Leicestershire Yeomanry

[Roger Stretton]

My wife's grandfather was in the Leicestershire Yeomanry and was injured at the battle of Frazenberg Ridge on 8 May 1915. We plan to visit the site this August and would be grateful for advice on the best way to do this and where to go and what there is to see. Also if possible, where to stay.

[sotonmate]

I think the unit was 1/1 Leics Yeomanry,which landed in France on 3 Nov 1914 and shortly after became part of 7 Cavalry Brigade of 3 Cavalry Division:

http://www.1914-1918.net/3cavdiv.htm

There is a Topic here already on the Frezenberg Ridge battle,search on showtopic=55804.

The unit war Diary will be specific about movements which you might want to trace on a visit. It is under ref WO95/1155/7 at the National Archives and runs from 1 Nov 1914 to 31 Oct 1917,but not yet digital for download. If your wife's GF fought after that date there is a second Diary under WO95/1156/6 which runs from 1 Nov 1917 to 31 Mar 1918.

[Adam Llewellyn]

Hello Roger and welcome to the Forum,

I've got the war diary complete, if you need anything from it? Not to sure on the 8th being correct, the diary records, BOIS des HUIT RUES. Brigade stood to in billets.

Regards.

Llew.

[sotonmate]

Roger

You also said "a place to stay". There is a section here called Battlefield Touring which might help you.

[Roger Stretton]

Hello Roger and welcome to the Forum,

I've got the war diary complete, if you need anything from it? Not to sure on the 8th being correct, the diary records, BOIS des HUIT RUES. Brigade stood to in billets.

Regards.

Llew.

Hello Llew,

Good to hear from you and you are right of course. I took the date from a plan of the battlefield from the internet which said 8th may 1915. I should have looked at other papers that we have including "Copy of notes taken by R. E. Martin of what happened on Ascension Day May 13th 1915 when the Leicestershire Yeomanry defended the trenches near Ypres and met with heavy loss". You probably know but the notes have a lot of detail and I understand that they where written by Lt Col Martin because his brother Major William Martin (we have a letter from him) was killed in the battle and he wished to inform Violet Martin, William Martin's widow, what had happened. We have a letter from Violet Martin and from a cousin of the Martins, Capt C H Martin. He was injured in the battle and was at Osborne on the Isle of Wight and writing to my wife's grandfather William Moore, also injured and in hospital in Lincoln. We also have William Moore's Mobilisation Order plus his Embodiment Notice (signed by William Martin) to attend at The Bulls Head Yard in Loughborough on 5 August 1914. From the wonders of the internet we have a photograph of the Bulls Head Yard dated 6 August 1914 with Sgt Willaim Moore in the foreground.

Regards

Roger

[Guest Ken P]

I have a couple of images (which I'll have to reduce to post here!) of PAOLY assembled in Bulls Head Yard stables in 1914. Loughborough would have been 'C' Squadron.