Fisher, Albert Edward, Serjt 7th Yorks Regt 14419

[sbmcleod]

Please can anyone enlighten me further? I am trying to find out which Company my great uncle was with when he was killed at Fricourt on 1st July 1916.

 

I have tried to find out via various routes but all have proven unproductive so far.

 

Any assistance gratefully appreciated, many thanks

 

Stuart McLeod

[RaySearching]

Stuart

 

Whilst I cannot help with your quest to establish which company A E Fisher was serving with on the 1^st July 1916 as it is now not always possible to identify which company in a battalion a soldier served with

 As Albert’s service documents appear to have been among the documents which were lost during the Arnside Fire in 1940, narrows down the chance of ever finding out

If any letters Albert wrote home have survived his regimental number and Coy may be on them

 

Following is a brief summery of the 7^th Bn Yorks actions on the 1^st July 1916

 

The 7^th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment received ‘The Brigade orders’ that they were to attack the village of Fricourt on the 1^st July 1916

 

The three companies A, B and C were detailed for the attack, D Company was to be held in reserve

The attack was not to take place at the time of the general attack and that they would receive orders later When the attack was to be made

 

The plan of the attack was that the three Coys were to follow a rolling barrage until it lifted beyond the enemy trenches

Due to a mix up in communications A Coy left the trenches early prior to the rolling barrage which they had been detailed to follow and assaulted the enemy’s positions

At 8.20 A Coy were mown down by machine gun fire and German snipers crossing no mans land suffering horrendous losses

Due to the actions of A Coy the fire by the British gunners was hampered by the knowledge that the remnants of the company was lying out in no mans land in close proximity to the German wire

 

When this was realised D Coy was ordered to take the place of A Coy for the planned attack to be launched in the afternoon. At 2.30 D, B and C Coys went over the top in succession

Officers and men of the three attacking Coys were literally mown down and brought to a standstill half-way across to the enemy trenches thirteen officers and over three hundred other ranks having become casualties  in the space of three minutes

 

The following day the 2^nd of July the Brigade was able to occupy the village of Fricourt without

opposition and without a shot being fired the enemy having evacuated his trenches during the night, retreating to a safer position

 

Success if it can be called that, due to the self sacrifice of the 7^th Battalion Yorks

 

and welcome to the forum

 

Ray

 

[sbmcleod]

Hi Ray

 

I was very grateful to you for sending me the information about my Great Uncle. 

 

I visited his grave at Fricourt; quite a moving experience, particularly now knowing how the events occurred on that fateful day of 1st July '16

 

I appreciate that records were lost in a fire in 1940. Do you think there would be any other way I could find out how he became a Serjeant? Any particular actions that led to his promotion?

 

Many thanks

 

Stuart

[RaySearching]

1 hour ago, sbmcleod said:

Do you think there would be any other way I could find out how he became a Serjeant? Any particular actions that led to his promotion?

 

I assume Albert was just promoted up through the ranks

Older soldiers (I believe Albert was aged 27 when he perished)

were often promoted earlier than younger raw recruits   

 

His death was reported in The N.E.D.G 15th July 1916

 

Ray

 

  

[sbmcleod]

Hi Ray

 

Many thanks for your reply; it was most helpful. 

 

I had never seen that particular newscutting before

 

Best wishes

 

Stuart

[David_Underdown]

What did he do in civilian life, if he'd been a foreman or similar these were also often promoted more quickly as they were used to man management and so on.

[RaySearching]

2 hours ago, David_Underdown said:

What did he do in civilian life, if he'd been a foreman or similar these were also often promoted more quickly as they were used to man management and so on.

 

He was a clerk in the county court  in 1911

obviously educated and living in Devonshire Road Middlesbrough a respectable area on the outskirts of the town at the time

 

 

Ray