16th Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps

[RammyLad1]

Please can any kind person provide me with the war diary entry for 28th January 1916. One of the men I am researching, C/393 E. G. Smith, was killed on that day. I have a local newspaper report in which a comrade writes that " It happened yesterday (Friday), the 28th, during a very heavy bombardment, in which nearly the whole of his platoon were either killed or wounded."

Any details or location appreciated.

Duncan

[BillyH]

They were at Annequin Fosse (near Bethune?) :

(28th January 1916) "Enemy bombardment commenced 10am and continued till 5pm. Very intense and knocked both firing, support and communication trenches about. The left suffered most severely, while Sims Keep was also battered. B & C Coys fared worst.

Our artillery retaliated. In evening 2 platoons of C Coy. reinforced B Coy.

Casualties : Capt Donaldson wounded R+F 21 killed and 30 wounded.

Red indicates my best guess!

If you want a copy then PM me with an e-mail address.

BillyH.

[RammyLad1]

Billy H

Thanks for the details. Very much appreciated.

Duncan

[MBrockway]

SIMS KEEP is at 36C.A.27.d.3.5 facing the enemy trenches in front of MADAGASCAR and the BRICKWORKS, approx 2km ESE of CAMBRIN just to the E of the D75.

See also this thread for a trench map and info on another 28 Jan 1916 16/KRRC casualty: Old Boots Trench near Cuinchy trench Map

Edited 29 July , 2014 by MBrockway

[MBrockway]

C/254 Rfn Joseph JACKSON from Luddendenfoot near Mytholmroyd, was also killed in this bombardment on 28 Jan 1916.

He was in No 1 Platoon, A Coy, 16/KRRC.

He was trying to dig out C/633 Sjt Fred Hyatt and C/443 Rfn Frederick King, who had just been buried by a shell, when a second shell burst in the same spot and killed him instantly. Both the other men also died.


All 21 men from 16/KRRC who were KiA this day ...

No Rank Name Age Birthplace Residence Family Info Enlistment
C/1121 Rfn Frank Thomas Coltman 22 N/A High Wycombe, Bucks SON OF ALFRED & ELLEN COLTMAN, OF 84, DESBOROUGH RD., HIGH WYCOMBE, BUCKS. High Wycombe, Bucks
C/1176 Rfn William Hampshire 21 Dulwich, Surrey Brixton, Surrey SON OF T. G. & S. A. HOARE, OF 310, HIGH ST., ROCHESTER, KENT. Cockspur Street, Middx
C/762 Rfn Thomas Hooton St. Michaels, Wigan Wigan Wigan
C/633 Sjt Frederick Thomas Hyatt St. Marys, Chesham Chesham London
C/254 Rfn Joe Jackson Luddendenfoot, Yorks Luddendenfoot, Yorks Halifax, Yorks
C/1031 Rfn Richard Francis Kenny 21 St. Asaph, Flints St. Asaph SON OF MRS. ANNIE KENNY. Bury, Lancs
C/443 Rfn Frederick King Norwich N/A Lowestoft
C/915 L/Cpl Tom Lloyd Knibb 21 Blackley, Lancs N/A SON OF THOMAS KNIBB, OF 63, BROWN LANE, LEVENSHULME, MANCHESTER, & THE LATE ELIZABETH KNIBB. Manchester
C/1355 Rfn James Mason St. Johns, Somerset Bedminster, Bristol Bristol
C/1023 Rfn Edward Henry Masters Bethnal Green, Middx. N/A Brighton
C/644 Rfn Joseph Harold Moulton 19 Higham Ferrers, Northants N/A SON OF JOSEPH & AGNES MOULTON, OF 36, CORPORATION TERRACE, HIGHAM FERRERS, NORTHANTS. Higham Ferrers
C/591 L/Cpl Anthony Newell Heldenborough, Kent Pentonville, Middx Windsor
C/280 Rfn Charles William Painter 21 Ashton-in-makerfield, Lancs N/A SON OF MR. C. H. PAINTER, OF "ROBIN HOOD HOTEL," ASHTON-IN-MAKERFIELD, WIGAN. Wigan
C/994 L/Cpl John Rhodes 23 Bradford, Yorks N/A SON OF MRS. SARAH RHODES, OF 46, HALIFAX RD., ODSAL, BRADFORD, YORKS. Bradford, Yorks
C/530 Rfn Thomas Rushton 21 Middleton, Lancs N/A SON OF THOMAS & ANN RUSHTON, OF LANE FOOT FARM, LITTLEBOROUGH, MANCHESTER. Manchester
C/502 Sjt Harry Simpson Rochdale, Lancs Rochdale, Lancs Manchester
C/393 Rfn Ernest George Smith St. James, Rochdale, Lancs Rochdale, Lancs Manchester
C/922 Rfn George Edmund Smith Morden, Surrey N/A Mitcham, Surrey
C/678 Bugler Richard Southwell 20 Pontefract, Yorks N/A SON OF RICHARD COOTE SOUTHWELL & LILY SOUTHWELL, OF MILL LANE, PONTEFRACT, YORKS. Pontefract, Yorks
C/871 Cpl William Francis Turner 23 Birmingham N/A SON OF WILLIAM & ESTHER TURNER. OF BIRMINGHAM. Birmingham
C/136 Rfn Joseph Wood Leeds N/A Leeds

:poppy:

[MBrockway]

Please can any kind person provide me with the war diary entry for 28th January 1916. One of the men I am researching, C/393 E. G. Smith, was killed on that day. I have a local newspaper report in which a comrade writes that " It happened yesterday (Friday), the 28th, during a very heavy bombardment, in which nearly the whole of his platoon were either killed or wounded."

Any details or location appreciated.

Duncan

Duncan,

Back in 2004 (!), Forum Pal Bob Pearson @rap1943 asked me to keep an eye out for any information on C/393 Rfn Ernest G SMITH ages ago.

Bob also started a topic: Four KRRC Riflemen

I wonder if anybody has or is researching any of the following men. To my knowledge they all served in the 16Btn KRRC.

Henry Mallalieu (Harry Mallalien on MIC) C/515

Wilson Clegg C/549 (also MGC 26003)

Fred (Frederick) Fitton C/712

Ernest George Smith C/393 (died 28/1/1916)

C.T. Tweedale C/746 (dow 2/12/1917)

Frank Thompson C/551

Henry Taylor C/523 (dow 16/7/1916)

Ralph Rawstron (Rostron) C/513

F. Whitehead C/527 (dow 16/7/1917)

C. Turner C/392

They were Pals of my Dad, Frederick Pearson C/516 'B' Company 16Btn KRRC. Some of them were also in 'B' Company. Also some of them played football for the St Clements CLB team in Spotland, Rochdale where most of them lived I think.

I am looking for anybody who may have knowledge of any of these men as I am trying to build up a picture of this group of Pals (there may be more in the group).

Cheers

Bob Pearson

Melbourne

I've mailed Bob to draw his attention to this, but I see he's not been on the Forum for some months. Any chance you could send me a scan of the newspaper report that I can mail onwards to Bob? I'd appreciate a copy for myself anyway - this was also my grandfather's battalion.

Cheers,

Mark

[RammyLad1]

Will do Mark - send me your email via PM. By a strange coincidence this is the second request in as many days for this chap, Ernest George Smith.

Duncan