GEORGE CROSSDALE

GEORGE CROSSDALE

Lance Corporal

2nd Battalion South Wales Border Regiment

Killed in action - 11th April 1918

MILITARY MEDAL RECIPIENT

George joined the army in the name of CROSSDALE however his birth was registered with the name spelt slightly different - CROAYSDILL.  The spelling of his surname appears as many different versions throughout the life time of his family, as many people of that time were unable to read or write we will probably never know what the correct spelling is.  The spelling on the St Barnabas War Memorial is CROSDALE.

George was born in the early months of 1898 the son of John and Sarah, one of eight children born into the Croaysdill household.  John was from Belper in Derbyshire but he had met Sarah Ann Horn and the couple married at Sarah's local church in Staveley on 8th April 1889.  John was working as a boot maker at the time, he had taken his father's trade.

The Croaysdill family were living at 85 London Street in New Whittington when the 1901 census was taken.  John was now employed as a plasterer's labourer, no longer a boot maker.  George was a toddler aged 3 years old, his siblings were: John aged 12, Thomas aged 10, Florence aged 8, Arthur aged 7 and baby Mary Ann just 6 months of age.  

1911 the eve of war....

George was 13 years of age, he would have left school at 12 years of age however the census return doesn't list an occupation for him.  The family had moved house to live just along the road at number 45 London Street.  George's brother Thomas was working as a coal miner, his sister Florence was in service and Arthur was an iron moulder.  There were two new additions to the family: Margaret "Maggie" and Sarah Ann.

Older brother John had flown the nest, he was serving with the 1st Battalion Notts & Derby Regiment (Sherwood Foresters).  In 1911 he was stationed at Gough Barracks, Trimulgherry, India.  John's death is recorded in army records as 10th October 1913 at Netley Military Hospital, Southampton.  

George's war....

Unfortunately George's service records have not survived.  We can piece together some of his war service using contemporary newspaper articles, battalion war diaries, medal cards and medal rolls.

George was said to have enlisted sometime in 1915.  If this was the case then he would have been around 17 years of age.  The legal age limit to join the British Army at that time was 18 to sign up and 19 to serve overseas.  George would be 18 in early 1916, we know that he did not serve overseas during 1915 as he was not awarded the 15 Star Medal. 

Conscription started after the Military Service Bill was passed in January 1916, it deemed that all single men between the ages of 18 and 41 should either sign up immediately, sign up to the Derby Scheme or if they did none of these then the men would be automatically enlisted with effect from March 1916.  George would meet the criteria for general conscription in 1916, if this was how he enlisted then he should not have been called up until he was 19 years of age which would be in the early months of 1917.  

Alternatively, George may well have been one of thousands of under aged "boy soldiers" who lied about their age to fight for King & Country.  

Regiment....

George is documented as serving with both the 2nd and 12th Battalion South Wales Border Regiment.  He was given soldier number 24218.  He appears to have served with the 12th battalion first then been transferred to the 2nd at a later date as this was the battalion he was recorded by the Commonwealth War Grave Commission (CWGC) on his death.

The 12th battalion were a "Bantam Battalion" which would recruit men between 5 ft and 5 ft 3 inches tall with their expanded chest being 34 inches.  Unfortunately, we do not know whether George fell into these height guidelines.  

The 12th battalion were also known as the 3rd Gwent Regiment they were formed in March 1915 and moved to Aldershot in September that year when they became part of the 119th Brigade 40th Division.  The battalion landed at Le Harve on 2nd June 1916.  

They were present at the action following the German retreat behind the Hindenburg Line and at the battle to capture the Fifteen Ravine.  April 1917 found the battalion stationed at Littledale Barracks in the north of France near Equancourt.  The battalion moved off on 8th April headed for Etricourt.  The war diary describes in detail the disciplined way in which the men marched "In single file to Bouchavesnes, in file to Moislains and in fours to Etricourt".  The men would be a sight to be seen no doubt, proud but weary.

