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Remembered Today:

11th East Yorks


Chris

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Hi.

Would be interested if anyone could help with a Battalion War Diary account of the above action, or regimental history. Am researching Sgt. 11/49 Frank Cox who was killed in this action. From letters to the family from his collegues it gives the impression the raid was a failure as a German sentry saw them and was able to raise the alarm. According to his collegues Frank was shot through the head (although could be their way of saying it was a quick death) a few yards from the German trenches, but his body brought back to the British lines. He is buried in Row H in Knightsbridge Cemetery, so he was buried initially elsewhere on the battlefield and his body brought into Knightsbridge after the Armistice. Just wondered what the official East Yorks sources say about this raid.

Cheers

Chris

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Chris,

Out of curiosity, where did this raid take place? I am asking because I have an interest on raids on both sides of the wire and I like to see if I have any written records fromthe German point of view. Thanks,

Ralph

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Ralph.

Not 100% sure, one of the reasons for seeing if there was an official East Yorks record, but from evidence in the letters, which stated Frank was buried just behind the front line where the raid occured, i am of the opinion that it must have occured not far from Newfoundland Memorial Park.

Chris

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From memory Chris. Was the raid repeated about twice by the 12th battalion?

Regards, Chris N.

P.S. I think it would have probably taken place in the Serre Sector?

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Just had a flick, not much, but here you go.

Quote, "Barnsley Pals", by Jon Cooksey.

The men who returned to their trenches told a depressingly similar story to the one recounted by members of a raiding party of the 11th East Yorks. who, the night before, had aborted their mission almost as soon as it had begun due to the quantity of wire still apparently untouched by the British shrapnel.

Were the German troops facing them a Baden regiment?

Maybe Ralph knows :D

Chris.

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Nothing of this raid ,by the 11th,mentioned in the East Yorks Regimental History by Everard Wyrall (although there is reference to that carried out by the 12/E.Yorks at the end of June).

Dave.

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The exact location of the patrol/raid would be most helpful. If it took place in front of Serre it was probably against the 169th IR, a Baden unit. If further south then it could be the 121st RIR, a Württemberg unit.

I have the records for the 121st but no raid is mentioned. I also have the 119th RIR that was next in line toward the Ancre and they do mention a raid on 27 June but this could be from a different unit. Unfortunately I do not have the records for the 169th IR and I am not sure if a regimental history was produced.

If anyone can provide the details I will see what I can find.

Ralph

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Just to add to the confusion, i have been re reading over all the info i have on this and i may have a discrepancy. Both SDGW and CWGC give the date of Frank's death as 27th June 1916, as i indicated earlier. However reading the letter from his colleague 11/51 Jack Kirk more closely he gives the date of the raid as the 25th (although he is writing a month later). Did the 11th take part in a raid on the 25th rather than the 27th. Is it possible as Franks body was buried later that the date of his burial is recorded rather than his death? Sorry about the blip.

Chris

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Oh sure, make it a bit harder.

I still need some definite idea as to the location if possible.

Ralph

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Ralph,

You mentioned an interest on Trench raids and i wonder if you had any details on the following raid from the German records, which invoved my Great Uncle William Chadwick being on the wrong end of a German dagger.

This is taken from the Illustrated Sketch of the 1/5th & 2/5th Battalions West Yorkshire Regiment during the Great War, published by R. Ackrill Ltd, Harrogate:-

Angry Germans

" A small incident, the outcome of the successful operations at Loos and on the French front, is related in the diary of the 1/5th West Yorkshires on September 27th. The battalion had put up a notice board informing the enemy that the Allies, during the Battle of Loos, had captured 50 guns and 2,800 prisoners. The enemy first opened with a heavy bombardment of the Yorkshiremen's trenches, and then at 9.55 a.m. a party of angry Germans, numbering one officer and ten men, rushed across no man's land and tore down the notice. Then, jumping into a sap, they knifed a bomber and withdrew, but three were shot down"

There is a reference to this incident in the local newspaper, where a another soldier, who was also wounded in the attack mentions he was in the sap at the time with my Great Uncle & refers to the stabbing.

The date was 27th September 1915 & i believe the 1/5th West Yorks, as part of the 49th West Riding Division were north of Ypres, along the Yser canal.

Cheers

Chad

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Chad, I believe that the unit opposite the 1/5 West Yorks would have been in either the 45th or 46th Reserve Division. I do not have any of the regimentals for these units as I have concentrated further south along the Somme.

However I do believe that Jan (AOK4) does have the histories for these units and might be able to shed some light on the subject, he is quite the expert for this portion of the front for the German side of things. I suggest giving him a short note and see what he might have.

Regards,

Ralph

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