Remembering Edwin Harper (6th Northants)

[Guest Simon Bull]

Today is the 90th anniversary of the death of Edwin Harper who is commemorated on the Harrowden War Memorial.

Edwin Isaac Harper belonged to a large family which had moved from Norfolk to the Harrowden area in the late 1880s. Edwin himself was born in 1898. He was a keen sportsman and was a member of the Finedon United Football Club team which won the Wellingborough League in 1911-12. He had two nicknames -- "Glossy" and "Florrie". He does not seem to have married.

At the outbreak of the war he is said to have been one of the first men from the Harrowdens to enlist. He was placed in the 6th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment and went overseas with the Battalion when it first travelled to France on 26 July 1915. The Battalion was first in the front-line trenches in mid-August 1915, and during this first duty in the front-line one member of the Battalion was killed. Edwin Harper was killed on the second occasion when the Battalion manned the front-line, in the area of Meaulte, between the 9th and 16th of September 1915. The Battalion War Diary records that "during this period there was considerable activity on both sides. The enemy exploded two mines on our front and we retaliated with one. The work this entailed in the repair of parapets etc was severe. Total casualties, 7 killed. 14 wounded. The weather except on one day was fine and warm."

Edwin Harper was buried near to where he was killed in a cemetery in the Fricourt area known as "Point 110 Old Cemetery". There are a number of men from the Northamptonshire regiment buried in this cemetery. The nearby sign indicating the cemetery is a frequent deposit point for local farmers to leave unexploded ordnance to be collected. Edwin Harper was buried the day after his death within sight of the firing line. There is a photographic record of a visit to his grave when it was still marked by a wooden cross, the visitor being the brother of Cyril Gambrell, another man commemorated on the same War Memorial.

[Stebie9173]

Casualties for the day per SDGW:

Harper, Edwin Isaac, 14748, Private, b. L. Harrowden, e. Northampton, KIA.

http://www.cwgc.org/cwgcinternet/casualty_...casualty=571032

Jones, Walter, 14754, Private, b. L. Houghton, N, e. Northampton, KIA.

http://www.cwgc.org/cwgcinternet/casualty_...casualty=571042

Allibone, Percy James, 13514,Private, b. Islington, e. Islington, KIA.

http://www.cwgc.org/cwgcinternet/casualty_...casualty=571001

All three are buried in the same cemetery.

SDGW records 6 KIAs and 2 DOWs for the period in the trenches from the 9th to the 16th.

Steve.

[Pominoz]

Hi Simon, although your note was posted some years ago now, I have just joined the forum as I am researching my Grandfather, Clifford William Allibone who served in the Royal Field Artillery as a Driver during WW1. I have yet to determine which section of the RFA he served with, when exactly and where, but I performed a generic search on 'Allibone' and as a result, reference to my Great Uncle, Percy James Allibone appeared, as he is amongst the 3 men KIA and buried in the same cemetary at Point 110 Old Cemetery. I had seen a photo of the wooden cross that Percy had over his grave, although it was sadly lost over the years. I later visited the Thiepval Memorial, and saw Percy's name (along with his brother, Edward Charles) on the memorial for soldiers with unknown graves, which at the time I thought was strange, given that the photo of his grave had existed. To discover that he might actually have a proper headstone at Point 110 is a revalation. Living on the Gold Coast in Australia as I do, makes a trip to the cemetary impossible to check and take a photo. Anyway I thought this piece of history might interest you. Tom.

[Stebie9173]

Hello, Tom.

Simon hasn't been on the forum for a while, but my interest in the Northamptons means that the Allibone name has cropped up several times before, and is quite familiar to me. Would you like me to have a look at what I have on the Allibone's?

If memory serves me, I think the 6th battalion had only lost one man before Percy and his comrades were killed.

I know I have seen newspapers articles on Albert for his DCM and death - in fact he is one of the men whose face I can instantly recall! Albert also has a Service Record on Ancestry, or a least part thereof.

In fact:

(Northampton Independent, 24-6-1916)

15770 Corporal Albert Edward Allibone

Awarded the DCM, 3rd June 1916 and 21st June 1916

For conspicuous gallantry when, after part of the trench had been blown in, he rescued a wounded man from over the parapet and tended all the other wounded. He then fetched stretcher bearers under heavy machine-gun fire in broad daylight. He has also proved himself a daring bomber on several occasions.

"D" Company (the company raised by Edgar Mobbs, the Rugby international - he was one of the original volunteers with "Mobb's Own".

Killed in action with 7th Bn. Northamptonshire Regiment at Guillemont, 17-8-1916.

Born in 1892 at Northampton.

Steve.

[jobe1211]

Hi Simon, although your note was posted some years ago now, I have just joined the forum as I am researching my Grandfather, Clifford William Allibone who served in the Royal Field Artillery as a Driver during WW1. I have yet to determine which section of the RFA he served with, when exactly and where, but I performed a generic search on 'Allibone' and as a result, reference to my Great Uncle, Percy James Allibone appeared, as he is amongst the 3 men KIA and buried in the same cemetary at Point 110 Old Cemetery. I had seen a photo of the wooden cross that Percy had over his grave, although it was sadly lost over the years. I later visited the Thiepval Memorial, and saw Percy's name (along with his brother, Edward Charles) on the memorial for soldiers with unknown graves, which at the time I thought was strange, given that the photo of his grave had existed. To discover that he might actually have a proper headstone at Point 110 is a revalation. Living on the Gold Coast in Australia as I do, makes a trip to the cemetary impossible to check and take a photo. Anyway I thought this piece of history might interest you. Tom.

Hello Tom

I have just discovered this site after like you entering Percy's name in search engine. The entry on the Thiepval Memorial is a mistake according to the CWGC after I wrote to them. they are going to remove the name when they next clean it. His actual buriel is at Point 110. I think the confusion arose with the spelling. As far as I have researched the only other brother that died was Albert Charles and he is at Tyne Cot on a section at the back. He served with 142nd MGC coy and died on the 22nd August 1917. Their younger brother George was discharged from the 126th Heavy Battery RGA in 1916. I have a picture I believe is of Clifford in his uniform just after his arrival in France and on his wedding day. I am a great niece of the above gentlemen. I know it's along time ago but I hope this helps jb

[Stebie9173]

I don't know whether you have visited Percy, but I photographed his grave when I visited Point 110 Old Cemetery earlier this year. Here is Percy's grave:

Steve.

[jobe1211]

Hi Steve

Thank you for the photo. I did manage to finally visit early this year. I was surprised by its size. I imagined it to be larger. Where his grave is, is that where he fell? I dont no much about this area so if anyone can help me find information , i would be very grateful. jb

[Stebie9173]

The front line was near Point 110 Cemetery slightly to the north where the wood (the Bois Francais) is now on the crest of the ridge. Like many of the woods on the Somme they are almost exactly the same now as they were before the war. The front line ran through the wood itself looking down on Fricourt. The cemetery is south of the wood behind British lines. Part of the area on the cemetery side of the wood is still pitted with the effects of shelling or mining.

The Somme at this point was actually fairly quiet as far as traditional warfare was concerned. Instead, the days were spent picking up the pieces from the "duels" that the British tunnelling companies were having with their German counterparts. Mine tunnels were dug under the opposition trenches and packed with explosives and blown up to destroy the trenches above them. If the British blew the mine, the infantry would move forward to occupy the mine crater (being careful not to get killed by gasses released in the explosion) and if the opposite happened and the Germans exploded a mine, the British infantry would have to rebuild their parapet under fire (my own relative at Point 110, Martin Mansfield Rimes, was killed in a German mine explosion). On the the night of the 12th September 1915, it was the turn of the British to blow a mine.

I have down a bit more research since the original reply I posted and found this in the 54th Brigade war diary which is actually more detailed than the battalion war diary:

12th September 1915

3.30pm

We withdrew men from near trench 77 and our artillery shelled crater at 77 with H.E. to demolish enemy posts on far side of crater. Operation was apparently successful.

9.30pm

53rd Brigade on our right blew a mine. Heavy fire opened up on both sides on Sector D1. Enemy shelled us heavily for 30 minutes. Northamptons suffered 3 killed and seven wounded.

The casualties from the 6th Northamptons are shown in the Times Casualty List on 7-10-1915

Killed (3)

1. Private Allibone, Percy James, 13514, KIA 12-9-1915, buried at Point 110 Old Military Cemetery, Fricourt, Grave F.11

2. Private Harper, Edwin Isaac, 14748, "C" Company, KIA 12-9-1915, buried at Point 110 Old Military Cemetery, Fricourt, Grave F.10

3. Private Jones, Walter, 14754, KIA 12-9-1915, buried at Point 110 Old Military Cemetery, Fricourt, Grave E.11

Wounded (7)

1. 13535 Private John George Cato, 13535, C Company, of Clerkenwell {Heavy wounds, one year recovery}

2. 3/10549 Private Joseph Harry Dunmore, of Raunds & Rushden {Light wounds, GSW right thigh, recovered in 3 months}

3. 14250 Private Herbert Richard Hooke, A Company, of Peterborough {Light wounds, GSW left elbow, recovery in 1 month}

4. 13745 Private Joseph Gray Lyon, of Crowland (Light wounds, GSW right thigh, to duty in 3 months)

5. 14468 Sergeant Joseph Faulder Mawson, A Company {later commissioned as an officer}

6. 13144 Private George Pell, of Kettering, A Company {Severely wounded, blinded by shell-fire in own words, permanently blind in both eyes}

7. 14497 Private William Pike, A Company

Incidentally, the Bois Francais is where one Siegfried Sassoon was stationed in 1916, and in fact some of his friends lie in the Point 110 New Cemetery nearby.