Football for heroes....

On 12th April a football match was planned between the 12th and the 18th Battalion South Wales Borders.  The weather disrupted this when the snow came down so heavily the match had to be postponed.  Luckily the next day saw a thaw and the usual April showers throughout the day.  The match was played "From the first the 12th B.N S.W.B was far superior to that of the 18th S.W.B.  The finishing whistle blast found the 12th S.W.B winners by 7 goals to nil".  

The 17th Welch also played against the Machine Gun Coy that night, the winners were the 17th that would play the George's battalion the next night.  Spirits would be high, the battalion were excelling on the football pitch.  

The night of the final came and the 17th Welch were said to have "turned out quite a good team to meet us.  But to no avail.  Final score was:- Borders 3 goals, 17th Welch nil".  The 12th reigned supreme, the two main goal scorers were noted as "Messrs Evans and Palmer".  

Hopefully these two matches would put a smile on the faces of George and his fellow comrades.  They had been away from home for a long time now, living in horrendous conditions.  A simple football match would boost morale and brighten even the most sorry of situations.

Wounded in action....

In May 1917 George received a gunshot wound to his left arm for which he was admitted to the 3rd Stationary Hospital in Rouen, France.  Here he would be given the medical care he needed well away from the dangerous front line.  The stationary hospitals could care for around 400 patients, there were two stationary hospitals per Division.  George's parents received a War Office telegraph telling them of their son's injury, we cannot imagine how they must have felt at this time as they had already lost one son to the war the year earlier. 

The month of May started quite pleasantly, the weather was good, the enemy were quiet and the men were able to spend many valuable days wire cutting around the village of La Vacquerie.  On 5th May the battalion received orders to "raid La Vacquerie with a view to inflicting loss on the enemy, damaging his defences and obtaining identification and material".  The 12th battalion were placed in the front line right attack and the raid was carried out through the day of the 5th May to the morning of the 6th.  For the remainder of the month of May the battalion were put to working parties, clearing up from the raid, tunnelling work, front line around Fifteen Wood and more light hearted entertainment when the Officers and men put on a show with singing and recitals.

Derbyshire Courier 6th October 1917 page 5

Military honours....

A further telegraph was to arrive at the door of London Street in New Whittington in October 1917 which brought good news of George's heroic actions.  These actions had been rewarded and George was "mentioned in dispatches" in the London Gazette on 21st August 1917.  

George was awarded the Military Medal for his deeds on the night of the 4th to the morning of 5th July when "on the occasion of a raid on the enemy's trenches Private Crossdale showed great gallantry and devotion to duty.  When the torpedoes failed to blow in the enemy's wire, he materially assisted in cutting a gap.  His bomb throwing greatly helped the withdrawal of the party".

The war diary for the 12th South Wales Borders on 4th July reads:-

"4th. One lateral patrol sent out on left coy.  Three listening patrols.  No enemy seen.  2nd Lieut H R Hill took a raiding party of 33 other ranks and 2 officers out at 10.30 pm.  They raided Barrack Trench and Barrack Support inflicting casualties on the enemy, and returned at 3 am.  Artillery and machine guns active.  One other rank wounded.  2nd/Lieutenant E Edwards wounded on enemy wire"

War Diary 12th Battalion South Wales Border Regiment

George was presented with this Military Medal on 9th October 1917 whilst the battalion were based at their billets at Doingt.  The actual ceremony took place in the square at Peronne and was conducted by the Company General Sir W P Pulteney.  The battalion were all out on display and were praised for how smart they all looked.

George's parents, family, friends and neighbours in New Whittington must have been so very proud of George, who at only 19 years of age had carried out such a brave and selfless act he had been awarded the Military Medal.

1918....

The 12th battalion were disbanded on 10th February 1918.  Five Officers and 100 men were transferred to the 2nd Battalion South Wales Border Regiment.  It is likely that George was one of these men.

