HERITAGE PLUS Posted 19 May , 2005 Share Posted 19 May , 2005 Navy News May 05 issue contains a letter from Mr. R. Wainwright of Gloucester which advises that on 4 June 05 a memorial to his grand-father ,which has been provided by the French community, will be unveiled. The memorial is to Lt.Cdr. Oswald Wainwright, Hawke Battalion kia 25 August 1918 at Lauport Wood, 2 miles east of Bapaume. I will scan and post the letter which is accompanied by photos of the memorial and of the Lt. Cdr. when I return home at the week-end. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Reed Posted 19 May , 2005 Share Posted 19 May , 2005 I heard about this some months ago, but it had gone quiet. No-one seemed to know who the memorial was to, except that it had a RND connection, so you have answered that one for me! I understand it is going to be placed in the village of Grevillers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 19 May , 2005 Author Share Posted 19 May , 2005 Paul The Mayor of Grevillers has been responsible for the procurement and siting of the memorial. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD60 Posted 19 May , 2005 Share Posted 19 May , 2005 Hello Interesting and curious... Do you have some details ? Why this specific memorial was realised. Special link between this soldier and the village ? Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 20 May , 2005 Share Posted 20 May , 2005 From ‘The Hawke Battalion’ by Douglas Jerrold ‘Very different was the fate of ‘C’ and ‘D’ companies, and of Battalion Headquarters. At the very beginning of the attack Commander Jones, most cheerful and considerate of commanding officers who had survived Gallipoli, Passchendael, and Welsh Ridge without a wound, was killed by a machine-gun bullet. Under Lieutenant-Commander Wainright the advance continued, but half way through the wood the two companies came to a clearing on which the enemy machine gunners concentrated their fire. The chief centre of resistance was an enemy machine gun post south-east of the wood, and it was in attempting gallantly to rush this post that Commander Wainright was killed.’ The Map below is also from Jerrold’s book Wainright appears on the group (185 officers) photographed on the steps at the Crystal Palace, however the camera has caught him turning (to share a joke?) with the officer standing next to him and his face is blurred Regards Michael D.R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 20 May , 2005 Author Share Posted 20 May , 2005 TD60 The questions you ask are answered in the letter which I will scan and post at the week-end Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 20 May , 2005 Share Posted 20 May , 2005 Dave, I have had a look at another of Jerrold’s books [his history of the RND] and just noticed that in the quote which I gave above from his Hawke history, in that book he has spelt this man’s name wrong; Wainright instead of Wainwright! A bit careless since Jerrold was also the Hawke’s adjutant and I would have thought, must have known this man personally. In case it is of interest I give below the quote from the second book ‘The total distance from staring off point to the first objective beyond Thilloy was four thousand yards. The advance started punctually and in a thick mist the 188th Brigade, with New Zealanders in their flank pushed forward without much opposition. So to did the left companies of the Hawke Battalion. Two companies of the Anson Battalion under Captain Scott and Lieutenant Paterson RNVR and two companies of the Hawke under Lieutenant Dodds and Lieutenant Stevenson actually reached the high ground east of Thilloy and for a time maintained themselves, but on the right flank, that attack had been held up and in the centre the Marines had only made slow progress. The enemy trench system facing the south-west corner of Louport Wood was the scene of a vigorous resistance entailing grievous losses to the Hood and the Hawke Battalions. Here fell the two battalion commanders, Commander Jones and Lieut.-Commander Fish, both survivors of many more desperate encounters and Lieut.-Commander O. J. Wainwright RNVR the senior company commander of the Hawke Battalion.’ Regards Michael D.R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 20 May , 2005 Author Share Posted 20 May , 2005 Letter as promised Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 20 May , 2005 Author Share Posted 20 May , 2005 and photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinnethmont Posted 20 May , 2005 Share Posted 20 May , 2005 Michaeldr Does the book on Hawke Battalion give details of what they were doing on Friday 11 May 1917? I have a man died with them that day and he was said to have fallen in Flanders. This does not tie with his burial location near Arras. Any info appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD60 Posted 20 May , 2005 Share Posted 20 May , 2005 Interesting story ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 21 May , 2005 Share Posted 21 May , 2005 Quote: Does the book on Hawke Battalion give details of what they were doing on Friday 11 May 1917? Jas, In late April the Hawke Battalion and the RND had been involved in the battle for Gavrelle. Jerrold writes “Immediately after the Gavrelle battle the battalion moved back for rest and reorganization to La Compte…………………………………………………. The period of rest was unexpectedly curtailed, but only because, on May 4th, it was definitely decided to discontinue the Arras offensive. No battle, no rest, was the staff doctrine at this time, and the Hawke Battalion, with the rest of the division (in which many of the battalions were in even more need of time for reorganization), was brought back to Roclincourt for nightly work on the Red Line [the main corps defence line well behind Gavrelle]. The whole battalion was thus employed, usually from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., with an hour and a quarter’s march each way, and this routine continued till May 20th, when the Hawke moved to a new camp (at St. Catherine) and took up work on the forward communications in the Gavrelle sector.” Hope that this is of some help Regards Michael D.R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 21 May , 2005 Share Posted 21 May , 2005 Dave, The photograph on the memorial is interesting as it shows him in full rig and I see that the CWGC have his rank as Paymaster Lieutenant. He certainly had a variety of responsibilities in the RND When the brigade trench mortar batteries were set up Jerrold has him as the commander of the 189th’s. And in that capacity he gets a mention by Asquith in an account of the Battle of Gavrelle [as quoted by Len Sellers in his ‘Hood Battalion’] ‘Lieutenant Wainwright brought his Stokes mortars to bear on the extreme north-east cottage, from which we had been given trouble. He drove out the occupants, but soon ran out of ammunition.’ Regards Michael D.R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinnethmont Posted 21 May , 2005 Share Posted 21 May , 2005 Michael D.R. Thanks for those details which clear up the " fell in Flanders " suggestion. He is buried on the outskirts of Arras, a few miles from Gavrelle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 21 May , 2005 Author Share Posted 21 May , 2005 The photograph on the memorial is interesting as it shows him in full rig and I see that the CWGC have his rank as Paymaster Lieutenant. Michael The photo of Wainright is on a separate part of the page in the Navy News i.e. it does not form part of the memorial. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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