10th Royal West Kent (C.H Tharby)

[shaymen]

Got a chap (G23593 C.H.THARBY) wounded on the 8th May 1918 with 10th Bn RWK. He later died in 1919, still to find out cause of death as he is not on CWGC but is listed on local memorial. Got his records from Ancestry.

But interested in finding out the action he was wounded in...over to the RWK experts then !!

Thanks

Glyn

[Jonathan Saunders]

War Diary gives B & D Coys in Reserve Trenches around St Jean. A & C Coys moved back to Siege Camp. No mention of casualties or being under barrage. Does his Service Record indicate type of wound?

Regards,

Jonathan S

[Jonathan Saunders]

Just reading on for ORs it gives casualties for the month of May 1918 as follows:

KiA or DoW 9

Wounded 30

Gassed 224

I cant see any references in the War Diary for the when the gas casualties were sustained.

[shaymen]

War Diary gives B & D Coys in Reserve Trenches around St Jean. A & C Coys moved back to Siege Camp. No mention of casualties or being under barrage. Does his Service Record indicate type of wound?

Regards,

Jonathan S

Jonathan

GSW (Gun shot wounds) to Arm and Shoulder.

Possibly 8th May or 11th May...both dates get mentioned on different pages ?

Thanks

Glyn

[Jonathan Saunders]

Surprised it states GSW. The closest to the Front any of the Company's got between 8th and 11th May were the Reserve Trenches. Of course he could have been something like a Runner seconded to Bge HQ or something. On 11th May the 10/RWK moved further back to Foster Camp and "B" Camp (from Siege Camp).

Regards,

Jonathan S

[shaymen]

Of course he could have been something like a Runner seconded to Bge HQ or something.

Regards,

Jonathan S

Thanks again Jonathan, have since read through the records again, and its defo 8th May, wounded in Action, in the field.

As you say maybe a runner or similar.

Ta for looking

Glyn

[Longboat]

Glyn,

Had a look at SDGW, there are listed 7 casulties for 8th May, all killed in action but none on the 11th.

Thought this might interest you, it's taken from Captain C.T. Atkinson's History of the Royal West Kent Regiment 1914-1919.

April-August 1918. 10th Battalion.

To the 10th Battalion the summer months had not brought any very conspicuous or important experiences. After being withdrawn from the front betwenn Arras and Amiens it had been transferred to Flanders, but to a part North of that included in the fighting which began on April 9th. Actually the battalion had to take part in the withdrawal on April 16th from the advanced positions round Broodseinde and Passchendale to a shorter line some distance in the rear. The withdrawal was unmolested by the enemy and the rear parties whom the 10th had left to cover the retirement came back in safety. A serious explosion of an ammunition dump at the camp where the details had been left cost the 10th nearly 50 casulties, including Lieut. Anderson and 17 other ranks killed, and destroyed nearly al the battalions records...

Next to the explosion of this dump the chief feature of the Ypres Salient at this time was the constant gas shelling, the battalion had over 200 casulties from gas in May alone, but despite this and the influenza epidemic from which it, like other units, suffered severely, its numbers were well maintained.

Stuart

[shaymen]

Stuart

Thanks for that, interesting that 7 were KIA on 8th May, as the war diary doesn't have them in the front line !!

Maybe a raiding party or something...will probably never know

Cheers

Glyn

[Verrico2009]

GSW (Gun shot wounds) to Arm and Shoulder.

Possibly 8th May or 11th May...both dates get mentioned on different pages ?

Thanks

Glyn

Glyn - I can see a casualty form for him with an an entry dated 13.5.18 that says "GSW head and arm - [place] Field - [date of casualty] 8.5.18 [remarks] roll / cas rep". You might have missed it because it's lodged under another number, but you'll see the address is the same and the number on the forms is correct:-

Name: Charles Henry Tharby

Estimated birth year: abt 1897

Age at Enlistment: 18

Residence: 147 ?? Street, Bishop Stortford

Document Year: 1915

Regimental Number: 58079

Regiment Name: RW Kent

The indication is that there are 7 pages but there seem to be more, unless it's running into the ones you've already got. It also shows that Charles T Tharby (whose papers have also survived) is his father.

[Jonathan Saunders]

I was talking to some one from the medal collecting fraternity tonight and he seen "gun shot wound" ["GSW"] on a casualty form when he knew the soldier had suffered shrapnel wounds at that time. Just thinking about where the companies were on 8 May, it does appear more likely (to me anyway), that they would suffer shrapnel wounds rather than gun shot wounds.

Regards,

Jonathan S

[shaymen]

Jonathan

I tend to agree as I have also come across soldiers listed as wounded (GSW) when it had definitely been shrapnel.

Louise

Noticed 2 entries for his service records, got them all now..still a doubt whether it was 13th or 8th, but as Jonathan has says from the diary they weren't right in the front line on either date. Still interesting that SDGW gives 7 KIA around that time. Makes me think about a shell or similar hitting the reserve trenches, but what would I know

Thanks all

Glyn