The 2nd Battalion were located at Watou a district of the town of Poperigne in Belgium.  The war dairy records that the reinforcements arrived on 11th February, whilst the battalion were out on the front line.  The next week was spent "cleaning and smartening up" musketry, saluting and arms drills were carried out. They practiced trench to trench attacks under and barrage and spent time on the rifle range.  

At the end of February the men moved to Poperinge billeted on Rue des Furness, from where they carried out work on the army line in groups of 400 men each day.  Then at the beginning of March they took the train the town of Weiltje where they found billets at "English Camp" until on 9th they moved into position on the front line close to Goudberg Spur.  The coming days saw a heavy barrage from the enemy but the 2nd battalion were able to report that "the enemy were driven back to their trenches".  The battalion returned to English Camp on 13th and the "men slept till 12 noon".  The remainder of March continued in this fashion, the men took tours of the trenches and the enemy were particularly active including launching gas shells into the battalion's front line.

On 3rd April at 3.30 pm the battalion took over the line directly in front of the village of Passchendaele Village.  The next two days were fairly quiet and the men were able to send out observation patrols, work on the wires was also achieved.  On the 5th the enemy sent out a barrage of shells killing two men outright, another died of wounds and five were wounded.  The battalion were relieved in the early hours of 9th April and moved by light railway back to Poperinge from where they then route marched to St Janter Biezen.  Moving the next day to Oustersteene where they received orders to retake the village of Estaire.

On the 11th April the enemy launched another attack on the battalion, they managed to surround them and take the battalion headquarters.  The situation was disastrous for the 2nd battalion, chaos ensued and the men became detached from their units "casualties were very heavy and men became disorganised, small parties fighting with different units throughout the remainder of the day".  

The war diary gives the following figures for the days of 11th and 12th April 1918....

"Killed - 18 OR

Wounded - 3 Officers, 146 OR

Wounded and missing - 1 Officer, 12 OR

Missing - 17 Officers, 335 OR

TOTALS - 21 Officers, 511 Ordinary Ranks"

George was killed in action on 11th April 1918 at what would become known as the Battle of Estaires, the opening battle of the Fourth Battle of Ypres which ran from 7th to 29th April 1918.  

George has no known grave, he is remembered on the Ploegstreet Memorial in Belgium, panel 5.

"Private" 24218 George Crossdale was awarded the Victory and British Medals along with his Military Medal for his service.

George is documented as a Private rank until his death when CWGC records state he was Lance Corporal.  His medal roll and the "register of soldiers effects" all state that he was Lance Corporal.  It is likely that he gained this promotion of rank after he was awarded the Military Medal in 1917.

Life went on....

John and Sarah George's parents remained in New Whittington.  In 1939 they were living at 98 Devonshire Avenue and John's occupation is recorded as "retired shoemaker".  John died in 1947 and Sarah followed in 1948, both were aged 79 years of age.

Thomas married Georgina Barker in 1914 and had a daughter named Ivy in 1917.  The family lived in Newbold on Arundel Road and Thomas worked at the colliery.  He died in 1979 aged 88 years old.

Arthur served with the 10th Battalion Sherwood Foresters.  He also gained promotion to the rank of Lance Corporal 18959.  He lost his life on 31st October 1916.  He is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial.

  

Oddly Arthur's surname has been spelt differently to that of George's on the St Barnabas Church War Memorial.

Mary Ann married Albert Laird in January 1921, they had a son named Jack in 1924.  Albert was a plumber by trade and the family lived at 16 Lower Grove Road in Chesterfield.  Mary died in 1978 aged 78 years old.  

Margaret married John Revell in March 1924 and they had a daughter also named Margaret.  The family moved to Eckington and lived at 54 Sitwell Street, John worked at the colliery as a coal hewer.  Margaret died aged 74 years of age in 1977.

What became of Florence and Sarah Ann is not known at this time.

