1/5th King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment

[owilki1984]

Hi everyone,

This area of the site is a bit knew to me, but as the Forum has helped me so much I thought I should try and give a little back.

I have bought myself a copy of the 1st/5th Regiment King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment war diary on CD-ROM.

If anyone wants a look-up I will do my best. Some dates are missing but it is mostly all there. I believe that the CD is an accurate copy of the diary held at the Regimental Museum in Lancaster.

To draw my attention to a look-up you may also want to PM me.

Please note that I have a lot on at the moment as I am doing a history degree, so lookups might take a while – and if I am bombarded I shall scream - however I will do my level best.

Regards

Oli

[love4history]

Hi Oli

Could you please have a look for Pte. 35700 Scales John Clement, “A” Coy 1st/5th Bn, King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment? He was KIA on 09/04/1918 and is commemorated on the Loos Memorial

His MIC only shows entitlement to a duo British War Medal and Victory Medal so I figure he didn't go overseas untill 1916 or he would've got the 15-star as well.

Any info on the man, "A" Coy and/or the circumstances on 09/04/18 would be welcome!

cheers from Flanders!

[Northern Soul]

He was killed in action near Givenchy during the Battle of the Lys; Givenchy is the site of the 55th (West Lancashire) Division's memorial, as they were were one of the few divisions who held their ground during the German offensive. He went to France in the latter part of 1917 as part of a replacement draft for the 1st/5th Battalion.

PTE. J. C. SCALES.

Pte. J. C. Scales, son of Mr. John Scales, the Co-operative Society's butcher, who lives at 29, Lancashire Road, is amongst local soldiers reported missing. A lieutenant of his battalion writes that Pte. Scales was all right when last seen, and that he (the officer) has good reason to hope that he was a prisoner. Pte. Scales, who is 20 years of age, has been about six months in France, joining up twelve months ago. Before that he was employed by the Maypole Dairy Company, first at Millom and later at Barrow.

-: Millom Gazette, Friday, May 10, 1918; page 3.

He was born April 18th, 1898.

Extract from “The Fifth Battalion The King’s Own In The Great War.”

The billets at La Tombe Willot were very scattered and could only be reached by light wagons, as the roads were so bad. All was quiet on the night of the 8th, but at 4 a.m. next morning all the Locon Area and the approaches to it were heavily shelled. At 6a.m. “bustle” was received, but cancelled at 7.30 a.m. Meanwhile the Battalion had been formed up near the main Locon road, and advantage was taken of the interval to have a hurried breakfast. At 8 a.m. “bustle” again came, but the positions to be taken up had been altered, and the Battalion moved up in rear of the Portuguese front, which it was found had been driven in. The whole Battalion had to cross Mesplaux Bridge, which was being heavily shelled, but all got over without casualties.

Major Phillip’s account:-

“We reached La Tombe Willot about 1 p.m., and found the Portuguese still in our billets, so the men got their dinners on the roadside while waiting for the Portuguese to be cleared out. The billets were particularly filthy and scattered over nearly two miles. The Battalion alarm post was a field near the road junction one and a half miles north of Locon.

“That afternoon, about 5 p.m., just as the men were getting into billets we got orders to relieve the southernmost Portuguese Battalion in the line the following day, and orders were got out for the advance parties, etc., for the following morning. At 10 p.m. that night we were given general orders, in case of an attack, to support the southernmost Portuguese Brigade, and the other two units of our Brigade were to support respectively the other two Brigades of our Division holding Festubert and Givenchy sectors.

“We were as it happened operating in a sector over which we had no opportunity of doing any reconnaissance.

“Our strengths were approximately as follows:-

“ ‘A’ Company, 85 bayonets; ‘B,’ ‘C’ and ‘D’ Companies, 130 bayonets each; H.Q., 50 bayonets.

“ ‘A’ Company had 50 men away on duty with a Company of Tunnelling Engineers, hence the difference in strength.

“Each company had five Lewis guns and six officers.

“It was understood that the ‘battle position’ was the village line, the road running through Festubert Epinette and thence north-east.

“April 9th, 4 a.m. The enemy began a very heavy barrage and heavy shooting on the back areas. The alarm was given and the Battalion assembled at the alarm post and awaited orders. There was very heavy mist, which lasted till about 10 a.m.

“About 6 a.m. we were told that no attack had developed but that we were to stand by. The C.O. and Adjutant went to Brigade H.Q. in Locon for orders, and the kitchens were got up for the men to breakfast. All this time heavy shelling going on north-east and south of us. Locon was getting well knocked about. It took a long time to get up the field kitchens, as the billets were so scattered and the side roads so bad. A great deal of movement was going on up the main road to Zelobes, and a battalion of cyclists went by.

