Cpl WC Rippon - Leicesters & MGC

[ARippin]

Hi all

 

I’m looking for advice regarding my Great Uncle, William Charles Rippin (sometimes spelt Rippon).

I have attached his MIC and medal roll along with a newspaper cutting, but can’t locate his service papers.

Several questions:

1. Is there any way of finding out what Battalion of the Leicesters he was in?

2. Am I correct in thinking he was in the Leicesters first then in the MGC?

3. Can anyone recommend any books or articles relating to the formation of the MGC in general (or related to the Leicesters specifically).

4. Is there any way of identifying when he transferred to the MGC?

5. I have located a couple of newspaper clippings dated 10th Nov 1917 stating he was in hospital in France suffering from a severe gunshot wound to his left thigh......Is there any way of identifying the battle/action he would have been involved in when he was wounded in Oct/Nov 1917?

 

Many thanks in anticipation.

 

[johnmelling1979]

He was disembodied from the MGC as of  20\2\1919

 

Only the above papers seem to be visable on ancestry

 

John

Edited 26 March , 2020 by johnmelling1979

[PRC]

The Service Medal Roll shows him as “Disembodied”, (as opposed to Army Reserve Class Z). That term is usually a good indicator that he was serving with one of the Territorial Force Battalions at the start of his wartime career – the Territorials were ‘embodied’ on mobilisation.

 

At the start of 1917 men serving with Territorial Force Battalions were renumbered. Although it still didn’t give them a totally unique service number, it did fall into recognisable patterns.

The six digit number range starting 240xxx was part of a block allocation that went to the 5th Battalions of the Regiment – the 1st/5th and 2nd/5th. (The 3rd/5th had already been absorbed into the 4th Reserve Battalion).

See: https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/a-soldiers-life-1914-1918/renumbering-of-the-territorial-force-in-1917/renumbering-the-tf-infantry-in-1917/

And https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/leicestershire-regiment/

 

The renumbering means if nothing else he wasn’t part of the original machine gun sections of his Battalion that were transferred to the Machine Gun Corps when the Corps was created at the end of 1915.

See https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/machine-gun-corps-in-the-first-world-war/

 

Given how relatively low his number is I would suspect he was in the 1st/5th.  

 

The 1st/5th had been in France since the 28th February 1915. The fact that William only received the Victory Medal and British War Medal means he did not enter a Theatre of War until on or after the 1st January 1916, so to have ended up with the 1st/5th he would have had to have been part of a replacement draft.

 

Depending on how the 1st/5th issued the new numbers there may be some mileage in looking for surviving records with men with nearby service numbers. As far as I can tell some battalions went on length of service, so the longest serving man in the Battalion would have been 240001. Others went on seniority so the Regimental Sergeant Major would have been 240001. Others simply did it in alphabetical order.

(Happy to be proven wrong on that!)

 

A check of near numbers for his MGC service number might also establish when he transferred over, but little else. If he went to the MGC after the time of the Territorial Force renumbering then very likely he was part of a replacement draft that could have gone to a number of units on arrival in France.

 

After that it’s the usual sources.

If he married during his time in the Army then the marriage certificate should show at a minimum his rank and regiment \ corps as part of his occupation details – and sometimes much more.

If he had children during his time in the Army then their birth certificate should show at a minimum his rank and regiment \ corps as part of fathers occupation details – and sometimes much more.

1918 & 1919 Absent Voters List – see

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/how-to-research-a-soldier/finding-soldiers-through-the-1918-absent-voters-lists/

 

Hope that helps,

Peter

[davidbohl]

Forces records have a W.C.Rippin for 1914

Dave

 

 

 

[ARippin]

28 minutes ago, PRC said:

The Service Medal Roll shows him as “Disembodied”, (as opposed to Army Reserve Class Z). That term is usually a good indicator that he was serving with one of the Territorial Force Battalions at the start of his wartime career – the Territorials were ‘embodied’ on mobilisation.

 

At the start of 1917 men serving with Territorial Force Battalions were renumbered. Although it still didn’t give them a totally unique service number, it did fall into recognisable patterns.

The six digit number range starting 240xxx was part of a block allocation that went to the 5th Battalions of the Regiment – the 1st/5th and 2nd/5th. (The 3rd/5th had already been absorbed into the 4th Reserve Battalion).

