Great Yarmouth

[Kath]

Ernest Benjamin LAWSON, Pte. 18351, 6th Bn., Northamptonshire Regiment.

died age 25

03 May 1917

Son of Benjamin Lawson, of 11, Lays Corner, North Quay, Great Yarmouth, and the late Caroline Lawson; husband of Beatrice Lawson, of 73, Middlegate St., Great Yarmouth.

Remembered with honour

ARRAS MEMORIAL

Cananyone tell me if he is on the Great Yarmouth Memorial, please?

Thanks,

Kath.

[steve fuller]

If you get no joy, try here

[Stebie9173]

One of my 6th Northants chaps. I'll check for anything on him later...

Steve.

[Kath]

Thanks to the double act!

Kath.

[steve fuller]

Thanks to the double act!

Kath.

Yep, that'd be us!

He was a 54th Brigade man so the date suggests he fell whilst assaulting Cherisy in the Battle of the Scarpe, for what its worth. The Bedfords in their Brigade lost 250 men in the assault but I "do" the 7th Beds & Steve does the 6th Northants, so Ill leave it up to the expert!

[gazV8uk]

I was in Great Yarmouth today, just for a day out with my wife, and I came across the WW1 Memorial. I photographed all the panels, then did a search when I got home to see if anyone else had already posted on the subject.

I found your post and noticed that no-one had positively answered your question. There is an E B Lawson on the memorial, and if you haven't already got a photo I'll happily post it!

Gaz

[Stebie9173]

There does seem to have been a slight delay in my getting back to this topic!

I can't add much, but:

18351 Pte. Ernest Benjamin Lawson

Enlisted c. 1-5-1915.

Probably posted to 8th Battalion at Colchester.

To France, 5-10-1915.

Awarded 1914-15 Star/BWM/VM.

First overseas with 7th Bn. per BWM/VM.

No record of wounding found (yet).

Transferred to 6th Bn. at some point.

Killed in action, 6th Bn., age 25, 3-5-1917.

Commemorated on ARRAS MEMORIAL.

Son of Benjamin Lawson, of 11, Lays Corner, North Quay, Great Yarmouth, and the late Caroline Lawson; husband of Beatrice Lawson, of 73, Middlegate St., Great Yarmouth.

With apologies for the delay,

Steve.

[gazV8uk]

Here's E B Lawson on the Great Yarmouth Memorial.

Gaz

[Stebie9173]

From the Glorious Sixth regarding the 3rd May 1917:

MAY 1917

Enemy activity on the 1st of May was negligible with very little shelling, and added to this the weather came in fine, so that all in all the Sixth had a quiet sort of day. In the evening, two patrols went out at 9.30 p.m. and returned around 11.30 p.m. The right patrol reported that the enemy seemed weak on their part of the front, but Very lights being fired from an enemy trench further north, seemed to suggest that this could be strongly held. On the return journey, this patrol was fired upon, but fortunately received no casualties. The left patrol reconnoitred Cable trench, but were held up by an enemy patrol. Shots were exchanged between them, but here again we were fortunate, our patrol returning with no report of casualties. During the morning of the 2nd the Battalion was relieved by the 12th Middlesex Regiment, and the 7th Bedfords. On completion of the relief at 2.0 p.m. they marched back to bivouacs at Neuville Vitasse.

Hardly had they settled down when orders were received that the 18th Division would attack on a two Brigade front, the 54th Brigade being on the right, and the 55th Brigade on the left. Simultaneous with this, the 21st Division would attack on our right, and the 14th Division on our left. The Sixth Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment would be held in Brigade reserve. On the strength of these orders, preparations for battle got under way. 20 Officers only would go into action; the remainder would stay with transport. At 2.0 p.m. a conference of officers was called at Battalion Headquarters, where these details were explained.

On the 3rd, the Battalion left Neuville Vitasse by Companies, the first Company leaving at 12.30 a.m. and the remaining Companies at five minute intervals. All companies marched to the trenches, where they arrived at 1.45 a.m. Zero hour was timed for 3.45 a.m. but the Battalion was not engaged in the first part of the operations. The attacking troops got away to a good start, and managed to advance a distance of 400 yards, through a hail of withering machine gun fire. Then sadly reduced in numbers, enfiladed from Cherisy on the left and Fontaine Wood on the right they found themselves confronted with an insurmountable obstacle in the shape of a deep belt of uncut wire in front of Fontaine trench.

