Norman Lynes

 Norman Lynes

Norman's birth was registered in the first quarter of 1892 and he was baptised on 22nd February the same year in Swindon Wiltshire. When he joined up for WW1 he gave his age as 23 years and 11 months which places his birthday in November 1891. His father Frederick, a Turner/Fitter for the railways, died in December 1904 leaving his wife Anne and five children, two girls and three boys Norman being the fourth. The family home was 23 Carr Street, Swindon and in 1911 Norman was a student teacher for the County Council, following completion of his training he was a teacher at St Paul's School, Canonbury, London.

On 11th September 1914 Norman joined up at Hornsey, Middlesex (North London) on this day he declared previous military service with 1/10th Battalion Duke of Cambridge's (Middlesex) Regiment time expired. 1/10th Battalion being a Territotorial force Norman had served four years which was time served by September 1914, his medical examination records him to be 6' 2½" tall, exceptional for the time where the national average was 5' 3". Norman signed the Imperial Service Agreement meaning he was willing to serve abroad, he was posted to 2/7 Battalion and given the number 7/3082.

2/7th was formed at Hornsey in September 1914 as a second line unit and initially moved to Barnet and then Egham, near to where the Magna Carta was signed. In February 1915 they moved to Gibraltar where they undertook Garrison duty for one of the Regular formations moved to the Western Front. In August 1915 the Battalion moved to Egypt landing at Alexandria on the 31st, this location was classed as a war zone and Norman's entitlement to the 1914/15 Star is dated 1st September 1915.  Moving to Cairo in November they returned to Alexandria where they formed part of the Western Frontier Force.

British occupation of Egypt was opposed by some Arab groups and German money and support was able to generate offensive acts on British outposts. In August 1915 two British submarines taking shelter near Tripoli were fired on by a group of Arabs under the leadership of a European officer. In November the crews of two Royal Navy torpedo boats, the HMSvMoorina and Tara, landed near Cyrenaica and were captured by hostile elements of the Arab Senussi and held captive. Other attacks led to the hasty formation of the Western Frontier Force, a composite of various Yeomanry and Infantry formations at that time not involved in the defence of the Suez Canal. Amongst the Infantry units was 2/7th and 2/8th Battalions Middlesex Regiment.

Map of operations of Western Frontier Force (LLT).

On 11th December 1915 the force moved out from Mersa Matruh under the command of Major-General A. Wallace. Over the next few months the force increased adding artillery and armoured vehicles, they attacked camps which contained both Arab and Turkish forces and repelled attacks made on them killing and capturing hundreds of enemy soldiers.

Artistic Impression of an attack

In March 1916 intelligence from prisoners revealed the location where the two British naval crews were being held, an armoured car battery under the command of Major Hugh Arthur, Duke of Westminster quickly covered the 120 miles of desert attacked the camp and rescued the sailors without incurring casualties an action winning the Duke a DSO.

In May 1916 2/7th, their job in Africa done, moved to France to join the BEF landing at Marseilles on 15th, on arrival the whole Battalion was put into Quarantine due to an outbreak of Typhus. In June 1916 the 2/7th was disbanded, the men were located in an Infantry Base Depot from where they were posted to other formations. On 5th July Norman was posted to 1/7th Battalion Middlesex Regiment.

1/7th Battalion also of the Territorial Force had been embodied in August 1914 and sent to Gibralter for Garrison duty. Returning to the UK in February 1915 they sailed from Southampton landing at Le Havre the following day, when Norman joined them they were part of 167 Brigade of 56th (London) Division. The Battalion had experienced low losses for a Battalion on the Western Front and had become known as 'the lucky 7th'. On 5th July 1916 1/7th had come out of the front line and were in the village of Hebuterne in support positions. Norman arrived with a draft of 64 other ranks led by Lieutenant W Kay to replace losses of the Battalion's involvement at the Battle of Gommecourt on the opening day of the ongoing Somme offensive. Rotating in and out of the line in the Battalion moved to Gapennes at the end of August where it commenced attack training with tanks.

