Remembrance – John Thomas Taylor

by | Apr 9, 2018 | Uncategorised

Today we commemorate the 101st Anniversary of the death of one of our local men.

Lance Corporal John Thomas Taylor, 8th battalion Lincolnshire Regiment, was born in Rippingale in 1896.
Son of Rippingale farm worker John Edward Taylor and his wife Sarah Ann Barber also of Rippingale.

By 1911 John Thomas Taylor was living with the Levesley family in Scottlethorpe Road, Edenham and was working as a waggoner on a farm.

When the war broke out John was one of the many villagers to join up and he was posted to the 8th Battalion Lincolnshire regiment.

The Battalion trained at Grimsby during August 1914, and then at Halton Park in November. The Battalion moved into billets at Leighton Buzzard for the winter of 1914

In the spring of 1915 the Battalion moved to Halton Park Camp, Wendover and miniature rifle practice commenced. After completing the musketry course and a Review by Lord Kitchener, the Battalion moved to Witley Camp North, marching past His Majesty the King and Lord Kitchener, 12 August 1915.

All the Battalion commanders had been in retirement at the outbreak of war. Of the 21st Division in which the 8th Lincolnshire were attached only 14 officers had any previous experience in the Regular army.

The Battalion entrained for overseas service at Milford Station on 9 September 1915 leaving England the next day, sailing via Folkestone to Boulogne. For a week the Battalion stayed in the Watten area before receiving orders to move to the front.

A long and really arduous march took place which led the Battalion to the front and their first engagement of the war, The Battle of Loos.
During this battle an immediate gain was overturned and the highly inexperienced Battalion suffered tremendous losses.

In their first battle the 8th Battalion lost 22 of their 24 officers. 471 other ranks were killed, wounded or missing that being nearly half of all men in the Battalion.

The next major offensive for the Battalion was during the battle of the Somme in July 1916. The Battalion saw action in Albert, Bazentin Ridge, Fleurs-Courcelette, Morval, Gaudecourt, Transloy Ridge and eventually in November the Battle of The Ancre.

During the spring of 1917 the German Army retreated to the heavily fortified defensive Hindenburg Line.
When the retreat started the 21st Division were at Halloy spending a period out of the line in training exercises.

On the first of April the Battalion attended a voluntary Church Parade at Neuville Au Cornet before the following day being route marched to Denier for an attack on a trench system. Over the next days the Battalion moved to Avesnes-le-Conte, Givenchy-le-Noble, Lattre St Quentin before arriving at Duisans to withdraw equipment ready for their move onto the assembly area at Arras.

The Battalion entered the Battle of Arras at Battery Valley on the 9th April 1917 at 4pm digging in until 8pm.
The Battalion moved east and halted around midnight. At daybreak considerable enemy activity was observed round Monchy-le-Preux, also enemy troops and transport moving north east from Roeux. Artillery was asked for in both cases but there was no response.

At 9am the Battalion prepared to advance to its original objective as soon as the 111th brigade advanced on Monchy.

At 10:30 am Major Greatwood was informed that the 8th Somerset Light Infantry were in Monchy and that he must support them. They advanced to teh valley but in this advance they suffered heavy casualties as they had no artillery support.

At 4pm Major Greatwood issued orders to attack Monchy with the 8th Somerset on the right, Lincolns on the left. Again with no artillery support they had to dig in on high ground receiving orders to attack at dusk.
When they had already opened out for the attack, orders arrived from Brigade cancelling the attack and consolidate the position and patrols were posted in front.

By the end of the 10th April the Battalion had 9 officers wounded, 30 other ranks killed, 187 other ranks wounded and 8 missing.
John Taylor was a casualty of this action.

Grantham Journal Saturday 2 March 1918
Lance-Corpl J T TAYLOR, Scottlethorpe
The parents of Lance-Corpl John Thomas Taylor of the Lincolnshire Regiment, who live in the hamlet of Scottlethorpe, belonging to the village of Edenham, a few days ago received the official notice that he has been missing since April 1917 and is now believed to be dead, as nothing further has been heard of him since then. He was their only child. On the outbreak of the war in 1914, he with others from this village joined the Lincolnshire Regiment as privates at once. They all went to the front in September 1915 and fought at Loos. Since then Taylor had been made Lance-Corporal and joined the Machine Gun Section. All in the parish sympathise with the parents.

