What happened in Jan 1916 - April 1916

[Guest nearlypastit]

Dear all,

I've got firends at the National Archive but have been unable to shed any light on what happened to my Great Uncle John Cottington, leading up to his death from injuries on 18th April 1916.

His details are:

Private COTTINGTON, JOHN

Unit: 6th Bn.

Regiment: South Lancashire Regiment

Service No: 1996

Date of Death: 18 April 1916

Commemoration: KIRKEE 1914-1918 MEMORIAL

India

Face D.

Now I know Kirkee is in India but my grandfather remembers a photo of an actual grave. There's no way they shipped an injured private from Palestine or Mesopotamia back to India, or maybe they did! But where is the grave?

Also I know he was only in this area because of a spat with a couple of other squaddies his brother (my other uncle) got him into.

So how do I trace what he did and how he came to be injured?

[Michael Johnson]

The Kirkee Memorial lists many men who were buried in Indian cemeteries that could not be maintained. http://www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_detail...6500&mode=1

If you contact the Commonwealth War Graves Commission they should be able to tell you where he was buried.

I wonder if he was transferred to the 1st Bn., which was in India the whole war.

[Jack Sheldon]

During that period, 6 SLanR, having left Gallipoli for Egypt was shipped to Kuwait and then Basra on 25 Feb 16 whence it moved north to take part in the ill-fated attempt to relieve the siege of Kut. There were battles on 5 April, 9 April, then a three day running fight from 17 - 20 April. If your man died of wounds, it could have happned on any of those dates. If he was actually killed on 19 Apr then it occured on the right bank of the Tigris in the Bait Isa area. Although there are cemeteries in Iraq, I suspect that no monument to the missing was placed there. It could well be, therefore, that the missing were commemorated in India. Somebody is bound to know.

Jack

[Michael Johnson]

I suspect that no monument to the missing was placed there. It could well be, therefore, that the missing were commemorated in India. Somebody is bound to know.

Jack

The Basra Memorial commemorates the missing of the Mesopotamian campaign.

[chrisharley9]

Just to throw a spanner in the works SDGW shows the following details

Born & Resident St Helens

Enlisted Warrington

Died of wounds Mesopotamia

You may be looking a wrong place of commemoration or was he shipped to India?

I will check the overseas death cert ref for you later

Chris

[michaeldr]

As has already been pointed most of the 6th's casualties at this time are remembered at either Basra, or for some, Amara

and I don't know if this helps,

but there were just a few other 6th Bn men who died around this time but who are also remembered at Kirkee together with COTTINGTON

ECCLES, ROBERT Initials: R Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Private Regiment/Service: South Lancashire Regiment Unit Text: 6th Bn. Age: 30 Date of Death: 22/11/1916 Service No: 28793 Additional information: Son of John and Ellen Eccles, of Ainsdale, Southport, Merseyside. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: Face D. Memorial: KIRKEE 1914-1918 MEMORIAL

HUNT, HENRY Initials: H Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Private Regiment/Service: South Lancashire Regiment Unit Text: "C" Coy. 6th Bn. Age: 24 Date of Death: 17/05/1916 Service No: 11457 Additional information: Son of Joseph and Annie Hunt. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: Face D. Memorial: KIRKEE 1914-1918 MEMORIAL

MASON, MARK Initials: M Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Private Regiment/Service: South Lancashire Regiment Unit Text: 6th Bn. Date of Death: 17/05/1916 Service No: 15902 Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: Face D. Memorial: KIRKEE 1914-1918 MEMORIAL

McATEER, MICHAEL Initials: M Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Company Serjeant Major Regiment/Service: South Lancashire Regiment Unit Text: 6th Bn. Age: 39 Date of Death: 30/05/1916 Service No: 10586 Additional information: Son of Mr. and Mrs. M. McAteer, of Liverpool; husband of Johanna Dwyer (formerly McAteer). Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: Face D. Memorial: KIRKEE 1914-1918 MEMORIAL

MOTTERSHEAD, HUGH Initials: H Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Private Regiment/Service: South Lancashire Regiment Unit Text: 6th Bn. Date of Death: 27/10/1916 Service No: 27059 Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: Face D. Memorial: KIRKEE 1914-1918 MEMORIAL

Benjamin is a slightly different case as he is given as 'attd. 3rd Bn'

DAVIS, BENJAMIN Initials: B Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Private Regiment/Service: South Lancashire Regiment Unit Text: 6th Bn. attd. 3rd Bn. Age: 24 Date of Death: 19/04/1916 Service No: 19967 Additional information: Husband of E. M. Raines (formerly Davis), of 65, Davies St., Widnes, Cheshire. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: Face D. Memorial: KIRKEE 1914-1918 MEMORIAL

and one more 6th Bn man is remembered elsewhere in India

McCABE, FRANCIS HENRY Initials: F H Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Corporal Regiment/Service: South Lancashire Regiment Unit Text: 6th Bn. Date of Death: 13/10/1916 Service No: 17711 Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: Face 23. Memorial: DELHI MEMORIAL (INDIA GATE)

[Thanks to Geoff Sullivan whose wonderful search engine http://www.hut-six.co.uk/cgi-bin/search2.php makes this sort of scratching around possible]

A guess would be that perhaps some of the 6th's wounded were shipped to Indian hospitals?

but it's only a guess

Regards

Michael

[Stephen Nulty]

From “Ich Dien”, by Captain H. Whalley-Kelly

Chapter VII. The 6th (Service) Battalion

“On 13th April, the 38th Brigade was moved to the opposite and right bank of the Tigris. The Battalion was in reserve to the 3rd (Indian) Division in the vicinity of the Abu Rumman mounds until the 17th, when it was employed in clearing up the situation in the Bait Isra area, where the Turks had delivered a counter-attack in Force. The task involved three days fighting with bombs and bayonets under trench-warfare conditions, and the Battalion was successful in driving the enemy out of the localities allotted to it before being relieved on the 20th for a well earned rest. Unfortunately, all its sacrifices were in vain as Kut fell on 29th April, and General Townshend with his wasted but gallant garrison marched captive into the interior of Analtolia.”

[Chris Caul]

Quote

There's no way they shipped an injured private from Palestine or Mesopotamia back to India, or maybe they did!

Hello,

some injured were shipped to India to recover. My gt gt granddad was wounded in 1917 in Mesopotamia and went to India.

Chris

[stevenbecker]

Mate,

Can I also add that Australian wounded and sick ended up in India during the trip home from Egypt and a number died there.

So could this bloke be sent to India from Iraq I would say yes.

S.B

[CROONAERT]

There's no way they shipped an injured private from Palestine or Mesopotamia back to India, or maybe they did!

They certainly did! I've researched a number of soldiers where this was the case.

Dave

[GraemeClarke]

Hi,

Just to add my little bit. My grandfather served in 6th Battalion, S/Lancs and was wounded at Kut.

He ended up in hospital at Bombay. I have photographs and letters from the hospital.

So the wounded were removed to India from Iraq.

Hope this helps,

Graeme

[Greenwoodman]

Its certainly the case that what I guess who might call third-line hospital facilities for the Mesopotamia Campaign were in India. It was an Indian Army campaign, resourced mainly from India. Boats were used to ferry wounded down the rivers to Basra where they were transhipped for passage to India. It would indicate that such men were wounded some days before their death, as it would be a slow process. Perhaps Graeme could enlighten us as to the time it took from wound to hospital in Bombay?