2nd Lincolnshire Batallion

[Pauline Haycock]

My uncle Harry Whitworth,  Service Number40551, 2nd Lincolnshire, was awarded the Military Medal at a battle taking the town of Bachant just after they had crossed the River Sambre.  He was decorated by the General of the 3rd Army.  I am trying to find ouy the name of the General of the Third Army at that time

 

My uncle was mentioned in Despatches but thus far I have not been successful in finding the entry

 

He left France in May 1919 and was selected to bring back the Regimental colours of the 2nd Lincs to Clipston camp near Mansfield.  This was a great honour for him and I am trying to find any recorded references to it.

 

Can anyone help me please

[charlie962]

2 hours ago, Pauline Haycock said:

just after they had crossed the River Sambre

Pauline,

I'm a bit confused because Harry's MM was gazetted 6thAug 1918 and I didn't think the 2nd Lincolns crossed the Sambre until just before the end of the war, Nov 1918. What is the source of your information ?

Charlie

[charlie962]

The Long Long Trail here will tell you that Byng was the last commander of Third Army

[Pauline Haycock]

1 hour ago, charlie962 said:

Pauline,

I'm a bit confused because Harry's MM was gazetted 6thAug 1918 and I didn't think the 2nd Lincolns crossed the Sambre until just before the end of the war, Nov 1918. What is the source of your information ?

Charlie

Hi Charlie.  Uncle Harry wrote down a lot of his memories later in his life.  I attach Harry's war. notes for you to see.  I also have the book entitled The fifth Leicestershire

[Pauline Haycock]

Hi Charlie,  I have been looking through a book entitled  Soldiers of Shepshed which suggests that Harry may have been around two miles away from Epéhy on 22nd March 1918.  He went out into No-Man's-Land under heavy fire to bring back wounded soldiers.  His Captain witnessed what he did and recommended him for a Military Medal

[charlie962]

1 hour ago, Pauline Haycock said:

March 1918

That would fit better  with a mid 1918 gazette.

 

3 hours ago, Pauline Haycock said:

The fifth Leicestershire

Do you mean Leicestershire ? The 'Harry's Notes' hasn't loaded. I could send you a pm with my email if you are having problems loading the document.

 

Regards Charlie

[Pauline Haycock]

On 2/3/2018 at 18:57, charlie962 said:

That would fit better  with a mid 1918 gazette.

 

Do you mean Leicestershire ? The 'Harry's Notes' hasn't loaded. I could send you a pm with my email if you are having problems loading the document.

 

Regards Charlie

Yes please Charlie then I can attach the notes as a word file.   m.  Many thanks

Edited 5 February , 2018 by Pauline Haycock
mistake

[charlie962]

Pauline,

Thank you for the copy of Harry's notes. What a wonderful description of how he won the Military Medal as a stretcher bearer. He certainly earned it. I think other forum members would like to read that page and a half?

 

These notes must have been written in later life and I have the impression they have several stories jumbled up slightly which is only natural after such a long time. I see that the author of 'Soldiers of Shepshed' had access to these, describing them as originally written on the back of a series of envelopes! Did he manage to untangle the various stories?

 

It is difficult to work out if he was with the 10th Bn Lincs until Armistice or with 2nd Bn Lincs, then temporarily attached 10th whilst 2nd was 'rebuilt' then back to 2nd.

 

As you know, Harry started off pre-war with the 1/5th Leicestershire Territorials  (as number 1334) and joined them in France 25/6/15 where they had been since 28/2/15. I haven't come across a date for his evacuation back to UK but it must be Late 1915. When he returns to France 'early 1916' at some point he gets transferred to 2nd Lincolnshires. He would then have been given the new service number 40551 but I cannot find when this was allocated although a couple of similar men's records suggest it could be as late as Sept 1916 ?

 

I've looked for some of his comrades' names that he mentions to see if there are any clues.

 

For example the story about getting surrounded and the C.O. telling them when to make a dash for safety. The RSM gets killed as they run back but subsequently (perhaps weeks later) they find his grave dug and marked by the Germans. Harry remembers him as 'Rory O'moor'.  In fact this is 6993 Frank Moore, DCM, RSM of the 2nd Bn Lincolnshires, who was killed on 22 March 1918 so we can date this incident precisely. Doubtless Moore was knicknamed 'Rory O'Moore' after a 1911 silent film about a famous Irishman of a Rebellion in 1641 !

So we know exactly where and with whom Harry was on that day!

 

Harry also refers to the death of a friend LCpl Len Spur.   This is 15630 Len Spurr who, (coincidentally ?)was also killed on 22 March 1918.

 

The History of the Lincolnshire Regiment 1914-18 is available free on-line at archive.org. Harry is listed in the awards pages but no reference to 'when'.

 

Does this info help you at all? I don't have the book Soldiers of Shepshed so I don't know what else it says about Harry except what GoogleBooks lets me see by way of extract. I may be covering old ground?

 

Charlie

[Pauline Haycock]

Thanks very much Charlie. The mix up about the 10ths and 2nds is not easy to reconcile with the history but I am wondering if he was in the 2nds all the time and a lot of 10ths were transferred so that it felt like the 10ths. I will re-check this as soon as I am able.