Steve.

[jobe1211]

Steve

Thank you so much for your infomation. It has proved most helpful in understanding the area a little better. He had a brother Albert who served in the 142nd MGC and who died in 1917. I found the war diary for that regiment but if I want to search more , would there be a Brigade dairy for that one as well . I have his regiment number,medal card and his burial. It does mention on the diary that 2 guns were knocked out and men were killed. But like Percy I would like to try and find a little more. Like so many families they seem to have had their fair share of loss as their cousin also died in 1918 of pneumonia and is at Mikra cemetery.Again thank you for the above.

jb

[flashludders76]

On 21/11/2011 at 20:38, Stebie9173 said:

The front line was near Point 110 Cemetery slightly to the north where the wood (the Bois Francais) is now on the crest of the ridge. Like many of the woods on the Somme they are almost exactly the same now as they were before the war. The front line ran through the wood itself looking down on Fricourt. The cemetery is south of the wood behind British lines. Part of the area on the cemetery side of the wood is still pitted with the effects of shelling or mining.

The Somme at this point was actually fairly quiet as far as traditional warfare was concerned. Instead, the days were spent picking up the pieces from the "duels" that the British tunnelling companies were having with their German counterparts. Mine tunnels were dug under the opposition trenches and packed with explosives and blown up to destroy the trenches above them. If the British blew the mine, the infantry would move forward to occupy the mine crater (being careful not to get killed by gasses released in the explosion) and if the opposite happened and the Germans exploded a mine, the British infantry would have to rebuild their parapet under fire (my own relative at Point 110, Martin Mansfield Rimes, was killed in a German mine explosion). On the the night of the 12th September 1915, it was the turn of the British to blow a mine.

I have down a bit more research since the original reply I posted and found this in the 54th Brigade war diary which is actually more detailed than the battalion war diary:

12th September 1915

3.30pm

We withdrew men from near trench 77 and our artillery shelled crater at 77 with H.E. to demolish enemy posts on far side of crater. Operation was apparently successful.

9.30pm

53rd Brigade on our right blew a mine. Heavy fire opened up on both sides on Sector D1. Enemy shelled us heavily for 30 minutes. Northamptons suffered 3 killed and seven wounded.

The casualties from the 6th Northamptons are shown in the Times Casualty List on 7-10-1915

Killed (3)

1. Private Allibone, Percy James, 13514, KIA 12-9-1915, buried at Point 110 Old Military Cemetery, Fricourt, Grave F.11

2. Private Harper, Edwin Isaac, 14748, "C" Company, KIA 12-9-1915, buried at Point 110 Old Military Cemetery, Fricourt, Grave F.10

3. Private Jones, Walter, 14754, KIA 12-9-1915, buried at Point 110 Old Military Cemetery, Fricourt, Grave E.11

Wounded (7)

1. 13535 Private John George Cato, 13535, C Company, of Clerkenwell {Heavy wounds, one year recovery}

2. 3/10549 Private Joseph Harry Dunmore, of Raunds & Rushden {Light wounds, GSW right thigh, recovered in 3 months}

3. 14250 Private Herbert Richard Hooke, A Company, of Peterborough {Light wounds, GSW left elbow, recovery in 1 month}

4. 13745 Private Joseph Gray Lyon, of Crowland (Light wounds, GSW right thigh, to duty in 3 months)

5. 14468 Sergeant Joseph Faulder Mawson, A Company {later commissioned as an officer}

6. 13144 Private George Pell, of Kettering, A Company {Severely wounded, blinded by shell-fire in own words, permanently blind in both eyes}

7. 14497 Private William Pike, A Company

Incidentally, the Bois Francais is where one Siegfried Sassoon was stationed in 1916, and in fact some of his friends lie in the Point 110 New Cemetery nearby.

Steve.

Hi all, new to the site and researching the Great War in general, hence 12 years late to the party! Pte Joseph Harry Dunmore of 6 Northants is my great-grandfather; a veteran of the Boer War and of the Rushden Home Guard in WW2. I’ve some photos of him I can post when I’m back from just visiting Fricourt (wish I’d joined this site beforehand!). 

[flashludders76]

Here are the photos of Pte Joseph Harry Dunmore 3/10549 of 6th (Service) Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment. First with wife in approx. 1914 and second unknown but he is kneeling centre front row, playing ‘Crown and Anchor’ with his chums.