In these circumstances further advance was out of the question, and so a line was consolidated directly in front of Fontaine trench. The Sixth Battalion now received orders to counter attack and occupy Fontaine trench and the circular trench to the rear of it. Instructions received, stated that the Barrage would start at 5.30 p.m. with a rolling Barrage commencing at 6.15 p.m. This instruction however was later postponed for one hour. Nevertheless, the Battalion was in position at 5.30 p.m. with the Leicestershire Regiment on our right, and the 7th Queen's (55th Brigade) on our left. After a preliminary bombardment, these Battalions would attack simultaneously. When the Barrage finally opened, the Sixth Battalion attacked with B and C Companies only, A and D Companies being in support. Of the two attacking Companies, B Company under Captain V. Mobbs were on the right and C Company under Captain Shepherd on the left. D Company furnished a bombing party comprised of One N.C.O. and eight other ranks, who advanced down Cable trench with the leading wave of the assaulting Company. They also provided carrying parties for bombs etc for C Company. Both B and C Companies, in their eagerness to get at grips with the enemy, over-ran our own Barrage, and in so doing, sustained several casualties.

By the time B Company had reached within 50 yards of the enemy wire, they had suffered something like 50% of their total strength. On reaching their objective, they found the wire in front of the enemy positions completely intact, bombardment having failed to make any impression and German machine gun fire so intense as to make further advance impossible. C Company on the other hand, did manage to get down Cable trench, and actually commenced to move forward, but they too ran into terrific machine gun fire, and in consequence had to alter their course of direction. This caused them to carry on down Cable trench to a point some 70 yards beyond the junction with Fontaine trench, but now finding both flanks in the air, they were compelled to return to the original front line.

This in turn, made the right Company's position somewhat precarious, and these too received orders to withdraw. In any inquest held on the lack of success in this operation the verdict must surely be - the intensive, murderous enemy machine gun fire, which in the Sixth Battalion alone accounted for 6 Officers and 120 Other Ranks. As an aftermath to the attack, we sent out two patrols at 12.15 a.m. on the 4th and on the ground in front of our line being searched, ten wounded men were brought in, while several others managed to crawl back. Throughout the night, there was considerable shelling by the enemy and rifle and machine gun fire were pretty active. The weather proved fine during the day but that night around 9.0 p.m. we discovered the Germans working on wire between our trench and Fontaine trench.

At 10.0 p.m. our Guides went to Battalion Headquarters to meet the incoming Battalion, (the 8th Suffolks) and conducted them to their positions. The relief being completed by midnight.

Steve.

[Kath]

"With apologies for the delay, Steve." - Better late than never!

And the great detail you give, worth waiting for, Steve.

Thank you, Gaz, for your thoughtfulness.

The reason for my first post:

Some years ago on a trip to Yarmouth, I was looking for Penwith, Cornwall, items of interest in a secondhand bookshop.

I found this Lettercard of Penzance postmark 11 May, 1915, Penzance and 12 May Yarmouth:

My Dear Wife I now take the pleasure of writing just these few lines to you hoping by this time you and the Boy is quite well as it leave me at present.

I have sent you this letter Card so you can see what a fine place Penzance is you will be able to keep this and I will be able to tell you all about it when I come home as it is all the talk we are soon a going to Colchester that will be alright for me as I will be able to get Home as it is not far from Home. Dear wife I got the mercury alright and thank you for it. So I dont think I have no more to say the time Hoping are all well at Home with love to all from your Loving Husband Ernest xxxxxx

They must have been sent off to Penzance soon after enlisting.

Kath.

Edited 1 May , 2020 by Kath

[barkalotloudly]

maybe the shop of Mr Ferrow alas now gone!

[Stebie9173]

I do believe that the 8th Battalion (originally intended as a Service battalion, rather than a Reserve battalion) did go to Penzance after initially assembling at Weymouth, before ending up at Reed Hall Camp at Colchester.

I still need to do some work to trace their exact movements.

Steve.

[Gaz Lawson]

Ladies, Gentlemen,

 

My name is Gary Lawson and I am trying to find out as much as possible about my Great Great Uncle. I have been fortunate to visit Arras and see where he is commemorated. Any assistance or further information on him would be greatly appreciated (the information and card above are great).

