Walter B bluntach KRRC 16

[Maddy Oldale]

Hi, 

I'm looking for any more information on Walter B Bluntach . He was in the King's Royal Rifles. I've found his death record in August 1918, and a record which says he was in hospital in August 1917 in France, but not yet diagnosed. Would this hospitalisation have lasted more than a year and eventually led to his death or is it likely he recovered and went back to the front? He was a rifleman and seemingly another soldier, also a rifleman, was killed on the same day. Would they have been on patrol together? 

 

Thanks! 

 

Maddy 

[Langdon]

Welcome to the Forum.

 

Here's his British War & Victory medals roll summary on Ancestry:

Name:Walter B Bluntach

Military Year:1914-1920

Rank:Private

Medal Awarded:British War Medal and Victory Medal

Regiment or Corps:King's Royal Rifle Corps

Regimental Number:R28942

Previous Units:12th Bn. K.R. Rif. C R28942 Pte., 13th Bn. K.R. Rif. C R.28942

 

His SDGW (Soldiers Died in the Great War) record indicates that he was killed in action, rather than as a result of wounds or illness:

Name:Walter Benjamin Bluntach

Birth Place:Kennington, Surrey

Death Date:28 Aug 1918

Death Place:France and Flanders

Enlistment Place:Lambeth, Surrey

Rank:Rifleman

Regiment:King's Royal Rifle Corps

Battalion:16th Battalion, the County of London Regiment, Affiliated To K.R.R.C

Regimental Number:R/28942

Type of Casualty:Killed in action

Theatre of War:Western European Theatre

 

Mike

 

[Maddy Oldale]

Hi Mike, 

 

Thank you so much! That's really useful. I guess he must have been wounded or sick in 1917 and then sent back to the front. Do you know if there's any way I can find out what battles he was involved in? Or any way of finding out his date of enlistment ? 

 

Thank you so much - and gor the super quick reply! 

 

Maddy 

[Langdon]

The 1/16th County of London Battalion (Westminster Rifles) was involved in the 56th Division attacks on the Hindenberg Line at Croisselles in late August 1918 - the war diary, which has very detailed and typed(!) day-to-day entries, is on Ancestry here - or at the National Archives here, downloadable for a small fee. I haven't seen a surviving service record for Walter so it's difficult to know when he transferred to the 1/16th. An expert here may be able to help with this..

 

Mike

[Maddy Oldale]

Hi Mike, 

 

thanks for that link - I've downloaded it and read the entry for the date - it's such sad reading. Walter was my great grandad's first cousin, and he left his widow and two small children ( I suppose like many families) when he died. One of his boys was born in 1915 so he may never have seen him ( I'm not sure how often they got leave etc in WW1 from the front) 

 

thanks again for your help. 

[Mark1959]

There is an entry for him in the National Roll of The Great War

As follows

He joined in March 1917 and in July of the same year he proceeded overseas. He was in action at Lens and Cambrai, but was invalided home through Ill health. On recovery he returned to France and was killed in action at Bapaume on August 20th 1918. He was entitled to the General Service and Victory Medals.

48 Bagshot St., Walworth, SE17.

Not sure how reliable the roll is. Note date of death is slightly wrong.  The General Service Medal is usually known as the British War Medal

[Langdon]

From Mark1959's post and the National Roll (if correct) the 20th Division (60th Brigade) took part in the battle of Cambrai - so he may well have been in the 12th Battalion KRRC at that time (late 1917). The 13th was not involved there. One would have to look at the war diaries of both the 12th & 13th Battalions to find references to Lens...

 

Mike

Edited 29 December , 2017 by Langdon

[Mark1959]

PS Baptism record give dob as 21/2/1888