by James | Mar 4, 2018 | Uncategorised
Our second remembrance today is for Billingborough man, Walter Carrington of the 2nd battalion Lincolnshire Regiment, who was officially reported killed on this day 101 years ago.
Walter is remembered on the Thiepval memorial and also on the Roll of Honour in St Andrew’s Church Billingborough.
Walter Carrington was born in 1883 and his baptism record in 1884 shows he is the son of William Carrington of Billingborough and his wife Jane Gibson. William had actually died in 1880 and Jane had remarried to John Johnson just before Walter’s baptism.
In 1891 Walter Carrington was listed on the census as the stepson of John Johnson but by 1901 he was using the name Walter Johnson for the census.
Walter Married in 1915 to Flora Stead, born in Wittering by then a resident in Castle Bytham.
They had a son John Frederick Carrington born April 30th 1916 in Billingborough.
In January 1916 conscription was introduced for every unmarried man between the age of 18 and 41. Within a few months this was rolled out to include married men although certain occupations were exempt and could appeal.
Walter joined the 2nd battalion Lincolnshire regiment on 14th July 1916 in Grantham.
Listed on the attestation paper fro Walter is Wife Flora, Son John plus Walter’s 2 step sisters and 3 step brothers, along with his mother Jane Johnson.
Walter was trained with the 9th Service Battalion at Brocton before being shipped to Calais on the 14th November with a posting to the 8th Service Battalion. Walter was eventually posted to the 2nd Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment on 28th November 1916 went on active duty for his new Battalion.
By March 1917 the Battalion were in action on the Somme section of the Western Front in the area between Bapaume and Peronne.
Taken from the 2nd Battalion Diary;
On the 1st March 1917 the battalion moved back to dugouts in Junction Wood and into Brigade Reserve. The 2nd saw them move up to dugouts and cellars in Lockbarracks and Bouchavesne again in brigade reserve where they remained on the 3rd March.
At 5:15am on the 4th the 8th Division carried out an attack east of Bouchavesnes to gain the high ground from which the enemy had observation of our positions.
The battalion was detailed for the following duties in support of the 2nd Royal Berkshire Regiment who were the assaulting battalion of the 25th infantry Brigade. “C” company and half of “D” company as moppers up “B” company and the other half of “D” company as carriers. “A” Company and the battalion lewis gunners hold the front line from which the attack was launched.
The attack was most successful and all objectives gained. 1 officer killed, 2 wounded and 1 missing. Other ranks, 18 Killed, 33 wounded and 13 missing. The Division listed 1137 casualties from the operation most from artillery fire in the initial attack.
Retaliatory artillery fire and counter attack continued for several days afterwards and the operation was seen as a complete success allowing the new position to menace the enemy defences to the south towards Peronne. It has been said that this operation played a small part in the German decision to retire to the Hindenburg line two weeks earlier than planned.
Walter was listed as missing on the 4th March 1917, less than 4 months after arriving in France. Official records on the 22nd December 1917 showed acceptance that he was killed either on or after the 4th March during the operation described.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission:
In memory of Private Walter Carrington, 26870, 2nd Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment who died on 4 March 1917, Age 33.
Son of Mrs Johnson of Horbling, Billingborough, Lincs; husband of Flora Carrington of Castle Bytham, Grantham, Lincs
Remembered with honour, Thiepval Memorial.
by James | Mar 4, 2018 | Uncategorised
Today we remember Eric George Palmer who was killed in the Great War 101 years ago this day.
Eric is remembered on the Bourne War Memorial and also at Fins New British Cemetery.
Eric was born in Higham Ferras, Northamptonshire. He was the 2nd son of Charles Simpson Reginald Palmer, a Grocery and Produce Merchant and his wife Mary Matilda Joll.
Eric was originally intended to work at the office of Morgan and George, Solicitors of Wellingborough when he received his call up to the 3rd Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment.
He was posted to the 2nd Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment and saw action in France.
Eric was killed in action on the 4th March 1917 and is buried in Fins New British Cemetery.
From the 1st March the Battalion had moved to Asquith Flats. On the 4th they attacked the enemy on the Moislains Ridge. thjey had met their objectives and came under repeated counter attacks. During this day 7 officers and 235 other ranks were listed as casualties of this action.
The Northampton Mercury for Friday 16th March reported the sad news of the death of Lieut. Palmer with much regret in Wellingborough where is was very well known and popular. His father was the Vice-Chairman of the Wellingborough Board of Guardians and prominently associated with the Wesleyan Church.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission adds the following memorial;
In memory of Lieutenant E G Palmer, 3rd Battalion. attd. 2nd Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment who died on 4 March 1917 Age 21. Son of Reginald and M A Palmer, of The Haven, Bourne, Lincs. Remembered with honour, Fins New British Cemetery, Sorel-Le-Grand
by James | Feb 17, 2018 | Uncategorised
Today we remember Langtoft man, Abraham Warn who lost his life 101 years ago today.
Abraham was born in Langtoft in 1877, 6th child born to William Warn, a cottager with his 2nd wife Martha Coddington.
Abraham’s father passed away before 1901, where Abraham can be found living with his mother in Langtoft. He worked as a farm labourer in Langtoft before enlisting in the army with the Prince of Wales’ own West Yorkshire Regiment.
Abraham was serving with the 2nd/5th Battalion Yorkshire when the battalion was mobilised for war in January 1917.