 

Thanks Gaz
 

[PRC]

Gaz,

 

In case you're not the original Gaz who previously posted, I've attached a shot of the relevant panel on the Great Yarmouth Great War Memorial in St Georges Park..

 

If you have access to the British Newspaper Archive then they have at least one Yarmouth title available for the Great War period, the Independant. It may also be available in the newspaper archives that the standard subscription genealogy sites like FindMyPast & Ancestry include as part of a premium subscription or a chargeable bolt-on. (I'd normally suggest trying them out at your local library if you live in the UK, but these are not normal times !)

 

The Independant has a lot of coverage on local men serving and quite a few pictures. It is also rumoured they produced a souvenir edition post-war with photographs of as many men as possible who were to be listed on the memorial, but I've never come across it.

 

And of course it may not be as a result of his death that he gets a mention.  I see from what has already been posted that he first served overseas with the 7th but died serving with 6th Battalion, but that no record of a wounding had been found. Men didn't routinely transfer between units, so the most likely route is that he was medically evacuated and ended up in a hospital on the coast or even back in the UK. On recovery he didn't go straight back to his old unit but instead would end up in an Infantry Base Depot at the likes of Etaples and Rouen. Increasingly from the start of 1916 men would then be sent where they were most needed - he was probably lucky to even end up in another Battalion of his original regiment.

 

The Medical evacuation process didn't just cover battle injuries, (covered in the official casualty list) but accidental injuries \ sickness and health issues - (which weren't). The latter may however be covered by a local news item.

 

Good luck with your search,

 

Peter

[Gaz Lawson]

Peter

 

Thank you.

[barkalotloudly]

there is the booklet produced by the Yarmouth Mercury? showing many photos of those who had enlisted {I suspect you sent up a photo and paid for it to be published }  

[Kath]

In a Word doc. from 2012 I found this note copied from a GWF post:

 

            PROGRAMME FOR REGIMENTAL SPORTS 1915 PENZANCE
ORIGINAL PROGRAMME FROM EASTER MONDAY 1915 FOR THE REGIMENTAL SPORTS AT THE PENZANCE CRICKET GROUND, FOUR PAGES, UNFORTUNATLEY THE LAST PAGE IS STUCK TO A PIECE OF PAPER AS IT HAS COME FROM A WW1 SCRAPBOOK.  THE REGIMENT WHOSE SPORTS DAY IT IS ARE,THE 8TH SERVICE BATTALION NORTHAMPTONSHIRE REGIMENT. MAKES GOOD READING.  
Easter Monday April 5th 1915 

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=69522

Unfortunately the link does not work.

 

 

[Gaz Lawson]

22 hours ago, barkalotloudly said:

there is the booklet produced by the Yarmouth Mercury? showing many photos of those who had enlisted {I suspect you sent up a photo and paid for it to be published }  

Do you know if it is available anywhere?

 Thanks Gaz

22 minutes ago, Kath said:

In a Word doc. from 2012 I found this note copied from a GWF post:

 

            PROGRAMME FOR REGIMENTAL SPORTS 1915 PENZANCE
ORIGINAL PROGRAMME FROM EASTER MONDAY 1915 FOR THE REGIMENTAL SPORTS AT THE PENZANCE CRICKET GROUND, FOUR PAGES, UNFORTUNATLEY THE LAST PAGE IS STUCK TO A PIECE OF PAPER AS IT HAS COME FROM A WW1 SCRAPBOOK.  THE REGIMENT WHOSE SPORTS DAY IT IS ARE,THE 8TH SERVICE BATTALION NORTHAMPTONSHIRE REGIMENT. MAKES GOOD READING.  
Easter Monday April 5th 1915 

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=69522

Unfortunately the link does not work.

 

 

Thanks Kath that’s a shame.

 Thanks Gaz

[rob carman]

I have the Yarmouth Mercury's 2014 reissue file.  I searched "Lawson" but found nothing. I will do an eye search as I seem to recall not all the  text is searchable.

 

Rob.

 

Edited 4 May , 2020 by rob carman
copyright concern

[rob carman]

No Lawsons.  Sorry.  Rob.

[Gaz Lawson]

Rob, 

 

Thanks very much for looking it’s greatly appreciated.

Thats a shame because my Great Grandfather also served (same Regiment) but I’m very lucky to have photographs of him and his medals.

 

Gaz