A/Bdr John ABLEY, 10th Battery, CXLVII Brigade, Royal Field Artillery:

[djanej]

Some while ago, I was researching my distant cousin John ABLEY, and found an interesting reference to him on this Forum (in 'Soldiers', dated 7 January 2011 by Graeme Clarke).

John ABLEY was a stamper in the lock trade, living in Walsall with his parents and siblings in 1911. He joined up in Walsall, and served with 10th Battery, 147 Brigade of Royal Field Artillery in Gallipoli. On 22 October 1915, A/Bdr ABLEY was shot by a sniper, and died of his wounds. He is buried at Twelve Tree Copse Cemetery, Krithia. The identification was a little tricky, as the CWGC entry does not give an age, nor does it refer to any next-of-kin. However, I have now been able to confirm the identification.

I have all the CWGC information, but I have been looking to try and find John’s name on a War Memorial, either in his home town of Walsall or on a Regimental Memorial. So far, I have had no success. Please does anyone know if there a memorial to the Royal Field Artillery (other than the big Artillery memorial in London), or to the 147th Brigade, or even to 29 Division, with which 10th Battery served in Gallipoli?

Many thanks.

[GraemeClarke]

Hi

He is on Walsall RoH as ABBEY

He is also commemorated on the memorial at St. Andrew’s Church, Birchills

Here is a bit more from my research

The newspaper also printed a letter sent to the family which stated,

“It is with deepest sorrow I write to inform you of the death of your son. I was with him at the time, we were working together strengthening the position of our 12-pounder gun, when a sniper got on to us from the flank. John was hit in the body and everything possible was done for him but he died in hospital about an hour afterwards.”

The War Diary records,

“22 October 1915 - 11.45am. At the request of the Infantry 4round were fired on J13 to stop the enemy bombing which instantly ceased - 2^nd Lieutenant A. Jennings joined for duty.”

The 147^th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery Headquarters War Diary records,

“22 October 1915 - 10^th Battery operation report - “At a call from the F.O.O., fired on J13A to stop the Turks bombing - the bombing ceased.

Casualty Report for 10^th Battery:- 2^nd Lieutenant A. Jennings joined for duty. Two men seriously wounded while repairing the 12 pounder emplacement. One of them died shortly afterwards No.90734 Bombardier Abley, J. It has been blowing a gale from the North today: bitterly cold.

23 October 1915 - Casualty Report 10^th Battery:- The other man who was wounded yesterday No.90736 Gunner Broadhurst died early this morning.”

Do you have any other (better) pictures of him ??

Regards,

Graeme

[David Porter]

This monument mentions all the 29th Divisional Artillery, along with others - http://b.geolocation.ws/v/E/3845464/monument-to-the-29th-division-1921/en

[djanej]

Thank you Graeme, this is really useful, and fills in a big gap. No, unfortunately, I don't have any pictures, so the ones you posted are a wonderful addition to my record. Thank you too David.

Best wishes,

Jane

[GraemeClarke]

Hi Jane,

Glad to help.

Years ago (eons) I was on the Carl Chinn radio show talking about the Walsall RoH and a caller rang in about Abley stating that they were a relative.

Was that you by any chance ??

Regards,

Graeme

[djanej]

Hi Graeme,

No, I'm afraid not. My ABLEY connection is on my father's side. His Great Grandmother was an ABLEY. They have proved to be an interesting family. There is an ABLEY (@Chris ABBLEY), who has done a huge amount of very detailed research, and whose name I see cropping up regularly. I added quite a lot of extra info about John on the CWGC Find a Grave entry for him, and I noticed that Chris left a 'memorial note'. It could have been him who telephoned the radio show.

Best wishes,

Jane

[Guest Wulfrunian]

Before me as I type is a century-old photograph in its century-old frame. A handsome young man with full, sensuous lips, proud in new soldier uniform, gazes unflinching and cocky at me. Here is the uncle after whom I was named, and he has been on the walls of Marigold and me through the nearly fifty years of our marriage. The matte of the photo is inscribed, as was the custom then, with the by-line of the photographer "portrait by H.S.Eades, Walsall", and this is the original of the oval photo above. I flatter myself that at comparable age there were family resemblances. Family lore, has it that Uncle John’s death was sad and needless even by the standards of WWI – but more of that below.