On 9th September the Battalion went through Maricourt to support lines on the edge of Maricourt Wood, they held these positions until 13th September during which time they had been subjected to heavy shelling, they lost four officers and 90 other ranks. These losses were not replaced before the Battalion lined up for their next attack on 15th September when they were only able to commit 500 other ranks to the Battle.

On 15th September 1916 the Somme offensive was being was being renewed on a six mile front between the villages of Courcelette on the left flank to Combles on the right, involving six Infantry Divisions. The 56th Division in which 1/7th and 1/8th Middlesex Battalions served were assigned to the extreme right of the front and whose overall job was to secure a strong flank. The system of wide front attack was dependent on a cohesive line being maintained to prevent the enemy counter attacking using outflanking manouvres or opportunities for enfilade fire which decimated formations. To achieve this 56 Division were to attack and clear enemy trenches in the area of Leuze and Bouleaux Woods, now a very open area containing stump remains of the trees. The woods were known by the British as Lousy and Bollocks Woods and had been heavily contested recently, leaving the battlefield uncleared of hundreds of bodies, left where had dropped it being impossible to recover them.

Trench Map of the Woods

1/7th Middlesex job was to give close support to 1st London Battalion who were to attack and hold the German trench running through Bouleaux Wood, on signal they would move forward through the Londons to take the next line. On the night of 14th September the Battalion moved up to positions in Leuze Wood the attacking Companies, A and C occupying a trench running diagonally through the wood, by midnight all were in position. At 6 a.m. an intense artillery bombardment commenced on the German positions, the lines were fronted by a deep protective barbed wire entanglement which should have been cut. To the left of the woods was a heavily fortified German position known as the Quadrilateral and containing concrete pill boxes, which had a clear field of fire over the woods, was also to be neutralised by artillery and other elements of 56th Division.

Map showing Quadrilateral

At 6.20 a.m all along the front whistles blew and a creeping barrage commenced for the attacking Infantry to move forward behind, this could not be used in 56th Divisions area due to the narrow gap between the front lines. Encouraged on by officers and NCO'S the 1st Londons went over the top and attacked, the German defensive wire had not been cut, they were held up 50 yards from their objective and cut to pieces by enemy fire. Communication was lost and it was unclear what had happened so at 8.20 a.m. the order was given for A and C Companies to attack. Again the whistles blew, the leaders shouted encouragement and over the top the men went confident the artillery had been effective and that the tanks they had trained with would be a decisive factor. Three of the 49 new Mk1 tanks of the Heavy Branch Machine Gun Corps assigned to the offensive were to support 56th Division, these lumbering beasts had been kept a top secret but had a top speed of four miles per hour. One failed to start, one reached a first trench, was hit by a shell and could not move, it did however continue to fire its guns on German positions. The third kept to the left of the woods but didn't stop where if would have been useful.

There was a lull in the firing but when the two Companies reached the 1st Londons they were subjected to intense artillery, machine gun and rifle fire. From the right they were enfiladed by a number of heavy Maxim guns, A Company took the full force of this fire the Company Commander and two second Lieutenants were killed instantly and the third officer mortally wounded. Both Companies took fire from the Quadrilateral to their left, the guns from both directions had already zeroed their guns on the Londons and the fire was instantaneously on target and devastating. The fire from both flanks and the front created a killing ground from which few were to escape. C Companies officers were incapacitated, the Commander and one second Lietenant were killed outright and the other two severely injured.

Both reserve Companies, B and D, were pushed forward at 11 a.m. but the same fate awaited them, again losses were heavy and both Company Commanders were killed.

1/8th Middlesex were sent forward and attacked in the North west area of Bouleaux Wood, they made little headway and were sent orders to hold where they stood. By the evening of 15th September survivors held the former German front line in Bouleaux Wood which they had managed to enter on the left side of the wood and cleared it with grenade and bayonet under the leadership of Sergeant Groves. About 40 German prisoners had surrendered and were hustled out of the trench to get to British positions to go into captivity, unfortunately no one else was aware and they were mown down by both sides. The survivors held their positions and although they were running low of ammunition, repelled a strong counter attack running out of bombs. Some of the defensive wire was dragged to the new front and the positions consolidated to hold against any further attack, as dusk fell some of the wounded were evacuated to an aid station in Leutze Wood and a few officers and reinforcements from the 1/7th reserve arrived to reinforce the defence. The following day, 16th September 1916 was quiet, snipers were active and a further five men were killed and 11 wounded, however, the survivers held their positions until relieved that night, the 1/7th withdrew from the battle.

