Geoff Reeves Posted 14 September , 2004 Share Posted 14 September , 2004 I have the complete war diaries for the 2nd Battalion The Queen's from August to the end of November, 1914. If anyone needs a look-up, just ask! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winter Posted 14 September , 2004 Share Posted 14 September , 2004 Morning Geoff, could you have a look what the battalion was doing on 21.10.14, 24.10.14 and 02.11.14. I have three lads who died on these three dates. The names are off of their school memorial. Thanks a lot George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Reeves Posted 14 September , 2004 Author Share Posted 14 September , 2004 George: I'll be happy to! Watch this space - I'm at work right now and will do the look-up when I get home. Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winter Posted 14 September , 2004 Share Posted 14 September , 2004 Cheers George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Reeves Posted 14 September , 2004 Author Share Posted 14 September , 2004 Hi George, back at home now. The officer who was responsible for the unit diary, Major L.M. Crofts (later LCol Crofts, DSO) fancied himself a bit of a writer, I think - he also had impossibly bad handwriting (mine wouldn't be much better in those conditions). They're good reading so I thought I'd just copy down what he wrote. 21 October 1914: The night passed without incident but about 8:00am the Germans commenced to shell our lines, chiefly B Coy and D in reserve, and an infantry attack developed all along the line. About 10:00am, through some misunderstanding, B Coy got an order to retire adn commenced withdrawing. A Coy who were very strongly entrenched hung in till about 1:00pm when with their right hung in the air and being enfiladed by a German machine gun which had been brought across B Coys trenches, they were obliged to retire. In their retirement they came under a heavy rifle and machine gun fire and lost heavily, Capt Whinfield being wounded and Lt Ingram killed. The ridge along the ZONNEBEKE-LANGEMARK road was then held by part of A Coy and squadron of Life Guards on the left and other portions of the Queen's on the right. About 4pm a company of Irish Guards arrived and took over the ridge and the Queen's withdrew to the railway embankment where they had been ordered to take up a fresh position - stragglers were here collected including a party of Warwicks adn R.W Fusiliers. Orders were then received for the Batt. to go up the PASCHENDALE ROAD and get orders from Lt. Col Cadogan, RW Fusiliers. The Queen's were ordered to fill in a gap between them and the Staffords but it was pitch dark and no one knew where the Staffords were. Some empty gun pits and trenches on the east of the road were occupied in rear of the line orginally held which was now in the hands of the Germans. Here C Coy under Capt Alleyne was found entrenched, the Coy having stuck to their original trenches when the battalion was driven back. Heavy firing broke out to the right front where a patrol had now located the S. Staffords. The cooks wagons arrived about 7pm and rations were issued, but before they could be divided out fresh orders were received for the Batt. to rendezvous near the Cross Roads in the middle of ZONNEBEKE. About 9pm the Batt. started back, the men having to carry the ration boxes and tools and reached the rendezvous where no guide or [illegible] was to be seen. The Battalion, exhausted, fell out by the roadside while Col. Coles went himself to get orders, but returned about 1am without finding the Brigade. Major Crofts and a patrol then went out and found that the Regt. was to take up a line on the right of the Warwicks running S.E. from the level crossing S.W of ZONNEBEKE. The Battalion was taken there and the new line was found to be marked by men of the Regt. who had been collected S of ZONNEBEKE. It was about 4:30am. The casualties sustained by the Regt on the 21st were: Lieut. G.S. Ingram killed by rifle fire between A Coys trench and LANGEMARKE-ZONNEBEKE Road. 2nd Lieut. D. Ive killed by shell on West of RY [?] between Station and Level Crossing south of it. Wounded: Major H.C. Whinfield 2nd Lt G.M. Gabb Between trenches and LANGEMARK Road: Lieut R.L.G. Heath Lt. and Adjt C.R, Haigh slight hand. Lieut H.C. Williams in C Coy trenches. Total killed 2 Officers 16 other ranks =18 wounded 5 Officers and 118 other ranks=123 missing 37 other ranks=37 Total 178. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Reeves Posted 14 September , 2004 Author Share Posted 14 September , 2004 Continuing along... 