Western Front March 1917 on and Piave Italy

[essexreg]

My Grandfather, along with five brothers, served in The Great War. Incredibly all survived. I talked to him about his experiences/doings a few years before his decease at age 98. He suffered from shellshock shaking of his hands. He had been blown into the air by a shell landing and was a casualty for a short time in a Canadian hospital on the Front. His memories were very vague on detail of actions but he could tell me that he joined up in December 1917 for the Cambridgeshire Regiment- I'm pretty sure he said Cambridgeshire- at Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, did 10 weeks training at Holton Camp and arrived on the Western front around mid-March 1917. That he, partly through dessimation of the units he fought with, was subsequently transferred to the 11th Royal West Kent Regiment and 7th London Regiment. Also that he served in Italy on the River Piabe- actually Piave. I have found his medal card ex National Archives which confirms his transfers. It shows him as having been with Suffolk Regiment- No 331055, R W Kent Regiment -No 205171 and R Fusiliers- number looks like CS or GS/82985. William's main recollections were of travelling to the Front passing through Dickybush with mines en route onto the Arras, White Chateau area where he said "Gerry had brook through there and we stopped em, I was on a Lewis gun." Other names he remembered were Hill 60, Ypres, Mons and Hollebeke. I would have asked him much more had I fully realised at the time the importance of preserving war experiences like his for posterity. William mentioned he was on leave from the Front and whilst cycling to a nearby village saw another cyclist biking in the opposite direction toward him on the other side of the road. The other turned out to be a friend who too was serving on the Western Front and of his fate William had known not and neither he William's. They could hardly believe their eyes, exclaiming at the same time is that you . . . .? with each being so pleased and relieved that the other had survived. A big ask I know but could someone help with piecing together the actions William might well have been involved in, and possibly his movements between Regiments. I'm aware of the 3rd battle of Arras at about the time of his arrival on the Front and the movement of troops to Italy but I know very little else.

[Greenwoodman]

It is quite difficult to piece together a soldier's service without firm dates, and good knowledge of the units to which he belonged. The experts on the forum who research the allocation of regimental numbers within various regiments can help pin down when a number was issued, which will help decipher your grandfather's moves.

Helping out with some of his service, it looks as though he may have trained with 3/1st Cambridgeshires. 3/1 Cambs was formed at Cambridge in Feb 1915. Aug 15 moved to Windsor. Oct 1915 moved to Halton Park, Tring. On 08/04/16 it became 1st Reserve Battalion Cambs. 01/09/16 it was in East Anglian Reserve Brigade TF at Halton Park. 23/07/17 it combined with 4th (Reserve) Battalion Suffolk Regiment to form Cambridge and Suffolk Reserve battalion. This info might also indicate the origin of his connection with the Suffolk regiment.

Second part which seems clear is that the 11th RWK served in Italy with 41st Div, transferring in Nov 1917 and returning to France arriving at Doullens 07/03/18.

Good luck with your jigsaw.

[Chris_Baker]

The 11th RWK was promptly disbanded on arrival in France and there is a strong possiblity that William was transferred to the Royal Fusililers at that point.

[essexreg]

Thank you both. Have posted a post on the Soldiers Forum entitled "Regimental numbers". Apologies for not replying/letting you know sooner. As you will see the pieces of the jigsaw are 'miraculously' appearing before our eyes and being pieced together through the much appreciated generous assistance of the replying Members. Needless to say I- and by extension his family/descendents- very likely never otherwise would have come to know. Like so many others who returned, William did not much talk about his experiences/doings.