Of the 500 men committed to the battle over  400 were killed including all four Company commanders, two CSMs and eight Sergeants, wounded or were missing, Norman was counted in this last statistic and his family notified. It is unclear where in the battle Norman fell unfortunately it is rare that a man's Company appears on his file, there is an indication he may have been in D Company which places him in the reserve Companies committed at 11 a.m. Some effort was made to recover the bodies a few days later and most of the officers identified, Norman was not but by the time the area was safe to recover the dead not many men were. There was little doubt that Norman was killed, no enquiry record exists in the POW Red Cross files, but his status of presumed dead was not changed for a long time. In fact during the Spring of 1917 the whole Territorial Force was re-numbered each Regiment being allocated blocks of 5,000 numbers, Norman was actually allocated a new number TF/208876. His status was finally changed on 27th July 1917 his file marked as; "accepted as dead".

Norman left £2.2s.5d to which a war gratuity of 8.10s was added, this with his 1914-15 Star, British War and Victory Medals, Memorial Plaque and Scroll were forwarded to his mother Anne. Anne had a Memorial stone made which she placed on the grave of her husband, on it is carved a line from his last letter home, "There Is No Victory Without Sacrifice". Norman is also commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, pier 12D face 13B, one name amongst 72331 men lost during the Somme Offensive of 1916 who have no known grave.

George Arthur Wells

 George Arthur Wells

George was born in February 1892 in Newington, Hull, and baptised on 6th March the same year. His father George was a self employed Greengrocer and his mother, Asinath had given birth to two children, George and the year before a girl, Florence. In 1911 George Senior was working as an Agent of the Fruit Commision whilst George Junior was a Clark in a Merchants office, the family was then living at 26, Malm Street Boulevard, Hull.

On 5th September 1914 George answered the call to arms and enlisted at Wenlock Barracks, Hull in the East Yorkshire Regiment, given the number 10/738 he was posted to 10th (Service) Battalion (1st Hull). Formed in Hull on 29th August 1914 by Lord Nunburnholme and the East Riding Territorial Force Association, 10th was assigned to 92nd Brigade of 31st Division and was commonly known as the Hull Commercial Battalion. 92nd Briade consisted of four Battalions called the Hull Pals, the other three; 11th - Hull Tradesmen, 12th - Hull Sportmen and 13th Hull T'others, reflect the areas from which the recruits had been drawn. This early trend in recruitment allowed groups of Pals from the same workplace or social groups to join and serve together, it was later abandoned due to the detrimental effect on communities when grave losses occurred.

East Yorkshire Regiment Cap Badge

The Commercials commenced training locally using the fairground at Walton Street for drill, their was no barracks or camp available and the men continued living at home. Neither was there sufficient uniform or arms available but piece by piece the men were equipped and slowly transformed from civilians, wearing just an armband in Battalion colours, to soldiers. In November 1914 khaki uniforms arrived and the 10th were sent to Hornsea Yorkshire for defence duties on a stretch of coast from Mappleton to Ulrome. On arrival the camp was unfinished and a sea of mud, 60 men were crammed into each 30 man hut, none of which had windows or doors. A consignment of aged Lee Enfield rifles arrived for issue and the War Office enquired as to their efficiency, the CO Lieutenant Colonel A J Richardson is reputed to have responded, "the rifles will certainly go off, doubtful which end". In February 1916 George spent three days in a Voluntary Aid Detachement hospital in Hornsea with Follicular Tonsilitis.

In June 1915 10th moved to South Camp Ripon and then in September to Hurdcott camp, Fovant where training continued in earnest on Salisbury Plain, here they recieved new SMLE rifles and commenced musketry training. In November orders were recieved to mobilise to France but at the last minute these were recinded and on 7th December the Division embarked from Devonport sailing to Egypt where they joined the Suez Canal defences based a Quantara. In February 1916 further orders mobilised the Division from Port Said where they embarked on HMT Tunisian to Marseille to join the BEF.