See: https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/a-soldiers-life-1914-1918/renumbering-of-the-territorial-force-in-1917/renumbering-the-tf-infantry-in-1917/

And https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/leicestershire-regiment/

 

The renumbering means if nothing else he wasn’t part of the original machine gun sections of his Battalion that were transferred to the Machine Gun Corps when the Corps was created at the end of 1915.

See https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/machine-gun-corps-in-the-first-world-war/

 

Given how relatively low his number is I would suspect he was in the 1st/5th.  

 

The 1st/5th had been in France since the 28th February 1915. The fact that William only received the Victory Medal and British War Medal means he did not enter a Theatre of War until on or after the 1st January 1916, so to have ended up with the 1st/5th he would have had to have been part of a replacement draft.

 

Depending on how the 1st/5th issued the new numbers there may be some mileage in looking for surviving records with men with nearby service numbers. As far as I can tell some battalions went on length of service, so the longest serving man in the Battalion would have been 240001. Others went on seniority so the Regimental Sergeant Major would have been 240001. Others simply did it in alphabetical order.

(Happy to be proven wrong on that!)

 

A check of near numbers for his MGC service number might also establish when he transferred over, but little else. If he went to the MGC after the time of the Territorial Force renumbering then very likely he was part of a replacement draft that could have gone to a number of units on arrival in France.

 

After that it’s the usual sources.

If he married during his time in the Army then the marriage certificate should show at a minimum his rank and regiment \ corps as part of his occupation details – and sometimes much more.

If he had children during his time in the Army then their birth certificate should show at a minimum his rank and regiment \ corps as part of fathers occupation details – and sometimes much more.

1918 & 1919 Absent Voters List – see

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/how-to-research-a-soldier/finding-soldiers-through-the-1918-absent-voters-lists/

 

Hope that helps,

Peter

Thanks so much Peter (and John)

 

You have certainly given me food for thought and plenty to go at whilst being stuck at home in these strange times.

I will certainly do some more research on the service numbers that you suggested and try the links.

 

Unfortunately he didn’t marry and have children until 1921 and I’m doing this research on behalf of one of his daughters.

 

I’m familiar with the Absent Voters lists as I have ancestors who were from the Birmingham area but don’t believe there is anything for this area. I will however double check.

 

Thanks again.

Andrew

 

 

[ARippin]

5 minutes ago, davidbohl said:

Forces records have a W.C.Rippin for 1914

Dave

 

 

 

Cheers Dave,

I’d spotted that but discounted it due to the Regiment and Service number being different but I guess I should investigate just in case.

many thanks

Andrew

[PRC]

11 minutes ago, davidbohl said:

Forces records have a W.C.Rippin for 1914

Dave

 

 

 

 

As he's Essex Regiment his Medal Index Card and the related Service Medal Roll show him only as W.C. Rippin - but as he has his own Medal Index Card Card showing the award of British War Medal and Victory Medal, it would seem he almost almost certainly a different man. The only slight fly in the ointment is that the medals were returned, but I have no familiarity with the administrative goobledegook that comes after "Retd" to be able to provide an explanation.

 

Cheers,

Peter

[ARippin]

Thanks Peter

 

I’ve just contacted a cousin who subscribes to Forces War Records (I only have FMP and Ancestry).

I’m assuming it’s not him but will soon find out so will let you know.

There’s two or three others that I spotted with the Leicesters and some with matching service numbers so I will get these checked out too.

I’m guessing they are casualty reports and MIC but well worth checking.

That’s the great thing about this site, it prompts you to check things that sometimes seem obvious as well as more obscure things.

 

kind regards.

[PRC]

Just took a look on CWGC for Leicestershire Regiment fatalities with service numbers commencing 2407xx and then concentrated on those who died in 1917. While the bulk are 1st/5th men, there is a 2nd/5th and a 2nd/4th.

 

The 1st/5th were part of 138th (Lincoln & Leicester) Brigade, 46th, (South Midland), Division. The Long, Long Trail page for the 46th Division shows no major battles in the second half of 1917.

http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/46th-north-midland-division/

Burials of these men seem to be in the area Bethune to Arras, although I've not checked in great depth.

 

The 2nd/5th and 2nd/4th were part of 59th Division and they did take part in Passchendaele and faced the German counter-attack at Cambrai. I don't have anything specific to the Leicesters but the Lincolnshire Regiment Official History records the Brigade taking heavy casualties on the 26th September 1917 in the action known as The Battle of Polygon Wood.