“7.15. The C.O. returned to say the enemy were attacking heavily and that we were to move up at once to support the Portuguese. Positions were allocated as below:-

“ ‘A’ Company, Le Touret exclusive north up Emperor Road to link up with the cyclist battalion, which was extending south from Lacontine.

“ ‘B’ Company, Le Touret.

“ ‘D’ Company, a strong point and some trenches south-west of Le Touret, marked X on map.

“ ‘C’ Company, strong point and trenches Loisnes North.

“H.Q., on the Rue Du Bois somewhere east of Le Hamel.

“7.30 a.m. The Battalion moved off following the route Locon-Mesplaux-les-Facons. The enemy were firing on Locon, the Locon-Mesplaux Bridge and fairly heavily forward from Mesplaux. There was a good deal of gas in the latter stages.

“9.10 a.m. Battalion H.Q. was located near the junction of the Dyke and the Rue Du Bois. Two men of the King’s Liverpool Regiment reached us and stated that the enemy had overrun Festubert, and the two men were sent on to Brigade H.Q. H.Q. platoon began to dig themselves in with their entrenching tools on the west side of the Dyke, covering the Rue Du Bois with a flank thrown back facing Loisnes.

10.00 a.m. ‘B,’ ‘C’ and ‘D’ Companies reported themselves in position, but nothing heard from ‘A’ Company, though ‘B’ Company stated that they had been in touch with ‘A’ Company’s southern flank.

“10.15 a.m. Battalion Signal Office etc., moved to the east end of Le Hamel, and heavy fire heard all along the front. A patrol which had been sent out to Loisnes reported no sign of enemy, but that Loisnes was being heavily shelled. All this time Portuguese streaming past in panic and disorder. Later two companies came past in better shape and these we impounded as a reserve with our H.Q. platoon and placed them in position as safeguards.

“12.30 p.m. Two runners came in from O.C. ‘A’ Company, who reported being in position, but stated that there was a gap of 1000 yards to his north between his north flank and the Cyclists, to whom he had sent a patrol, and that ‘A’ Company could extend no further north, as they were then extended to their utmost capacity.

“1.15 p.m. The two runners from ‘A’ Company returned to say that they could not rejoin their company, but that heavy fire had been opened on them from where they had left the Company. Warned ‘B’ Company and enquired of them; sent out officer’s patrol to investigate. This patrol reported the same as the runners, and two subsequent patrols reported identically, and that they could see Germans moving about on the spot.

“During the afternoon several attacks were made on the positions held by ‘B,’ ‘C’ and ‘D’ Companies, all of which were bean off by small arms fire, for we had no artillery to help. Later we were informed that the Division had held up the Germans on the village line at Festubert and Givenchy and counter attacked successfully, but that the enemy had broken through to the north, and had almost reached Locon. We were also informed that an entrenching battalion and some details were in position from north of Les Facons through Mesplaux North to the River Aire. But all wires had been down or broken by shell fire since the first thing that morning, and we got no orders or information from the Portuguese.

“5 p.m. ‘A’ Company Seaforths (51st Division) reported to us, and were placed in position with our H.Q. platoon.

“ ‘B’ Company reported the enemy had brought one or more trench mortars into position against him.

“6 p.m. More attacks on ‘B,’ ‘C’ and ‘D’ Companies, all beaten off, and the Company of Seaforths were moved forward to cover the one from Les Facons to a farm house west of Le Touret.

“7 p.m. April 9th to 6 a.m. April 10th. A comparatively quiet night. Got S.A.A., bombs, etc., and food and water up to ‘B,’ ‘C’ and ‘D’ Companies. The men had had nothing to eat since breakfast. Heavy spasmodic shelling.

“8 a.m. Heavy outburst of fire, and ‘B’ Company reported hard pressed and nearly surrounded, but later reported all attacks beaten off.

Four machine guns arrived and placed in position in front of Le Hamel – more arrived during the day. An artillery officer looking for an O.P. arrived, which looked as if we might expect some support from guns soon. One Lance Corporal and two other ranks reached us, the sole survivors (with the two runners of ‘A’ Company, who had been encircled, rushed and swamped by overwhelming numbers in the mist, but went down fighting.

“1 p.m. After more heavy firing it was reported that ‘B’ Company had been finished, but the survivors (about 35 strong), though driven out of Le Touret by 2.30 p.m., took up a position at the point marked Z in prolongation of the one held by the Company at point X. They were reinforced there by the H.Q. platoon. These positions were held for the remainder of the day, in spite of several efforts by the enemy and some very nasty barraging from the captured Portuguese guns with open sights.

