Pte Frank Hale 16th Royal Warwickshire Regiment

[rhale]

Can anybody help me regarding with my great grandfathers service record

enlisted 23/09/14 16th Royal Warwickshire, 3rd Birmingham Batt

Reg No. 367

Posted to France Nov 1915

Medical records showns he was wounded or disabled at Arras, 20 April 1916

Disabilify N.A.H 305

We believe he was gassed and hospitalized untill Sept 1917 then discharged

Can anybody tell me what his battilion moments were, and was his injury due to

action he was in at the time..

His medal card shows he then served in the 3rd Batt Labour Corp, Reg No 187022

but this does not show on his service record, did he transfer or re-enlist ?, i can not

find any information of his time here or what he did so any help would be gratefull

Richard Hale

[Verrico2009]

Hi Richard - and welcome to the Forum.

I'm sure the experts will be along shortly to help you, but I just wanted to confirm that the Labour Corps service is indicated on the service papers - look around the top edges: very faint but it's there. As might be expected, it was the edges that took the brunt of the fire and water damage.

Looks to me as though he transferred to the [Lab]our Corps on 9 May 1917, before finally being discharged as no longer fit for service under the Kings Regulations ("KRs"). I can make out the word "medical". My understanding is that men often went into the Labour Corps after wounding or gassing, when they were no longer completely fit for active duties.

Also, I think he may have signed up pre-war - it's a short service form ("three years with the colours and reserve") and a very short number. It's impossible to tell the date from the form.

[Alan Tucker]

The 16th Battalion was back in the K1 sector on April 9 and two days later the Germans blew a camouflet opposite fire trench 103. On the same day eight men suffered the effects of being gassed. After a mid-month break at Habecq they entered support in the J1 sector, the Oil Works, on April 20 which included trenches 81-89.

J1 - northern outskirts of Arras

K1 - just east of Roclincourt

[Dave Phillips]

Hi

'Birmingham City Battalions - Book of Honour' has Frank in Platoon No VIII, 'B' Company, 16 RWR.

Dave

[Alan Tucker]

He was probably very lucky to be out of it in April as B company bore the brunt of a major German raid on June 4th 1916

[rhale]

Thanks for you help, given me lots to go on

The gas attack might explain why he spent over a year in hospital.

[Verrico2009]

Richard, once you've got a couple more posts under your belt, I'll be able to send you an off board message and we can discuss. I'm reading it slightly differently.

[rhale]

Alan, what did happen to B company in june ?

[rhale]

Verrico2009

The story passed through the family was that he was gassed, but looking at the medical report there

is no indication of this

[Alan Tucker]

The 15th Battalion

On June 1 1916 the battalion held the K1 front line north of Arras opposite the Thelus and Observatory Redoubts. Two days later Lieutenant Colonel Harding went back to England for leave so was not in command during a serious German attack on their line on Sunday June 4 when Captain Bengough of the Cheshires ,who was attached to the battalion, became acting C.O. Harding saw his family and was a guest of Neville Chamberlain in Birmingham. He also visited Mrs Gough, the mother of his company commander who had played an important role in the May 22 trench raid. She had believed that he was killed which was not the case. Harding noted in his autobiography…

“…we went to the Town Hall, where many kind ladies were diligently making and forwarding to France all sorts of useful articles for their City Battalions. I assured them how much their work was appreciated by ‘the Boys’ and thanked them on behalf of the Battalion. Later I paid one or two visits to the parents of those in my Battalion who were recently killed. This is a sad and painful duty….” (789)

June 4 was a day of bright sunshine with no shelling and the anticipation of relief that night. However, an intense three hour German bombardment of trenches 102 to 110, starting at 4 p.m. completely isolated ‘B’ company’s central portion of the front line including loss of telephone contact with Battalion HQ. Captain Charles Bill in command of ‘C’ company later wrote….

“Our line ran uphill to the right and over the crest of a ridge and fell away on our left to a dip in the ground where the 14th Warwicks lay. My own stretch of front caught only the fringe of the shelling, but on our right, where the centre company ‘B’ was, the shelling was terrific and the whole area was obliterated in the smoke of bursting shells and mortar bombs. Our support line and communication trenches were also heavily shelled” (790).