*****

If you may be connected to this family or have any further information on George Croaysdill or his family please do either leave comments via the pen icon below or drop me an email.

I hope that I have not given details of living persons, if so please advise and I will remove immediately.

Please note all information has been taken from online indexes and sources.  Due to the sheer numbers of people to be researched I am unable to purchase vital event certificates to confirm my research.



*****

With kind thanks to the Derbyshire Times Newspaper
for permission to use the photograph of 
George Croaysdill in this blog.


*****

Ref and further reading  -

Census

Parish registers

Medal rolls

Soldiers who died in the Great war

Register of soldiers effects

Newspaper articles - 
Derbyshire Times 19th May 1917 page 4
Derbyshire Courier 6th October 1917 page 5

CWGC  http://www.cwgc.org

War diaries - 12th Battalion South Wales Border Regiment WO 95 2606/6
                   - 2nd Battalion South Wales Border Regiment WO 95 2304/2

South Wales Border Regiments http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/south-wales-borderers/

Age limit WW1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zcvdhyc

The Derby Scheme http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/a-soldiers-life-1914-1918/enlisting-into-the-army/the-group-scheme-derby-scheme/

Bantam Battalions http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-31023270

Passchendaele https://battleofpasschendaele.weebly.com/what-happened.html

Battle of Estaires
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Lys_(1918)#Battle_of_Estaires_(9%E2%80%9311_April)

Battle of Lys http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/battles-of-the-western-front-in-france-and-flanders/the-battles-of-the-lys-1918/

AMOS BRISCOE FREEMAN

AMOS BRISCOE FREEMAN

Private 45770

19th Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers

Died from wounds - 10th April 1918

Amos was born in the early months of 1891 at Brimington near Chesterfield.  His parents were Amos and Annie (nee Jenkins), he was their first child and was named after his father.  Amos snr and Annie had married on 20th April 1890 at St Michael's Church in Brimington they lived a stones throw away on Church Street.  

The young family moved to live on South Street in New Whittington not long after and settled into family life.  Amos snr worked as a colliery clerk, it is possible that they may have moved to be close to his work.  Sadly on 4th January 1895 Amos snr passed away, he was 25 years of age.  Annie became a young widow, left alone to raise Amos who was around 4 years old.  It is not known why Amos snr died (the death certificate would be needed) however he did leave a will so the future of Annie and young Amos was planned for.  He bequeathed £113 10s 2d to Annie, John Limb a rent collector and Levi Jenkins an engine tester.  This amount would equate to around £9,000 of today's money.  In the 1890's this amount would be around 343 days worth of wages for a skilled tradesman (1).

A new chapter....

Annie married Thomas Huddless the year later in early 1896, he worked as a stationary engine driver at the iron works and was around 33 years of age.  A son was born on 5th January 1898 whom they named Albert Ernest.  Amos would be 7 years old by now and probably very pleased to have a younger brother.  The Huddless family lived at 54 South Street and on 17th June 1903 a little girl named Doris Maria became the new edition to the family.  

1911 the eve of war....

Amos was aged 20 years old and worked as a cast iron pipe fitter at the iron works.  He still lived at home on South Street with his mother Annie and step-father Thomas.  His siblings 13 year old Albert and 8 year old Doris both attended school.  He also had a new baby sister named Evelyn Mary she was just 2 months of age.  

Sadly the family suffered a terrible loss only weeks after the 1911 census had been taken when baby Evelyn passed away.  She was only 3 months old and was buried on 2nd May.  

Happy times....

Amos married his sweetheart Barbara Taylor Briggs at St Bartholomew's Church in Old Whittington on 17th April 1911.  The newly weds had their first son on 25th August that same year.  He was named following the family tradition as Amos Briscoe Freeman.  A second son named James Walter was born on 9th August 1916.  The Freeman family was complete.  They had moved into their own home during this time and lived close to Amos' family at number 69 South Street.

Amos' war....