 

Other than potentially working through the casualty list you posted, which could be men from a mixed bag of battalions, I'm not sure how you can establish whether he was 1st/5th or 2nd.5th. As you have access to Ancestry it might be worth checking the Battalions War Diaries. Other ranks aren't usually referred to by name but there is alway the possibility that a casualty listed may have been included as an appendix that goes down to that level of detail.

 

I also checked out those Leicestershire Regiment casualties against Soldiers Died in the Great War to see if the Supplementary Notes included their original TF service number, but the first five I tried drew a blank.

 

Hope that helps,

Peter

Edited 26 March , 2020 by PRC
Typo

[ARippin]

Hi thanks again Peter

 

only just spotted your post so will look properly in the morning.

 

My cousin came back to me and the WC Rippin of the Essex Regt on Forces wasn’t linked plus another was a Nottingham man.

 

However one she checked was the right soldier and town detailing he was wounded and entitled to wear a wound stripe with the incident date being noted as 3rd Nov 1917.

 

Will look through again tomorrow and look into war diaries.

 

Really appreciate your time and input Peter.

 

Andrew

 

 

[Don Regiano]

There is a thread somewhere on here dealing with the allocation of MGC numbers and it worked well for confirmation of one of my wife's great uncles who transferred into the MGC from the Lancashire Fusiliers - but I can't just remember which one it was.  No doubt one of our experts will come along shortly ...

[kenf48]

2He transferred to the MGC in the U.K. between the 22nd and 25 May 1918.  The Rolls show with other men from the Leicestershire Regiment.  These men would have been serving in a Home Service Battalion having been repatriated from France at an earlier date.  As noted above it is difficult to see which MGC unit he was posted to once in France.

 

This fits with the wound he suffered in Oct/Nov 1917.  I would suggest this occurred at Third Ypres which means he was serving with the 2/5 Leicestershire Regiment, 59th (2nd North Midland) Division.  See http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/59th-2nd-north-midland-division/

 

The War Diary shows a handful of other ranks wounded on the 2 November 1917 

 

The renumbering of the 5th Leicesters  was sequential though the Battalions seem interchangeable.

The Leicestershire Rolls show 240758 was 2775 and 240760 was 2777, which means Rippin’s original number was 2776 which means we should get an enlistment date.

 

It then gets a bit trickier as the page on the Rolls shows men in the 2/5,1/5 and even the 1/4.

 

The 2/5 was disbanded in France in February 1918 following a reorganisation of the BEF.  This probably led to his transfer to the MGC minimum training at Grantham was six weeks so the earliest he would have returned to France would be July 1918.

 

Ken

 

 

[ss002d6252]

9 hours ago, kenf48 said:

The Leicestershire Rolls show 240758 was 2775 and 240760 was 2777, which means Rippin’s original number was 2776 which means we should get an enlistment date.

 

We're looking at the end of Sep 14, start of Oct 1914

 

#2577   26 Sep 1914
#2795   2 Oct 1914

 

Craig

 

[kenf48]

18 hours ago, ARippin said:

1. Is there any way of finding out what Battalion of the Leicesters he was in?

240760 Benton was also from Melton Mowbray and was serving with the 1/5 when he died of wounds in June 1917

See 'Leicestershire and Rutland Soldiers Died'.  His enlistment is given as September 1914. I think Craig is more accurate.

 

2738/240742 enlisted Loughborough 3rd October 1914.  His records show he joined on enlistment the 1/5 Battalion

2747/24046  enlisted Hinckley 5th October 1914.             His records show he joined on enlistment the 2/5 Battalion

2795/240771 enlisted Mount Sorrell   2nd October 1914.  His records show he joined on enlistment the 2/5 Battalion

 

So looks like a 'rush to the colours' beginning of October 1914.  Local newspapers may help, this probably coincides with the formation of the second line Battalion, effectively a reserve.

See also https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/the-territorial-force/

 

Interestingly 2822 enlisted at Hinckley on the 8th October at that Drill Hall the rubber stamp said joined on enlistment 5th (Reserve) Battalion! He was posted to the 1/5 Battalion September 1916.

