24th Divisional Trench Mortars. 1917 - Help to identify Officers please.

[GWF1967]

Hi,

 I have a single page from a photograph album featuring officers serving with 24th Divisional Trench Mortars, between January and May of 1917, and one photograph dated 1918; eleven officers are named in total.

I have the War Diary for 24th T.M.B's which has helped to identify two of the officers and a dig through FMP, Ancestry and the London Gazette has helped me put names to a further five.  One man is a complete mystery.

1.  D.H. Wallace 1918. 

 David Harris Wallace.  Formerly Pte. 58. Army Veterinary Corps.  Commissioned 2Lt.  L.G. 19/11/1915. 

 

2. "Emmett, Higgins, Mayhew, Wyndham, Shepherd, Bennett, Schofield.   Jan. 1917.

Albert Alfred Emmett M.C. -  Formerly Pte. 1811. Royal Horse Guards.  Commissioned 2Lt.  R.F.A.  December 1915.   M.C.  L.G. 4/6/1917.   A/Maj. (No M.I.C.)

Charles Gordon Higgins M.C.   2Lt.  A/Capt. R.F.A.  M.I.D.  4/1/1917 - 18/5/1917.  M.C.  L.G. 26/7/1917

Joseph Albert Mayhew.  Royal Fusiliers.  France 1916.   Entitled to S.W.B. 5/12/1919.  (No M.I.C. or S.W.B. roll)

Gerald Hereford Saxe Wyndham M.C.   2Lt.  8th Batt. Queens.  France Oct. 1915.  Lt. A/Capt.  L.G. 6/5/1917.  

Shepherd. R.F.A.   Several contenders.

Bennett.  R.F.A.    Several Contenders.

Schofield.  East Surrey Regiment.   I can find no officer of this name serving with the East Surrey Regt.

 

3.  Meager + Stroud.  And an American Airman.   Paris. May 1917.

George Francis Villers Meager.   2Lt. R.F.A.    Temp. Lt. L.G. 26/10/1917.   later Temp. Lt. East Surrey Regiment.  L.G. 8/3/1918.

Sydney Hill Stroud.   2Lt.  A/Capt. R.F.A.   Formerly Cpl. 414. Honourable Artillery Company.  Commissioned. 1/9/1916.   K.I.A. 20/10/1918.

 

4. Clarke + Stroud.  And an American Airman.  Paris. May 1917.

Carke?

Sydney Hill Stroud.  

Any help with identifying Clarke, Shepherd, Bennett and the mysterious  2Lt. Schofield would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

[PRC]

56 minutes ago, GWF1967 said:

Any help with identifying ....... the mysterious  2Lt. Schofield would be greatly appreciated.

The 24th Division included the 9th Battalion of the East Surrey Regiment. If Schofield is sat front right, which the name order would suggest, and which is probably confirmed by the cap and collar badges, then as you say he is a Second Lieutenant.

The January 1917 British Army Monthly Lists shows a Second Lieutenant H.N. Schofield on the establishment of the 9th Battalion, and with seniority from the 26th August 1915, (column 1196). https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/103214497

No obvious MiC but the National Archive catalogure shows Officers Long Papers for a Lieutenant Henry Norman Schofield, East Surrey Regiment which cover the period 1915-1919. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1095621

A blogpost by his grandson, features a picture of Henry Norman Schofield in training. The narrative includes that as an officer he had gone over the top during the Battle of the Somme with the East Surrey Regiment and was one of two survivors of his company. http://romanmiscellany.blogspot.com/2006/11/we-will-remember-them.html

The picture has lost a lot of detail by the time it gets to the individual I believe the writer has identified as his grandfather. It's not really good enough to make a good side by side comparison but I don't see such a fundamental difference that would entirely rule out them being the same man.

No new IP is claimed for the above, and all image rights, if any, remain with the current owners.

Cheers,
Peter

[GWF1967]

8 minutes ago, PRC said:

The 24th Division included the 9th Battalion of the East Surrey Regiment. If Schofield is sat front right, which the name order would suggest, and which is probably confirmed by the cap and collar badges, then as you say he is a Second Lieutenant.

The January 1917 British Army Monthly Lists shows a Second Lieutenant H.N. Schofield on the establishment of the 9th Battalion, and with seniority from the 26th August 1915, (column 1196). https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/103214497

No obvious MiC but the National Archive catalogure shows Officers Long Papers for a Lieutenant Henry Norman Schofield, East Surrey Regiment which cover the period 1915-1919. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1095621

A blogpost by his grandson, features a picture of Henry Norman Schofield in training. The narrative includes that as an officer he had gone over the top during the Battle of the Somme with the East Surrey Regiment and was one of two survivors of his company. http://romanmiscellany.blogspot.com/2006/11/we-will-remember-them.html

The picture has lost a lot of detail by the time it gets to the individual I believe the writer has identified as his grandfather. It's not really good enough to make a good side by side comparison but I don't see such a fundamental difference that would entirely rule out them being the same man.

