Bernard Fitzpatrick 7072

[taj]

Hi , Looking to find info on My friends Great Uncle Bernard Fitzpatrick regt number 7072 .

 

Does anyone know information on Bernard activities leading up to his death in 1915 .

 

thank you in advance

[Michelle Young]

Attacking near the railway embankment south of the  La Basee canal at Cuinchy on 25/9/15. 130 man badly affected by our own gas cloud.Casualties for the attack  11 officers and 280 other ranks. Bernard has no known grave and is remembered on the Loos memorial. I will be at Loos next month and can get a photo should your friend want one 

[Mark1959]

He went to France with 2nd battalion South Staffs on 12/8/14

The battalion war diary can be downloaded for £3.50 from

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14016818

NB The report for 25-26 Sept 1915 is missing

The diary will show what his unit were up to.

It is noted his younger brother Den(n)is was also KIA - 2/7/16 serving with 8th battalion S Staffs, 20203. Also no known grave and remembered at Thiepval.

Bernard's soldier's will exists and can be purchased for £10 from

https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Wills?Surname=fitzpatrick&SurnameGrants=fitzpatrick&YearOfDeath=1915&YearOfDeathGrants=1915&MonthOfDeath=9&MonthOfDeathGrants=9&DayOfDeath=25&DayOfDeathGrants=25&AdvancedSearch=True&IsGrantSearch=False&IsCalendarSearch=False#soldiers

Probably just a paybook entry

His service number suggests of an enlistment date of 1903 or 1904. The family census return for 1911 indicates he was at home. So one assumes he had finished his service with the colours by then and was in the reserve . Called up on outbreak of war and sent to France immediately

Bernard was Mentioned in Dispatches. Official notification at

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29200/supplement/5997

Also awarded Russian Medal of St George 4th Class

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29275/supplement/8515

He appears on a casualty list on 8/11/14. So his "wounding" would have been in the weeks leading up to that date.

Sadly none of his service papers appear to have survived

edit - Newspaper pic of Dennis after his death - has his brother's ears

Edited 9 March , 2019 by Mark1959

[clk]

Hi taj,

 

5 hours ago, Mark1959 said:

The battalion war diary can be downloaded for £3.50 from

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14016818

NB The report for 25-26 Sept 1915 is missing

 

As a gap filler it's worth looking at the diaries for 6 Infantry Brigade HQ, and 2 Division HQ (General Staff) - they are here and here on Ancestry. The National Archives search page is here.

 

Regards

Chris

 

[taj]

Michelle , Mark and Chris , my friend is 75 years old and is delighted with the info I am printing out for him. I am not related but it fascinates me . The depth and knowledge here on this forum is staggering. So thanks from me as well. 

[Michelle Young]

Picture as promised.

Michelle 

[sadbrewer]

On 11/03/2019 at 06:24, taj said:

Michelle , Mark and Chris , my friend is 75 years old and is delighted with the info I am printing out for him. I am not related but it fascinates me . The depth and knowledge here on this forum is staggering. So thanks from me as well. 

Wounded in 1914...received a Russian award in 1915 along with quite a few other 1st and 2nd Staffs, British Newspaper Archive carries an account of the 1st Battalion's action.

https://search.findmypast.co.uk/bna/viewarticle?id=bl%2f0001028%2f19150828%2f097&stringtohighlight=fitzpatrick 7072

 

As a matter of interest, where was he from?...my Gran was a Fitzpatrick from the Worcester/Staffs area.

 

Edit...he was wounded prior to his Russian award, and in the October 1915 casualty list he is shown as acting Sergeant. 

Edited 4 September , 2019 by sadbrewer

[sadbrewer]

From Wednesbury apparently...as reported in the Birmingham Daily Post, 23/10/15.

[Martin Feledziak]

On 11/03/2019 at 06:24, taj said:

my friend is 75 years old

 

Greetings. 

 

I spotted this this topic in the recently updated threads and remembered the name Fitzpatrick from a data sheet of the missing soldiers from 25th September 1915.

 

I have recently been reading up on Captain KILBY VC. He was second in charge of the 2nd South Staffords and was killed leading an assault on the railway redoubt with company C. 

 

If Bernard was with company C he could very well have been amongst the 13 who went with him.

 

If he was with A or B companies then they were held up infront of heavily defended craters. They were unable to advance.

 

I have noted some information on another thread including writings from German Soldiers who were opposed to the 2nd South Staffs.

 

Here is the operational order

 

I have copied this from Roy Evans post from 2010.

 

 

operation Orders for the 2nd Battalion attack;

OPERATION ORDER

By Lieut. Col. C.S. DAVIDSON C.B. COMMDG. 2ND South Stafford. Regt.

Ref. Trench Map Sheet 36.c N.W. 22 September 1915.

Frontage of Battalion.

The Battalion will attack the German trenches on the frontage ‘A’ Brickstack to LA BASSEE CANAL.

Date and time to be notified later.

Order of Companies.

‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ Companies, in order from the right, will be in the front line. ‘D’ Company, in support, will move up to dugouts occupied by ‘B’ Company as soon as they are vacated.

First points of Assault.

A Coy. – ‘A’, ‘B’ & ‘C’ brickstacks, then ‘D’ & ‘E’.

B Coy. – ‘F’, ‘G’ & ‘H’ do. Then ‘K’, ‘L’, ‘M’

C Coy. – EMBANKMENT REDOUBT.

Lines of Approach.

A Coy – No. 6 and No. 7 Saps.

B Coy. – No. 16 Sap.

C Coy. – Railway Embankment.

Touch with 1/Kings Regt.

A Coy. will be responsible for maintainingtouch with 1/Kings Regt. on the right, and will detail special parties for this purpose throughout the advance.

Communications.

When ‘B’ Company has made good ‘K’, ‘L’ & ‘M’ brickstacks and ‘C’ Coy. is in possession of EMBANKMENT REDOUBT, touch will be established between these two companies at point 35 (N.E. brick stack). ‘B’ Coy will also establish touch with ‘A’ Coy on the right.

Advance to 1st Objective.

After taking D & E brickstacks and getting touch with ‘B’ Coy, ‘A’ Coy. will advancekeeping its right on the German trench running from A, B & C brickstacks to point 66 on the LA BASSEE road, and then along the LA BASSEE road to Railway Crossing A.22.b.3.8. When this point is reached its left will be on the German trench cutting the TRIANGLE Embankment at A.16.d.3.1.

B Copy with its left at N.E. brick stack will advance with its right on A.16.d.3.1. and its left in touch with ‘C’ Coy. until the 1st Objective of the Battalion is reached i.e. S.E. face of TRIANGLE.

‘C’ Coy. will advance to this objective with its left on the CANAL and its right in touch with ‘B’ Coy.

 

 

I have prepared this map to explain what I think were the objectives.

Sadly the defence was too strong and all companies fell back suffering terrible losses.

 

 

Edited 5 September , 2019 by Martin Feledziak
To ad op order

[taj]

In reply to Sad brewer , 

 

Her name was Francis Fitzpatrick . Thanks ever so much for this info everyone , very much appreciated and never seen.