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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Lt Edmund Sharrington Davenport RFL


Pat Twomey

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Hi Pat,

The Cork Examiner published the following -

(CE 11/2/1918) – 2nd LIEUTENANT E. S. DAVENPORT, ROYAL FLYING CORPS – Previously reported missing, now reported dead, only son of the late Captain E. H. Davenport, Royal Navy, Shorecliffe House, Co. Cork, and of Mrs. Davenport, 6 Park View, Wellington Road, Cork.

JPC

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Hello Again,

I have a little more to add. The Davenport family home is now a guesthouse, see - http://www.cork-guide.ie/cork_city/parkview/

And from a BDM list of 1920 -

Davenport, Edmund Charington, Lieut. (In Memoriam) – Royal Flying Corps, killed west of Masnieris on 3rd Jan, 1918. Only son of the late Capt. E. H. Davenport, RN, 6 Park View, Wellington road, Cork – (3/1/1920)

Grontage, Leonard C., MC, late Turkish Corps, eldest son of Charles, Esq., and Mrs., Erdington, Birmingham, to Mary Lucy Davenport, only daughter of the late Captain E. H., RN and Mrs., 6 Park View, Cork, at St. Patrick’s Church, Cork – (13/1/1920)

Also I note that the Times says that he joined the RFC in April 1917 - the RFC were on a recruiting drive in Cork in April 1917.

JPC

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JPC has discovered the Groutage / Davenport marriage date. They were married on the 13th January 1920 at St Patrick's Church Cork. He is described as being late of the 'Turkish Corp'. I'm wondering should that be 'Tank Corp' as I have not come across a reference to 'Turkish' before?

I also found that the Davenports were living in Glandore when the 1901 census was taken. There were six people in the house that night:

Edmund H Davenport age 47

Annie Davenport age 37

Sharrington Davenport age 5

Margaret Clancy (visitor) age 39

and two servants (Cook and Housemaid) Mary and Norah McDonald

No sign of Mary Davenport (again on the missing list) maybe not born yet?

Best Pat

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Pat - wonderful! well done (who's JPC - forgive me)

Mary must have been in a dreadful state of shock at the inquest to get her marriage date wrong (or the reporter got it wrong). Could she have been young when married?

Interesting that she was RC when her grandfather was a CofE rector.

Stephen

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See the thread on the War in the Air

 

for JPC's informative contribution. It is interesting that she was RC maybe influenced by her Mother?

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  • 4 weeks later...

The day that Leonard Groutage was awarded his M.C. - 9th August 1918 - from the War History of the Sixth Tank Battalion, Tank Corps.

At 2.30 A.M. on the following day, August 9, orders were received from the 3rd Tank Brigade for twenty-four Tanks to operate with the 1st Canadian Division. The officer commanding was to meet a liaison officer from the cavalry at Guillaucourt, at which point the Tanks would remain until contact had been established with the 1st and 2nd Cavalry Divisions.

The twenty-four Tanks, eight per Company, left camp at 4.45 A.M. On arrival at Guillaucourt it was found that the advance of the Canadian Corps was to continue, and was timed to commence at 10 A.M. The Whippets were to remain with the cavalry until the latter were ready to go through the infantry, when they would advance, also clearing a way through enemy machine guns, etc.

" A " Company were to co-operate with the 9th Cavalry Brigade. " B " Company were to co-operate with the 2nd Cavalry Brigade, whilst " C " Company were in support.

The advance was postponed until 11 A.M.

" A " Company moved off, followed by " B", with " C " in support. It was not expected that the heavy Tanks would join in the attack. " A" Company moved forward along the railway, with orders to get in touch with G.O.C. 9th Cavalry Brigade, and liaison was effected at 11 A.M.

" A" Company were given orders to push on to Rosieres, where cavalry patrols were expected in about forty minutes. From there the cavalry and Whippets were to work in the direction of Meharicourt - Chilly - Chaulnes ; one Tank, under Lieut. Patrick, was sent across the railway to protect the left flank.

" B " Company, under Major A. H. Rycroft, D.S.O., had been ordered to concentrate in the valley west of Caix, and move forward in the direction of Vrely, operating with the 1st Cavalry Brigade. This, however, was somewhat delayed by the fact that Major Rycroft received a severe injury whilst on his way to give his Company orders, and no one was informed of the accident, Major Rycroft having no orderly with him, owing to the lack of horses.

" C " Company were concentrated at the north of Caix. " A " Company at once moved forward, and Captain Robson, who was next to the railway, observing that the Australians were being held up by machine guns from certain points beyond the railway, crossed over the railway and put the guns out and captured the teams, enabling the Australians to move forward.

Three Whippets had meanwhile reached Rosieres. Captain Horsley and Lieut. Holloway went through the village and cleared it of snipers, patrolling as far as the sugar factory on the east side. Lieut. Howard, in endeavouring to encircle the village from the southern side, encountered an anti-Tank gun, and was killed with all his crew. The Canadians had, by this time, captured the village, and established their line north and south from the sugar factory.

" C" Company, about 5.30 P.M., moved forward to assist the Canadians east of Meharicourt; after patrolling as far as the old trench system, 1000 yards east of the village, they withdrew intact, having fired at a few targets. At 10 P.M. they arrived at the rallying-point.