 

Unfortunately it doesn't help with which Battalion he served with in the BEF, the 1/5 or the 2/5

 

18 hours ago, ARippin said:

2. Am I correct in thinking he was in the Leicesters first then in the MGC?

 

Yes

 

18 hours ago, ARippin said:

3. Can anyone recommend any books or articles relating to the formation of the MGC in general (or related to the Leicesters specifically).

 

The classic is 'With a Machine Gun to Cambrai' although the author George Coppard describes a period up to 1917 which was before your great uncle was transferred to the Corps.

 

See also the Long Long Trail and forum pal's blog https://vickersmg.blog/

A lot more information on the web

The 'Tigers' have a fantastic website https://royalleicestershireregiment.org.uk/have-you-a-tiger

There is a published history of the 1/5th (reprint)

https://www.naval-military-press.com/product/fifth-leicestershire-a-record-of-the-1-5th-battalion-the-leicestershire-regiment-tf-during-the-war-1914-1919/

and plenty of histories of the regiment.

 

18 hours ago, ARippin said:

4. Is there any way of identifying when he transferred to the MGC?

 

See previous post end of May 1918. As previously mentioned the AVL may help, I suspect he was posted to a TF MGC Battalion within a TF Division

 

18 hours ago, ARippin said:

 I have located a couple of newspaper clippings dated 10th Nov 1917 stating he was in hospital in France suffering from a severe gunshot wound to his left thigh......Is there any way of identifying the battle/action he would have been involved in when he was wounded in Oct/Nov 1917?

 

As above he was either with the 1/5 or the 2/5 both were in the line on the 3rd November.  However given the other names/numbers on the list I'd still go with the 2/5

 

Ken

 

 

[ss002d6252]

4 minutes ago, kenf48 said:

Interestingly 2822 enlisted at Hinckley on the 8th October at that Drill Hall the rubber stamp said joined on enlistment 5th (Reserve) Battalion!

Ah, that's an element of the re-naming issues of 1914.

 

At the end of August 1914 the County Associations were ordered to create a second line to the TF battalions for non-Imperial Service men. These battalions were termed XX (reserve) battalion. The designation 1/1, 2/1 was apparently only later authorised in Jan 1915. (See StandTo! #36 for a very good article)

 

Craig

[kenf48]

24 minutes ago, ss002d6252 said:

Ah, that's an element of the re-naming issues of 1914.

 

At the end of August 1914 the County Associations were ordered to create a second line to the TF battalions for non-Imperial Service men. These battalions were termed XX (reserve) battalion. The designation 1/1, 2/1 was apparently only later authorised in Jan 1915. (See StandTo! #36 for a very good article)

 

Craig

Thank you Craig

 

The formation of an additional Battalion and the call for a thousand men to act as Reserve for the 5th Battalion (who were at their war station) was first announced in the Melton Mowbray Newspaper dated 17 September 1914 (the same edition listed the German atrocities in Belgium just to ginger things up a bit).  It was reported later recruitment was slow but sure. I doubt they were up to strength until conscription and posting on active service.

 

Ken

[ARippin]

Well what can I say, I’m always worried that I will post a query on here and no one will reply or be interested.

But it always gives me so much pleasure when I log on and see all the new posts and various suggestions and ideas to investigate.

I had an email back from William’s daughter this morning which I have added a little of here, it just felt it adds to the poignancy of what we are discussing....

 

 

.... he had trouble with his leg all of his life.  I can remember as a child dad in agony at times with his leg.  I said to mum can't he get anything done about it, she said they can't do anything he has shrapnel in his leg from the war.  I know that dad was very ill...

 

 

[ARippin]

Didn’t mean to post then.

I’m just off for lunch then I’m going to reread all of the thread and make notes then do more research over the coming days.

i will let you know how I get on.

It goes without saying, feel free to add any other thoughts or information.

 

Thank you all for the input to date.

 

Andrew

[kenf48]

240862 Robinson 2/5 Leicester 27th September 1917 Admitted 18th General Hospital 3 yrs service; 8 months with BEF is the next man on the casualty list

One of a number from the 2/5 wounded at Third Ypres (Polygon Wood).

 

The war diary shows they went into the line on the 24th September and came out on the 30th.  61 other ranks killed and 184 wounded, including 25 casualties when they were shelled coming out of the line.

 

That does not concur with your information at post 10 i.e. incident recorded as 3 November.

