GavinH Posted 29 May , 2005 Share Posted 29 May , 2005 The CWGC shows Z/1562 Lance Serjeant Thomas Jackson as a DCM winner: http://www.cwgc.org/cwgcinternet/casualty_...asualty=1574157 I can't seem to find him listed in the London Gazette. Can anyone provide a Gazette date? Thanks Gavin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olosangus Posted 29 May , 2005 Share Posted 29 May , 2005 The DCM citation appears in the London Gazette dated 11th December 1916. Regards. Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stiletto_33853 Posted 29 May , 2005 Share Posted 29 May , 2005 Gavin, Z-1562, Private (Acting Corporal) T. Jackson, Rifle Brigade (L.G. 11th December 1916) For conspicuous gallantry in action. With another man on two seperate occasions he went forward to reconnoitre. On one occasion they killed two of the enemy and destroyed a machine gun. Later, they killed four of the enemy and used a hostile machine gun with good effect. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stiletto_33853 Posted 29 May , 2005 Share Posted 29 May , 2005 Gavin, He was in the 1st Battalion by the way. DCM is covered in the Rifle Brigade in the War of 1914 - 1918, volume 3, Honours and Awards. It was for the action of the 1st on Frosty Trench on the 18th October 1916, Battle of Le Transloy. If you need the action report let me know as it is also covered in the Rifle Brigade in The War of 1914 - 1918 Volume 2, page 222. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GavinH Posted 29 May , 2005 Author Share Posted 29 May , 2005 Andy and Simon, Many thanks for your prompt replies. They're much appreciated. I tried every variation I could think of on the LG Web site without success. Andy, I'd be very grateful for a copy of the action report, if your sure it's not too much trouble. Regards Gavin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stiletto_33853 Posted 29 May , 2005 Share Posted 29 May , 2005 Gavin, 1st Rifle Brigade, 4th Division, 11th Brigade The 11th Brigade plan was to attack on a front of two battalions, with the 1st battalion R.B's on the right and the East Lancashire Regiment on the left. Colonel Fellowes in his turn decided that the 1st Batalion should attack in three parties which, for convenience, may be described as "B", "C and "I" Companies, though in reality "A" Company was included - the officers and men being divided up between "B" and "I" Companies. The dispositons were as follows. "C" Company (Lieut. Boughton Knight) on the right, was drawn up in Warwick Trench and Andrews Post (the latter some two hundred yards in rear of the former). "I" Company (Capt. Gracey) together with forty men of "A" Company assembled for the centre of the attack in German Trench and Muggy Trench, some four hundred yards in the rear of Andrews Post. "B" Company (Capt. R.C.Beech) together with eighty men of "A" Company under 2nd Lieut R.W. Holmes-a-Court and 2nd Lieut A.S.S. Herbert was on the left in Foggy Trench - th prolongation to the north of Muggy Trench. "H" Company 1st Somerset L.I., lent for the purpose, was in Shamrock Trench which ran along the sunken road that fromed the eastern boundary of Lesboeufs. The objectives of the attack were so allocated that "C" Company on the right should take Frosty Trench and "I" Company advancing through "C" should capture Hazy Trench a hundred yards beyond, whilst "B" Company on the left captured the gunpits and strong points three hundred yards to their front, and pushed on to the line of Hazy Trench, in touch with "I" Company on the right and the East Lancashire Regiment on the left. A tank was put at the disposal of Colonel Fellowes, but, as it stuck in a sunken road between Leboeufs and Morval, was of no account in the battle. Each party had three lewis gun teams and a strong force of bombers with twelve bombs apiece. In addition a large supply of "P" Bombs were taken by "B" and "C" Companies to deal with the dug outs in the gunpits and those suspected in Frosty Trench. "C" Company was in addition reinforced by a Vickers machine gun section from the mahine gun company, and it was intended that two Stokes Mortars should be employed in Warwick Trench to assist the attack, but these did not arrive in time for employment. In anticipation of the difficulty of keeping direction in a night attack, over the entirley featureless country, pointers and tapes were aid out and compass bearings taken. Zero hour was 3.40am, more than an hour before daylight would break on this October morning. The night was pitch black and further obscured by drizzling rain. And, as if the ground and blackness were not in themselves perplexing enough, a company of the East Lancashire Regiment, intended for assembly on the left of "B" Company were discovered on the right of that company at 3am and moved in file across "B" Company's front along the line of Foggy and Burnaby Trenches. The flares of a German sniper revealed this movement which was followed by a discharge of red rockets from the enemys front line, an Artillery warning signal. And when the barrage fell at 3.40am, it was answered within a few seconds by an enemy barrage of shrapnel and high explosives that swept No Mans land and the front line. More to follow. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stiletto_33853 Posted 29 May , 2005 Share Posted 29 May , 2005 that swept No Mans land. The results of the attack were curiously mixed. On the right "C" Company was unable to come within twenty yards of Frosty Trench which was strongly defended by one or more machine guns that opened directly the barrage fell and continued firing throughout. Lieut. Boughton Knight was killed, his subaltern 2nd Lieut. Younghusband was wounded, and there were fifty seven casualties amongst the men. The French of the 32nd Infantry Regiment, on the right of "C" Company, were also held up by machine gun fire, so that in that quarter that attack may be said to have failed completely. In the centre "I" Company lost direction at once, as from their position at the apex of a tiny re-entrant was almost inevitable, and, instead of passing over Andrews Post and Warwick Trench and following behind "C" Company to Frosty Trench in readiness to go through the battalion objective, struck out half left towards the gunpits on "B" Company's front, and eventually reached the out lying shell hole defences that flanked the gunpits position. Here they disposed of a German outpost of three men and pushed on, bearing to the right, until they reached an embankment and a sunken lane. Probably by this time they were behind Frosty Trench and in the neighbourhood of Hazy Trench, but by now the darkness and the nud had done their work thoroughly, and no-one in the entire company had the faintest notion of his whereabouts. Both officers were missing, and the company was thoroughly dis-organized. But they plunged on in the direction of the sounds of fighting. and it seems that, in their bewilderment, they must somehow have worked round in a semi circle to the left, the traditioinal tendency of a blind folded man. For they came across a line of shell holes, charged them, taking twenty prisoners, pushed on to a strip of trench beyond which they rushed and destroyed a machine gun, captured another machine gun in an adjacent shell hole, passing still forward found themselves in the gunpits, captured these after a hand to hand struggle, and, pushing on as they supposed to the battalion objective, reached the East Lancashire trenchs on the left of "B" Company, having lost Captain Gracey, 2nd Lieut. Blackie and one hundred men. In these exploits a leading part was taken by A/Corporal Jackson and Rifleman Clayton, both of whom were awarded the DCM. Gavin, I hope that is enough for you, if you need more it does go no to cover the other Companies exploits but this covers the DCMs you are interested in. If you need more let me know. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stiletto_33853 Posted 29 May , 2005 Share Posted 29 May , 2005 Gavin, I have a trio and plaque from a gentleman who was killed in action with "I" Company during this action if interested. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GavinH Posted 29 May , 2005 Author Share Posted 29 May , 2005 Andy, Thanks very much for this interesting report. I really do appreciate your efforts. Clayton and Jackson certainly earned their medals. I've just looked on the 'Dix Noonan and Web' Auction web site and found that Clayton's medal group was sold by them in June 2002 for £720. Regards Gavin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stiletto_33853 Posted 29 May , 2005 Share Posted 29 May , 2005 Gavin, Great, I certainly would be interested in this if it came up for auction again. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GavinH Posted 29 May , 2005 Author Share Posted 29 May , 2005 A friend of mine has just started to get interested in WWI medals. One of the first he's bought is Cpl Jackson's Victory Medal. He knew he was entitled to a DCM, but had no idea of the citation. Lucky sod! Gavin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stiletto_33853 Posted 30 May , 2005 Share Posted 30 May , 2005 Gavin, Oh well, your friend now has all the details on the action that won Jackson the DCM. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GavinH Posted 30 May , 2005 Author Share Posted 30 May , 2005 I've passed them on to him, and he is very grateful. Thanks again Gavin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now