Guest carlT Posted 5 March , 2005 Share Posted 5 March , 2005 where were they around the 13th april 1918,my Great Uncle Sgt Thomas Taylor was killed in action then, does anyone know where to find a War Diary of the regiment for that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Reed Posted 5 March , 2005 Share Posted 5 March , 2005 They were in the fighting for Givenchy at this time, during the Battle of the Lys. A member of this forum has a special interest in this battalion, and may well post some more details for you. In the meantime if you type Givenchy into the search engine of this forum you should come up with some more details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 5 March , 2005 Share Posted 5 March , 2005 On the 13th, they were in the Loisne sector and were also responsible for the defences of Le Plantin and Grenadier Road. They were under heavy and continuous bombardment but weren't actively "engaged" with the enemy on this date. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest carlT Posted 6 March , 2005 Share Posted 6 March , 2005 my Gt Uncle Tom, was apparently hit clean on top of the head by a whizzbang, would this have come from the heavy bombardment or are they morters associated with closer contact with the enemy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 6 March , 2005 Share Posted 6 March , 2005 A "whizzbang" was an artillery shell, so it would seem that he was a victim of this bombardment. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ste Posted 9 March , 2005 Share Posted 9 March , 2005 A - ha! Someone else with an interest in the 5th South Lancs at last! Carl, Paul and Croonaert have given you the general picture, and the two published Regimental histories don't go much beyond that. However, if you would like copies of the relevant sections so you can get a bit more context about what the 5th were doing around Givenchy I can happily provide. I see from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission that Sergeant Taylor was a MM winner. Do you have any more details about his service? I can look him up in Soldiers Died in the Great War when I get home, which should give his place of residence and enlistment, but I suspect you may already know that. As Paul mentioned, this Battalion is my special interest, and I'm doing a lot of research it. However, so far I've only explored the pre-war period and 1914-15 9up to late summer) in detail. I haven't got a copy of the war diary relating to April 1918 yet, but expect to get one during the next couple of weeks. It probably won't say much more than the general detail Paul and Croonaert gave, as in the sections I have seen the detail can be very scant unless something considered especially noteworthy took place. However, it's not impossible that the War Diary might mention your Great Uncle's death specifically by name, him being a Sergeant and an MM winner; the Diary mentions my Great Great Grandfather's death (also a Sergeant, and a DCM winner) but lists two other fatalities on the same day simply as '2 O.R. killed' (other ranks). I'll have a look when I get hold of my copy. I've got quite a lot of stuff on the battalion's previous history, mobilisation and fighting in 1915, so feel free to ask (emaill me if you like) if it's of interest. Cheers, Ste Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest carlT Posted 10 March , 2005 Share Posted 10 March , 2005 hello Ste, sorry for a delay in replying(just got back from Dublin) in answer to your reply any thing you can give me will be great, Tom is a bit of a mystery to the family and the MM has always intrgued us. would he have had to have done something a bit special to have been awarded this then ,I take it? H was a bit of a hero to my late Grandfather and I would like to find out about him if I can. Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ste Posted 15 March , 2005 Share Posted 15 March , 2005 Hi Carl, I have replied to your email. Cheers, Ste Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Martindale Posted 28 March , 2005 Share Posted 28 March , 2005 Ste I am very interested in South Lancs - see my post under Soldiers 10th March I would like to trace where 1st/4th were upto 16th March 1915 when my great uncle was killed and where they went to until the end of war as his brother who witnessed him being killed survived the war If you ever publish your material I would like a copy! If anyone else has anything on this I would be pleased to hear from you - thanks Geoff Martindale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 28 March , 2005 Share Posted 28 March , 2005 I would like to trace where 1st/4th were upto 16th March 1915 when my great uncle was killed and where they went to until the end of war as his brother who witnessed him being killed survived the war....If anyone else has anything on this I would be pleased to hear from you Geoff. Have you looked at "The Long, Long Trail..." (the "mother" site of this forum)? You'll find where they served (within their Division) on this site. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 28 March , 2005 Share Posted 28 March , 2005 I would like to trace where 1st/4th were upto 16th March 1915 In brief... 13th Feb. 1915 - landed at Le Havre, moved to Baillieul later. Went to La Clytte on 21st February. Billeted at Westoutre and undertook tours in trenches in front of Kemmel as from 26th February. Moved to Dickebusch on 25th March. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ste Posted 30 March , 2005 Share Posted 30 March , 2005 Geoff, Croonaert is right (as usual ). The mother site has a summary of where all the battalions served. The two South Lancs Regimental Histories (by Mulally and Whally-Kelly) include accounts of what the 1/4th did; the Whally-Kelly one is most accessible (starts with WW1 rather than the whole history of the 40th and 82nd Regiments) and easily available (from the Queen's Lancs Regiment Museum, Fulwood Barracks). A fellow member has a copy of a diary of a Pte in the 1/4 from shipping to France on 13th Feb to his death in the summer. I'll ask him if he minds me sending you a copy, as he has taken the trouble to transcribe it and been kind enough to let me see it. Ste Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ste Posted 31 March , 2005 Share Posted 31 March , 2005 Carl, I finally remembered to check SDGW - apologies for the delay. Sgt Taylor is listed as having been born - and enlisted - in Penarth, Glamorgan. Ste Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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