 

Ken

[ARippin]

Hi ken

 

perhaps I’m reading the transcribed Forces War Record incorrectly.

 

The ‘report date’ of 3rd Nov 1917 I took to mean the date the injury occurred.

However I’m now looking at it wondering if it means the date of the report detailing William could wear a wound stripe.

What are your thoughts?

 

Andrew

[ss002d6252]

14 minutes ago, ARippin said:

Hi ken

 

perhaps I’m reading the transcribed Forces War Record incorrectly.

 

The ‘report date’ of 3rd Nov 1917 I took to mean the date the injury occurred.

However I’m now looking at it wondering if it means the date of the report detailing William could wear a wound stripe.

What are your thoughts?

 

Andrew

It's the date the casualty list was published.

 

The wording the use is not the clearest - it wasn't a list to say he was entitled to a wound stripe. Army Order 2014 allowed a man who was shown on a casualty list to qualify for a wound stripe.

Craig

[ARippin]

36 minutes ago, ss002d6252 said:

It's the date the casualty list was published.

 

The wording the use is not the clearest - it wasn't a list to say he was entitled to a wound stripe. Army Order 2014 allowed a man who was shown on a casualty list to qualify for a wound stripe.

Craig

Thanks Craig,

so at least we know he was wounded before the 3rd November and potentially at Polygon Wood at the end of Sept 1917 as Ken suggested.

I make too many assumptions and thought the casualty lists would be printed relatively quickly after someone was wounded/killed.

But I guess bearing in mind the logistics of it all, a month isn’t a long time.

 

Andrew

[ss002d6252]

9 minutes ago, ARippin said:

But I guess bearing in mind the logistics of it all, a month isn’t a long time.

I've seen cases where it was 5-6 months later before the paperwork made it's way through and it was published. A distant outlier but in the days of manual tabulation...

Craig

[ARippin]

20 minutes ago, ss002d6252 said:

I've seen cases where it was 5-6 months later before the paperwork made it's way through and it was published. A distant outlier but in the days of manual tabulation...

Craig

Yes, I guess in this day and age we are use to near instantaneous results.... as this excellent site demonstrates!!

 

Appreciate your input Craig.

 

Andrew

[PRC]

22 hours ago, PRC said:

The 2nd/5th and 2nd/4th were part of 59th Division and they did take part in Passchendaele and faced the German counter-attack at Cambrai. I don't have anything specific to the Leicesters but the Lincolnshire Regiment Official History records the Brigade taking heavy casualties on the 26th September 1917 in the action known as The Battle of Polygon Wood.

 (Bear in mind the reference to the 2/5 means Lincolnshire, not Leicesters unless it specifically says so).

 

From the History of the Lincolnshire Regiment, edited by Major General C R Simpson. Page 264 – 266

 

The Battle of Polygon Wood: 26th September – 3rd October

 

The previous operation from the 20th-25th September gave us the whole of the Menin Ridge, and the next battle was for the purpose of pushing our line further east to a position from which a direct attack could be made on the ridge between Noordemdhoek and Broodseinde. The attrack was due on the 26th of September on a front of rather less than six miles from south of Tower Hamlets to north-east of St. Julien.

 

The 59th Division (Romer) attacked with the 177th Brigade on the right and the 178th Brigade on the left, each brigade with two battalions in the front line, and captured a long line of strong points on each side of the Wieltje-Grafenstafel road.

 

In addition to the usual artillery barrage there was a machine-gun barrage from forty machine-guns firing on the strong points, Van Isacke Farm, Dochy Farm, Fokker Farm, Toronto and Otto Farm.

 

On the night of the 25th/26th the 2/4th and 2/5th Lincolnshire formed up on a line roughly from Zevencote to Elms Corner, i.e., in rear of the Leicesters. Two hours before zero (5.50 a.m.) the guns opened with a heavy bombardment of the enemy’s positions. Several days of fine weather had dried up the ground considerably, and the bursting shells threw up clouds of dust, which acted as a smoke screen for the attackers.

 

At zero the Leicesters attacked and gained possession of the first objective without much opposition.  The 2/4th Lincolnshire passed through the 2/4th Leicesters at zero plus one hundred and thirty-five minutes, the formation of the battalion being a line of men who moved about fifty yards in rear of the barrage, followed at a distance by small assaulting columns in file. A Company was on the right, C on the left, B in support, whilst D was used for carrying and mopping-up duties. The support company moved in artillery formation.

