Biography of Private John Thomas William Wass
9th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment
Formerly 25385, North Staffs Regiment
Died 16th March 1917

Mother

• Name: Sarah Susannah Fowler
• DOB: 1860
• Place Of Birth:  Morton nr Bourne, Lincolnshire, England
• Marriage: 12th December 1881 Morton nr Bourne, Lincolnshire, England

Relatives in services

• None found

Marriage

• No marriage for John has been found and because of his age we can assume that he never had the opportunity to marry.

Newspaper Mentions

Military Records

Medals

• The British Medal
• The Victory Medal

Memorials

• UK:
• None found

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission:
• In memory of Private John Thomas William Wass, 40898, 9th Bn., Leicestershire Regiment who died on 16 March 1917 Age 21
• Son George and Sarah Wass, of Frank’s Yard, Morton, Bourne, Lincs.
• Remembered with honour, Loo Memorial
• Panel 42 to 44.

© Picture taken by South Lincolnshire War Memorials

Military Service Timeline

• 16th march 1917 – John Thomas William Wass – 9th Leicesters

  Whilst carrying out some family history research we came across a local man, John Thomas William Wass who lived at Dock Furrows Farm between Morton and Dyke

  We have not commemorated his death before as he does not appear on any memorials local to Bourne or our surrounding area.

  Today we remember Morton man John Thomas William Wass (Jack Wass), who died on the 16th March 1917 whilst serving with the 9th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment and commemorated on the Loos Memorial in France.

  Jack was born in Toft in 1895 the son of George Edward Wass, a general labourer born in 1860 in Toft and his wife Susanna Sarah Fowler (Known as Sarah) born in 1860 in Morton. The couple were married on the 12th December 1891 in Morton and would have eight children including:-

  Charles Henry Fowler 1879 – Sarah’s son before they were married

  George Edward Wass, 1882-1942

  Rose Alice Wass, 1885-1969

  Joseph Wass, 1888-1942

  Sarah Ann Wass, b 1891

  Kate Elizabeth Wass, b 1893

  John Thomas William Wass, 1895-1917
  Florence M Wass, b 1900
  Jack can first be found on the 1901 census living with his parent and family on the Dowsby and Dunsby Census. George was now 40 and employed as a General Agricultural Labourer and son Geoge was also employed as a general labourer. All of the other five children in the house were of school age or below.

  If we look at the 1911 census we find that father George, brother Joseph and also Jack were all working as farm labourers. The family are currently living in Dunsby were George and Sarah are both 50 years of age and living with four children, aged between 11 and 23 in a five room house.

  In January 1916 parliament had passed a bill making all single men above the age of 19 legally conscripted into the services on the 1st March 1916.

  Jack was called up on the 16th May 1916 At the time of enlistment Jack was working as a farm labourer and gave his resident address as Dock Furrows Farm, Dyke near Bourne.

  On the 17th May Jack was given a medical and this shows that he was 20 years and 245 days of age and was working as a farm labourer. We can also see that he was 5ft 10 inches in height, weighed 139 pounds and had a 33inch chest.

  After passing the medical the men would be assigned a posting and for Jack that was the 3rd North Staffordshire Regiment.

  On the 22nd May 1916 Jack was posted into the 3rd North Staffordshire regiment. The 3rd Battalion was a home service and training battalion and would train recruits before they were passed onto either the 1st or 2nd Battalions. he would be stationed with them in Wallsend until the 28th June before moving on with them for more training between the 29th June and the 11th September.

  Jack would be posted to the 1st battalion North Staffs on the 12 September on completing his basic training and arriving in the base camp in France.

  He would later be transferred to the 9th Leicesters and given the regimental number of 40898. Thia was on the 29th September 1916 whilst undergoing extra training at thne base camp. This was fairly usual practice whereby a man would arrive at the base Camp and then after receiving extra specific training would be posted to a Battalion within the Brigade or Division that was more in need of replacements.

  Jack would receive orders to join his new Battalion the field on the 29th September and records indicated that he had joined them in the field by the 6th October 1916.

  Jack would serve five months with his battalion in the field before being killed in action on the 16th March 1917.

  We look to the Battalion diary to tell his story.
  At the beginning of October the battalion had been on the Somme where they had seen action in September.

  5th October 1916
  Marched to FRANCIERES

  6th October 1916
  Day spent cleaning up

  7th October 1916
  Battalion entrained at PONT-REMY at 9pm and detrained at BETHUNE at 12:30pm on the 8th, marching to FOUQUERES-LA-BETHUNE

  8th & 9th October 1916
  Days spent resting and cleaning up

  10th October 1916
  Battalion left FOUQUERES and marched to SAILLY-LA-BOURSE. where compoanies proceeded by platoon at 200 yards interval to the support trenches in the HOHENZOLLERN SECTOR

  11th to 15th October
  Spent i support trenches. battalion was not shelled at all in these trenches. Considerable work to be done in these trenches. battalion did good work reconstructing and revetting support line and keeps.

  16th October 1916
  Battalion relieved 6th Leicestershire Regiment in trenches G.4.D.5.5 to G.4.A.9.7. Casualties nil. Enemy trench mortars did considerable damage to NORTHAMPTON TRENCH. Our TMs replied effectively.

  17th October 1916
  Enemy TMs again active in response to our fire. Major P Best wounded.

