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Remembered Today:

Alfred William Pauley - 12th Bn Rifle Brigade - accidentally killed


Tawhiri

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Alfred William Pauley was the half-brother of my wife's great-great grandfather, who was also killed during the war, and is recorded on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) website as being killed on 10 July 1918 at the age of 19 while serving with the 12th Battalion of the Rifles Brigade (service number S/31097). According to the same site he is buried in Sucrerie Cemetery, Ablain-St. Nazaire, Pas de Calais, France. I have downloaded a copy of his Medal Index card from the National Archives, along with a copy of the battalion war diary for this period, and 10 July 1918 is recorded as being quiet, with the only interesting activity being what looks to be an enemy observation balloon breaking loose and travelling in a north-east direction. In fact, much of the first two weeks of July seems to have been quiet in this section of the front line from what is recorded in the war diary. There is mention of being out of the front lines in camp at Ablain-St. Nazaire in June, so consistent with the location of the cemetery where Alfred is buried.

 

The Register of Soldier's Effects is a little more revealing and states that he was accidentally killed, so my question is what was he likely to be doing when he was killed? Given it was so quiet at the front, I would have thought that a soldier being accidentally killed in the front line would have made it into the battalion war diary entry for that day. His service record doesn't seem to have survived, and although there is apparently a pension record on Fold3 I don't expect it to show much beyond naming his father, who is also named on the CWGC website.

 

 

Edited by Tawhiri
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5 hours ago, Tawhiri said:

there is apparently a pension record on Fold3 I don't expect it to show much beyond naming his father

Actually it names his mother, well "Mrs" anyway - 43 Salop Rd, Walthamstow - she got 5/- pw from 6.11.18

5 hours ago, Tawhiri said:

accidentally killed, so my question is what was he likely to be doing when he was killed?

Sadly not that an uncommon an event even in quiet times - from looking at quite a few such records through the war it seems quite possible that it was negligent discharge [ND] of a weapon.  Often being cleaned by self or another person - probably due to not working the bolt of a rifle / the slide action of an automatic pistol despite having removed the magazine or failing to empty the chambers of a revolver and 'leaving one up the spout' or having one up there without a safety on etc..  Bad weapon handling really - that's why they call it a 'negligent discharge' [and not 'accidental'] in the army. 

But still an accidental death/killing it would seem [otherwise they may have recorded his death as self-inflicted or even murder!] 

So sad whichever way.

Others may have more info / an alternative as there were plenty of hazards beyond enemy action - even in quiet times.

Edited by Matlock1418
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Matlock1418

 

I think that would have been his step-mother, his actual mother died in 1906. It's the same address that his father is living at on the CWGC website. His brother and two half-brothers from the same mother all ended up in the Royal Navy, with one of his half-brothers being lost in the mining of HMS Foyle in March 1917.  

 

stiletto_33853

 

Thank you also for the photo.

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1 hour ago, Tawhiri said:

I think that would have been his step-mother, his actual mother died in 1906

The PL records "Mrs" = "Mother" - but obviously not his birth one it would appear..

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Just thinking a bit more about this, would the accidental killing of a soldier by the negligent discharge of a weapon by another soldier result in a court martial of the soldier responsible for the negligent discharge?

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43 minutes ago, Tawhiri said:

Just thinking a bit more about this, would the accidental killing of a soldier by the negligent discharge of a weapon by another soldier result in a court martial of the soldier responsible for the negligent discharge?

There would have been a court of inquiry to determine what had occurred and whether there was any act that required a court martial.


Craig

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4 hours ago, Tawhiri said:

Just thinking a bit more about this, would the accidental killing of a soldier by the negligent discharge of a weapon by another soldier result in a court martial of the soldier responsible for the negligent discharge?

 

3 hours ago, ss002d6252 said:

There would have been a court of inquiry to determine what had occurred and whether there was any act that required a court martial

My suggestion of a ND was completely speculative in this case and just a common example of what might have happened - not saying it did.

