Lt Col A S Bates DSO London Rifle Brigade

[vvcherico]

Does anyone know if there is a copy of the VC and DSO book online?

Thanks Vin

[crodgers]

Hi Vin,

Not sure if you are interedted. I had quite a bit to do with Arthurs's grandson when researching his military history. Drop me a line if you are interested. I own his sword, medal minatures and shield gifted to him with all his battles he fought in. Plus a few extra photos

Cam

[vvcherico]

18 hours ago, crodgers said:

Hi Vin,

Not sure if you are interedted. I had quite a bit to do with Arthurs's grandson when researching his military history. Drop me a line if you are interested. I own his sword, medal minatures and shield gifted to him with all his battles he fought in. Plus a few extra photos

Cam

Dear Cam, Would love to see the photos here is an article I wrote on him about his watch cock and bridge collecting. 

It is larger than 14.65 MB  so here is my email vincherico@gmail.com

 

[crodgers]

Monring.

I have emailed you some photos etc that may be of interest

Cam

[FrancesK]

He was my 1st cousin 3x removed. I'm writing up his life in WikiTree. 

Arthur Sydney Bates - WikiTree Profile

[FrancesK]

Obituary 

Arthur Sydney Bates

"Colonel Arthur Sydney Bates, р.5.0.. T.D.. died on Мау 7, 1958, aged seventy-nine, at Manydown, near Basingstoke. When commanding the 2nd Battn. of the London Rifle Brigade in Flanders, he frequently made his Communion in the Upper Room, to which his Chaplain, the Rev. Guy Vernon Smith, M.C., brought many Confirmation candidates and communicants.

Colonel Bates served for some years, while resident in London, on the original Central Executive Body, and it was mainly due to his endeavours that Toc H in Southampton and Liverpool and New York took a warm interest from the first in all the growth of Talbot House, Southampton, also in Gladstone House in Liverpool, and through Sir Ashley Sparks (Cunard, New York) enabled Padre Pryor Grant to undertake the special Chaplaincy to junior grades. including bell boys, when they went ashore at both ends of their run to Toc H Centres.

Tubby took part in his Memorial Service, and 'Light' was held for him at the June meeting of the Central Executive."

PBC.

Pro patria mori : the 56th (1st London) Division at Gommecourt, 1st July 1916 : MacDonald, Alan, 1951 April 15- : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Every detail of the advance was planned down to the ’nth degree with timings set to the minute so that troops, artillery and supplies would arrive on time at the required locations. Repeated rehearsals over replicas of the German trenches drilled into officers and men every action they should take, every line of trenches they were to occupy, the movement of every box of ammunition and bombs and every roll of wire. Dozens of orders were written, printed, marked secret and distributed. One such, Operation Order No. 1 (Part One), was issued on 26" June by Lt. Col. Bates of the London Rifle Brigade. This covered in detail almost every conceivable aspect of the battalion’s planned actions on the day of battle (and those not immediately covered were done so subsequently in Operation Order No. 1 (Part Two), Operation Order No. 2 and Amendments 2 and 3). Communications, synchronising watches, dress, battle surplus, formations, timing of the advance — all this and more were set out in painstaking detail. What is clear from reading these documents, however, is just how much it was anticipated that the troops were going over to occupy the German trenches. The L.R.B. was going to attack on a three company front, ‘A’, ‘C’ and ‘D” from left to right. Each company was to advance in six waves. After the battle surplus, Quartermaster’s section, etc., had been discounted, the strength of the battalion was 26 officers and 803 men, in other words, just over 200 men per company. This meant that, after taking away ‘B’ Company, about 620 officers and men were going to advance in the first six waves. The first wave was slightly reinforced to allow extra men for special details to enter and clear all dug outs, otherwise successive waves were of a similar size...

[FrancesK]

On 26/09/2023 at 06:13, crodgers said:

Hi Vin,

Not sure if you are interedted. I had quite a bit to do with Arthurs's grandson when researching his military history. Drop me a line if you are interested. I own his sword, medal minatures and shield gifted to him with all his battles he fought in. Plus a few extra photos

Cam

I would be very interested to see any photos you have. I'm writing up his bio in WikiTree; (he was my 1st cousin 3x removed).  

[FrancesK]

On 03/05/2023 at 11:35, vvcherico said:

Thank You so much! Can you tell me where the original of this photograph is?  I would like to get permission to use it in an article.

Thanks again

Vin

I'm sure the Ancestry Tree found the photo(s) here:

Either  -SHORT HISTORY OF THE LONDON RIFLE BRIGADE (Gutenberg Press) or in the Internet Archive:

A Short History of the London Rifle Brigade - facing p.20 and there's another photo of him on the Frontispiece with Lt-Col. N.C. King and Lt-Col. G.R. Tod. 

All photos in public domain. The Gutenberg version photos have better resolution. Here's a list of them.

Edited 26 December , 2023 by FrancesK

[FrancesK]

On 08/02/2011 at 04:02, crodgers said:

Hi,

Thanks for replying. I re-read what I have researched and you are right Dick...it was four times he was mentioned in Despatches. One last question do you know if a war diary exists for the LRB? As I have seen an extract from a book that mentioned Arthur (and the LRB) being part of the Christmas Truce in 1914. Being in Australia really hampers research sometimes...thank God for the internet.

