9th Royal Warwicks

[stevem49]

Hello Each

If anyone is researching the 9th Battalion Royal Warwick's, I have some news

 

After doing research on a man from my village and finding that he and three others were on the Basra Memorial and not the Helles (Battalion on Gallipoli), I forwarded my research to the CWGC. Had an email the other day and after checking my men and the rest of battalion, 21 men will now go on to the Helles Memorial. The CWGC Debt of Honour register is probably already up to date with the new info.

 

Steve M

[Bardess]

Well done, Steve. I've just gone through and I have 5 on the Memorial but also have 2 burials in Basra War Cemetery in April 1916. How can they be correct then?

Edited 21 January , 2018 by Bardess

[robertb]

I would dearly like to understand what is being said here.  Please could someone help?

[Bardess]

Apparently 21 men are commemorated on the wrong Memorial as they died in Gallipoli [Helles Memorial] and not Iraq [Basra Memorial] and CWGC are now in the process of changing this.

 

@stevem49 can you tell me the date range please?

[Bardess]

I've now been through the CWGC listing and have found only 17:

10120 H W Hollis 10/8/15

5279 A Docker 10/8/15

6288 R Edwards 10/8/15

2960 G Glazebrook 10/8/15

4/2090 J A Rayson 10/8/15

9694 J J Ruane 10/8/15

2959 W Ash 10/8/15

4/2071 H Batty 10/8/15

2917 J Clark 10/8/15

6298 J Ford 27/8/15

2848 W Landers 31/8/15

12713 B Wardle 17/9/15

12081 H Morgan 27/9/15

12310 T Keightley 27/11/15

11744 F Willits 28/11/15

9674 S W Cooke 28/11/15

11973 E Metcalfe 29/11/15

[stevem49]

Hello Diane

Mine is S W Cooke.

They said that they would be on over the weekend. I presume it is the dates the 9th Royal Warwick's were on Gallipoli. I think 10 August but could be wrong.  I only checked the 28th to 30th November 1915 for my man as I had his death date from local magazine, and found several others on Basra, although one man was on Helles memorial already. I have not checked but presume that the 9th battalion ended up in Mesopotamia after Gallipoli and that is how the error occurred.

Willits; Cooke (28th Nov )and Metcalfe (29th Nov) on as Basra whilst Goulden was on Helles (died 28th Nov).  My research from 1st to 30th November 1915 showed 22 men dying and only three not on Helles. I presume that when the CWGC checked their records another 18 were found? 

Steve

[stevem49]

22 hours ago, robertb said:

I would dearly like to understand what is being said here.  Please could someone help?

Robert

When I moved to the village 14 months ago, I was given a copy of the memorial magazine. I noticed that L/Cpl Cooke died on Gallipoli but was on the Basra Memorial (Iraq). He should have been on the Helles Memorial (Gallipoli) The letter to CWGC may help in giving you a better understanding of what the error was.  

Entry in ‘The Fallen of Meriden, Great and Little Packington during the Great War’

 

Lance Corporal Stanley Waterton Cooke (1911 census Cook)

 

Details from the booklet-

Lance Corporal Cooke sailed with the 9^th Battalion (Royal Warwick’s) from Avonmouth on the 34^th June 1915 and landed on Gallipoli during July.

He died of exposure (on Gallipoli) on 28^th November 1915 and is commemorated on the Basra Memorial Iraq.

My deductions -

He should have been commemorated on the Helles Memorial as he died of exposure on Gallipoli.

9^th bn Royal Warwick’s, war diary November 1915 –

28^th November 1915 ‘Trenches occupied & parapets being repaired, but men in critical condition through exposure, several men dying of exposure. Casualties – Officers – nil, Other ranks – Died 3, wounded 1, sick 48, 3 Other ranks to Brigade employ. Effective strength; officers 16, Other ranks 625’

 

Medal Index card – 2b Balkans 13/07/1915

Medal Rolls – 9674 Cook Stanley W.9^th Bn R Warwick’s, Pte.

SER – Cook Stanley Waterton; 9^th Bn R. Warwick’s; Pte (L/Cpl); 9674; 28/11/15; exposure; MEF.

Father sole legatee – Charles E;

11/3/16 - £7-7s-4d

11/8/19 - £4-10s-0d War Gratuity

AFW 5070 sent 4 June 1919;

 

SDGW – Stanley Waterton Cooke;

Meriden Warwick’s;

28 Nov 1915

Mesopotamia (wrong MEF)

Enlisted – Coventry Warwick’s

L/Cpl

9^th Bn

9674

Died

Theatre – Asiatic.

 

The above is the only mention other than MEF in all files;

 

The war diaries mentioned three men dying on 28 November 1915 –

CWGC have for 9^th R. Warwicks

Willits Frederick – Basra Memorial

Cooke S W – Basra Memorial

Goulden Frederick – 8967 Helles Memorial Gallipoli

 

On 29^th -Metcalfe Edward; 11973 – Basra Memorial.

Three men listed on the incorrect Memorial for the two days. 

Between 1^st and 30^th November 1915, 22 men died on Gallipoli and only the three listed above are on Basra Memorial.

Steve Morse

[robertb]

Steve,

Thank you.  That's really interesting.  I am fascinated by the 13th Division, and more particularly by the 8th Welsh.  That storm must have been horrendous.

The 39th Bde. War Diary seems to sum it up:

"26/11/1915

About 7pm began a violent thunderstorm which lasted 2 or 3 hours and was accompanied by a flood of rain.  Almost the whole area was flooded particularly the left of the line and the Reserve trenches.  Bde. H.Q. was absolutely flooded out and had to be abandoned.  A temporary Bde. H.Q. was established at SALAJIK FARM but, of course, most of the records, etc., were lost and telephone instruments lost or damaged making inter-communication almost impossible."

The Divisional War Diary reports that the Daily Casualty Report (Form Z) was not received from the 39th Bde. from 26 November to the 31 November.  Could these events have contributed to the 'mix-up'/'confusion' with the men you are studying?

Rob

 

[stevem49]

Yes, I researched the 9th Sherwood Foresters, 33 brigade, 11th Div and they had it. In fact Fred Greaves who would win a VC in 1917 nearly died, had it not in his words 'been for my mates giving me lots of rum'! 

I was actually on Gallipoli during Sept 2008 and we had torrential rain. It was not cold but the mud just clung to everything and I could hardly pick my feet up for the mud on my boots.  

It must have been horrendous for them.

 

Steve