24 October 1914 The Regt., less A and C Coys, moved to VELDHOEK on the YPRES-MENIN Road and were disposed under cover South of the Road at 6 [illegible] Kilo [?] close to the chateau. In the evening they moved to the western entrance to the chateau and bivouaced in the woods there. The following message was received from FM i/Chief: 23 Oct "The Field Marshal Commander-in-Chief whished once more to make known to the troops under his command, how deeply he appreciates the bravery and endurance which they have again displayed since their arrival in the northern Theatre of War. In circulating the official information which [illegible] the splendid victories of our Russian allies. He would remind the troops that the enemy must before very long withdraw troops East and relieve the tension in our front - A.A.A. [?] He feels it is quite unneccesary to urge officers, NCO's, and men to make a determined effort and drive the enemy over the frontier" [this doesn't make a lot of sense to me - perhaps there was an error in his transcription due to fatigue or perhaps I'm misreading his handwriting.] In the morning C Coy had been ordered to reinforce the Brigade on the right, who were entrenched in thick woods. On arrival there, they were sent to relieve a battalion of Guards. A section of the Company which had been sent out under Lieut Bethel to reconnoitre was fired upon by some Germans who had remained hidden in the wood and Lt. Bethel and several men were wounded. C Coy was relieved in the evening and rejoined the Battalion at VELDHOEK about 9pm. The casualties in the Regt this day were: Killed other ranks: 1 Wounded officers: Lieut E.W. Bethel other ranks: 15 Missing other ranks: 9 Total: 25 - all in A and C Coys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Reeves Posted 14 September , 2004 Author Share Posted 14 September , 2004 The 1st-3rd of November are all included in one entry. 1st November 1914 The Brigade was formed into two Battalions: 1st Battalion under Capt Alleyne, formed of the Queen's and RW Fusiliers The 2nd Batt. under Capt Vallentine composed of the Staffords and Warwicks to which Capt Fuller, Lieuts White, Ross, and Smith were attached. Battalion remained here ["here" being somewhere east of Zanvoorde near the Menin Road] in reserve on 2nd and 3rd November. On 3rd November No. 2 Battalion was sent up to reoccupy a trench which had been abandoned. 2 platoons under Lieuts Smith and White were sent forward and got into the trench being that Lieut White was hit. Casualties 1st to 3rd Nov: Killed: 9 Wounded: Lieut White other ranks 14 missing 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Reeves Posted 14 September , 2004 Author Share Posted 14 September , 2004 Hope this helps, George - sorry for any transcription errors - as I mentioned it's a bit difficult to read, but worth reproducing here as Crofts certainly included a lot of detail as compared with other war diaries. It also seems that your man who was killed on the 24th was the only KIA that day. Were any of your lads from Croydon? I have "Croydon and the Great War" which has roll of honour and even some biographical details for many entries. regards, Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GavinH Posted 14 September , 2004 Share Posted 14 September , 2004 Hello Geoff, Please could you do a look up for me? I have a group of medals to G/1009 Pte. Frederick Charles Hodges, who served with the 2nd Battalion. His Medal Card shows he arrived in France on the 8th November 1914. I'd be interested to know whether the war diary for the 8th or 9th November mentions reinforcements arriving. Incidently, he was from Croydon. He served with the 1st Volunteer Battalion prior to 1901, and with the Imperial Yeomanry during the Boer War. In 1914 he was a 'Special Reservist'. Thanks Gavin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Reeves Posted 14 September , 2004 Author Share Posted 14 September , 2004 Hi Gavin - no mention of Hodges in the Croydon book. All that means is he wasn't a POW, KIA, or a recipient of an honour or award. The war diary for the 8th and 9th is quite brief - as they had just finished a major engagement at ZILLEBEKE. The 8th has the brigade remaining in the field by day, and marching, at night, via DICKEBUSCH to LOCRE where it was billeted - most of the Regiment being billeted in the church. On the 9th the Brigade moved to BAILLEUL where it was billeted in the town. So, Gavin, no mention of reinforcements arriving, but this would have been the time it would have happened. By this time, the 2nd Queen's had suffered 676 casualties all ranks and would not return to the line until mid-December. Hope this helps, Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GavinH Posted 15 September , 2004 Share Posted 15 September , 2004 Hello Geoff, Thanks very much for the look ups. I appreciate it. Regards