2Lt Gilbert Waterhouse 2nd Bn Essex Regiment

[Gonker44]

Hi, I wonder if you would be able to look up and confirm the entire entry there may be for 2Lt Gilbert Waterhouse who was killed 1/7/1916.

He was first posted to the 3rd Bn Harwich on commissioning 8/5/1915 and is known from National archives to have been suffering from a septic arm 22/2/1916 and admitted to a General Hospital, but at some unknown time returned to his unit.

For your interest, I am currently building up a Wikipedia entry on him at 2Lt Gilbert Waterhouse - trench poet

Many thanks

Gordon

[GrandsonMichael]

Hi Gordon,

Welcome to this Forum.

The War Diary of the 2nd Battalion the Essex Regiment mentions 2/Lt. Waterhouse only once in 1916. See the excerpt of the Operation Order. The entry for the day he died only mentions the total number of casualties for Officers and Other Ranks. And a frightful number it is, as was too often the case.

Appendix

Office Copy

Operation Order No.1. Copy no. 33.

by

Lieut: Colonel Sir George Stirling, Bt., D.S.O.,

Commg., 2nd. Battn., The Essex Regiment

Reference Maps 57D N.E. 1/20,000, & 57D 1/10,000 (HEBUTERNE & BEAUMONT.)

“C” Coy. “D” Coy.

Capt: C.M. Paton Capt: B.S. Smith-Masters

Lieut: I. Fraser Lieut: H. Finlinson

Lieut: G. Waterhouse Lieut. St. G.S. Showers

- ,, -: R.F.I. Jasper - ,, -: J.I. Kirk

and Fighting Strength of Other Ranks less reinforcements 10 Bombers & Carriers.

Sat., Jul 1, 1916 BERTRANCOURT, FRANCE

Zero hour was given out as 7.30 A.M. and 65 minutes before that hour Our Artillery commenced a heavy bombardment of the German trenches, this lasted until 20 minutes before Zero when the bombardment became intense

At ten minutes before zero a mine was fired and at zero the leading lines of the 11th Brigade advanced. At 8.36 A.M. “A” and “D” Companies advanced from their assembly trenches and immediately came under very heavy machine gun fire and Artillery barrage. At about 9.30 A.M. 12th Brigade were holding a line about 50 yards short of the German 2nd line and some parties had forced their way through and got as far as PENDANT COPSE. The main line tried to consolidate themselves in the line of craters but this work was practically impossible owing to the intense Machine Gun fire brought to bear on them from the direction of SERRE on the left flank and BEAUMONT HAMEL on the right. Later a screen of Bombers advanced against them and the Brigade on the left retiring, left their left flank in the air. About 4.0 p.m. the line was forced to retire to the German front line, where a small body consisting chiefly of SEAFORTHS, ESSEX and WARWICKS with Captain A.G. de-la-Mare and 2/Lieut J.G. Ward of the ESSEX made a long stand in the Quadrilateral until 1.0 A.M. on the 2nd inst when they were relieved by the Royal Irish Fusiliers. The fighting in the Quadrilateral was entirely by bombing and our men were hampered by an inadequate supply of bombs although they used the bombs found in the German trenches. At one time our Heavy Artillery also began to shell the Quadrilateral but was stopped before doing any harm by means of an Electric lamp found by a signaller.

Communication was also kept with our front line by means of visual signalling and in this way bombs were asked for but the difficulty of getting them across “No mansland” through the fire was very great.

Casualties 22 Officers and about 400 Other Ranks.

--- signed R.N. Thompson, Lieut-Col., Commanding 2nd Bn. The Essex Regiment

Burrows in his book "Essex Units in the War 1914 – 1919, 2nd Battalion The Essex Regiment, page 146 has the following information:

" The officers who fell in the heroic but fruitless fighting included Captain B.S.

Smith-Masters, Lieuts. T. Fraser, A.M. Middleditch, 2nd Lieutenants S.C.

Goodchild. A. Holmes, T.N. Ide, T.J. Kirk, L.G. Smith, G. Waterhouse and H.R. White."

The information of Burrows and what you've accumulated don't really agree with each other. That is probably not really surprising. I'm impressed with the information you've gathered. What exactly are the sources you used?

Cheers,

Michael

[GrandsonMichael]

Hi Gordon,

Welcome to this Forum.

