15th Bn Royal Warwickshire diary/history required [Feb - April 1917]

[PabloC]

Afternoon,

I would be most grateful if anyone could provide an account of the movements of the 15th (Service) Bn Royal Warwickshire Regiment between the dates specified below please.

The specific time period is 23/02/1917 up to 18/04/1917.

Any assistance would be much appreciated!

Regards

Paul

[Alan Tucker]

I have only written up to the end of March - see below. You need Terry Carter's book on the Birmingham Pals.In April they were attached to 2nd Canadian Division for Vimy operations.

1917...

On February 6 the battalion moved forward to the Givenchy left front line for a five day tour after which they returned to the Village Line. On February 17 they returned to the front line. Bill later called the sector ‘extremely quiet’ at this time with little shelling. He also noted that McPherson, ‘our genial MO’, left for the 10th Stationary Hospital at St Omer and later worked on RAMC barges; he had been with them since Codford and was replaced by Captain O.E Birch.

There were still frequent small patrols at night. For example, on February 22 Second Lieutenant A.C Caldicott and seven other ranks tried to locate any new German work in No Man’s Land and discovered two German wiring parties. They withdrew to allow Lewis machine gun fire on them. On the following day they came back to Gorre for a stay until March 1 when they returned to the usual front line and found that the frontage had been extended to the left. During this tour there were patrols into No Man’s Land with varying objectives – to search for gaps in the German wire and its strength, to ascertain how strongly the German line was held, to test the time taken to cross No Man’s Land and to discover the whereabouts of sentries. During this tour sixteen officers and 32 NCOs of 198 Brigade of 66th Division were attached to the battalion for 48 hours of instruction. On March 8 the battalion returned to support in the Village Line. Two groups of four platoons of 66th Division also joined them there for two days on two different occasions. They had recently arrived in France after spending two years doing East Coast defence work in England. Captain Bill’s ‘C’ company was temporarily attached to the 14th and withdrew to the Old British Line. Here he painted a signboard as a parting gift to the Germans in response to their own efforts – it read “Bukarest hat zu den Britischen Gefall’n: Gott Mit Uns” (1512)……..

“…having obtained permission of the Company Commander in the line I went out at night with one of my NCOs and stuck the board up just outside the enemy wire. Unfortunately while I was out Colonel Murray of the 14th came round his line and heard about it and, when I got back to my own Headquarters, I found a note telling me to go and see him. I was thoroughly told off, first for disregarding the strict Army Order that no communication must be held with the enemy and, secondly, for having the discourtesy to go out in front of his line without asking his permission. ….I offered to go and fetch the board in the next night. This he forbade and ordered his Lewis guns to shoot it down at daybreak” (1513)

Finally, on March 15 the 2/8 Lancashire Fusiliers of 107 Brigade relieved the battalion who moved to billets at Beavry and a day later to a more semi-permanent home at Marles les Mines.

[PabloC]

Many thanks Alan.

I will look up the Birmingham Pals book as you suggest.

Regards

Paul

[ianshuter]

I bought the Birmingham Pals Book on Kindle - nothing of note for March 21st to March 31st - most likely because the war diary was destroyed, lost or fell into German hands.

So I am looking to see if anyone has any information about the 15th Entrenching Battalion RWR for 21st-23rd March 1918 and/or Private 19269 George Walter Raymond Batchelor 11th Bn attached to the 15th Bn who is remembered at Pozieres and Temple Grafton in Warwickshire.

I have his medal, pension, register of effects and other military records.

[jay dubaya]

Just to clarify, the 15th Entrenching Battalion was not part of the Warwickshire Rgt. The 15th EB was created 21st/22nd February 1918 at Wippenhoek and was formed from several disbanded infantry battalions including the 11th RWR. Effectively your man was transferred and not attached to this new unit. Sadly I can’t find a surviving war diary for them at present, by 7th March 1918 they were part of 3 Corps, 5th Army. It’s possible that they were employed digging reserve trenches which very quickly became front line trenches just prior to your man’s death.

[ianshuter]

Many thanks, I have updated his page to that effect. https://www.swfhs.org.uk/index.php/war-memorial-transcriptions/war-memorial-transcritions-s-z/temple-grafton-wm/16-the-men-who-fell-in-ww1/2028-pvt-gwr-batchelor

[jay dubaya]

Not surprisingly almost all those who died on 22nd March 1918 are remembered on memorials. Having had a quick look through the CWGC database for the other regiments which made up the 15th EB, there are four named graves at Jeancourt CCE, one may have been buried by the Germans whilst the remainder were recovered from their battlefield graves. These were between the villages of Hervilly, Hesbecourt and Jeancourt, map 62c.L.20. The cemetery also contains several UBS of other units which made up the 15th EB which suggests if your man does have a grave it’s likely to be here under a UBS headstone.

[ianshuter]

Many thanks, I have updated his page to that effect.

[ianshuter]

I found that Fifth Army HQ was on 22 March 1918 at Villers-Bretonneux and III Corps HQ was at Bouchoir on 22 March 1918 that is SW of the villages above -

The Long Long Trail places the 14th EB in III Corps area at Bethancourt