Gavin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Reeves Posted 15 September , 2004 Author Share Posted 15 September , 2004 You're welcome, Gavin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Reeves Posted 15 September , 2004 Author Share Posted 15 September , 2004 George, got your email - I'll check on some stuff and send you off a reply later today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest protean Posted 14 November , 2004 Share Posted 14 November , 2004 Hi, In your previous posting from Croyden's book the writer states: >The ridge along the ZONNEBEKE-LANGEMARK road was then held by part of A Coy and squadron of Life Guards on the left and other portions of the Queen's on the right. < I'd love to know if the squadron of Life Guards are mentioned at any other places in your book. You also mentioned above in a response to another post, that if someone was the recipient of a medal they may have been mentioned. If you have time or the inclination, would you check for Ernest T Beach who was a First Life Guard and received a DCM for some incident during this time frame of August to December 1914. regards Kirsten Beach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffsyeoman Posted 14 November , 2004 Share Posted 14 November , 2004 Captain Vallentin(e) of 2/South Staffs was awarded a posthumous VC for an action on 7 November.... and the references to Veldhoek are fascinating as my partner's grandfather was awarded the DCM for an action there on 31 October. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Reeves Posted 15 November , 2004 Author Share Posted 15 November , 2004 Hi, In your previous posting from Croyden's book the writer states: >The ridge along the ZONNEBEKE-LANGEMARK road was then held by part of A Coy and squadron of Life Guards on the left and other portions of the Queen's on the right. < I'd love to know if the squadron of Life Guards are mentioned at any other places in your book. You also mentioned above in a response to another post, that if someone was the recipient of a medal they may have been mentioned. If you have time or the inclination, would you check for Ernest T Beach who was a First Life Guard and received a DCM for some incident during this time frame of August to December 1914. regards Kirsten Beach Hi Kirsten: No problems doing a look-up for you...the Croyden book is actually about people from Croyden, Surrey so I had a look and there was no mention of Ernest Beach. The other book I was quoting from was the history of The Queen's so the only mention of the Life Guards was that brief passage I was quoting. However - I did a search of London Gazettes for you and found your man: 2399 Acting Corporal Beach, E., 1st Life Guards "For gallantry in carrying messages under fire from Squadron to Headquarters, and for subsequent good work whilst temporarily attached to the 2nd Life Guards." No date for the action was given - but as you can see from the link the other citations are for around the end of October, beginning of November - so his probably would have been too. http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/archiveVi...&selHonourType= Anyway, hope this helps. Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Reeves Posted 15 November , 2004 Author Share Posted 15 November , 2004 Captain Vallentin(e) of 2/South Staffs was awarded a posthumous VC for an action on 7 November.... and the references to Veldhoek are fascinating as my partner's grandfather was awarded the DCM for an action there on 31 October. That is quite interesting about Valentine, Phil - and October 31st was the same day my Grandfather won the DCM - just down the road at Gheluvelt... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest protean Posted 15 November , 2004 Share Posted 15 November , 2004 Priceless! thank you very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Baker Posted 15 November , 2004 Share Posted 15 November , 2004 Captain John Vallentin VC was with 1st South Staffords, not 2nd. 1st Bn was in 22nd Brigade alongside 2nd Queen's, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Reeves Posted 15 November , 2004 Author Share Posted 15 November , 2004 Priceless! thank you very much. You're welcome - glad to have helped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Reeves Posted 15 November , 2004 Author Share Posted 15 November , 2004 Captain John Vallentin VC was with 1st South Staffords, not 2nd. 1st Bn was in 22nd Brigade alongside 2nd Queen's, of course. Ah, I see it's Vallentin...no "e". I doublechecked the war diary and the Queen's officer in charge of it misspelled his name... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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