Thanks again for the help

Cam

169 Infantry Brigade: 1/5 Battalion London Regiment (London Rifle Brigade). | The National Archives

[FrancesK]

On 09/02/2011 at 09:46, chrrip said:

Hi; this is my record of Arthur Bates from my nominal roll of LRB men and officers who crossed to France with the original 1st Battalion on 4.11.14. Bates was a crack shot in a regiment noted for its shooting. I do not know exactly what his illness was but strongly suspect he was worn out - Gommecourt affected him deeply. He was also 1st LRB commanding officer post war. Let me know if I can help (try) further

Chris

1/5th Bn. to France 4.11.14 – 15.8.16; OC ‘Q’ Coy 1905-1914: OC ‘4’ Coy 1914 to 7.1.15; 2i/c 8.1.15 – 15.3.15, Major 6.3.1915; T/Lt.Col 16.4.15; Lt.Col. 4.6.17commanded 1st Bn. 16.3.15 – 13.8.16; invalided UK 15.8.16; to command 3/5 Lancashire Fusiliers at Colchester 8.2.17; France 28.2.17; UK 7.1.18 to command 4 Bn. L.North Lancs. R. 23.1.18; disbanded Bn. 5.7.19; offered temporary command of a Spec. Res. Batt. in Ireland by GHQ but refused; Hons: DSO; Mentioned in Despatches x 4; French Croix de Guerre with palm; T.D.

( ed : Winchester; Pte. 1st VB Hants 14.11.1896-1.11.1898; joined LRB as 2/Lieut. 26.3.1900; Lieut. 13.11.1901; Capt.1905; LRB Gold Medallist 1906, 1909, 1913.; present at the unveiling of the LRB Memorial, London Rifle Brigade Cemetery, Ploegsteert, in 1927 )

DSO Lt/Col L.G. 23.6.15 wef 3.6.15 Birthday Hons (for 2nd Ypres)

LRB Record, Nov. 1919; ‘Regimental “Who’s Who”, Lieut-Colonel A. S. Bates, D.S.O.,T.D.;

‘Lieut-Colonel A S Bates, DSO, TD, who was appointed to the temporary command of the LRB on July 1st this year, was born in 1879.

Before joining the LRB, he served for two years in the ranks of the 1st V.B. Hants. Regt. Resigning as a private when he left Winchester. He joined the Brigade in 1900, being gazetted 2nd Lieut. on March 26th, and posted to ‘B’ Company under Captain E G Stenson Cooke. He was promoted Lieut. on November 13th, 1901, being posted to ‘N’ Company on June 12th 1915, and taking over command on promotion to Captain on November 25th of the same year. In May 1906, ‘N’ Company was absorbed by ‘E’, and Captain Bates was transferred to the command of ‘Q’ which he held until it was amalgamated with ‘H’ in France on November 24th 1914, to make No. 4 Company. He held command of the latter till January 7th 1915.

From January 8th till March 15th he was Second in Command to Lord Cairns, and took over command of the Battalion on March 16th, when the C.O. had unfortunately to leave owing to ill-health. Promoted Major on March 6th, and temporary Lieut.-Colonel on April 16th, he commanded the 1st Battalion through the second battle of Ypres, the period spent at G.H.Q., at St. Eloi with the 3rd Division, and at Gommecourt with the 56th Division.

He was invalided home on August 15th, handing over command to Major R H Husey, M.C., two days earlier. After a period of sick leave at home, he was offered the command of the 3/5th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers, then at Colchester preparing for overseas. Loth as he was, even temporarily, to sever his links with the LRB, he accepted this, and took the Battalion to France on February 28th 1917, in the 66th Division. He commanded it at Givenchy, on the sea coast ( where at one time he had three battalions under him on coast defence under the immediate command of the French ) and at Passchendaele. His permanent promotion to the rank of Lieut.-Colonel was dated June 4th 1917.

On January 7th 1918, he was sent home on the understanding that he was to become an instructor at the Senior Officers’ School at Aldershot. There being, however, no vacancy, he was given the command on January 23rd of the 4th ® Battalion Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, stationed at Oswestry. The Battalion was sent to Dublin during the scare in April, 1918, and it remained there until disbanded by col. Bates on July 7th this year. Prior to the latter date he was offered the temporary command of a Special Reserve Battalion in Ireland, but, having made other arrangements, was unable to accept it.

He was awarded the D.S.O. to date from June 3rd 1915; has been mentioned in despatches four times, holds the T.D. and the French Croix de Guerre with palm.

Always keen on rifle shooting, Colonel bates has won first prizes at Bisley on several occasions. He won the King’s Bronze Medal in 1907. He has been Adjutant of several International Teams, and was captain of the British Team which won the Empire Trophy this year. He has shot for England in the Twenty and Mackinnon Matches, and was for three years hon. sec. of the English Twenty Club. he won the Regimental Gold Medal three times.

His hobby outside the regiment is philately, and he is a Fellow and Member of the Council of the Royal Philatelic Society, London. He is on the Livery of the Merchant Taylors.’

 

[FrancesK]

The Illustrated London News 1907-07-27: Vol 131 Iss 3562 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive