Henry Walter Dalton 53285

[Hawkeye28]

Seeking further information on Henry Walter Dalton service with 4th (City of London) Battalion (Royal Fusiliers).

 

Henry Walter Dalton died on May 3, 1917, in Arras, Pas-de-Calais, France, when he was 20 years old.  Act/Sgt Regimental No 53285.

Born Croydon, Surrey, January 1897.

 

From the unit war diary              …………… but these  lost heavily in crossing No Mans Land & on arrival at the German lines were not strong enough to fulfil their mission. They were rolled up from the right...

 

Missing, presumed dead.

From https://archive.org/details/warhistoryof4thb00grim/page/n8
Battle of Bullecourt (3–17 May 1917)
The Hindenburg Line near Bullecourt.
After the initial assault around Bullecourt failed to penetrate the German lines,  British commanders made preparations for a second attempt.

[johnmelling1979]

 

Hello

 

Here is an exract from the The Royal fusiliers in the great war book

 

On May 3rd another attack was launched for the same purpose as that of April 28th, but on this occasion the battle
front totalled sixteen miles



THE BATTLE OF MAY 3RD 
 

 

Further south, the 4th Battalion had attacked from a
line about 1,000 yards east of Monchy, and had reached
positions 100 yards east of the Bois des Aubepines. The
men followed the barrage closely ; but the 1st German
line had apparently been missed, and heavy loss was expe-
rienced there. A hostile counter-attack from the east and
north-east was beaten off ; but a second counter-attack
got round the flanks of the 13th King's Liverpools and
4th Royal Fusiliers. The two leading waves, with all the
officers casualties, were cut off ; but the remainder of the
battalion held their ground till nightfall, when, with only
one officer left, they retired to the original position. It
had been impossible to maintain communication with the
front line. Runners were almost invariably shot down ;
and one who got through took five hours to make the
journey. The battalion on this day had 299 casualties,
including 11 officers.

 

About 1 a.m., on May 4th, Second

Lieutenant E. M. Buck returned from beyond the German
front line system. He had lost all his men and had him-
self been blown up. On the night of the 9th, six days
later, there also returned three men who had been east of
Infantry Hill since the morning of May 3.

 

 

[HarryBrook]

His mother, Mrs. Agnes Dalton, of 25, Queen Street, South Croydon claimed a dependant's pension. 

 

Edit to add:- The 1911 census, 25, Queen Street, Croydon shows his father as Henry Albert Dalton who gave his occupation as "working jeweller".

 

The Surrey Recruitment Registers 1908 - 1933 (findmypast) shows that he first attested to 12th Battn. Royal West Kent Regt. 

H. W. Dalton 

Attested - 9 December 1915

Age - 18 years 9 months (born 1897)

Birthplace - Croydon

Attestation Place - Croydon

Occupation - Trimmer

Remarks - 25, Queen St.

Regiment or Unit - Royal West Kent, 12th Battn.

Notes - Derby Scheme Men 13th April 1916 - 15th July 1916.

 

I would interpret this to mean that he attested on 9 December 1915 and was called up for service, under the Derby Scheme, between 13 April 1916 and 15 July 1916 and posted to 4th Royal Fusiliers. 12th Battn. Royal West Kent Regt. was a Reserve Battn.

 

Edited 22 March , 2020 by HarryBrook

[PRC]

The CWGC website shows 103 men of the 4th Battalion recorded as died on the 3rd May 1917. Nearly all are commemorated on the Arras Memorial. However a few do have known graves, having been recovered from the battlefield post war. Their webpages on the CWGC site have a Concentration Report attached.

 

Private 54877 William Peter Hartley now buried at Cabaret Rouge British Cemetery, Souchez. Recovered circa July 1924 from an unmarked location 51b.O.2.c.4.9 and identified from his disc.

 

Private 53307 H.Mawer now buried at Dury Crucifix Cemetery (Contemporary map reference Sheet 51b P.22.c.10.25). Recovered circa March 1920 from an unmarked location 51b O.3.d.6.3 and identified by his disc.

 

Corporal 24209 Arthur Leonard Richardson, “W” Company now buried at Dury Crucifix Cemetery (Contemporary map reference Sheet 51b P.22.c.10.25). One of three unknown Royal Fusiliers recovered circa March 1920 from an unmarked location 51b. O.8.c.1.3 and subsequently identified as Richardson from the service number on his spoon. The some location also had 7 unknown British Soldiers whose unit could not be identitified.

 

Private G/53336 S. Rudden now buried at Tilloy British Cemetery (Contemporary map reference Sheet 51b.N.1,b.1.6). Recovered May 1922 from an unmarked location 51b.O.3.c.2.3 – initially one of two unknown British Soldiers, he was subsequently identified from his Ground Sheet number.

 

Private 27677 A.E.E. Smith now buried at Dury Crucifix Cemetery (Contemporary map reference Sheet 51b P.22.c.10.25). Recovered March 1920 from the unmarked location 51b. O.3.b.6.9 along with another unnamed Royal Fusilier.

 

Of course these areas were heavily fought over, and the unknown Royal Fusiliers referred to on the concentration reports may have fallen in a completely different action, on a different date and with a different Battalion.

 

Hopefully those map references may prove useful in tracking down exactly where the battalion was in action on that day.

 

Cheers,

Peter

[travers61]

When things settle down it is always worth contacting Croydon Archives/Museum as they have a book called County Borough of Croydon Roll of Honour compiled after the war of the Croydon fallen with photos & quotes from letters to the familes from comrades. Both Croydon men I was researching appear in it.

 

SDIGW shows him as Walter Henry Dalton, 4th Battalion London Regiment born Croydon, lived Croydon, enlisted Croydon & Formerly G/14573, R.W. Kent Regt. (Am aware that RF's & London Regiment Tf Btns formerly RF's were confused).

 

This an example from the Croydon book (I was researching Pte A E Jones)

 

(image courtesy of Croydon Archives)

[Banstead100]

Henry Dalton doesn't appear in the roll of honour in Croydon and the Great War (https://archive.org/details/croydongreatwaro00moor/page/286/mode/2up), not sure if that means he won't be in the borough roll at the museum though.