 

The enemy showed little fight. Some surrendered and came out of their concrete strongholds (“pill-boxes”) as soon as the first line approached. The garrisons of two “pill-boxes” offered resistance, but when the attacking troops moved round their flanks and opened fire they also gave in. Of machine-gun and rife-fire and bombing, there was very little. The 2/4th advanced until held up by their own barrage, under cover of which deep narrow trenches were dug in irregular formation. Patrols were the pushed out and more prisoners secured from a strong point south-east of Dochy Farm, where the ground was too wet to allow of trenches being dug.

 

The captured ground was consolidated in depth, a few “pill-boxes” being used, but the latter were mostly avoided as the enemy would certainly shell them. At about 5.30 p.m., the enemy put down a heavy barrage, which fell principally on the support line, causing many casualties. An attempted counter-attack was broken up. Throughout the night of the 26th/27th shell-fire was continuous.

 

On the left of the 2/4th, the 2/5th Lincolnshire had similarly captured their objective. The battalion attacked also on a two-company frontage, B on the right, D on the left, C in support and A in reserve, with orders to provide carrying parties.

 

D on the left met with practically no resistance and dug a strong point north of Dochy Farm, sending a platoon to assist B Company in capturing the Farm. B Company in attacking the Farm as final objective, met with machine-gun and rifle-fire, but worked to the flanks of the block-houses, whereupon the Germans surrendered, some fifty being captured.

 

The battalion then consolidated a line of strong points from the Farm to the strong point constructed by D Company. Shell-holes in rear of these points were connected and deepened. The enemy’s barrage on the old front line and assembly positions was heavy, but the attacking troops had passed beyond it, and did not suffer casualties. The heaviest losses, however, occurred on the final objective, on which the hostile artillery placed a heavy bombardment. The captured “pill-boxes” especially came in for rough treatment.

 

“The men” records the narrative of the 2/5th Lincolnshire, “behaved with the greatest gallantry throughout, and on several occasions had to be checked from passing through our own barrage to their objectives, especially during the wait behind the 2/5th Leicesters until zero plus one hundred minutes.” The whole attack by the 59th Division went splendidly.

 

Both the 2/4th and 2/5th Lincolnshire passed a comparatively peaceful night, but on the 27th the enemy’s shell-fire was again heavy, though only a few casualties were suffered. At 11 p.n., the 2/5th were relieved and moved back to trenches west of Pommern Castle. The 2/4th, however, held the same position until the night of the 29th, when they were relieved by New Zealand troops and marched back to Red Rose Camp, Vlamertinghe, the 2/5th moving back the same night to Derby Camp.

 

Although the Lincolnshire Territorials had captured their objectives without encountering a great deal of opposition, the casualties in both battalions were heavy. The 2/4th lost Captain E.W. Hall and thirty-six other ranks killed: Lieut.-Colonel A.B. Johnson, Captains E.G. Cooper, G.D. Fox, E.G.V. Knox and M.J.M. Gale, Lieutenant F.R. Coulson, 2nd Lieutenants H.R.Smith, R. Scott, G.G. Hillery, E.W. Barker  and one hundred and forty-four other ranks were wounded and eighteen other ranks were missing. The losses of the 2/5th were even heavier : Captains G.L. Hill and C.N. Newsum, 2nd Lieutenants E.J. Lowe, P. Grantham and twelve other ranks were killed; 2nd Lieutenants R.H. Turner, R.C. Ingram, H.C.W. Charles, C.H. Gouldby, R.J. Brooke, W. Parvin, G. Houlden, and two hundred and two other ranks were wounded, and seventy-four other ranks were missing, of whom the majority, no doubt, were killed. The Battalion War Diary states that out of twenty-one officers and five hundred and sixty-three other ranks who went into action on the 26th, only ten officers and two hundred and seventy-five other ranks marched out of the trenches. A heavy price to pay for victory.

 

A check of the CWGC database for the 2/5th Leicesters on the 26th September 1917 shows 30 killed. The vast majority are listed on the Tyne Cot Memorial but a few were recovered from the battlefield post-war. The relevant web-pages for them have a Concentration report, giving a map reference for where the body was found.

 

Hope that helps,

Peter