Who were W S Blewitt and P K Baddeley RFA

[sheldrake]

Can anyone throw any light on the background to W S Blewitt and P K Baddeley, two Second Lieutenants in the RFA are buried in Citadel cemetery Fricourt. They both died on 29th June 1916. The CWGC has no record of their units.  Does anyone know any more information about them and what happened ? 

[The Inspector]

Hi

CWGC   W S BREWITT not Blewitt..searching

Regards Barry

[Ivor Anderson]

William Sydney Brewitt & Percy Kynnersley Baddeley (MIC source Ancestry - FREE): https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1543&h=1003161&tid=&pid=&queryId=ae2d10ad69ffe2b58adc1e88536b13e0&usePUB=true&_phsrc=AHE6677&_phstart=successSource

Edited 10 December , 2020 by Ivor Anderson

[The Inspector]

Hi

CWGC   W S BREWITT not Blewitt..searching

Regards Barry

EDIT..Public tree on Ancestry...https://www.ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/person/tree/169708518/person/102195572870/facts

Edited 10 December , 2020 by The Inspector

[Ivor Anderson]

N.B. The Percy K. Baddeley MIC card gives his death as 30-11-1917, but I cannot find his death listed on that date on CWGC, or any other MIC.

His MIC says '170 Brigade RFA'. The 170 Bde WD may be worth a look: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14054636

His WILL probate (on Ancestry) gives his date of death as 29 June 1916, as does his 'Soldiers Died in the Great War' entry. 

The Grave Registration doc. on CWGC has him attached to the 5th Special RE and date of death 2/7/1916!?

Edited 10 December , 2020 by Ivor Anderson

[Mark1959]

On my tablet this evening. There is a picture of PKB in the Daily Mirror early July 1916. He had recently married Mlle Verna Vanoni a well known dancer. Will post a pic when back on laptop tomorrow

if you google him you will see his teddy bear went with him to war, survived and was returned to his widow. It still exists. It sold for more than £4000 in 2002.

Edited 10 December , 2020 by Mark1959

[The Inspector]

Hi,

Ancestry Soldiers' Effects  has d of death 29.6.16 but he is indexed as P.H Baddeley.

Percy Kynnersley Baddeley's wife's real name was Verna Edriss Cain  15.11.1893-16.9.1984,  she was baptised on 18.2.1894 at St.Andrew's Church, Battersesa with 4 of her siblings on the same day . Baptism record shows her middle name as IDRISS Her father was a solicitor she remarried Sept.1920. Claude E Rees.

Her brother Alan Victor Cain was killed on  18.10.1916, 2nd Lt. 3rd Batt. Hampshire Regt.

Regards Barry

Edited 11 December , 2020 by The Inspector

[Ivor Anderson]

Thanks Barry, That certainly confirms that both of the other 2 dates are wrong. Unusual to see 2 different DoD errors in one soldier's records!

I see the 2 men were listed consecutively in 'Soldier's Effects': 

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/60506/images/42511_6117462_0241-00165?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=806631b1601c909194deeb2df86eddf5&usePUB=true&_phsrc=AHE6690&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=698280

Edited 11 December , 2020 by Ivor Anderson
Additional information

[Mark1959]

PKB and his lovely wife Daily Mirror 6/7/1916. Courtesy BNA

 

Edited 11 December , 2020 by Mark1959

[sadbrewer]

W S Brewitt had been transferred to the Royal Engineers just prior to his death.

[Ivor Anderson]

So they may both have been with no. 5 Bn. of the Special Brigade RE? From the LLT:

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-corps-of-royal-engineers-in-the-first-world-war/the-special-companies-of-the-royal-engineers-poison-gas/

"By the end of May 1916, No 1 Special Battalion and No 2 (less a Company) were allocated to Fourth Army; No 3 (less a Company) to Second Army; No 4 (also less a Company) to Third Army. No 4A Battalion was provisionally formed from the three detached Companies, and was attached to First Army. No 5 Battalion was the Stokes mortar unit, and had 3 Companies attached to Fourth Army and 1 to Third Army. The Flame Projector Sections arrived in France 26 June 1916. The principal base in France was established at Helfaut."

[Colin W Taylor]

The 5th Bn diary only mentions their deaths and the wounding of two other men; no further details. Reading through in full might enable their arrival and specific company to be  identified; alternatively, diaries for each special company could be examined to find a more specific mention.

 

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/ff72201e455f4442ae2ab9efaf3ef5cc

 

They might have been with No 3 Company which was seemingly in the Fricourt area. No obvious diary on the National Archives before March 1917.

 

C 

[Colin W Taylor]

To add - Jonathan Porter's excellent new book on Z Day states they were killed by a shell; they were with No 3 Coy.

[sheldrake]

Thanks chaps.  That helps solve a mystery. I could not find their names in artillery war diaries of the units in XV or XIII Corps.