“10 p.m. to 11.50 p.m. We were relieved.

“General. There seemed little doubt that the enemy was surprised by running up against our men in that sector, where they had only expected to find Portuguese. This and the wonderful show put up by the individual companies seemed to prevent him making one big attack all along the front, in which case he must have broken through. The most critical time was the early afternoon of the 9th when, though we did not realise for the time being, there was nothing, after he had finished ‘A’ Company, between Emperor Road and Bethune except the H.Q. platoon in front of Le Hamel, while the head of another enemy column was close to Locon.

“The men were wonderful and fought splendidly under conditions very trying to morale, such as an unknown sector, the unfortunate example of the Portuguese, shortage of food, and no artillery support.

“The casualties were severe; I believe I was the fifteenth officer casualty in the Battalion. Their fighting spirit never shone brighter.

“I lay wounded in a shell hole between points X and Z all the afternoon and evening of the 10th, and had every opportunity of observation.

About mid-day on the 9th Transport, with as much of the officers’ and men’s kits as could be obtained and the Battalion dinners in the field kitchens, moved from Locon to a field behind Locon in W.6c.8.2, but was shelled out and moved across the Lawe Canal to a field near Hingette. During the afternoon a message, carried by a gunner, reached Transport from O.C. ‘A’ Company saying that the Company was hard pressed. Second Lieutenant Duxbury, ‘B’ Company, was killed during this day, and his body was the only one recovered and sent down by Transport that night. As mentioned in Major Phillip’s account, there was naturally no artillery support on the 9th, but by the 10th some had been established, and the 51st Division having arrived, the gaps were filled up and the line secured. Transport, which on the 9th had been brigaded, again had to move on the morning of the 10th, having again come under enemy fire, and in the afternoon it was decided, owing to continued shelling, to move still further away to Vendin behind Bethune. During the night more salvaged kits were obtained from La Tombe Willot, and the bulk of the stores left at Le Quesnoy were moved by lorry. It had not been possible to move these valuable stores from Le Quesnoy to La Tombe Willot on the 8th, which was fortunate, as otherwise they would probably have been captured. One man guarding the kits at La Tombe Willot had been killed, and one at Le Quesnoy wounded.

Early on the 11th Battalion H.Q. moved to Les Glatignies. All was quiet, although it was known that there was a heavy concentration of the enemy on the Battalion front. There was an attack on the left, which caused our line to fall back, but the position was restored during the evening. On the morning of the 12th the S.O.S. went up on our left front, and the enemy attacked Mesplaux Farm, but was repulsed. All was then quiet till 8 p.m., when an attack again came on the left with no success. The Transport and Stores, which had so far been in a very precarious position, being in full view of the enemy at Vendin, now moved to Gosnay, in another Corps area, where things were quiet. The last wagons were leaving the field at Vendin when the shells arrived. Half an hour later on each of the moves would have meant disaster to the Brigade Transport. The morning of April 13th was very quiet. ‘B’ Company formed a defensive flank on the west side of the Lawe Canal, and were joined by Second Lieutenant Yare’s party of 56 men from the 251st Tunnelling Company. In the afternoon there was a heavy bombardment, and Battalion H.Q. suffered severely. The enemy attacked, but was repulsed, and in the evening Battalion H.Q. moved to a farm 500 yards in rear. The 14th also opened quietly, but ‘B’ and ‘D’ Companies, who had relieved the 1/4th South Lancs. (Pioneer Battalion) in Mesplaux Farm, were heavily shelled in the afternoon. At night the Battalion was relieved by the 1st Northumberland Fusiliers and the 4th Royal Fusiliers. Relief was completed by 1 a.m., and the companies marched independently to Vendin, where lorries picked them up and took them to Raimbert, where they arrived about 5 a.m. Transport and Stores had previously arrived from Gosnay. During the 15th the Battalion rested and counted the cost. The casualties were:-

Killed Wounded Missing Total

Officers 1 5 9 15

N.C.O’s and Men 22 62 141 225

Hope this is useful.

Best wishes.

Andy.

[Mark Abbott]

Any information on:

241610 Sgt P H Roy The King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment.

Would be welcome. He was transferred to the 1/5th Btn on the 7 February 1918 from the 1/7th amd went on to win an MM.

On the 9th April 1918, the 1/5th King's Own held the left flank of the 55th Division front. With the Portuguese Division to its left. The Battalion was given general orders to support the Portuguese. The stand made by the units of the 55th Division in April 1918, in the face of overwhelming German numbers is perhaps their finest hour.

