18501 Walter George Turner, 7th Norfolks, MM and CdG

[PRC]

How many times have we had cause to lament that the Military Medal citations haven't survived and that one possibility is to check out local newspapers. Well today while transcribing a newspaper local to me I did indeed come across a citation, and have just spent a happy couple of hours following the pathos, the reality and the very human face of war in a quest for more information.

In an article on the formal presentation of a number of medals at a public event in Norwich, the edition of the Norwich Mercury dated Saturday March 1st, 1919 included this about Corporal Turner.

At Arras, on the 6th December 1916, Corpl. Turner was in charge of a post of six men, which was attacked by about 15 Germans. He beat off the attack, killing three men and capturing one officer of the enemy and gained valuable information from papers taken off the officer. Just before the attack he was partly buried by a French Mortar. The Croix de Guerre, as well as the Military Medal was awarded him for his gallant conduct on this occasion.

The events and the aftermath of the failed German trench raid that led to the award of the two medals are described in the War Diaries of the 7th Battalion, Norfolk Regiment, and the 35th Brigade of which it is part.

5th December 1916 – Battalion War Diary.

Haig Street. 11pm. The 7th Norfolk Regt. relieved the 7th Suffolk Regt. in H1 subsector today at 3pm. “B” Coy Right Company. “D” centre Company “A” left company “C” in support. The enemy has been trench mortaring our centre company since we took over the trenches from the Suffolk Regt.

Margin note: 1 Officer + 11 other ranks proceeded on leave today.

6th December 1916 – Battalion War Diary.

Haig Street. 11pm. At 3am this morning the Germans attempted a raid on our trenches. Several of the enemy were seen approaching our lines along the BEAURAINS – ACHICOURT Road. The corporal in charge of the sentry post at this point threw a bomb, without removing the safety pin. This hit one of the Germans on the head causing him to fall whereupon other bombs were thrown at the spot where he lay. One German an officer fell into our trenches exclaiming “I’m wounded” in English. He was found to be shot through the stomach + was taken down to the AID POST on a stretcher. Three other Germans were brought in, two dead + 1 badly wounded. The latter died soon afterwards. Several revolvers were observed. All this happened in the centre Company area but the left company had also seen several Germans, (estimated at 25 to 30) approaching our lines. A Lewis Gun opened up on them and they disappeared. Identifications were obtained which showed that the 85th Regiment was opposite to us which is “normal”.

6th December 1916 – 35th Brigade War Diary.

At 3 a.m. to-day the Germans tried to raid H1 held by the 7th Norfolk Regt.  About 30 Germans were seen advancing N+S of the ACHICOURT-BEAURAINS ROAD against H30-31. In front of H31 they did not reach our wire being stopped by Lewis Gun fire.  Opposite H30 some of them got into our line + were fired upon by our sentry post. Two Germans an officer + a man were killed outright, another was very badly wounded and died soon after being brought into our trench, and another, an officer, fell wounded into our front lime + was taken to the A.D.S. Arras where he was questioned by the Corps Intelligence Officer. The Germans proved to be the 85th I.R. + according to the wounded officer the party was about 100 strong. They had blackened faces + most of them carried automatic pistols. The Germans officer died in A.D.S. this evening. The Major General sent a message of congratulations to 7th Norfolk Regt. We had no casualties.

7th December 1916 – Battalion War Diary.

Haig Street near Arras. 11pm. Two caps were found early this morning by one of our patrols. These were sent down to Brigade Office. About ?.30pm 5 fishtail bombs fell at the exact point where the Germans had attempted to enter our trenches. None of these exploded but all had long streamers. Prior to the arrival of these bombs a Very light was fired. A patrol which left our lines as soon as it was dark discovered the streamers of 2 of these bombs caught in our wire. Both had a message attached which was identical. The envelopes were addressed to “English Comrade”.  Inside was a piece of paper with the following message written upon it. “Comrade” “On the night of 5/6 Lieut. Schlȕter and 3 men fell into your hands. He is my greatest and only friend. Does he still live or where is he buried. If you have ever had a friend in danger send me an answer by a letter mine addressed to Leutenant Mȕller” One of these messages was handed to Captain Gadd of the 12th Divisional Staff.

Nothing else of importance has happened. The enemy has been singularly quiet.

Margin note: 3 casualties caused by Fishtail bombs.

7th December 1916 – 35th Brigade War Diary
About 2p.m. today a Very Light was fired by the Germans near H30-31, followed by a fishtail bomb with a long streamer. The Bomb did not explode. Several more “duds” came over in this fashion + this evening two were found containing a message asking for news of the German Officer who had died at the A.D.S. yesterday evening.

