NEUVE CHAPELLE trench map

[bts1970]

Hi

Similar help required with my Lander thread, for this lad however i don`t have a map for the place he died & was origionally buried. If anyone can provide a map scan i would be most gratefull.

JEFFERIES, Henry Reginald.

Enlisted: Swindon.

Occupation: Employed by the GWR Company in Swindon as a labourer in the locomotive and carriage department.

Address / Next Of Kin, family details: Purton. Son of Albert Edward and Charlotte Jefferies of Clarden Lane.

MIC details / Medal entitlement.

9846 1st Battalion, Wiltshire Regiment, D Coy.

British War Medal, Victory Medal, 14 Star (Clasp).

A Jefferies applied for his sons 1914 Star 12/05/1919, address given Clarden lane, Purton.

Extracts from: Wilshire Regiment records.

21/09/1914 Arrived in France (Detail from MIC).

14/10/1914 Joined the Battalion as part of draft reinforcements from England. The 1st Battalion was at La Couture in France.

23/10/1914 The 1st Battalion is at Neuve Chappelle, France.

24/10/1914 Battalion War Diary entry; (Saturday) 12.30 a.m night attack started against trenches and continues till about 2.30 a.m proceeded with improvement on trenches as far as enemy's snipers would permit. Got all troops except HQ out of buildings by daylight. 9.45a.m shelling of village and trenches commenced. Ceased for a few hours and was again continued without a break from 2 till 7p.m Companies in trenches suffered from shell fire, their trenches being blown in by these heavy shells. Village suffered a good deal. B Coy in dug outs outside the village also suffered. Trenches report an attack about 5p.m. Sent up what could be collected of B Coy to reinforce trenches. 2nd Lieut Riddell slightly wounded. 8 men killed, 36 wounded and 23 men missing. It is feared that most of these 23 men were buried in the dug outs. (Reproduced with permission from The Wardrobe).

Death / Burial / Memorial details.

Killed in action 24th October 1914 aged 22, the first fatality of the War for a Purton resident. Henry has no known grave. Remembered on LE TOURET MEMORIAL, Panel 33/34. (Pas De Calais). The memorial book in St Mary’s states burial somewhere in France. The Wiltshire Regiment records in Salisbury list a burial for Henry “Trench 500 yards S of NEUVE CHAPELLE church. Not marked” reported 29/05/1915 OIC 1 Wilts Regiment.

Evidence for inclusion on the Purton Parish list: Purton War Memorial (Recorded as R.JEFFERIES), Memorial Board in St Mary’s Church (Recorded as REGINALD), name listed in the Memorial book in St Mary’s Church.

Best regards

Bob

[Roger H]

NB This map is July 1915 but should show the approx position. As each of the small squares are 500 yards square, the burial should be somewhere near where I have marked the green line. map from TNA CD from N and M press

Roger

[bts1970]

Roger

Many thanks for your time & assistance

Bob