  18th October 1916
  Battalion side slipped 400 yards, landing over right company sector to one company of 8th Leicestershire Regiment. Trenches now held with two companies front line and two in RESERVE TRENCH. Sector on the left taken over from 10th KOYLI is in a very bad state – very little work has been done in these trenches. Trenches now occupied G.4.b.3.2 to A.28.C,35,40

  19th October 1916
  Day passed quietly

  20th October 1916
  Patrols went out and reported MAD POINT CRATER to be held by the enemy – the enemy patrols were encountered

  21st October 1916
  Battalion was relieved by 6th battalion Leics Regt. In the morning relief completed without casualties.

  22nd to 27th October 1916
  Battalion moved back to reserve line in front of VERMELLES. 400 other ranks were supplied to the Royal Engineers for working and carrying parties. No hostile action to report

  28th October 1916
  Battalion relived by 6th battalion Leicestershire Regiment in the front line. Relief completed without casualties.

  29th October 1916
  Day passed quietly. The searchlight interfered considerably with pour wiring parties. Patrols did useful work.

  30th October 1916
  Enemy TMs very active in retaliation to our TM fire. Greater activity in rifle grenades. Patrol went out but encountered no enemy.

  31st October 1916
  Wiring parties again interfered with by searchlight. Considerable amount of wire has been put out in front of the sector. Very little existing wire was found.

  Casualties in battalion from 2nd October to 31st October, 1 x officer, 6 x othere ranks.

  As we can see from the diary Jack’s first month in the front line was relatively uneventful and we move on to March 1917. In the November to February period the Battalion had done their usual tours of the same trench sector. In front, line, in support and in reserve being a single tour.

  March 1st 1917 – Hohenzollern Sector

  TMs unusually quiet – 4 medium TMs fell at the head of QUARRY ALLEY damaging the trench. Our ‘Stokes’ retaliated for enemy rifle grenades.

  March 2nd 1917 – Hohenzollern Sector

  At 3.15AM bombardment on our right enemy were very excited – large numbers of ‘Very lights’ were sent up.

  March 3rd 1917
  TMs active during the period – our field guns fired intermittantly by day and night.

  March 4th 1917
  Our heavy’s active in back areas

  March 5th 1917
  Normal activity. Battalion was relieved by 6th Leics Regt.

  March 6th to 10th
  Normal working parties were found while Battalion was in Reserve

  March 11th 1917
  Battalion relieved the 6th Leics Regt in the trenches

  March 12th to 14th
  During these days there was very little activity on eitheer side – Our artillery cut enemies wire.

  March 15th 1917
  At 5.0 am a Brigade Raiding Party, consisting of 150 men, of which we supplied 1 officer and 40 other ranks – raided the enemies trenches. The raid was successful – we captured seven prisoners, & it was estimated that 64b casualties were infliced on the enemy. The Casualties of the Battalion were 2 other ranks killed and 6 other ranks wounded.

  March 16th 1917
  Very little activity, no attempt at retaliation for the raid has been made.

  March 17th to 23rd
  Relieved by 6th Leicestershire Regiment in the trenches. The Battalion was in the support line and furnished the usual working parties.

  Total casualties for the Battalion in March 1917

  9 other ranks killed or died of wounds

  36 other ranks wounded
  Total 45 other ranks.

  Grantham Journal Saturday 14th April 1917
  Memorial Service – On Sunday , a memorial service for the late Pte. Wass, late of Dock Furroe farm, Dyke, was held at the Wesleyan Church, Morton. Deceased, who was a regular attendant at the Wesleyan services, was killed in action abroad. Mr R A Collins, of Bourne, was the preacher, and in the course of his sermon made a sympathetic reference to deceased. Special hymns were sung. Mr H Knott presiding at the organ. The rostrum was draped.

  Grantham Journal Saturday 21st April 1917
  Mr and Mrs Wass, Dock Furrows, Bourne, wish to thank all kind friends for the kindness and sympathy shown in their great trouble.

  Grantham Journal Saturday 28th April 1917
  The many friends of Pte Jack Wass, of Dock Furrows Farm, son or Mr and Mrs Geo. Wass, will learn with regret of his death in action on March 16th, as a result of being hit with a bomb. The deceased soldier joined the Leicestershire Regiment on May 13th 1916. His brother George Wass, who is also serving, has been invalided to England, and is now in hospital in Sussex.
  The records relating to his mother being sent his effects after death in June 1917 it would also show that it was possible he was serving with the 1st battalion Leicestershire regiment although this posting does not appear on his records and could be a mistake on that paperwork as we can find no other reference to a posting.

  By 1921 the family had moved from Dock Furrows farm to live at 49 Dyke. George is now working as an agricultural laboue=rer for Brocton Wadsley, a farmer of Dyke. Sarah was undertaking domestic duties and we see that the only children left at home were daughters sarah, working as a cow keeper for village farmers and Florence May, who was working as a land Worker for John Henry Clifton of Bourne. Whilst step son Charles Henry Fowler was a single man, basketmaker and working on. his own account.

  Commonwealth War Graves Commission
  In memory of private John Thomas William Wass, service number 40898. 9th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment, who died on 16th March 1917, aged 21. Son of George and Sarah Wass of Frank’s yard, Morton, Bourne, Lincolnshire. remembered with honour Loos Memorial Panel 42 to 44.

  We will remember them.

  We have never photographed the Leicestershire Panels at the Loos memorial, we feel another road trip coming on.

Sources

• WW1 Soldier’s Records (www.ancestry.co.uk)
• British Newspaper Archive.
• Fold 3
• Find My Past
• Genealogist
• Forces War Records
• Red Cross POW Records
• British Army Service Numbers
• War Gratuity Calculator
• War Graves Photography Project
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• National Archives – Battalion War Diaries
• General Registry Office