WW1 information help

[Lensgirl]

Hi

I'm not sure where to ask this, so would be grateful if anyone can pass me in the right direction.

I believe my great grandad was in the 23rd Battalion Royal Fusiliers and looking at their action during the war, when he died they were fighting in a place called Mailly-Maillet. However, he has a memorial at Arras rather than in the Mailly cemetary. Does that sound "normal"? I'm presuming they didn't transport bodies and he was left in Mailly. He doesn't have a grave, he is written on one of their large plaques.

[Lin Fisher]

I'm not very good at Military history but been watching Long Lost Families from last night and it was about soldiers from WW1. They are still finding bodies even now and using DNA to find their names. Even the ones that are unburied are on a memorial.

[annswabey]

What was his name, please and when did he die?

[Sylvia C]

The question is multi-layered .............. did he die on the battlefield, or was he wounded and taken to a field hospital and/or a hospital behind the lines, was his body found later (ie after the war) and it was decided that his name should be on the Arras memorial, is there actually a memorial at Mailly-Maillet.

[Lensgirl]

Hi

im afraid I really don't know much information about the situation at all.

His name was John Howard, S/N GS62497. he was in the 23rd Battalion Royal Fusiliers and died 25th March 1918.

No service record seems to exist for him

[Carol Bird]

Robyn's,

Forces War Records has a transcript of Br Army daily reports no 5564 (of dead, wounded, etc) of 13/5/1918 (sic) as Missing. Private J Howard 62497 Royal Fusiliers (London Regiment)
Archive ref NLS 1918_WList42

Also, transcript Soldiers died in Great War: John Howard b circa 1896 Willesden. Parents John and Susan of 4 Priory Park Road, Kilburn. Killed in Action 23/3/1918.

Not sure this helps!

Carol

[Lensgirl]

Thanks Carole. I have the transcript, but not the Forces War one. Im very interested to know about the other one, going to get on that right now!

[Lin Fisher]

Hi

Just looked through all the burials at Mailly Maillet and there are 5 soldiers buried there in 1916 from Royal Fuselliers

There are 6 from 1918 dating from 27th Apr to 14th May 1918. Seems as though he perhaps died a bit too early to be there or was taken ill and ended up in a field hospital.

[Lensgirl]

Sorry, think I might need even more info! Does this mean that he went missing and they have assumed he died on 25th March??

[teasie]

Reading the war diary for the 23rd Bn, they marched to METZ on the night of 6/7th March 1918 and were billeted in reserve until 12th. During this time the camp was shelled at intervals during the day and night. On 12th March they relieved the KRRC, and there was heavy gas shell bombardment on the night of 12th, 13th & 14th, as well as intermittent shelling. On the night of 13/14th, they carried out a raid on the enemy front line. On the night of 18/19th they moved to EQUANCOURT. On 22nd A&B Coy's were in trenches near FINS, and C&D Coy's were in trenches near EQUANCOURT.

On 23rd March there was an enemy attack and the 23rd fought a rearguard action and withdrew through Bourgeom Wood and Hayettes Wood on YTRES. Bn reformed and marched to LE TRANSOY. Casualties during withdrawal estimated at about 60. At 3am on 24th they marched to GUEDECOURT, and on that night took up position at LIGPY THILLVY (Ligny Thilloy?). On the morning of the 25th they fought off an enemy attack and retired to AUCHON VILLIERS.

The diary states that from 12th-31st March there were 240 Gas Casualties (other/ordinary ranks), and the Casualties 22-31st (other/ordinary ranks) were 15 killed, 59 wounded, 6 wounded & missing, and 210 missing.

The report in the Brigade HQ diary is also very informative, and states that on 25th March the 23rd were forced to withdraw and suffered very heavy casualties as the enemy worked round their right flank.

The Register of Soldier's Effects says that John died 'on or since 25th March 1918 in action or wounds', so it sounds like he was one of the missing presumed dead following the action on the 25th.

[teasie]

The Casualty List referred to by Carol is here: https://deriv.nls.uk/dcn30/1941/5563/194155637.30.jpg

[Lensgirl]

thank you all for that. I feel so sad that he might be out there "unclaimed"

What is really sad, is that the day this was published would have been my nans 2nd Birthday. I wonder what my great nan thought if she saw it (they were not married, I think this was a meeting at Johns 19th birthday celebrations as it ties in perfectly with when my nan was born)

[teasie]

I find that reading these diaries is always very sad. The HQ diary covers more than the Royal Fusiliers, and says this about the Gas:

12 Mar 1918: The warmth of the sun and the evening mists drew the poison gas out of the ground, so that the smell of mustard was very noticeable in all the shelled areas. [...] Everybody was very much on the alert as we had been warned that gas would be a prelude to the German Offensive.

13 Mar 1918: At 1am the second gas shell bombardment began and lasted until 3am. The men wore gas masks for 6 hours continuously, but as soon as they were taken off the gas took effect on the men. The front companies were hardly affected, but the two reserve companies of the 1st KRRC were practically all casualties and the Battalion HQ suffered severely [...] The eyes were very much affected, blindness and vomiting being the principle symptoms of the poisoning.

16 Mar 1918 [...] Clouds of low gas being observed to drift into the village [...] everyone who was in the gassed area was affected more or less, and loss of voice was almost universal.

The situation during the action around the 23-25th also seems fairly chaotic, and although the 23rd had a hot meal on Mar 24th, this was written on 23rd:
"The night was very cold, there was a serious shortage of ammunition, and the men had no rations or water".

I look at my own son - at 25 he's a lot older then many of the boys who fought in WW1 - and I simply can't imagine him having to survive something like that. Its just too awful to truly comprehend.

[Lensgirl]

thank you so much for that. My youngest is 17, only two years younger than John was when he signed up. My eldest is 21, I just couldn't imagine him going into anything like that