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Trooper Reginald OAKLEY, Worcestershire Yeomanry


michaeldr

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This man is almost certainly Pte 2012 who landed in Alexandria, Egypt, with the Worcesters on 24th April 1915; see MiC held at the NA ref WO 372/15/40650

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Three years later, in April 1918, he was a PoW of the Ottoman Turks at their camp in Afionkarahissar in Anatolia, and at that time he wrote a Red Cross postcard to a young lady in Wales
The crop below is taken from 'The Ottoman Field Post Offices, Palestine (1914-1918), The Alexander Collection,' (copyright: The Economic & Social History Foundation of Turkey), Istanbul, October 2000, ISBN 975-7306-72-X

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Is it possible to say where & when Trooper Oakley was captured?

 

Thanks in advance for any help here
Michael

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His first ICRC card, a family enquiry,  references him being missing at Katia https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/File/Details/4332531/3/2/

The associated report from the Turkish Red Crescent has him captured at Katia on the 23rd April 1916. https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/List/4332531/708/7464/

2nd card links to the same report. https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/File/Details/2523428/3/2/

Cheers,
Peter

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Peter,

I'm very grateful for those links and for the information (I'm also too embarrassed to say how long my own vain searches of the RC site have taken)

Many thanks again

Michael

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Michael,

You will perhaps have read (link below) by now. I’d read of the battle before so it rang a bell. Yeomanry were fixed in both Katia and Oghratina by the need to stay with the dismounted RE rather than exploit their mobility, especially when in advanced and largely unfortified  positions.  Depending on the accuracy of the reporting your man may well have been in the dismounted troop at Katia or the single squadron that reinforced them during the battle.  The other two Worc Yeomanry squadrons were overwhelmed at Oghratina some 7 miles away. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Katia

Edited by AndrewSid
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Might also be worth watching’The Affair at Katie 23 April 1916 by Stuart Hadaway on the Western Front Association’s YouTube site?
 

58 DM.

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2 hours ago, 58 Div Mule said:

Might also be worth watching’The Affair at Katie 23 April 1916 by Stuart Hadaway on the Western Front Association’s YouTube site?

Thanks for that tip; yes it certainly was worth watching - 

 

Edited by michaeldr
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