Alternatively, he might have slipped, fallen and drowned in a latrine or a cooking fire caused hidden explosives below to explode [which did happen] or ... etc. etc. = as I also also indicated, there are so many other hazards/possibilities for an accidental death.

As Craig helpfully correctly alluded - I too think records from a CoI would be something to look for first, long before a record of any possible CM.

If you haven't a Service Record or a WD to start from then it may be quite a long shot /haul to look for one.

However, there are plenty of other GWF members better placed/ more knowledgeable than me who might be able to assist you with how to conduct such a search(s) - I wouldn't be at all surprised if someone comes along quite soon.  Again just speculating ;-)

Good luck.

:-) M

Edited by Matlock1418
What did I say? - See below!
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From the British Newpaper Archive, the Chelmsford Chronicle

Dave

 

264174158_Screenshot2020-05-29at19_11_02.png.6db6e7eb6cb90ad95fd60090f2a8415d.png

 

Published: Friday 16 August 1918
 

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Thank you for the reminder :)

 

I have actually just managed to find the casualty lists for the 12th Battalion of the Rifle Brigade in the National Archives, and he was the only casualty that day, indeed for all of that week, and all it says is 'Killed (accidentally)' as stated in the newspaper clipping just posted by davidbohl. So looking more and more like a pure accident of some sort I suspect.

 

It's interesting to look at some of the other casualties around the same time, there is one from earlier in the month, although the actual incident looks to have happened in June where it is stated 'Injured (Negligently self-inflicted)'. So clearly there were lots of ways of getting injured or killed even when not in action.

 

Thank you to everybody that commented though.

Edited by Tawhiri
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On 28/05/2020 at 17:48, Tawhiri said:

I would have thought that a soldier being accidentally killed in the front line would have made it into the battalion war diary entry for that day.

 

Bear in mind he might not have been with them in the front line and so the Adjutant may not have been immediately aware of his death. He could have been in the transport lines, travelling to or from leave, on loan to the Royal Engineers \ Royal Army Medical Corps, on a specialist training course or serving with a Trench Mortar Battery - all while nominally still on the roll of the 12th Battalion. And that's just a starter.

 

As well as local newspapers I'd also consider the Brigade War Diary - in this case the 60th Brigade according to the Long, Long Trail.

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/the-rifle-brigade-1914-1918/

 

The Brigade War diary also includes a copy of the War Diaries of the units that made up the Brigade. I tend to find that Appendices & Maps that may have gone missing from the Battalion War Diary will still be present in the Brigade Copy. Additionally the Court of Inquiry would be likely to have at least one officer from another Battalion in the Brigade on the board, so you may find a reference to cause of death by looking at the other units diaries. Sometimes there will also be a representative of the Divisional Adjutant General and their report will have been cc'd to the Brigade General so may turn up as an appendix to the Brigade Diary. The appendices in the Brigade part of the diary may also provide a better breakdown of the casualty levels and causes. I'm not promising any of that stuff will actually be there in this case :) but as the War Diaries are currently free to download it might be worth a try. The 60th Brigade War Diary for the 2st May 1918 to the 31st August 1918 should be this one:-

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14054098

 

Hope that helps,

Peter

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Peter

 

Thank you for that suggestion, I actually did pick up a copy of the 60th Brigade War Dairy covering that time period from the National Archives at the same time I got the battalion casualty lists, the latter of which I must admit I was very surprised to find in the National Archives as they seem to be the only ones relating to a specific battalion there, or at least the only ones online. Nothing interesting in the Brigade War Diary around that time, although the monthly appendices were fascinating with the orders for moving up to the front and maps of the area the brigade was operating in.

 

The casualty list report for Alfred states 'Reported by O.C. Battalion dated 13.7.18', and appears to have made it to General Headquarters on 17.7.1918, so a week after his death.

Edited by Tawhiri
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