Henry Ewart Pickwick Lancashire Fusiliers 2nd/5th Bn

[jd_sparky]

My wife's great uncle, Henry Ewart Pickwick was killed in France 24/8/1918 and is buried at Houchin British Cemetery. He was 18 years old and was private with Lancashire Fusiliers 2nd/5th Bn.

We expect to visit his grave in April 2014 and are interested in finding out more details about his military service and about his death. We expect to spend a few days in that area looking at WWI memorials and any information on where unit was stationed would be great.

We were not able to get any information from family members. We know that he is listed on the memorial plaque for the Old Salfordians Association as E. Pickwick and we have stories that my wife's great-grandfather was employed by Salford and that permitted Ewart Pickwick to go to school there.

Please let us know if anyone has anything on the unit activities in late August or on Ewart Pickwick.

Thanks! jd_sparky

[Blackblue]

Sparky,

They conducted a surprise attack on a line of German posts in craters atop Givenchy Ridge on 24 August. This was planned for some time, including careful deception measures. The German's were distracted and the 2/5th and the 1/4th Kings Own RLR took the German front line virtually unopposed from a 7.20am H Hour. All objectives were gained very quickly and consolidation commenced, but a German barrage commenced 12 minutes later and then a counter attack at 9.30am which was repelled. A spoiling barrage by British artillery prevented further counter attacks until 5.50am the next day. The Bn were relieved on 27 August. 11 NCOs and men killed, 1 officer and 41 ORs wounded. 2 men missing. Bn was awarded 3 x MCs, 4 x DCM, 18 x MMs for this action.

If you want the relevant pages from the history PM me your e-mail address.

Rgds

Tim D

[KevinBattle]

You obviously know his grave plot details, but he also has some comrades to keep him company...

DAVIES, PHILIP Private 307332 24/08/1918 27 Lancashire Fusiliers II. A. 19.

HOLMES, DAVID Private 29340 24/08/1918 18 King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) II. B. 31.

RANKIN, W Private 360113 24/08/1918 The King's (Liverpool Regiment) II. B. 29.

STEELE, J J Private 29338 24/08/1918 King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) II. A. 9.

TOMLINSON, J Private 18416 24/08/1918 King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) II. A. 7.

CARR, S Private 35193 24/08/1918 Lancashire Fusiliers III. G. 2.

DELANEY, FREDERICK Private 20813 24/08/1918 22 Lancashire Fusiliers II. A. 15.

RIDING, W Lance Corporal 23338 24/08/1918 Lancashire Fusiliers II. A. 24.

STURZAKER, JOHN ROBERT Private 38109 24/08/1918 29 King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) II. A. 8.

WAITE, E Private 30693 24/08/1918 King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) II. A. 6.

FORD, H W Private 52551 24/08/1918 Lancashire Fusiliers II. A. 14.

LIDDLE, ROBERT Lance Serjeant 45225 24/08/1918 20 Lancashire Fusiliers III. G. 18.

PARKER, JOSEPH Private 201697 24/08/1918 21 King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) II. A. 3.

OWEN, J E Private 41495 24/08/1918 18 King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) II. A. 11.

SAMUEL, H Private 356063 24/08/1918 The King's (Liverpool Regiment) II B. 32.

BENNETT, F Serjeant 303048 24/08/1918 28 Lancashire Fusiliers II. A. 18.

HALL, A Private 57532 24/08/1918 Lancashire Fusiliers II. A. 20.

HICKEN, A J Private 50632 24/08/1918 19 Lancashire Fusiliers II. A. 1.

PICKWICK, HENRY EWART Private 58508 24/08/1918 18 Lancashire Fusiliers II. A. 2.

SMITH, HARRY THOMAS Private 57534 24/08/1918 41 Lancashire Fusiliers II. A. 16.

WARRINER, J W Private 29130 24/08/1918 King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) II. B. 30.

WALTON, J H Private 42872 24/08/1918 King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) II. A. 12.

I don't know if there is any pattern to be deduced from this, but perhaps the CWGC may have records of a previous burial location, as men dying the same day seem to be in several areas.

[jd_sparky]

Thanks for the 2 replies so quickly.

Blackblue (Tim D), your summary really made the action come alive. It would be great to see the relevant pages from the history. My email address is jdpick81@comcast.net.

KevinBattle, thanks for pulling the 22 names together, we will take pictures of those headstones while we are at Houchin. Looks like 10 are Lancashire Fusiliers.

Thanks!...............................Sparky

[KevinBattle]

Tim's contribution was vital to you understanding the actions that day, mine was simply to provide those comrades who died that day and are buried around him, but "Thanks" are always appreciated even if not expected..