About 5.45 P.M. a party of the 9th Lancers were driven in from the direction of Fouquescourt, and it was reported that the enemy were preparing to counter-attack. " B" Company were then south of Marcelcave, on the road midway between Ignaucourt and Autercourt. G.O.C. 2nd Cavalry Brigade sent them forward to clear up the situation. Six Tanks, under Major W. O. Gibbs, moved up to a point 2000 yards south-west of Vrely, and from there were launched in the direction of Fouquescourt, across the open country of standing corn, in which were hidden several enemy machine guns, which were holding up the Canadians. Several of these were located and the crews destroyed or driven off. The enemy were holding a part of the old trench system 2000 yards north-west of Fouquescourt in some strength, and against them Lieutenants Groutage and Bennett advanced, causing some to retire and killing others. This manoeuvre enabled some of the Canadians to advance to a position in which they remained during the night. Both Lieutenants Groutage and Bennett's Tanks received direct hits, the crew of the latter being now missing; but the crew of the former, getting his guns out, were able to get away. Tank No. 282 stopped owing to engine trouble and the crew and guns taken off by another Tank.

As it was becoming dark the Tanks were then withdrawn, and returned to the rallying-point.

The following numbers of Tanks rallied at the rallying-point.

"A" Company, 7. "B" Company, 5. " C" Company, 8.

The details of Tanks which did not rally are as follows :

" A" Company. 365. Direct hit, and burnt out, with Lieut. Howard and driver killed; gunner wounded.

" B " Company. 359. Direct hit, and burnt out, with Lieut. Bennett and crew missing.

348. Direct hit. {I assume that this may be Leonard's Tank No., presumably with "B" Company}

288. Developed autovac trouble, but was recovered later.

Casualties.

The details of casualties were as follows :

Officers.

Lieut. E. S. Howard .... Killed.

Captain W. Horsley, M.C. ... Wounded.

2/Lieut. J. E. Clark .... Wounded.

2/ Lieut. N. O. Bennett .... Missing.

Major R. A. West, D.S.O. .... Wounded.

Lieut. C. Molyneux .... Wounded.

Major A. H. Rycroft .... Injured.

Other Ranks.

92449 Private Tunnicliffe, A. .... Killed.

95288 Private Ashmore, W. .... Wounded.

305497 Private Britton, W. .... Wounded.

110367 Private Moore, J. .... Wounded.

201067 Lance-Corporal Crossley, B. .... Wounded.

92352 Private Corby, J. .... Missing.

306138 Parivate Hayes, G. .... Missing.

92694 Private Buckley, C. .... Missing.

201096 Private White, F. C. .... Wounded

On the third day of the battle {10th August 1918] a composite Company of fourteen Tanks was formed under the command of Major R. A. West, D.S.O. The Tanks were drawn from the Companies as follows:

"A" Company, 5. "B " Company, 5. " C " Company, 4.

The Company was placed at the the 3rd Cavalry Division, and were ordered to assist the 6th Cavalry Brigade, who were held up by machine-gun fire from Parvillers. The Whippets proceeded to a point half-a-mile north of Folies, on the Folies-Warvillers Road, and there awaited orders from the 6th Cavalry Brigade. The Whippets were divided into two composite sections: seven Whippets, under Captain J. A. Renwick, were sent north through the south end of Rouvroy and thence south-east along the track from Rick to Point 101 ; the remaining seven Tanks, under Captain Chapman, proceeded by track to Le Quesnoy.

By the way, the previous day a " B " Company, 6th Battalion tank by the name of "Musical Box" had been wandering around the battlefield......

Steve.

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Well spotted,Master, I had missed that entry

Stephen

(PS No excuse , of course, but I always seem to stop reading the history after the first day of the battle when both the CO and Arthur Inglis were killed.)

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  • 5 months later...

Just received a message from someone who thinks he has the MC awarded to Lt Groutage. The medal has been fashioned into a sweetheart brooch and the plate that holds the pin and clasp has obscured the name at the back. The owner wanted to know if he should try and remove this plate in order to identify the name on the medal. He will take some photos of the brooch / medal and post them on the Forum in the near future. My advice was not to do anything to the medal until the photos are posted and then maybe some members will have advice on the best way to proceed. His sister knew Mrs Groutage when she lived on the South Mall in Cork City and he will see if he can uncover any more information from that connection.

Pat

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According to Officers who Died in the Great War:

Davenport, Edmund Sharrington a/LT (Tp), died 3/1/1918 (P of W).

Anyone know why he would have been listed as PofW? and also what the Tp stands for.

Thanks

Pat

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  • 1 month later...

This is Lt Groutage's MM that Jason kindly brought to my house to allow me to photograph. As you can see it has been fashioned into a brooch and we were wondering if there might be an inscription under the pin? Jason tells me that, as far as he remembers, Mrs Groutage was living on the South Mall here in Cork City up to the early 1970s. He is going to talk to some relatives who may have some further information and will get back to me with anything he uncovers.

Pat

ps I am having trouble loading the photo of the MM I have reduced it using microsoft 'paint' but it is failing to upload. I will keep trying.

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  • 1 month later...

I hadn't realised that my quota for posting photos had been reached; but now that I have deleted some old uploads perhaps this will now work. No further news from Jason other than what I last posted but here are the MM and the medallion together again for the first time in probably a long, long while!

post-32188-1234908000.jpg

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  • 8 years later...

only just found this thread, excellent work in tracking down the owner of the coin and  finding his history.  A very interesting story

 

well done

 

regards

 

Bob R.

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