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: Sp. Mem. 122.

Cemetery: PINK FARM CEMETERY, HELLES

if this is the same man hes listed as william

regards Dave

[Stebie9173]

He seems to have a file at the National Archives.

WO 339/22219 BARTHOLOMEW W G, 2/Lieut 1892-1918

Though obviously distance is an issue with you visiting the NA....

Steve.

[ralphjd]

He married Hattie Octavia TANK in 1903 registered in Plympton St Mary Cornwall. Ralph.

[azureus]

found an incoming passenger list of a Hettie O Bartholomew in 1936 aged 58 intended address at 3 marlborough road , plymouth

[Peter Shand]

Hullo Pat, In Col. HC Wylly's The Border Regiment in the Great War, p44, the following is a description of the landing of the !st Battalion at X Beach Gallipoli, on the 25th April 1915.

.... at 7:15 am disembarkation commenced from the Andania, carrying the greater part of the Border Regiment, into minesweeper No. 6 in which the whole Battalion..was transferred to pinnaces and cutters and and landed on the beach, where the companies at once formed up below the crest and awaited orders. These did not materialize untilmidday, when Bcompany under Captain Morton and 2 Maxim guns were ordered forward to support the attack by the Royal Fusiliers of the 86th Brigade on Hill 115. Half an hour later those remaining with the Battalion heared heavy firing to the N. and E., and it became apparent that the Royal Fusiliers were suffering severely. The volume of fire increased and unaimed fire began to sweep over the top of the cliff. It was impossible now for those who had first landed here to push on and join hands, as had been hoped, with with the troops at W beach, and presently the Royal Fusiliers were driven back to their landing place, their retirement masking all fire from the cliff. C and part of D Companies of The Border Regiment, led by Captain Harrison, were ordered to charge the enemy, now no more than 400 yards from the cliff edge, and this was most gallantly carried out, in the face of very heavy fire and the advance continued for some 600 yards in an easterly direction, the enemy falling back before the bayonets of the dalesmen; but in this advance Lieutenant James was killed, with Sergeants Gregson and Johnson and Lieutenant Bartholomew mortally wounded.

Wylly records that Lieutenant Bartholomew died of his wounds on the morning of April 26th.

Wylly indicates that the 1st Battalion were in Burma when the war broke out then went to India before being sent home to Britain. The Battalion embarked from Avonmouth as part of the 29th Division on 17 March 1915.

If you PM me with your email address, I'll gladly scan the pages which record the 1st Battalion movements in the early months of the war.

Pete S

[leanes-trench]

Hullo Pat, In Col. HC Wylly's The Border Regiment in the Great War, p44, the following is a description of the landing of the !st Battalion at X Beach Gallipoli, on the 25th April 1915.

.... at 7:15 am disembarkation commenced from the Andania, carrying the greater part of the Border Regiment, into minesweeper No. 6 in which the whole Battalion..was transferred to pinnaces and cutters and and landed on the beach, where the companies at once formed up below the crest and awaited orders. These did not materialize untilmidday, when Bcompany under Captain Morton and 2 Maxim guns were ordered forward to support the attack by the Royal Fusiliers of the 86th Brigade on Hill 115. Half an hour later those remaining with the Battalion heared heavy firing to the N. and E., and it became apparent that the Royal Fusiliers were suffering severely. The volume of fire increased and unaimed fire began to sweep over the top of the cliff. It was impossible now for those who had first landed here to push on and join hands, as had been hoped, with with the troops at W beach, and presently the Royal Fusiliers were driven back to their landing place, their retirement masking all fire from the cliff. C and part of D Companies of The Border Regiment, led by Captain Harrison, were ordered to charge the enemy, now no more than 400 yards from the cliff edge, and this was most gallantly carried out, in the face of very heavy fire and the advance continued for some 600 yards in an easterly direction, the enemy falling back before the bayonets of the dalesmen; but in this advance Lieutenant James was killed, with Sergeants Gregson and Johnson and Lieutenant Bartholomew mortally wounded.

Wylly records that Lieutenant Bartholomew died of his wounds on the morning of April 26th.

Wylly indicates that the 1st Battalion were in Burma when the war broke out then went to India before being sent home to Britain. The Battalion embarked from Avonmouth as part of the 29th Division on 17 March 1915.

If you PM me with your email address, I'll gladly scan the pages which record the 1st Battalion movements in the early months of the war.

Pete S

Many thanks for the offer, Pete, but I already have this and the battalion war diary. Thanks to the others, too.

For some reason, I can't seem to dredge up this guy's birth place anyplace on the Net, not even in census records (not that I can be sure of), as I don't have his parents' names. I'm sure he's there, but there were several people with this name during the census periods.

By the way, if anybody needs help with info on Gallipoli casualties, please let me know. I may well be able to help.

Regards,

Pat

[AN Dukie]

On 03/04/2009 at 16:42, leanes-trench said:

Many thanks for the offer, Pete, but I already have this and the battalion war diary. Thanks to the others, too.

For some reason, I can't seem to dredge up this guy's birth place anyplace on the Net, not even in census records (not that I can be sure of), as I don't have his parents' names. I'm sure he's there, but there were several people with this name during the census periods.

By the way, if anybody needs help with info on Gallipoli casualties, please let me know. I may well be able to help.

Regards,

Pat

 

Not sure if you will pick this up after a gap of 11 years, but he was an Old Boy of the Royal Hibernian Military School and his DOB was given as 21/5/1875 in their records (check FMP); that tallies with a birth in Kilkeel, County Down and you can pick up his parents' names from there.  Likely that his son was named after his father...

[michaeldr]

Hi ANDukie,

 

Thank you for your contribution here

 

Sadly, our GWF Pal Patrick (aka leanes-trench) passed away some years back.

However in 2014 his widow managed to publish his book (based on his 26 years of research):

'Gardens of Hell – Battles of the Gallipoli Campaign' by Patrick Gariepy,

Potomac Books (University of Nebraska) ISBN 978-1-61234-683-0

 

regards

Michael

Edited 11 August , 2020 by michaeldr

[AN Dukie]

Thanks Michael.  I hadn't realised but the RIP in his profile does tend to give it away in retrospect!  How sad, but I am glad his work was finally published.