Stanley Cutts 13 Bn York and Lancaster Regiment

[Nayten]

I thought I’d post about one of my many relatives who served in the First World War to honour and remember what he did. I’m the future, I’ll probably write about more of my relatives (in remembrance) who served. 
 

Stanley Cutts (my great great great uncle) was born in Barnsley, England in 1894 and was 9th youngest of 11 siblings. He grew up in Royston, Barnsley and on the outbreak of war in 1914, enlisted to the Barnsley pals. He was transferred into the 13th battalion York and Lancashire regiment as a section of the Barnsley pals where he trained for two years. On July 1st  1916, he was deployed to the Somme and some time during his deployment at the battle of the Somme was wounded in the leg and evacuated. He returned after recovering in a military hospital to the front and fought and survived Ypres. After the war he returned home and had to have 15 operations in his legs due to his wounds. He became a builder, got married and had children. I never met him but my grandma did and told me he was a lovely man, the type to always stop and speak to you and ask you how you were doing, she also said that she was a little girl at the time and never understood why he his legs were slightly damaged and bowed when he walked. This is now obviously due to the injuries he sustained which we now know about. He died in 1980. The photos below are one of him in a black outfit in 1915, him recovering in a military hospital in 1916 and him in his uniform in 1917

 

R.I.P. Stanley Cutts (1894-1980)

[HTSCF Fareham]

[HTSCF Fareham]

[FROGSMILE]

Great photos, thank you for posting them.

 

The ‘black’ uniform was actually a very dark blue and known as ‘Kitchener Blues”, as they were issued to the civilian volunteers that he (Lord Kitchener) had called for due to a shortage of khaki uniform in 1915.

 

In the other photo from 1917 he has a single good conduct badge (inverted stripe) on his left cuff for 2-years military service without any disciplinary infringement.  He’s also covered his second button with black gauze.  This was an unofficial practice known as a ‘mourning button’ and meant that the soldier concerned had lost a family member killed in the war.  You can just about make out his regimental shoulder title, which comprised of three letters: Y&L.

 

In the hospital photo you can see that he and the man facing him are wearing little ‘favours’ on their lapels.  These were often in the form of good luck charms like black cats, and various other caricatures, including tiny dolls made from pipe cleaners, often by local school children. 

Edited 26 June , 2020 by FROGSMILE

[Guest]

This is also my Grandad Stanley Cutts.

This photo is taken from another photo.

He was my mums dad, always remembered xx 

 

[sadbrewer]

Just as a matter of interest, there used to be a row of cottages on Midland Road, Royston known as Cutts Buildings, possibly owned by Anne Cutts, Stanley's mother.

Edit....also a Cutts Street.

Edited 6 December , 2020 by sadbrewer

[Guest]

The Black button on my grandads uniform was because he was mourning the loss of his mother Annie on 10th June 1917.

In the picture that I posted of my grandad he was a member of the Home Guard in WW11.

Not sure about Midland Road but I do know that many of the Cutts family lived on Windmill Terrace in Royston. Those houses are no longer there, maybe Cutts Street is part of the new houses that were built?

I spoke with my mum and she told me that when she was at school at which was then called The Modern School on Midland Road, the inkwells were all marked Cutts Builders.

The family headed by Charles Cutts my G Grandfather,  were Builders, Joiners and Undertakers.

 

[sadbrewer]

3 minutes ago, LindaColin said:

The Black button on my grandads uniform was because he was mourning the loss of his mother Annie on 10th June 1917.

In the picture that I posted of my grandad he was a member of the Home Guard in WW11.

Not sure about Midland Road but I do know that many of the Cutts family lived on Windmill Terrace in Royston. Those houses are no longer there, maybe Cutts Street is part of the new houses that were built?

I spoke with my mum and she told me that when she was at school at which was then called The Modern School on Midland Road, the inkwells were all marked Cutts Builders.

The family headed by Charles Cutts my G Grandfather,  were Builders, Joiners and Undertakers.

 

Cutts Street was built at least as early as 1891 and was still up in 1935.

Cutts Buildings were in Royston at least as early as 1903, and still up in 1955.