Company HQ and dugouts were smashed in and three officers and several NCOs and men were buried. Private H.V Drinkwater of ‘A’ company on the right of ‘B’ wrote an account in his diary two days later (791). He was on sentry duty and was smothered with dirt by a shell landing on the parados. He found a shelter where he bandaged Private G.A Jones who came in badly hit. With Private Philip Jinks, (792) who was to die later in the day when his leg was blown off, he set off to dig out a buried sentry group in another shelter. They themselves were partly buried on the way and were forced into the nearest shelter unable to go forward or back. Fumes were another hazard. When the shelling stopped he resumed the search for the buried sentries with the help of a serjeant. They uncovered Private Frederick Patch from Bordesley Green and Private Oswald Baker from Kings Heath, both dead. Serjeant F.W Ashby was still alive and was taken away on a stretcher.

The shelling ceased at 7 p.m. Charles Bill tried to make contact with ‘B’ company and found a subaltern with about two sections of men who (wrongly) thought the rest of the Company was all right. “Their line had been completely obliterated and deep forty foot dug-outs…had been blown in by 11 inch armour piercing shells” (793). Clearing work was then interrupted at 9 p.m. by a renewed bombardment on the front and support lines which also included the blowing of three large German mines fifteen minutes later. Two exploded under the remains of the wire. The other exploded under ‘C’ company in Trench 105. Charles Bill described “the vibration of an earthquake and a huge livid flame shot up into the sky in front of me as I faced down the trench” (794).

This was followed by a raid on the company trenches, possibly 500-600 strong, which included bombing sentries and the remaining dugouts. ‘A’ and ‘C’ companies kept up a heavy rifle fire to maintain their positions. The divisional artillery also came into action. The raiders tried to bomb their way into ‘A’ company trenches but were repulsed with the bayonet and the bomb. They entered ‘B’ company trenches in 105 and 106. The raiders then retired with prisoners and a Lewis gun team and the battalion moved back to Duisans via Arras in the early hours. Charles Bill investigated in the dark and found a huge crater which could have contained a small house. Serjeant R.A Wright from Shirley was sent to report on the trench on the far side and stumbled upon a steel helmet on his way back. This was the head of the buried Private W.H Trueman, from Balsall Heath Road, Birmingham, who was dug out and lived after the war to tell the tale (795). Private Jolly, a ‘B’ company sentry, was also recovered (796).

On the morning of June 5 Brigadier-General L.O.W Jones of 13th Infantry Brigade personally inspected the trenches and later reported “that he had difficulty in discovering where they ought to have been” (797). The battalion roll was called on the morning of the following day. ‘B’ company could only muster one officer and 36 men. Private Drinkwater noted that “we had to say if we saw the fellow killed or knew if he had gone down the line wounded”. He went on “The idea when the battalion was formed that friends served together has long well passed in the last 18 days” (798).

The war diary listed the casualties as three officers and 46 other ranks killed with two officers and 29 other ranks wounded. Eight other ranks were suffering from shell shock and 27 men were missing. CWGC records 62 deaths that day. Four days later the 5th Division was congratulated by its commander, Major-General R.B Stephens, for its work that day with the 15th out for particular praise. It was pointed out that if the first line had not held the high ground in that area would have been conceded. Casualties had been heavy but would have been heavier if the high ground had to be taken by counter-attack.

Of the 79 deaths sustained by the battalion between June 1 and leaving for the Somme 62 were on June 4 (799). Thirteen from that day are listed on the Arras Memorial and 49 lie in the cemetery behind it. Amongst the dead were Private Claude Chattock, 23, son of the City Electrical Engineer for Birmingham. He was an art designer who lived in Edgbaston (800). Lance Corporal John Crome, 20, lived in Worcester and had attended a commercial travellers’ school and had also won a boxing gold medal in the battalion. Private Willoughby Greaves was under-age and was 16 when he was killed. He had been employed at the Wolseley Sheep Shearing Company at Witton, Birmingham. His mother lived at Handsworth and his father was also serving in France (801). Private Ernest Hawker, 23, had refused a discharge during training owing to his deafness; he lived in Bearwood (802).

