Remembered Today - Lance Corporal George Edward Clayton

[michaeldr]

Remembered Today on the GWF

1214 Lance Corporal George Edward CLAYTON 
"A" Sqdn. Hertfordshire Yeomanry 
who died of wounds 23 August 1915, aged 24 years
buried at LALA BABA CEMETERY, Gallipoli, Turkey 

At this time, the 1st/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry were brigaded together with the Westminster Dragoons (1/2nd County of London Yeomanry) forming 5th Yeomanry Brigade, 2nd Mounted Division.

From WO95/4293 - file name 457 – pages 172> 

Landed at Suvla at 10:30pm on 17th August 1915 and bivouacked near the shore
18th August - 5:30am moved to rest bivouac further up the hillside and received first experience of shell fire en route
19th August - making dug outs under periodic shelling
20th August - they moved to Lala Baba at 7:30pm – Herts were made up of 9 Officers & 300 Other Ranks. After about 5 miles marching, bivouacked on the beach at Lala Baba to avoid enemy shell fire.
21st August - the 2nd Mounted Division (less 5th Yeomanry Brigade in reserve) moved on Chocolate Hill at 4pm. 
The Herts were subjected to “a terrific storm of shrapnel and heavy shell fire while traversing the three miles of open and exposed country.” C/O, Lt-Col Sheppard DSO, killed. 
At 5:15pm Chocolate Hill reached. 
1 Officer & 19 Other Ranks wounded + 23 missing [Later (when the missing rejoined) corrected to 4 men killed and 1 DoW (the next day)*]
 
Herts Yeomanry then told to return to Lala Baba at about 12:54am on the morning of 22ndAugust and they reached Lala Baba beach at 3:45am. After resting during the day, at 9:30pm they were ordered to Chocolate Hill once more, this time to reinforce 30th Brigade, 10th (Irish) Division in the trenches (reached between 1:00 & 2:00am on 23rd August 1915)

23rd August spent improving trenches. Ottoman snipers very busy, but most shells passed over Brigade's position
 
* this may well have been L/C Clayton as no wounded are mentioned for the 22nd & 23rd August 1915

 

The photograph (IWM) below show L/C Clayton's squadron in Egypt, most probably before they embarked for Gallipoli

[DavidOwen]

Thanks for posting this Michael as it is always interesting to see some background on those remembered on the Forum's Remembered Today.