In memory of Lance Corporal John Thomas Taylor, 11889, 8th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment who died on 9 April 1917 Age 21
Son of John Taylor of Scottlethorpe, Bourne, Lincs
Remembered with honour, Arras Memorial.

Lest we forget

Remembrance – Cyer Parker

by | Apr 7, 2018 | Uncategorised

Today we commemorate 101 years since the death of Bourne man, Private Cyer Parker of the 2nd/4th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment.

Cyer John Parker was born in Bourne in the spring of 1893. One of 10 children born to John Thomas Parker, a Farm Labourer of Bourne and his wife Mary Ann Copper from Toft.

By 1911, Cyer is still living in Bourne with his parents and was working as an assistant General Dealer.

Cyer joined the 2nd/4th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment during the war, unfortunately due to a lack of surviving records the details of his service is not known

During the time immediately before his death, the 2nd/4th Battalion was in action.

On the 23rd February 1917 the 2nd/4th Lincolnshires dembarked on the SS Lydia from Southampton and arrived in Le Harvre, France the following day. They had been appointed to the 59th Division (2nd North Midland) and the 177th Brigade.
They took over a sector close to Estrees but within two weeks they were in pursuit of the retiring German army, finding themselves crossing the Somme and by 18th March they occupied Peronne.

During Spring of 1917 the enemy carried out a tactical withdrawal back to the Hindenberg Line, this allowed them the shorten the front and hold better defensive positions.

On the 31st March the 2/4th Lincolnshire and the 2/5th Leicesters were involved in the capture of Hesbécourt and Hervilly, before moving east to take Hill 140 as part of the 177th Brigade.

On the 2nd April the 2/4th Leicestershire Regiment were unsuccessful in their goal to take Fervaque Farm. The Lincolnshires were tasked with the same goal the following day but again were unsuccessful.

On the 5th April the Battalion was once more in action near Templeux. By Noon they had took a new outpost on the line between Templeux and Hargicourt village and suffered heavy shelling during the afternoon.

The 6th saw more heavy shelling and the battalion HQ was hit. A patrol that advanced to and old German trench north of Hargicourt was shelled out. The day saw 4 killed and 16 other ranks wounded.

On the 7th patrols were sent out to take German posts on the outskirts of Hargicourt but no enemy were found there. The patrol laid up for the rest of the day but saw nothing. The afternoon saw more heavy shelling and the post was shelled out and moved to a disused German trench. 1 other rank was killed and 6 wounded.

Private Cyer John Parker lost his life on the 7th April as a result of these actions.

In memory of Private C Parker, 2nd/4th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment who died on 7 April 1917
Remembered with honour, Templeux-Le-Guerared Communal Cemetery Extension.

RIP
Lest we forget

Remembrance – Henry Knowles

by | Apr 5, 2018 | Remembrance, Uncategorised

Today we are paying our respects to Bourne man Henry Knowles who died of wounds on 5th April 1915.

Lance Sergeant Henry Knowles, 2nd Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment, was the son of William and Jane Knowles of Folkingham.

Buried in Le Tréport Military Cemetery.

Home to over 10,000 hospital beds and a harbour facing England, Le Tréport became one of the main ports of repatriation for wounded soldiers heading home.

 

 

 

Remembrance – Frank Stubley

by | Apr 1, 2018 | Remembrance

Today we pay respects to another of our Bourne lads on the 100th anniversary of his death.

Driver Frank (Francis) Stubley of the 22nd battery, 33 brigade, Royal Field Artillery who died on the 1st April 1918, age 24.

Frank was the son of of Francis and Elizabeth Stubley of Wood House, North Fen, Bourne Lincolnshire. 
This was a bitter blow to the Stubley family having previously lost Son Ernest who had been killed in October 1916 on the Somme with the King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment.
Son George has also been killed only 12 days before Frank in April 1918 near Ploegsteert fighting with the Durham Light infantry.

Frank is remembered on the Bourne Memorial along with his two brothers and buried at the St Sever Cemetery Extension in Rouen.

Rest in Peace