Amos enlisted for the 18th Sherwood Forester Regiment in Chesterfield on 11th November 1915.  He was 24 years and 10 months old and worked as a pipe fitter at the time.  His application was approved on 16th November and he was posted to the battalion at Derby that same day.  Amos was now known as Private 32292.

Amos Briscoe Freeman service records
www.ancestry.co.uk

Amos was just 5 ft tall, in the beginning of WW1 the minimum height requirement was 5 ft 3 inches.  Whether Amos had already tired to enlist and been turned away due to his height is not known.  It soon became apparent to the British Military that they were limiting themselves and excluding some very good soldiers with this height limit and so Bantam Battalion's were established.  The men would need to be between 5 ft and 5 ft 3 inches tall with their expanded chest being 34 inches, Amos fulfilled this criteria.

The 18th Battalion Sherwood Foresters were a bantam battalion, raised in Derby on 27th July 1915 they remained there until October when the battalion was moved to Aldershot and joined the 121st Brigade 40th Division.  Amos would receive his basic training to equip him for warfare and carry out physical fitness activities to gain peak performance ready for embarkation to overseas action.  

Amos must have shown promise and leadership as on 31st January 1916 he was promoted to Lance Corporal.  This was a non-commissioned role which would give Amos first line authority over a section within his battalion.  On 28th March 1916 Amos was transferred to another bantam battalion, the 19th Royal Welch Fusiliers his regimental number was changed to 45770.

This battalion were also part of the 40th Division but with the 119th Brigade.  Amos remained in Aldershot a little longer but found himself in a spot of trouble at the end of May when he outstayed his pass and did not return to barracks until 23 hours later at 8.30 am on 25th.  He had been given his pass to attend the local military tattoo.  Amos lost his Lance Corporal stripe and was demoted to the rank of Private he was also charged two days pay for this offence.  The next day HRH King George was present at Aldershot to inspect some of the troops, whether Amos was amongst these men is not known.

Off to active service....

Maybe Amos knew he was about to leave the safety of England and that was why he overstayed his pass a few days earlier as on 1st June 1916 he was to embark from Southampton when his battalion set sail to join the British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F) in France.  They arrived in Le Harve the next day and moved to number 5 rest camp for the night.  Over the coming days the men took trains and marched to join the B.E.F in the trenches at Calonne on 10th July 1916. 

Amos' service records state that he was attached to D Company (whether he remained with them is not known).  Once in trenches C and D Coy were attached to the 1st Gloucestershire Regiment to receive instruction on trench warfare.  This was Amos' first glimpse of what the would become an arduous two years of battle for him.  The war diary states "The tour of duty lasted four days, during which time the enemy's artillery was fairly active though there was but little rifle or machine gun fire.  The total casualties were four men killed by shells and one man wounded by rifle or machine gun fire.  During the whole four days the weather was cold and wet".

Two bouts of illness....

On 28th August 1916 Amos was admitted to hospital suffering with conjunctivitis.  This condition was very common during WW1 with the use of chemical warfare the poisonous gas was highly irritant to the eyes of the soldiers.  He was returned fit for duty on 6th September, back to life in and out of the trenches.

Amos became sick with a fever in December, he was once more admitted to hospital with "P.U.O" which was Pyrexia of Unknown Origin.  Many men became ill with high temperatures, sickness, hallucinations and many other symptom's to which the actual cause was unknown.  Life in the trenches came with dirty unsanitary conditions, the lice which rampaged through the men would spread disease quickly and was near impossible to prevent.   Amos' illness was short lived and he returned to the battalion a few days later.

1917....

