Willmott, Williment, Willment Royal Leinsters Private 1311

[Chris Willmott]

Hi all. Looking for any leads at all please.

 

My Great Grandfather was Private Thomas Willmott 1311 - 2nd Bn. Leinster Regiment (formerly 13332 Wiltshire Regiment).  May have been known as Willment.

 

MPD 31 JULY 1917 • Ypres (Ieper) West Flanders (West-Vlaanderen), Belgium. 

The family story is that he ‘was blown to pieces’ on 31st July 1917, the opening day of the Third Battle of Ypres, aged 29. He is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial Panel 44.

 

Born in Marshwood, Dorset, son of Thomas and Mary Williment of Cerne Abbas.

Any help or information would be gratefully received.

 

Thanks in advance

[Jervis]

He originally served with the 6th battalion of the Leinster regiment. His first theatre of war was Gallipoli. There was a very large draft of Wiltshire men into the 6/Leinsters due to slow recruitment and the need to fill up ranks for Gallipoli campaign. The Wiltshires were oversubscribed and surplus men were assigned to the 6/Leinsters accounting for some 45% of the battalion. Your GGF was likely wounded or went sick which resulted in his later transfer to the 2/Leinsters and the western front. 

[kenf48]

The above confirmed by the medal rolls, embarkation date is shown, i.e. 9th July 1915.  The 6th  Battalion landed at Anzac Cove on 5 August.

 

The Rolls and Index Card also show his British War Medal and Victory Medal were returned.

 

You may find this thread of interest, as you may be able to claim them

 

Ken

[m0rris]

Hi Chris - this is an interesting read and gives you some good background to the 6th Leinsters at 'Suvla'. https://archive.org/details/tenthirishdivisi00cooprich

 

Edited 11 January , 2019 by m0rris

[Chris Willmott]

Many thanks for this. Regards, Chris

[Chris Willmott]

Hi all. My Great Grandfather was Private  Willmott 1311 Thomas 2nd Bn (also known as Willment). MPD 31 JULY 1917 • Ypres (Ieper) West Flanders (West-Vlaanderen), Belgium. Born in Marshwood, Dorset, son of Thomas and Mary Williment of Cerne Abbas. The family story is that he ‘was blown to pieces’ on 31st July 1917, the opening day of the Third Battle of Ypres, aged 29. He is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial Panel 44.

Any help or information would be gratefully received.

Thank you

[Jervis]

Hi Chris,

You posted a similar question previously, is there some specific information you are seeking? 
Jervis

 

[Matlock1418]

Family details on pension card - as Thomas WILLMOTT

Image thanks to WFA/Fold3

14-7-95 = Date of birth is widow's, Rosa Ella

£5 Grant = for urgent expenses associated with his death - commonly used for a newspaper announcement(s) [worth looking in local newspapers - might perhaps be an account of his death and a photo]

50F = form to transfer from Separation Allowance to pension 

SA = Separation Allowance - continued to be paid from death to pension

18/9 = Pension of 13/9 pw plus 5/- pw child's allowance untill 16, Ellen May - normally took about six months to be organised [perhaps a bit delayed by the fact that he was missing then Presumed dead

DEAD, 1932 = claim is dead - presumably when child reached 16 [so wondering what has happened to his widow meantime - remarried or died??]

Because his death had to be presumed, and his body not identified, it might be worth seeing if any PoW enquiry made of the ICRC https://grandeguerre.icrc.org [I've not found anything so far]

Worth looking for the WD at TNA https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7353322 [currently free to download] - unlikely to have his name, but for general account of the day

M

Edited 24 January , 2023 by Matlock1418

[Chris Willmott]

Thanks so much for this Matlock, I've never seen this before. Most of the info I know but there may be some snippets there I can use. Much appreciated and great to have this as a memento. Jervis, I was just reposting to refresh as I last posted this in 2016. So glad I did! Thanks!

[Chris Willmott]

DEAD, 1932 = claim is dead - presumably when child reached 16 [so wondering what has happened to his widow meantime - remarried or died??]

By the way Matlock, Rosa Ella remarried Frank Jennings. She had seven more children and died six months before I was born in 1966. Thanks again

[busterfield]

War diary from National Archives.

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7353322

free to download after registration.

[Matlock1418]

11 minutes ago, busterfield said:

War diary from National Archives.

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7353322

free to download after registration.

So good eh?  

M

[Michelle Young]

Duplicate threads merged. 

[busterfield]

1 hour ago, Matlock1418 said:

So good eh?  

M

I think the expression is OOOPs my mistake.