Arriving in France on 7th March 1916 the 10th moved by train and route march to Englebelmer where in groups they recieved instruction in the trenches from 9th Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers. On 28th March the 10th relieved 12th Royal Irish Rifles in the front line between Beamont Hamel and Y Ravine, commencing their first tour in the trenches under their own supervision. The relief was carried out between 9 and 11 p.m. and went without incident, the night passed quietly as this sector was considered to be inactive and ideal for training and acclimatisation of new formations. The German artillery became active the following day, 29th of March, and at 6.15 p.m. during stand to they fired a Minenwerfer into the Battalions positions which killed one man. The weather was very cold and some snow was falling.

'Stand to' was short for 'stand to arms' which was a practise observed every evening and morning to guard against enemy attack which invariably occurred during the hour of darkness after dusk and before dawn.  Each man stood on the fire step facing the enemy with loaded rifle and fixed bayonette, if no attack occurred after morning stand to the men made breakfast and consumed their daily rum ration. It is ironic that the practise was adopted by both sides who would be guarding against attack at the same time and became known as 'the morning hate', the tension was often relieved by machine gun and rifle fire at the opposing trench.

Trench System at Beaumont Hamel

On 30th March 1916 at 5 a.m. George was stood to when a snipers bullet hit and killed him, he was buried in Auchonvillers Military Cemetery and his family notified. George left £2.5.10 which with a war gratuity of £6.10s was given to his mother. George was awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War and Victory Medals which along with a Memorial Plaque and Scroll was also sent to Asenath.

 Arthur Frederick Rawson

Arthur was born in 1892, his birth was registered in the first quarter of that year but in a much later document he gave his birth date as 29th May 1892, this obviously is not possible. His place of birth was St Lukes in Derbyshire where his father, Thomas Wigley worked as a house painter for local lace makers Fletchers, while his mother had eight children, six of whom survived until 1911. In that census all six surviving children were living at home, Arthur the oldest was employed as a Corset Cutter for Coopers Corsets.

Following the outbreak of WW1 the local MP for South Derbyshire, (later Sir), Herbert Raphael, who had held a commision at the turn of the century joined up as a private in the Royal Fusiliers. In June 1915 he was granted a commision as Major and started to raise the 18th (Service) Battalion (Arts & Crafts) King's Royal Rifle Corps at Gidea Park, Romford London. On 21st August 1915 Arthur travelled to Gidea Park and joined the Battalion being given the number C6925. Major Raphael MP was prominent in the Arts and Craft movement of the day which inspired the Battalion's title, served as its second in command and later in 1916 raised the 23rd (Reserve) Battalion in which he was also second in command.

The Battalion moved to Whitley Camp Surrey where training continued, the formation was assigned to 122nd Brigade of 41st Division. The Battalion's training continued at Whitley and Aldershot until they were deemed fit for war, on 2nd May 1916 they entrained to Southampton where they boarded two ships bound for France. The passage was smooth but very slow due to a thick fog, they arrived in Le Havre in the early hours of the morning of 3rd May and marched to No. 1 Rest Camp which was a hard march up a high hill. On 5th May the Battalion moved to Moulenacher where they went into billets to prepare for the trenches. They recieved instruction on gas and were marched through a tear gas filled trench with their gas helmets on then again without the any protection. This exposure to a harmless but debilitating substance is a lesson not forgotten, reinforces the need to carry the mask at all times and don it quickly in the event of an attack. Over the next few days the Battalion recieved instruction in trenches at Ploegsteert Wood, nicknamed Plugstreet this was a quiet location following fierce fighting during 1914/15 and was now a recuperation and training area. On 30th May they took over a section of the line north of Ploegsteert under their own supervision and experienced their first fatality when one man was killed.

On 7th August 1916 Arthur entered the casualty chain with an abcess on his right hand, a painful condition requiring the puss to be drained and the wound healed before returning to duty 10 days later. Even small open wounds were often dealt with in a clinical environment to avoid the filth of the trenches causing Cepsis.

