Ike Measures - 7th Bn Northamptonshires - 27/09/1915

[Guest]

Hi all,

 

I have been researching a relative who was killed in the First World War, and have got as far to think he must have been involved in the Battle of Loos as I've read the 7th Battalion of the Northamptonshire's were involved there. He is buried at the BULLY-GRENAY COMMUNAL CEMETERY, BRITISH EXTENSION, a few minutes from Dud-Corner and the Loos Memorial. If anyone can shed any light on this insofar as whether he would have been involved in the Battle of Loos that would be gratefully received. 

 

This is the information I can pull from the CWWG website:

 

Private I Measures

Service number: 14618

Died: 27/09/1915

Age 23

7th BN 

Northamptonshire Regiment 

 

Thanks,

 

Harry.

[Gareth Davies]

The 7th Northamptons were in 24th Division who took part in the Battle of Loos. There is much more detail on the excellent Long Long Trail website:

 

24th Div:  http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/24th-division/

Battle of Loos: http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/battles-of-the-western-front-in-france-and-flanders/the-battle-of-loos/

 

 

Edited 21 January , 2018 by Gareth Davies

[Guest]

They had a pretty rough time on 27th Sep 1915.  The Battalion had taken over from units of the 9th Scottish Div opposite the Hohenzollern Redoubt on 25th and were shelled continuously (26th), and fought off German counter-attacks (26th) until they  ultimately had to give way on 27th and retired. 

 

402 all ranks killed or wounded - close to 50% of those engaged.

3 Officers killed, 7 wounded.

 

This was less than 3 weeks after disembarking in France. The action marked a critical turning point in attitudes towards the New Armies with two Divisions regarded as having failed quite spectacularly - 21st and 24th Divs. The repercussions were felt throughout the Army with a major restructuring shifting Regular battalions into New Army formations.Sir John French lost the confidence of his Corps Commanders due to his poor handling of the Reserves and his position became untenable. It was an important day in the timeline of the Great War.

 

Oddly the History of the Northamptonshire Regt 1914-18 totally ignores the sacrifices of the 7th Bn at Loss and instead focuses its attention completely on the two regular battalions. The New Army battalions are reduced to a slim chapter at the end of the book. 

 

Loos is covered in fine detail in the Official History 1915 Vol II which devotes a whole sections of a number of chapters to the XI Corps: 21st Div and 24th Div (of which 7th Northants formed a part of 73rd Inf Bde)  There are a number of single volumes on Loos. 

Edited 21 January , 2018 by Guest

[clk]

Hi Harry,

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

The battalion war diary is here at the National Archives, or here on Ancestry. The brigade diary here or here, and the division diary here or here.

 

His Soldiers Effects record says that he died "on or since 27.9.15  Death presumed". The Red Cross have a couple of PoW enquiry cards for him, one of which indicates that he was in 'C' Company.

 

 

Regards

Chris

[Stebie9173]

In the early part of September 1914 there was a big recruitment drive in Peterborough (as there was in many other towns and cities) that brought in a large influx of recruits. Because of the involvement of Councillor Isaac Whitsed, the first large batches of recruits were known as "Whitsed's Light Infantry". According to a list in the Peterborough & Hunts Standard on 12 September 1914 Isaac Measures was one of the "2nd Batch of Whitsed's Light Infantry departing to Shoreham on Saturday 12 September 1914", the first contingent having travelled earlier that week. Between them, the Peterborough Recruits formed the main part of "C" Company of the 7th Battalion of the Northamptonshire Regiment when they concentrated at Shoreham. "D" Company was formed mainly from recruits from the Northampton area who joined at the same time as their eventual Commanding Officer, Edgar Mobbs.

 

In the spring of 1915 the city Mayor commissioned the production of a Roll of Honour of men serving from the city - Isaac Measures is listed in this as living at 61 Dickens Street. Peterborough. Coincidentally, my work today involved Dickens Street.

 

Later in the year an Embarkation Roll was made for the 7th Battalion which has survived. Again, Private Isaac Measures is listed on this Roll, confirming that he was posted to "C" Company. According to his Medal Index Card and Medal Roll he embarked to France on 1 September 1915. He was entitled to the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.

 

The Casualty Lists published in the Times show him as being reported as Missing as a Private with 7th Battalion per the Times of 8-11-1915.

 

The battalion's arrival at the battle of Loos has been touched on before. The battalion histories (there are three books covering differing periods in differing depth) state that the battalion was the one with least men falling out following their forced march from the Reserve area through the clogged local roads. It was sent to the front lines to relieve attacking Scottish battalions on the night of the 25th September 1915. They took over trenches and then faced counter attacks over the next two days. None of the battalions of 21st or 24th Divisions had had any sort of experience in the trenches, so the battle really was a baptism of fire.

 

 

The local image archive has pictures of the men departing on the 12th September 1914:

 

http://www.peterboroughimages.co.uk/blog/troop-train-at-peterborough-north-1914/

 

http://www.peterboroughimages.co.uk/blog/whitseds-light-infantry-at-peterborough-north/

 

 

In March 1915 they visited the city again:

 

http://www.peterboroughimages.co.uk/blog/whitsteds-light-infantry/

 

 

 

Steve.

[Guest]

All,

 

Thanks for the responses - The links to the Soldiers Effects and PoW cards are most interesting, and promoted some further digging. Seems he had an older brother, Thomas Measures (named after his father) who also served. I visited Isaac's grave at Bully-Les-Mines last year, which somewhat promoted this research.

 

Steve, those images are fantastic. I must say I was prompted to post on the forum following an earlier Google throwing up a thread you'd put a most detailed response to, and I noticed you were from Peterborough (we still live in/around Peterborough so it is interesting to see these images). 

 

Thanks again,

 

Harry.