Lance Corporal Harold Peakman, 22, had attended St John’s School, Sparkbrook and won a scholarship to King Edward’s Grammar School, Camp Hill, Birmingham. He became the head chorister at St Agnes, Moseley; he had joined the choir at the age of eight. During his service he was given two weeks special leave to sing to wounded comrades at base hospitals. His church held a memorial service after his death. His talent was noted in the newspaper report of his death…

“In the Worcestershire Musical Competition, 1909, he carried off first prize as a chorister boy for all the Midlands. From that time he gained many certificates in the Birmingham Festival competitions as well as at London, Morecambe and other places” (803)

Three Bromwich brothers had joined up at the same time on September 4 1914 and two of them were killed by the German mine on June 4th. Private Edgar ‘Eddie Bromwich and Lance Corporal Leslie Bromwich were from a well known family in Sutton Coldfield High Street where their father, William, had run a baker’s and confectionery business for many years. Both had attended the Bishop Vesey Grammar School. Eddie, aged 26, had worked at the Birmingham Gas Company in a clerical capacity for six years and then joined the family business. Leslie, aged 19, was articled to a firm of chartered accountants in Colmore Row, Birmingham (the third brother Harold in the same battalion survived the war and became a second Lieutenant).

Two officers were killed when they were buried in the same former French dugout; Lieutenant John Larkins and Captain Archibald Tatlow. Larkins from Mayfield House, Penns Lane, Sutton Coldfield, had joined the 16th Battalion as a private on September 30 1914. Within three weeks he joined the 15th battalion as a Second Lieutenant in ‘B’ company and the time of his death was second in command of the same company. He had briefly attended Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School and then King Edward’s Grammar School. He then worked for his father who owned a wholesale milliners and drapers at Livery Street, Birmingham. He was also a skilful player at Walmley Golf Club. He was killed at the age of 21 and after his death Colonel Harding made a personal visit to his parents. Captain Tatlow, the company commander, aged 31, originally from Derby, was killed by the effects of the same shell. Charles Bill was not very impressed that no awards were made for the events of June 4. He later wrote….

“…there is much excuse for dissatisfaction when a battalion comes through a hell such as this with flying colours but with no recognition beyond the spoken and written words of commendation” (804)

He went on to suggest that being a service battalion in a regular division had not helped.

Terry Carter suggests that 53 of those who died were original 15th Battalion volunteers from September 1914 and that eight men still lie in a deep dugout (805). Private Drinkwater noted that Acting CSM Kennard from Stratford on Avon was one of the prisoners taken that day after meeting him after the war. Private Harry Jones was another POW; his experiences are described in his own words in Appendix 66). On June 8 the battalion held a memorial service to their fallen comrades.

Charles Bill relates one amusing consequence of the June 4 raid. An alternative line of communication was needed as the Arras-St Pol road was ‘unhealthy’. Private Anderson of his company was given the job of finding an alternative.In a small wood at St Nicholas he met two ‘Staff-tabbed’ officers and was told to push off back to his battalion after saying he could not tell them why he was there. One told him he was the Brigade Commander to which Anderson replied “You may be – I don’t know” (806). He then further failed to recognise that the man was his G.O.C. That night Anderson delivered his map to the Orderly Room and received a message to report to Brigade HQ. The officer told him that it was a serious matter to disobey an order but then ordered him to stay to dinner

[rhale]

Thanks for all your help chaps

It seems he was withdrawn from the front to the central clearing station for 2 days, then the 2nd Canadian at F......

for 10 days and posted back to the depot for 5 months.

He was then discharged from the 1st Southern Hospital Birmingham May 1917, and transferred to the employment corp.

I dont think he was wounded or gassed, the medical report states poor health aggavated by service conditions.

But thank you once again, if somebody can fill me with the movements of the 16th RWR from November 1915 to May 1916

that would be of great help

[Alan Tucker]

Send me an e-mail (alantucker@blueyonder.co.uk) and I will give you what you need

Thanks for all your help chaps

It seems he was withdrawn from the front to the central clearing station for 2 days, then the 2nd Canadian at F......

for 10 days and posted back to the depot for 5 months.

He was then discharged from the 1st Southern Hospital Birmingham May 1917, and transferred to the employment corp.

I dont think he was wounded or gassed, the medical report states poor health aggavated by service conditions.

But thank you once again, if somebody can fill me with the movements of the 16th RWR from November 1915 to May 1916

that would be of great help