This posting is long because, firstly the thread dating from 2011 to July this year shows that there are people hungry for detail and specifics, secondly I have the time and inclination to get it down if nothing else for our grandchildren and thirdly want to establish my bona-fides in the hope of making contact.

With friends a few nights ago we watched the DVD of the film "Oh What a Lovely War". I highly recommend this 1969 film to anyone interested in the First World War. Against a background of original quotes the sheer pitifulness is shown by the beautiful music of the time and of the troops themselves. With every major acting name of Britain in 1969, it brings over the scale and futility of the First World War, its impact on society, its suffering and its moments of uplift without harrowing battle and blood. It is worth watching if for no more than the wonderful welsh-tenor rendition of “when this lousy war is over” in the middle of a regimental multi-religion service (you can short-cut, this song is also on You-Tube, then see “keep the home fires burning” and bring your hankie).

The film motivated me to take down Uncle John’s photo, and to realize from the details I had taped to the back that we are within days of the centenary of his death. Ready to do an email to my family I googled his name expecting little and was so delighted to find his memory loved. Most impressive is the effort that several have made into gathering what information there is.

I did not know my grandparents well. I believe their names were John and Ann, but have never researched the subject. I recall only that grandpa was an open-cast coal miner in Staffordshire. These guys would dig a hole and every day would dig coal into a bucket that was pulled up by rope. He was apparently a wild and dominant man. But I did know all of John’s nine siblings. The news of John’s death would have arrived close to the ninth birthday of my mother, Rose, exactly fifteen days later. Rose died in 1982 after fifteen years of advancing dementia, so I am afraid that me then being a young man taking on career, marriage, children and relocations I missed the opportunity to get detail from her. But she probably idealized her big brother, especially in that handsome uniform. It was therefore understandable that in 1944 when Rose gave birth to her first and only son in the bedroom of the oldest pub in Wolverhampton (The Old Still) she named him after the brother she loved and lost.

Seven of John’s eight other siblings were Charlie, Bill, Doll, Laura, Mollie, Sandy, Nance. I do not remember the ages and for now I cannot remember the other one. They were a close and warm Walsall working class lot. I knew them all, was loved by them all. So many stories! Over time my contacts have shrunk to one second cousin, the grandson of Nance, but he could be a key to others,

So to John Abley’s death. As a teenager I was told that he was shot by a sniper while tied to a gun carriage wheel as punishment. The story struck me as unlikely. All the films I saw were of trenches, so where would a gun wheel come from? Then, surely the British army would not use such a vicious punishment, certainly not in the face of the enemy. But as I learned more the story becomes increasingly credible. First, he was in the artillery – hence the wheel. Second, it seems that strapping a soldier up for two hours a day for up to 21 days was “Field Punishment Number 1” in the British Army. Now I learn from the letter to his parents that indeed he WAS shot by a sniper, and from the flank, an unexpected angle. Of course the War Diary and the letter, as was standard, eliminates negative circumstances, but it easy to see how “strapped to a gun carriage wheel” became euphemized into “repairing the 12 pounder emplacement” or “strengthening the position of our 12 pounder gun”. Both convey that he was close to the gun when no battle was going on. Indeed, the consistent reference to “12-pounder” strikes me as the sort of detail used to lend credibility to a falsehood..

The impressive interest in John Abley over such a long period encourages me to try to make contact. I am John Watson OBE, now a dual UK/USA citizen living in Atlanta. My email, as befitting a Whumpton lad, is Wulfrunian@AOL.COM. This account gets a lot of trash traffic, so please put the subject line as “ABLEY” so it jumps out at me. I can send an electronic copy of the photo, and if you have the stomach for it my photo at 22. `

[GraemeClarke]

Hi Wulfrunian,

MOST intriguing !!!

E-mail sent,

Regards,

Graeme

[Guest]

Hi Jane 

My name is Edward Abley, my father was Ronald Abley and grandad was William Abley, my father was in constant contact with Chris Abbley and met up quite a lot, my father did his family tree for over 40 years which Chris was really interested in. We lived in Walsall and Chris lives in Gloucester. My grandad William left my dad this death service letter of John Abley and in 2010 my dad passed away and left it to me with medals.