Jump to content
Free downloads from TNA ×
The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Frederick William Tyrrell


Guest Hill 60

Recommended Posts

CWGC:

Name: TYRRELL

Initials: F W

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Corporal

Regiment: The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)

Unit Text: 1st/5th Bn.

Age: 23

Date of Death: 07/01/1916

Service No: T/1710

Additional information: Son of Walter and Annie Tyrrell, of York Villa, Kennington, Ashford, Kent.

Grave/Memorial Reference: XXXI. D. 8.

Cemetery: AMARA WAR CEMETERY

Country: Iraq

Locality: unspecified

Visiting Information: THE COMMISSION STRONGLY ADVISES THAT THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE SHOULD BE CONTACTED BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO VISIT IRAQ. Their details are as follows: Travel Advice Unit Consular Division Foreign and Commonwealth Office Old Admiralty Building London SW1A 2AF Tel: 0207 008 0232/0233 Fax: 0207 008 0164 Website: http://www.fco.gov.uk/ Opening Times: Monday to Friday 09.30 - 16.00

Location Information: Amara is a town on the left bank of the Tigris some 520 kilometres from the sea. The War Cemetery is a little east of the town between the left bank of the river and the Chahaila Canal.

Historical Information:

Amara was occupied by the Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force on 3 June 1915 and it immediately became a hospital centre. The accommodation for medical units on both banks of the Tigris was greatly increased during 1916 and in April 1917, seven general hospitals and some smaller units were stationed there. Amara War Cemetery contains 4,621 burials of the First World War, more than 3,000 of which were brought into the cemetery after the Armistice. 925 of the graves are unidentified. In 1933, all of the headstones were removed from this cemetery when it was discovered that salts in the soil were causing them to deteriorate. Instead a screen wall was erected with the names of those buried in the cemetery engraved upon it. Plot XXV is a Collective Grave, the individual burial places within this are not known. There are also seven non-war graves in the cemetery.

No. of Identified Casualties: 3703

Link to comment
Share on other sites

SDGW;

Born: Herne Bay, Kent

Enlisted: Ashford, kent

Residence: Kennington, Ashford, Kent

Killed in action

SDGW states that there were 40 KiAs from the 5th (3 officers & 37 ORs) on this date, including what appears to be 2 brothers (T/2435 Pte Percy John Baker and T/2434 George William Baker).

Breakdown of casualties:

2/Lt Sidney Rothwell

Lt Guy Talbot Baker (related to the other Bakers?)

Lt Hugh Stephen Marchant

1 CSM, 1 CQMS, 3 Cpls, 4 L/Cpls, 28 Ptes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Pete Wood

Agreed, Lee.

This was not a good day for the Buffs - 5 Bn East Kent (Weald of Kent) Regiment (Territorial); 3 officers and 37 men killed. In fact, it was a bad month, with heavy losses in other vicious attacks over the next two weeks - especially the 13th, 16th, 21st.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Pete Wood

The Weald of Kent Terriers had only recently arrived in Mesopotamia from India. So although they were accustomed to the heat, they were probably ill prepared for action so soon.

You can read more about the Battle of Sheikh Sa'ad (7th January 1916) by reading the following page on The Long, Long Trail:

Battle of Sheikh Sa'ad

The Buffs were part of the relieving force for General Townsend's army, besieged by the Turks, in Kut.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I couldn't miss Frederick's day without posting something about the Battalion on that day from the Regimental History. There is an interesting mention of a MIRAGE.

Our force began to advance and came under fire almost at once, and the artillery opened at 8 o’clock. The firing increased hourly in intensity as the day wore on, from rifles and shrapnel and later on from machine guns, too, and casualties began to grow to an unpleasant extent. The adjutant, LT HS Marchant was killed, and Lt-Col J Munn-Mace, Major E Clarke and many others were wounded. The advance was over open country and the available cover was so meager as to be almost non-existent.

There was a mirage too which interfered considerably with observation, but be the middle of the afternoon a much thinned out firing line of Buffs, Black Watch and Seaforth Highlanders had got within about 400yds of the position. There were not enough men to keep up the pressure, however, and as there was every appearance of a counter attack being contemplated, these British troops prepared a line about 200yds behind the place they had advanced to, and digging themselves in for the night prepared to resist any offensive on the part of the enemy. Beyond very heavy firing, which rendered the bringing in of the wounded a matter of great difficulty, however, nothing of that nature occurred, though the situation was anything but a pleasant one, for the firing was kept up all night, the weather was bitterly cold and showery, and the food consisted of a few biscuits with some bully beef for breakfast.

I've also noted that Captain B Buss and Lt's Hon GJ Goschen and WH Winch later died of their wounds.

I don't want to steal Frederick's thunder but here is the death certificated for Lt Guy Talbot Baker

post-1-1073507991.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And here is an xray of Captain Buss's skull before he died showing the fragment of exploded shell that injured him on 7/1/16 and was to cause him terrible pain until his eventual death on 4th November 1918.

STEADY THE BUFFS

Michael

post-1-1073508535.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...