Early in September 1916 the Battalion moved to the Somme to engage in its first offensive action in the Battale of Flers-Courcelette. At 9 p.m. on 14th September the Battalion occupied a front line trench in anticipation of the attack. At 6.15 a.m the following morning the attack began behind the cover of a creeping barrage, the waves were each of 150 men from headquarters, A and Arthur's D Company, the first and second line objectives were taken . 

Trench Map of Attack

The casualties on this first day were high, seven officers, including the commanding officer and Company Comanders, and 57 other ranks killed, seven officers and 227 other ranks wounded three of whom died and 59 men missing. The 274 men still able to fight were reorganised in Savoy trench by a Captain from the Transport lines who had come forward to assume command, they held this position until relieved on 18th September.

On 7th October the Battalion  joined the attack during the Battle of Transloy Ridges, the artillery bombardment preceded the Infantry assault at 1.45 p.m. Two Battalions went forward followed in close support by Arthur's Battalion. The attack was successful both objectives reached but the assault was held up by machine gunfire causing 18th Battalion to dig a new support line 200 yards in front of the old front line. The casualties were; all ranks - 84. They held the newly dug line until relieved on 11th October. Out of the line the Battalion reorganised and trained at Dernancourt, settling down to rotational duties in and out of the trenches, while out they rested, cleaned, trained and formed working parties.

On 28th May 1917 Arthur appeared before the commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Kitching, for disobedience to orders, he had been found eating Iron Rations in a billet contrary to standing orders. The Iron rations were emergency supplies for use in the trenches or during an attack when cooked food could not be brought forward or prepared in situ. They comprised; 1 lb. preserved meat, 3 oz. cheese, 12 oz. biscuit, 5/8 oz. tea, 2 oz. sugar, 1/2 oz. salt and 1 oz. meat extract. The biscuits were also referred to as hardtack were made from flour, water and salt, baked making them very hard. To make them edible they were softened in tea or broken up in cloth, due to general poor dental hygiene of the day recruits often had to undergo dental treatment in order to be able to eat them.

 

Field punishment no 1 could be administered at Battalion level up to 28 days, anything more required a court martial. The practise had been developed when flogging had been abolished and involved the individual being tied to a post, fence or cart wheel for up to two hours per day, three days out of four. In the early part of WW1 the arms were tied outstretched, probably left over from flogging, consequently the practise was known as crucifixion. By the time Arthur underwent his punishment it was as per the diagram.

During 1917 the Battalion were involved in the Battles of Messines, Pilkem Ridge, Menin Road Ridge and the operations on the Flanders Coast, all being part of the Third Battle of Ypres. Following their involvement in this offensive 18th Battalion moved to the Italian Front moving by train, during their short stay they went into the line near the river Piave north west of Treviso. In February 1918 the Battalion was ordered back to the Western Front.

On 23rd April 1918 Arthur was admitted to 139 Field Ambulance with a Goitre, a swelling of the neck caused by a problem with the Thyroid gland. Inititially it was diagnosed as simple but clearly it worsened as Arthur was transferred to 64 casualty clearing station and from there to 64 General Hospital. On 27th April 1918 Arthur was transported to England on Hospital Ship Cambria, following treatment Arthur was examined by a medical board and classified Bii which restricted him to service in communication lines.

In September 1918 Arthur was transferred to 579th Employment Company of the Labour Corps which covered Eastern Command. Made up of elderly, B and C category and recuperating soldiers the men were subject to regular medicals and reassigned to Infantry Battalions if their health improved. The men were categorised by the work they were most suited to such as; cook, storeman or caretaker, sanitary duty, orderly, clerk, tailor, salvage, laundry, traffic control or telephone operator. Before Arthur became fit again for war, it ended, in March 1919 he was sent to the dispersal centre in Clipstone Camp and was demobilised on the 15th. He was awarded the British War and Victory Medals.

Returning to live with his parents at Orchard Cottage, Mickleover, Derby he married Elsie Fletcher on 3rd April 1920. The couple settled at 137 Station Road, Repton and went back to his prewar occupation as a Cloth Cutter. In 1939 Arthur, now a Cloth Machinist, and Elsie were still at the same address, Arthur died in 1966 aged 72.