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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

William Wilkes


Peter Wilkes

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Just that he died on the 9th of August 1915.His brother William lost a leg in the same month serving with the Royal Field Attillery at Vimy Ridge .

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12 minutes ago, sadbrewer said:

Do you have any more information on him.

Cant find a surviving Service record at the moment.

Kia 9 August 1915.

Edit...Son of John and Ann Wilkes, of 48, Herbert Rd., Small Heath, Birmingham.

 

Edit2 

 

Screenshot_20210125-131741.jpg

Edited by sadbrewer
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CWGC entry suggests he was born 1897. Commemorated on the Menin Gate. No surviving service record. All he has on British Army Ancestors is a link to his medal index card.

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he is noted in the Birmingham Mail 31.8.15

 

LOCAL ROLL OF HONOUR. Mr. John Wilkes, of 22, Tilton Road. SmaD Heath, has received news »hat his son Private Walter Wilkes, of the Rifle Brigade, was killed in action on August 9th. Private Wilkes, was only seventeen years of ago, joined the army in April last. Mr. Wfikes has another son serving with the colours.

 

and welcome to the forum :) 

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Fold3 have Pension cards and Effects register-may be on Ancestry too?

Mrs Annie Wilkes as mother and sole legatee

image.png.bde8b12098882b862fa34ce53e3c308d.png

 

George

 

 

Edited by George Rayner
name change
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Thank you been trying to find more info on both him and his brother but not  much luck.I have his brothers medals discharge papers and pay book but no information on their service history.

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Courtesy Ancestry-% of page under fair usage

 

image.png.23295c7064d177a4866720c8a6289f33.png

 

George

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5 minutes ago, George Rayner said:

Courtesy Ancestry-% of page under fair usage

 

image.png.23295c7064d177a4866720c8a6289f33.png

 

George

Thank you been trying to find more info on both him and his brother but not  much luck.I have his brothers medals discharge papers and pay book but no information on their service history.

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Peter,

 

Welcome to the forum. The vast majority of Other Ranks service records were destroyed during the Blitz when German bonbs fell on the warehouse where they were stored. A great deal of what survived is fire and\or water damaged - so not finding anything for him is the norm.

 

His Medal Index Card shows he first landed in France on the 25th July 1915. The Service Medal Roll for his Victory Medal & British War Medal, (available on Ancestry), will almost certainly confirm that the 9th Battalion was the only one he saw service with overseas.

 

According to our parent site, the Long, Long Trail, the 9th Battalion had been in France since May 1915 so he was part of a replacement draft having done his training with another Battalion, (or even possibly another Regiment), in the UK.

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

 

War Diaries can currently be downloaded for free from the National Archive, you just need to register for an account if you haven't already got one, (no financial details required), and even that can be done as part of placing your first order.

This should be the part you require: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14017553

It will be unlikely to mention him by name but will give some idea of where they were and what they were up to - you may find note of a draft being received in the week or so after Walter arrived in France.

 

It doesn't look like a missing person enquiry was received by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

 

A check of the Commonwealth War Grave Commission website shows 30 men of the 9th Battalion as having died on the 9th August 1915, including Walter. None of them appear to have been subsequently found on the battlefield post-war, and so like Walter they are remembered on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.

 

The Government Probate Service holds a Soldiers Will for Walter. It probably doesn't say much more than I leave everything to my mother\father, but unless it is certified copy at least it should have been signed by him. A relatively low cost copy can be purchased, (not amazing quality) - last time I saw a price quoted it was £1.50.

https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Wills?Surname=Wilkes&SurnameGrants=Wilkes&YearOfDeath=1915&YearOfDeathGrants=1915&IsGrantSearch=False&IsCalendarSearch=False#soldiers

 

Hope that helps,

Peter

 

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4 minutes ago, PRC said:

Peter,

 

Welcome to the forum. The vast majority of Other Ranks service records were destroyed during the Blitz when German bonbs fell on the warehouse where they were stored. A great deal of what survived is fire and\or water damaged - so not finding anything for him is the norm.

 

His Medal Index Card shows he first landed in France on the 25th July 1915. The Service Medal Roll for his Victory Medal & British War Medal, (available on Ancestry), will almost certainly confirm that the 9th Battalion was the only one he saw service with overseas.

 

According to our parent site, the Long, Long Trail, the 9th Battalion had been in France since May 1915 so he was part of a replacement draft having done his training with another Battalion, (or even possibly another Regiment), in the UK.

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

 

War Diaries can currently be downloaded for free from the National Archive, you just need to register for an account if you haven't already got one, (no financial details required), and even that can be done as part of placing your first order.

This should be the part you require: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14017553

It will be unlikely to mention him by name but will give some idea of where they were and what they were up to - you may find note of a draft being received in the week or so after Walter arrived in France.

 

It doesn't look like a missing person enquiry was received by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

 

A check of the Commonwealth War Grave Commission website shows 30 men of the 9th Battalion as having died on the 9th August 1915, including Walter. None of them appear to have been subsequently found on the battlefield post-war, and so like Walter they are remembered on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.

 

The Government Probate Service holds a Soldiers Will for Walter. It probably doesn't say much more than I leave everything to my mother\father, but unless it is certified copy at least it should have been signed by him. A relatively low cost copy can be purchased, (not amazing quality) - last time I saw a price quoted it was £1.50.

https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Wills?Surname=Wilkes&SurnameGrants=Wilkes&YearOfDeath=1915&YearOfDeathGrants=1915&IsGrantSearch=False&IsCalendarSearch=False#soldiers

 

Hope that helps,

Peter

 

Thank you for your help it's greatly appreciated 

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Walter was killed when the 42nd Infantry Brigade, 14th Division, supported VI Division's attack on Hooge.

 

Andy

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What's the cap badge (Walter Joseph Wilkes' photo in De Ruvigny's RoH)? Doesn't look like RB? 

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2 hours ago, stiletto_33853 said:

Walter was killed when the 42nd Infantry Brigade, 14th Division, supported VI Division's attack on Hooge.

 

Andy

Thank you for the information 

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6 minutes ago, Pat Atkins said:

What's the cap badge (Walter Joseph Wilkes' photo in De Ruvigny's RoH)? Doesn't look like RB? 

I don't really know but the story within the family was he joined the Warwickshires but was transferred 

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • Admin

The cap badge looks like Royal Artillery 

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On 26/01/2021 at 08:46, Peter Wilkes said:

I don't really know but the story within the family was he joined the Warwickshires but was transferred 

Believe he joined the RFA with his brother William, but then ended up in the Rifle Brigade. There are records showing him with a regimental number for the RFA

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Thanks for all the information in regards Walter , have down loaded the war diary and have found the dates of when he was killed. 

It shows that he was part of a detachment sent up ( I believe) to take over trenches at a location called the Culvert near to Hoogue.

Using a trench map from the period and Google earth I can see roughly the area where this would be.

 

The war diary mentions locations / map references of 

Culvert : G10 , S3A and H10 to H16  

 

Bttn at rest : HIC 7.1  (Popperinge ?) 

 

I'm guessing that the G10 S3A and H10 to H16 were near or front line trenches , but I'm not sure , also I'm trying to find out who they were replacing in the line to check the war diary of that unit to see the entry for the same date to see if there is any further info ,(long shot I know but always worth a shout !) 

 

Does anyone have any knowledge of these map references or could steer me in the right direction ? 

 

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  • 6 months later...

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