The "inconsistency" of burials from different dates interspersed may be due to bodies arriving from various dressing stations etc and not just the battlefield.

It might still be worth an ask of the CWGC as there may be extra details which might provide a more specific "spot" for the fighting.

[jd_sparky]

All,

Thanks for all your help. Below is some additional information I received from Mr. Ian Cameron of the Old Salfordians' Association, who was very helpful with additional details about Private Henry Ewart Pickwick.

The name, E. Pickwick, is one of many names listed on a scroll established by the Old Salfordians' Association with the Citation "TO THE MEMORY OF
"OLD BOYS" WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVE IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1919. Mr. Ian Cameron is certain that E. Pickwick is our Henry Ewart Pickwick.

Pickwick, E

Email Correspondence: Ian Cameron of the Old Salfordians’ Association to John DeLozier and Linda Pickwick DeLozier-10 January 2014

Pickwick is an extremely rare name that most of us have encountered only in Dickens. Nonetheless, five men of that name died in WW1, and two had the initial E in their name, Henry Ewart Pickwick and Percival Edward Pickwick, and they were both relatively local. Percival Edward Pickwick was born in Swansea in 1892 but in 1901 was living in Irlam. He enlisted in Urmston and was killed in 1915.

However, there can be no doubt that the E. Pickwick on our war memorial was Henry Ewart Pickwick, who presumably used his middle name. Ewart was born in Salford late in 1899, the middle of three children of William Ewart, a wood carver from Bath and his wife Sarah Ann from Freshford, both in Somerset. In 1901 the family were living at 11 Victor Street, Broughton. By 1911 they had moved to 3 Cooper Street, Higher Broughton: Mr. Pickwick, still a wood carver, personally completed the census form and he recorded his younger son as Hy. Ewart Pickwick, which tends to confirm that Henry was not the name the boy used. The elder son William had been born near Bath and was 19 and a clerk in an ironworks. Ewart and his younger sister Doris May had both been born in Salford and were still at school.

At least three class photos exist which include Ewart. They are in the first of two large volumes of school photographs of Salford Grammar School held in the Salford Local History Library on the Crescent.

58508 Private Pickwick was serving with the 2^nd/5^th Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers when he was killed in action on 24^th August 1918. At the time his Battalion formed part of the 164^th (North Lancashire) Brigade of 55^th (West Lancashire) Division which was involved in major assaults around the village of Givenchy-lès-la-Bassée, Pas de Calais, where there is a memorial to the Division. Ewart was 18 and unmarried. He is buried in the Houchin British Cemetery, Pas de Calais, and among the 694 Commonwealth graves in the cemetery are those of 21 killed the same day as Ewart, ten from the Lancashire Fusiliers like Ewart and eleven from other regiments.

The following appeared in the Salford Reporter of September 7^th, 1918:

Private H. E. Pickwick

Private Henry Ewart Pickwick, Lancashire Fusiliers, who was wounded in June last is now reported to have died of wounds received in action in France on August 24. He was 18 years of age and was educated at the Grecian Street Schools and was afterwards employed by Messrs. Addleshaw & Sons and Latham, solicitors, Norfolk-street, Manchester. His parents, who reside at 3 Cooper-street, Higher Broughton, have received the following letter from Lieutenant G. Walsh.

“I am just sending you a few details of the circumstances under which the death of your son occurred. He was in charge of one of the sections of the attack, and was an excellent soldier and one I could completely trust. We had gained our objective without the loss of a man and were strengthening our position. Your son, about 15 yards from me, was directing the work of his section of riflemen, when a shell came over and burst amongst his section, killing two outright and wounding five, and I am very sorry to say your son was one. The death of your son has been more to me than the others that have occurred. Our meeting was short, but we liked each other, and I lost a good NCO and a splendid lad. May I offer you my great sympathy in your great troubles, and should I be able to give you any further information I will do so.”

[Lt. Walsh describes Ewart as an NCO, yet his rank is officially listed as Private. One suspects that having given one of his best privates the duties of an NCO, and seen him killed carrying then out, Walsh wasn’t going to quibble about the man’s rank.]

Ewart’s name also appears on the war memorial at St. John’s Church, Higher Broughton, along with those of fellow Old Salfordians Harold Barrett, Stanley Dyer, Harold Fielding, Alfred Lowe, Alfred Quick, Alan Welsh and Cyril Willett.

Addleshaw Sons & Latham were still practicing under that name as recently as 1997. There have been two mergers since, to form firstly Addleshaw Booth and currently Addleshaw Goddard.

[Blackblue]

Well done Sparky,

Nice to see the pieces fitting together.

Rgds

Tim D

[shred]

For your records.

[shred]

And one of the images (sorry about the quality).