The War Diary of the 2nd Battalion the Essex Regiment mentions 2/Lt. Waterhouse only once in 1916. See the excerpt of the Operation Order. The entry for the day he died only mentions the total number of casualties for Officers and Other Ranks. And a frightful number it is, as was too often the case.

Appendix

Office Copy

Operation Order No.1. Copy no. 33.

by

Lieut: Colonel Sir George Stirling, Bt., D.S.O.,

Commg., 2nd. Battn., The Essex Regiment

Reference Maps 57D N.E. 1/20,000, & 57D 1/10,000 (HEBUTERNE & BEAUMONT.)

“C” Coy. “D” Coy.

Capt: C.M. Paton Capt: B.S. Smith-Masters

Lieut: I. Fraser Lieut: H. Finlinson

Lieut: G. Waterhouse Lieut. St. G.S. Showers

- ,, -: R.F.I. Jasper - ,, -: J.I. Kirk

and Fighting Strength of Other Ranks less reinforcements 10 Bombers & Carriers.

Sat., Jul 1, 1916 BERTRANCOURT, FRANCE

Zero hour was given out as 7.30 A.M. and 65 minutes before that hour Our Artillery commenced a heavy bombardment of the German trenches, this lasted until 20 minutes before Zero when the bombardment became intense

At ten minutes before zero a mine was fired and at zero the leading lines of the 11th Brigade advanced. At 8.36 A.M. “A” and “D” Companies advanced from their assembly trenches and immediately came under very heavy machine gun fire and Artillery barrage. At about 9.30 A.M. 12th Brigade were holding a line about 50 yards short of the German 2nd line and some parties had forced their way through and got as far as PENDANT COPSE. The main line tried to consolidate themselves in the line of craters but this work was practically impossible owing to the intense Machine Gun fire brought to bear on them from the direction of SERRE on the left flank and BEAUMONT HAMEL on the right. Later a screen of Bombers advanced against them and the Brigade on the left retiring, left their left flank in the air. About 4.0 p.m. the line was forced to retire to the German front line, where a small body consisting chiefly of SEAFORTHS, ESSEX and WARWICKS with Captain A.G. de-la-Mare and 2/Lieut J.G. Ward of the ESSEX made a long stand in the Quadrilateral until 1.0 A.M. on the 2nd inst when they were relieved by the Royal Irish Fusiliers. The fighting in the Quadrilateral was entirely by bombing and our men were hampered by an inadequate supply of bombs although they used the bombs found in the German trenches. At one time our Heavy Artillery also began to shell the Quadrilateral but was stopped before doing any harm by means of an Electric lamp found by a signaller.

Communication was also kept with our front line by means of visual signalling and in this way bombs were asked for but the difficulty of getting them across “No mansland” through the fire was very great.

Casualties 22 Officers and about 400 Other Ranks.

--- signed R.N. Thompson, Lieut-Col., Commanding 2nd Bn. The Essex Regiment

Burrows in his book "Essex Units in the War 1914 – 1919, 2nd Battalion The Essex Regiment, page 146 has the following information:

" The officers who fell in the heroic but fruitless fighting included Captain B.S.

Smith-Masters, Lieuts. T. Fraser, A.M. Middleditch, 2nd Lieutenants S.C.

Goodchild. A. Holmes, T.N. Ide, T.J. Kirk, L.G. Smith, G. Waterhouse and H.R. White."

The information from Burrows and what you've accumulated don't really agree with each other. That is probably not surprising as Burrows most likely used the scant information from War Diaries. I'm impressed with the specific information you've gathered. What exactly are the sources you used?

Cheers,

Michael

[GrandsonMichael]

Oh well, better twice than not at all...

Cheers,

michael

[Gonker44]

Thanks very much for this information, it will help me add to the Wikipedia entry. FYI I hve attached Waterhouse.doc which is the reference document built up by my good friend Peter Williamson and myself. Both of us are ex-army officers, from the 3rd Battalion, the Royal Anglian Regiment - the Pompadours - the successors of the Essex Regiment. My being an Old Bancroftian added to the interest of researching this fallen officer and poet from the Essex Regiment.

FYI we honoured him at our annual Old Bancroftian day on 2nd July, where his poem "Rail-head" was movingly read to a packed congregation in the School Chapel, and a great-niece laid a floral tribute at the School's Roll of honour.

Best Regards

Gordon

WATERHOUSE.doc