9th West Yorks - All That Was Left of Them

[Nicola in London]

I am trying to find out more information about a photograph I have of my Great-Uncle, Private Willie Cutts (12640) 9th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own).

The photograph is of my Great-Uncle and four other men, they are holding a sign which says, "9th West Yorks. Trenches taken on shortest notice. All that was left of them".

Does anyone know when this incident may have occured?

My Great-Uncle enlisted on 4 Sep 1914 and died of wounds on 28 Aug 1917, which doesn't narrow things down very much. I would really like to find out more about the photograph and the event it described, presumably such an event would appear in the regimental war diaries, but with no idea of the date I would imagine it would be difficult to find.

[Murrough]

In the other theatres forum page you will find some information on the 9bn involvement in the Gallipoli campaign .It may be of some help.

[Nicola in London]

In the other theatres forum page you will find some information on the 9bn involvement in the Gallipoli campaign .It may be of some help.

I thought it might initially be something to do with Gallipoli, but having just got hold of Willie's medal card it states:

"Theatre first served in: (1) France"

"Date of entry therein: 5/8/15"

which doesn't seem to tie him in with the 9th West Yorks, who from what I've read were in Gallipoli around that time and didn't arrive in France until July 1916, yet I can find no record of him serving in any other regiment. Now I'm not sure were to look next - could the medal card be wrong?

[Murrough]

If you could attach the photo and MIC, I am sure someone on the forum will figure it out.

Regards,

Damien.

[Murrough]

Yes, Medal cards can be wrong.

[Nicola in London]

Yes, I can attach the photograph...but I'll have to scan it first!

I'll try to do it over the weekend.

[kevin]

Nicola

He may of went of to France with the 1st or 2nd Battalions and then transfered to the 9th Battalion later on, service record and the Medal Rolls should confirm this,sorry this would mean a trip to the NA.

Hope this is of some help.

Regards Kevin

[Nicola in London]

Nicola

He may of went of to France with the 1st or 2nd Battalions and then transfered to the 9th Battalion later on, service record and the Medal Rolls should confirm this,sorry this would mean a trip to the NA.

Hope this is of some help.

Regards Kevin

Thank you Kevin, I'm planning a visit to the NA soon so will check on the service record then. Also I've just discovered that my Uncle actually has my Great-Uncle Willie's medals, so if there is one for Gallipoli then we'll know he was there, and if not then the chances are that he wasn't!

I will post the photograph captioned "All that was left of them" over the next few days.

[Nicola in London]

Scan of photograph and medal card as promised.

There is also a very feint message written in pencil which appears to read:

"To my dear Mother, from Willie with love. Somewhere in Flanders. 23/6/17."

So that may narrow down the date the event mentioned in the photograph took place.

Sadly Willie was killed on 28 August 1917, only 2 months after sending the postcard!

[kevin]

Nicola

The photo if dated correctly was taken at the Houterque Training Area in Flanders,as the 9th Batt where there from the 23/6/17 till the 13/7/1917.

The caption may refere to actions around the Kemmel Hill area around the 12th till the 15th of June 1917.

Also looking at the Medal Index card i would say he came from another West York Battalion maybe the 1st or the 2nd before joining the 9th Batt.

Hope this is of some help.

Regards Kevin

[Nicola in London]

Nicola

The photo if dated correctly was taken at the Houterque Training Area in Flanders,as the 9th Batt where there from the 23/6/17 till the 13/7/1917.

The caption may refere to actions around the Kemmel Hill area around the 12th till the 15th of June 1917.

Also looking at the Medal Index card i would say he came from another West York Battalion maybe the 1st or the 2nd before joining the 9th Batt.

Hope this is of some help.

Regards Kevin

Thank you Kevin, I think this is all starting to come together now as, along with the other photographs that my great-grandmother (Willie's mother) kept, I have a postcard from Kemmel, I wasn't sure of its significance until now.

My great-grandmother visited Flanders in 1920 and I have a photograph of her at the monument at 'Hill 60' (at least according to the caption written on the back). Were the West Yorks involved in that action too?

Nicola

[kevin]

Nicola

The West Yorks where involved at Hill 60 on the 7th June but it was the 11th Battalion, the 9th Battalion had just marched to Kemmel Hill arriving at Midnight.

The narative from Wyralls account goes:-

Dawn was just breaking on the morning of the 7th June when, at 3.30am, the ground rocked and shook, and the watchers on Kemmel Hill(9th Batt) felt all the tremors of an earthquake as the still air was suddenly rent by terrific and awful explosions. Kemmel Hill was only three to four thousnd yards from the front line, and the 9th West Yorks standing to arms, witnessed a scene which Sir Douglas Haig said was "without parallel in land mining." Clouds of smoke and dust and flame, debris of every desciption, and mangled bodies of Germans fell everywhere. And no sooner had the explosion taken place than the British guns opened an intense bombardment of the enemys lines, or all that remained of them. Undercover of this bombardment the British infantry attack was launched,and the English,Irish,Australian and New Zealand troops swarmed across No Mans Land and quickly entered the enemys front line.

The 9th West Yorks, however, were not called upon during the first day of the Battle, and the Battalion Diary merely records that:-"At daybreak the Battalion from this point (Kemmel Hill) witnessed an intense bombardment of the enemys lines and the explosions of several mines prior to an attack by the IXth Corps and IInd Anzac Corps.

Regards Kevin