Private Abraham Warn, 202055, 2nd/5th Bn, Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales’s Own, who died on 17 February 1917.Age 37
Son of Martha Warn, of Gray’s Cottage, Langtoft, Peterborough, and the late William Warn. Remembered with honour, Thiepval Memorial.
Abraham is one of the 8 men commemorated on the Langtoft village memorial.
by James | Feb 8, 2018 | Uncategorised
Today we remember the 100th anniversary of the death of John Tom Haines, commemorated on the Bourne Memorial and also on the Thiepval Memorial to the missing of the Somme.
John Thomas Haines was born in Spalding in 1883.
The son of John William Haines and possibly the step son of Suzannah Jane Blood.
By 1901 he was living in Bourne and in 1911 can be found in Dyke.
John enlisted in on the 8th February 1917 in Bourne and served in the 7th Battalion (Alexandra Prince of Wales Own) Yorkshire Regiment, and also the 13th Battalion, although “Soldiers died in the Great War” lists him as Yorkshire Hussars.
He was killed on 8th February 1917, aged 34. Commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.
by Suzey | Oct 25, 2014 | Remembrance, Uncategorised
On the 24th of October we remember Walter Sandall of Rippingale.
Born in 1893, Walter was one of nine children born to Edward John Sandall and his wife Mary Pridmore.
In 1911 Walter was working as a horseman on a farm in Scredington and was living with The Whotton family.
Before the war Walter had served with the 1st Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment and had bought himself out of service.
He was living back in Rippingale when in October 1914 he re-joined the Army, this time with the Lincolnshire Yeomanry.
The Yeomanry were a cavalry unit who were based at the barracks at Lincoln and were essentially a forerunner of the Territorial Force before the war. The four squadrons of the Yeomanry were based in the Grimsby, Brigg, Lincoln and Stamford/Bourne and Men were recruited locally, In the Bourne Area their patron was the Earl of Ancestor.
Several other local farmers joined the Lincolnshire Yeomanry including Leonard Miller, Everitt Cook, Edward Franks and George Jessop. In most cases the soldiers took their own horse from civilian life into service with them.
Walter carried out his training and home service, first at Oakley Barracks and then at Lowestoft and Sprowston. His training was not without incidents which had landed him in trouble with his seniors.
The 1st Lincolnshire Yeomanry Embarked in Southampton on 27th October 1915 for Salonika and war in the Dardanelles. During the voyage the destination was changed due to a threat by the Turks on the Suez Canal. After leaving Gibraltar the Mercian was attacked by U38 who out of torpedoes attacked with its guns. In the ensuing battle the Mercian returned fire with what little it had and U38 dived. Following putting into port at Oran, Algeria, to bury the dead and transfer the wounded to a military hospital, the Mercian went to Malta where it was fitted with a 3″ quick firing gun. From Malta the Mercian and the Yeomanry eventually disembarked in Alexandria on 21st November 1915
The Lincolnshire Yeomanry saw action across the middle east for the whole of the war, including Egypt, Palestine and also the battle of Gaza.
In February 1917 the Yeomanry was disbanded with most of the men becoming part of the Machine Gun Corps and Walter was transferred to the 18th Squadron of the Corps on 27th February 1917.
Walter Died on Pneumonia on 24th October 1918 and is buried in Beirut Military Cemetery.
In Memory of Private Walter Sandall, 95973, 18th Squadron Machine Gun Corps (Cavalry) who died on 24 October 1918.
Remembered with Honour Beirut War Cemetery
Grave Ref: Bay 3 and 4
Walter was one of seven cousins from our villages who did not return home at the end of the war, a generation missing for their family.
Walter is also remembered on the Rippingale war memorial.
http://www.jamieandsue.co.uk/?page_id=828
by James | Aug 24, 2014 | Remembrance, Uncategorised
In our preparations for the recent Morton Exhibition for the 100th anniversary of WW1 we compiled a book for each soldier that died from the 5 surrounding parishes.
The interesting thing about the Wyer Family is that so many cousins fought and died.
Sandall
and Wyer Cousins who served in the Great War
Loosing a child or a Grandchild in today’s world is devastating and so
we can only imagine the grief that local brothers felt when they lost 7
Children between them in the Great War.
The newspaper cuttings tell us that villages are proud that their sons
have enlisted, but secretly we can assume that parents and relatives are
fearful for their loved ones, some of whom are still quite young.
Brothers William Wyer, Thomas Wyer, George Sandall and Edward Sandall
waved off their offspring not knowing when they would see them again.
Of the 9 cousins that enlisted from Kirkby Underwood, Hacconby and
Rippingale, only 2 would return and one of them quite badly injured.
Frederick Stanley Wyer would spend the rest of the war wearing his
Silver Badge showing that he had fought, done his bit but was now disabled and
unfit for war due to wounds he received.
He lost one brother (John Thomas Wyer) and six cousins in the fighting during
the “War to End All Wars”
Robert Wilson Wyer Died
on the Somme 3rd July 1916
William Wyer Died on the Somme 14th
July 1916
Edmund Wyer Died on the Ypres Salient 4th
October 1917
Harry Sandall Died
near Arras 14th May 1917
John William Sandall Died
near Arras 22nd March 1918
Walter Sandall Died near Beiruit 24th October 1918
John Thomas Wyer Died
near Ploegsteert 13th April 1918
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