No new IP is claimed for the above, and all image rights, if any, remain with the current owners.

Cheers,
Peter

Great find.  Many thanks for your help Peter 

[EastSurrey]

Schofield was born in 1894 and attended Manchester University. He arrived at 9th East Surrey on 27.5.1916, and left  on 25.4.1918, and was attached to 24th Divisional; Trench Mortars

,according to a list of officers serving overseas with the battalion at Surrey History Centre. His file at TNA is WO339/41727. He was a captain commanding a trench mortar company by 10.1918.

Michael

[GWF1967]

21 minutes ago, EastSurrey said:

Schofield was born in 1894 and attended Manchester University. He arrived at 9th East Surrey on 27.5.1916, and left  on 25.4.1918, and was attached to 24th Divisional; Trench Mortars

,according to a list of officers serving overseas with the battalion at Surrey History Centre. His file at TNA is WO339/41727. He was a captain commanding a trench mortar company by 10.1918.

Michael

Many thanks Michael.  

[EastSurrey]

The blogpost seems to refer to the attack by 'C' and 'D' companies of 9th East Surrey on 16 AUGUST 1916 at Guillemont. The casualties were very severe-6 officers killed and 1 wounded out of 9 in the attack, and of around 240 ORs, 31 killed, 116 wounded and 29 missing. (My great uncle, with 'D', most fortunately missed this attack through receiving a 'Blighty' wound back in June. ) The most detailed account of the attack is probably that in 'The Journey's End Battalion'. 

Checking my TNA notes again, I see Schofield went to the T.Ms. in January 1917, returned to the battalion 1 April 1918 after it had been almost wiped out on 26 March  in the Great Retreat, and then moved back to the T.Ms.,presumably permanently, on 18 April. This, I guess, is why he appears not to be in the photograph of the battalion's officers in March 1917, in the above book. 

Michael

[GWF1967]

2 hours ago, EastSurrey said:

The blogpost seems to refer to the attack by 'C' and 'D' companies of 9th East Surrey on 16 AUGUST

Michael

Many thanks once again for your help  Michael.  
 He had only recently joined the Trench Mortars when the photograph was taken.  
 Is there any mention of George Francis Villers Meager in the book? He is also documented as serving with the 9th Battalion East Surrey Regiment. 

[EastSurrey]

Sorry, no. There are lists of officers who served overseas with the battalion up to the Armistice; all rank fatalities; and all rank recipients of awards, but he doesn't figure there or in the index. According to TNA, he has a WO339 file and served with the Royal Field Artillery. However, I do know another officer-Gilbert Frankau- transferred from 9th East Surrey to the R.F.A. before they went to France, after falling out with the battalion adjutant. Perhaps Meager did the same?

Michael

[battiscombe]

In case of interest I think Lt C G Higgins was a long-standing TM officer, having been in 20th Trench Mortar Battery at least since January 1916, a battery formed in mid-April 1915, which later became X/24 TMB when the TMs were reorganised in the spring of 1916.. he was commanding X/24 by July 1916..

2Lt Emmett joined Y/24 c. 5th July 1916

a  2Lt B A Shepard [spelling may of course be incorrect] was posted to 24th DIV TMs 4/2/1917.. WO 95/2198/2 .. a B A Shepard RFA was commisioned in May 1915..

2Lt G Meager joined 24th Div TMs 24/2/1917 from 42nd Bde RFA

[GWF1967]

13 minutes ago, battiscombe said:

In case of interest I think Lt C G Higgins was a long-standing TM officer, having been in 20th Trench Mortar Battery at least since January 1916, a battery formed in mid-April 1915, which later became X/24 TMB when the TMs were reorganised in the spring of 1916.. he was commanding X/24 by July 1916..

2Lt Emmett joined Y/24 c. 5th July 1916

a  2Lt B A Shepard [spelling may of course be incorrect] was posted to 24th DIV TMs 4/2/1917.. WO 95/2198/2 .. a B A Shepard RFA was commisioned in May 1915..

2Lt G Meager joined 24th Div TMs 24/2/1917 from 42nd Bde RFA

Many thanks for your help battiscombe. 

[GWF1967]

9 hours ago, battiscombe said:

2Lt B A Shepard [spelling may of course be incorrect] was posted to 24th DIV TMs 4/2/1917.. WO 95/2198/2 .. a B A Shepard RFA was commisioned in May 1915..

 

Many thanks once again.  
 A family tree on Ancestry confirms my man as 2Lt. Bernard Anthony Shepard, who died of wounds 26/4/1917 and is buried in St Botolph churchyard, Church Brampton, Northamptonshire.