For his bravery during the period 9th-14th April 1918, Sgt Roy was awarded a Military Medal. His citation states:

"For bravery and devotion to duty. Throughout the operations near LE TOURET, 9th to 14th April. On one occasion he went forward under heavy shell fire and was successful in rescuing two wounded men, although in full view of the enemy and being shot at."

The recommendation being dated the 20th April 1918. The award of the MM appears in the London Gazette on the 7th

Many thanks

Mar

[sabine72]

Hello,

I am looking for the war diaries for the first battalion between october 1914 and april 1915 for the area of plugstreet.

my friend patrick who found Harry wWlkinson and Richard Lancaster is looking for that info and since he speaks french it is hard for him to wrtre english. any help is welcome

at the moment he is waiting to get the paperwork done to recover 3 other bodies.

thanks in advance

kind regards

sabine and patrick roelens

[Northern Soul]

Any information on:

241610 Sgt P H Roy The King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment.

Would be welcome. He was transferred to the 1/5th Btn on the 7 February 1918 from the 1/7th amd went on to win an MM.

On the 9th April 1918, the 1/5th King's Own held the left flank of the 55th Division front. With the Portuguese Division to its left. The Battalion was given general orders to support the Portuguese. The stand made by the units of the 55th Division in April 1918, in the face of overwhelming German numbers is perhaps their finest hour.

For his bravery during the period 9th-14th April 1918, Sgt Roy was awarded a Military Medal. His citation states:

"For bravery and devotion to duty. Throughout the operations near LE TOURET, 9th to 14th April. On one occasion he went forward under heavy shell fire and was successful in rescuing two wounded men, although in full view of the enemy and being shot at."

The recommendation being dated the 20th April 1918. The award of the MM appears in the London Gazette on the 7th

Many thanks

Mar

Mark,

My post above (#3) gives the description of the 1/5th K.O. at Givenchy on April 9th as taken from the Battalion history. I don't have any further information to hand on Percy Roy but I'll look him up in the Medal Rolls for the date of his discharge for you. Incidentally the 7th Battalion was a Service battalion, not T.F., and so is not designated 1/7th.

Hello,

I am looking for the war diaries for the first battalion between october 1914 and april 1915 for the area of plugstreet.

my friend patrick who found Harry wWlkinson and Richard Lancaster is looking for that info and since he speaks french it is hard for him to wrtre english. any help is welcome

at the moment he is waiting to get the paperwork done to recover 3 other bodies.

thanks in advance

kind regards

sabine and patrick roelens

Hi Sabine,

I have sent you a P.M. - I have the War Diary and can easily let you have copies.

Best wishes.

Andy.

[Ken Lees]

Any information on:

241610 Sgt P H Roy The King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment.

Would be welcome. He was transferred to the 1/5th Btn on the 7 February 1918 from the 1/7th amd went on to win an MM.

Mark,

Are you sure he was 7th Bn and not simply attached to the 7th from the 1/5th and subsequently returned to his parent unit before being awarded the MM?

The reason I ask is that his number - 241610 - is a 5th TF Battalion post-Jan 1917 renumbering. If he was a 7th Bn. regular (or service enlistment) he would not normally have been re-numbered with a TF number on his transfer - he would have kept his regular (or service Bn.) number

Ken

[sabine72]

Andy,

thank you for the diaries, patrick is realy over the moon.

kind regards

sabine

[Northern Soul]

You are most welcome. It's nice to be able to do something for you in return for all the photos you have taken for me.

Andy.

[Northern Soul]

The King's Own Medal Rolls confirm Percy H. Roy as 7th Bn and 1/5th Bn. As he did not serve overseas till after 1915 I can't give you a date of discharge as he is not listed in the 1914-15 Star Roll.

As regards his Service Number - a bit of a mystery, although I would suggest that he originally enlisted in the 5th Bn. at home, was posted to the 7th Bn. immediately on arriving in France (with a draft) and then was subsequently transferred back to the 1st/5th Bn. at a later date, in time to serve with them at Givenchy in April, 1918.

Andy.

[Morris]

I would be interested in any info about my father Dr Arthur H. Morris who was the MO to the 1/5 KORL for the months before and after the Armistice, ie during the final advance and when they were in Brussels.

According to his letters he left the 2/1 Wessex Field Ambulance and was appointed MO to the 1/5 KORL on 20th May 1918. (At that point he was a Lieutenant, he was promoted Captain in January 1919, probably on the 29th)

On 22nd Feb 1919 as the Divisional personnel were being reorganised he was also made the temporary MO of the 1/5 South Lancs, then on 26th Feb 1919 he transferred back to the 2/1 Wessex Field Ambulance. In March 1919 when the 55th Division was heading for Germany he left it and took up a new post attached to Army HQ in Tournai.

Alfred