Margin note. 7th Norfolks. 2 OR wounded

The Croix de Guerre award appeared on page 844 of the Supplement to the Edinburgh Gazette May 3 1917 https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Edinburgh/issue/13085/page/844/data.pdf

The Military Medal Card held at the National Archive shows him as Private \ Acting Lance Corporal serving with the 7th Battalion, Norfolk Regiment at the time of the raid.

The 7th Battalion War Diary entry for the 23rd December 1916 includes "L\Cpl. W.G. TURNER who distinguished himself by his conduct on the night of 5 / 6 Dec when the Germans attempted a raid on our trenches in the sub-sector near ARRAS has been awarded the MILITARY MEDAL."

Still serving with the 7th Battalion and by then a Sergeant, Walter Turner was taken prisoner at Albert on the 27th March 1918. I wonder if he had his medal by that stage and that the presentation in the early spring of 1919 was actually a replacement medal for one that had been looted as a war souvenir. Certainly the back of his MiC includes the note that his application for replacement medals had been forwarded by the OC 1st Battalion. Walters' was a wartime only enlistment dating from January 1915, but he re-enlisted post-war, so possibly any surviving records are held by the MoD.

The report received by the International Committee of the Red Cross at Geneva in August 1918 records his next of kin as living at Horsey Corner, near Martham, Norfolk, while he was born Martham.

So to me it reads of the reality of war.

• Nearly killed by French friendly fire, are they giving him a medal in part to say sorry!
• Finding himself about to come under attack, Lance Corporal Turner throws a grenade without remembering to pull the pin, but is then lucky enough to hit one of his would be assailants on the head, knocking him to the floor.
• At no stage during the actual raid are the British aware of the true size of the forces attacking them - indeed if those who were spotted had used ground cover as intelligently as the rest then the result might have been very different.
• The desperate desire to discover the fate of a friend.
• The hope that Leutnant Schlȕter death was entirely due to his wound and in no way hastened by his interrogation.

So that last area, and one where I am sorely lacking in skills, is to find more details about the IR85 men who died in this attack and whose bodies were not recovered in the attack - Leutnant Schlȕter who died in the Arras ADS at least 12 hours or more after his wounding, (not a Field Ambulance or a CCS which you might expect, although a stomach wound may have made it pointless to move him and would simply have caused more agony), an unknown officer and two unknown other ranks.

I tried searching the ICRC database, but there are just too many Schlȕter's and no easy way to narrow it down. And I've never successfully mastered the German equivalent of CWGC.

Can anyone add to the story.

Cheers,
Peter

Edited 3 August , 2022 by PRC
1)Typo's 2) More typos (03/08/2022)

[Matlock1418]

8 minutes ago, PRC said:

The report received by the International Committee of the Red Cross at Geneva in August 1918 records his next of kin as living at Horsey Corner, near Martham, Norfolk, while he was born Matham.

A WFA/Fold3 pension card for Walter G TURNER, 18501, 7th Btn Norfolk, shows a pension claim was submitted 15-7-18 by his wife, Lilian, The Corner, Horsey, nr Martham, [same address as ICRC] but the card was later annotated Prisoner of War and Man Alive.

M

[Ivor Anderson]

1 hour ago, PRC said:

27th March 1918. I wonder if he had his medal by that stage and that the presentation in the early spring of 1919 was actually a replacement medal for one that had been looted as a war souvenir.

He would have got his actual MM presented in Norwich in Spring 1919. Only the ribbon would have been presented in the field.

Listed as MISSING 28 May 1918: https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/194156701

Edited 13 June , 2022 by Ivor Anderson

[Ivor Anderson]

Possibly (1939 Register) born 21 July 1892: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/discoveryui-content/view/38910162:61596  Blofield and Flegg, Norfolk.  Divorced by 1939?

Baptised Martham 28 July 1892, parents Charles William & Elizabeth Turner

Living 33 Martham Rd., Hemsby 1901, aged 8:

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/7814/images/NFKRG13_1818_1820-0070?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&pId=10387073

18 in 1911: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/2352/images/rg14_11143_0111_03?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&pId=53664025

Died Q1 1956, aged 63 (b.1892): https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=7579&h=42757679&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=9841

 

 

Edited 13 June , 2022 by Ivor Anderson

[PRC]

Thankyou @Matlock1418 and @Ivor Anderson - much appreciated.

Now to try and master identifying German casualties !

Cheers,
Peter