Jump to content
Free downloads from TNA ×
The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Acting Captain G.F. Clay, MC West Yorkshire Regiment


Mark Hone

Recommended Posts

I am trying to get as much detail about our Bury Grammar School old boys who won distinctions and survived the war. The one I know least about is Geoffrey Fletcher Clay who started as a driver in the ASC but ended up as an Acting Captain in the Duke of Wellington's where he won the MC. Unfortunately, only service papers relating to his ASC service seem to have survived and I do not know which battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment he was in. Needless to say, I have had no luck with the London Gazette archive-the search facility doesn't like me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Mark,

G.F.Clay appears to have served with the 2/5th Bn West Yorks. :thumbsup: He was never in the Duke of Wellington's W.R.Regt.

Hope this helps.

Robert

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The following is an extract from 'Honour the Officers' - Honours and Awards for WW1 page 188:

CLAY Geoffrey Fletcher T/2Lt. MC West Yorkshire Regt(2) DSER L.G. 11.1.19 page 612.

Philip

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks very much for all this. The school's printed roll of honour records him as Duke of Wellington's but his surviving service record and MIC show him as transferring to the West Yorkshires. This sorts it out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is quite strange although probably understandable due to officers being commissioned into one regiment and then attached to others!

G.F.Clay was commissioned into the PWO West Yorkshire Regt on 31/10/17 as 2/Lt. In the Feb.1919 Army List under Service Bns, PWOWYR, col: 1040a., he is shown as:

(2/5) Clay, G.F., M.C., 31/10/17.

This generally means that he was attached to the 2/5Bn West Yorks.Regt., because it would normally say if he was attached to the West Riding Regt. Another officer of the PWOWYR in the same col 1040a, has the entry: Dodd, G.H., M.C., (attd 2/5 Bn W.Rid.R.) 31/10/17.

Probably down to a clerical error--yet when I look in Magnus under 2/5th Bn West Yorks and also 2/5th Bn West Ridings, there is no sign of G.F.Clay under honours and awards, but there is an entry for G.H.Dodd under 2/5th Bn West Riding Regt as having won an M.C.

Any ideas? or is it down to just an ommission/error?

Robert

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...