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Remembered Today:

Royal Artillery 251st Brigade 'B' Battalion - W.A.Holdsworth


Guest pineapple

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Guest pineapple

Hello all

I am doing some research into my Great Uncle who was the Royal Artillery - he was William Arthur Holdsworth (M.M & Bar) - trying to find some more information on his unit, ie why he won the Military Medal (6 months before he died) if there is any info in the diaries to this. He was KIA on 13 Nov 1917.

Trying to see if anyone can help me find some more info out, he was in the RA - 251st Brigade, B Battalion,

Thank you for any help anyone can offer.

Best wishes,

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HelloPineapple, and welcome to the Forum!

The War Diaries for 251 Brigade RFA are in the National Archives at Kew, and should be available to download for about £3.50 each on their website: www.nationalarchives.org.uk. These are the files:

WO 95/2818 Divisional Troops: 251 Brigade Royal Field Artillery 1915 Apr. - 1916 Dec.
WO 95/2819 Divisional Troops: 251 Brigade Royal Field Artillery 1917 Jan. - 1919 June

War Diaries rarely mention men by name other than officers but the award of decorations are often included. Try looking at the diary for the period around three months before the date of the London Gazette entry confirming the awards.

Incidentally your great-uncle would have been in B Battery, not battalion. This is a common mis-reading of the abbreviation "Batt" and even crops up in transcriptions of official records.

Ron

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Hello Pineapple, welcome to the Forum.

The Soldiers Died database gives him born in Hunslet and enlisting in Leeds. He seems to have joined 1st West Riding Brigade RFA soon after the start of the war. This Brigade became 245th whilst serving in France and he is most likely to have been in C battery. This battery became A battery in 248th Brigade on May 17, 1916 before being restored on October 18, 1916 to the original designation (C/245). I can confirm he died in action with B battery 251st Brigade, so between the end of 1916 and his death he moved from 49th Division to 50th Division. This posting may have been due to promotion or a spell away from his battery due to sickness or injury. The War Diaries of both sets of Divisional Artillery are available to view on Ancestry as well as a download from the National Archives.

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Guest pineapple

Thank you so much Ron and David for this valuable information. I will take a look at what you have advised, I appreciate all your help.

Best wishes pineapple

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The war diary of 251st Brigade, RFA indicates that Cpl Holdsworth was serving with B Battery of that Brigade when he received the MM, but does not indicate the action for which it was awarded. I can find no indication of the award of his Bar to the MM or the cause of his death in the Brigade war diary.

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  • 3 years later...

Hi, I found this old post card today that may be of interest to you!

My Grandad is in the 1st row seated 2nd from Left John Bird from Cherry Burton nr Beverley East Yorkshire.

I would to know more about the photo if anyone has information or knows the others?

Thanks Paul

361C6D65-82D4-4BF5-ABAE-0BED57E1B831.jpeg

596C2B46-64C3-4822-93F6-45240A9D975C.jpeg

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1 hour ago, Paul Bird said:

 

mistake sorry

Edited by brianmorris547
mistake
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I notice that the board at the bottom says B/251 The Survivors, so does this mean that it was taken after the Armistice and it is the surviving original men of the battery?

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Did your Granddad survive?  If so then the photo could be post Armistice.  Anything else on the back beyond the fact that it is printed in France?

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He lived to be in his 70’s So guess the pic was at the end of WW1! 

Our family went on to survive the 2nd WW

and my Dad was one of 12 so that’s a good result for us👍 Im was told by my Dad that John his Dad also served in WW2 but not sure! These are just memories from my childhood. My dad past years ago 1990/91 

Im so proud of them all and would love to know more!

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  • 1 year later...

My Grandfather Sjt. Clarence S.Smith is the Sjt on the back row he joined up on 9th September 1914 leaving the army in January 1919 . He died in 1989 aged 95 years.

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  • 1 year later...

SOrry for the late reply but I got these off a colleague.  Lawrence Hillerby Lyon, 251 Battery former transport policemen from Myton Hull who lived at Barton upon Humber, IDK if we can see him in any of these pics. 

r. 

Hillerby Lyon RA.jpg

Hillerby Lyon.jpg

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  • 2 months later...

His 2 MMs were won in quick succession - Probably for the Battles of ARRAS and VIMY RIDGE during 9th April to early June:

18 June 1917 https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30135/supplement/6021

18 July 1917 https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30188/supplement/7274 (BAR)

 

His MM Index Card image is here: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D6174519 It records both MMs:

10991604_ScreenShot2021-06-06at17_19_54.png.644a61787b3354cb02972c4dff0c9bb6.png

 

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