January 1917 dawned and the battalion relieved the 17th Welsh Regiment near Rancourt and remained there until they were relieved on 5th January.  During the month of March the enemy began their infamous retreat behind their massive defence line known as the Hindenburg Line.  This retreat was like no other, as the enemy fell back they left a landscape of carnage one which would cause the allies a great deal of effort to cross.  The towns and villages, roads and countryside were raised to the ground.  The 19th battalion's war dairy recounts this as the men were put to and "repaired roads and reconstructed billets in broken down houses"

At dawn on the morning of 21st April the battalion took part in an attack to take the areas of Gonnelieu and the Fifteen Ravine (a ravine so named as it was lined by fifteen trees).  At 4.20am "zero hour the barrage opened and our troops advanced.  At 5.15 am all our objectives had been taken".   Over the next 48 hours the men continued to fight off the enemy retaliation, so much so that several Private ranks were mentioned in the war diary "no 33307 Pte E Pomford did excellent work sniping off hostile machine gun fire......Pte George Atkinson 28784 stretcher bearer with great courage under heavy shell fire attended to wounded going backwards and forwards from front line".

The war diary tells of one of the battalion's gunners who went missing during a patrol at the beginning of July.  This man "after concealing his gun and laying out in no mans land for three days and nights he returned to our lines on the afternoon of the fourth day and with the exception of two or three slight wounds, he was little the worse for his experience".  Amos would have missed this event as he had been granted leave on that same day the gunner went missing Amos was taking his first days leave to the UK, back home to "Blighty" after thirteen months overseas.  This would be the first time Amos had met his young baby son James Walter who had been born the year earlier.

Leave was soon over....

Amos' home leave ended on 16th July and he would return to join the battalion some time over the coming days.  They were still based in the Gonnelieu and Cambria Road area and were alternating between tours of the trenches, working parties and reserve battalion.  

The battalion were part of a planned raid on the enemy trenches at Villers Plouich on the morning of 14th August.  At 1 am the raid commenced with five minutes of barrage towards "Barrier Trench" after which the men pushed forward to find the trench was heavily manned by the enemy.  They managed to secure the trench "inflicting heavy casualties upon the enemy garrison, destroying his shelters and dugouts and bringing back with them two unwounded prisoners of the 6th Bavarian Res. Infy Regt".  This bravery in action resulted in one Military Cross and five Military Medals being awarded for the men of the battalion.  Total casualties whilst in the line were - 

"1 Officer & 17 Other Ranks wounded

2 Other Ranks killed"

Light relief....

Life wasn't all bad for Amos and his comrades, in the month of October there was a sporting competition held.  Football games and sports activities took place with the following results (which if Amos was still in D Coy then he would be pleased with) - 

"D Coy 21 1/2 points (winners)

C Coy  21 points

B Coy 15 1/2 points 

A Coy 8 1/2 points"

Back to reality and on 23rd November they were present at the Battle of Bourlon Wood working alongside tanks the battalion began their attack at 10.30 am and an hour later had taken their objective.  The battle was fierce with heavy enemy fire, during the night they tried several times to retake the area but were unsuccessful.  The next morning the enemy made another attack from the direction of Bourlon Village, this managed to force the battalion back along the line in all but the north east edge of the wood.  The bombardment continued all day with the battalion putting up a strong fight but eventually at around 4.30 pm the men were forced back.  Not to be beaten the allies launched a counter attack and by the evening of 25th had recaptured their objective.  The war diary records the enemy's losses "were enormous" the allies took 280 prisoners during this battle.  The battalion were relieved the next night and retired to dug outs on the Hindenburg Line.  The battalion received a message of thanks and congratulations from the Officer in Command of the 119th Brigade -

"The valour and endurance displayed was beyond all praise"

On 23rd December Amos left his battalion and went back home to see his family.  This was the second time that year that he had been granted leave, no better time than to spend the Yuletide and see in 1918 than with his wife Barbara and two young sons Amos and James.

1918....

Regrettably Amos' leave soon came to an end and he returned to France on 5th January.  The battalion were based around the Bullecourt area when on 15th January the men were dealt with another difficult problem to solve when the frozen ground suddenly thawed so rapidly that all of their trenches fell in and were impassable.

The 19th Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers were disbanded on 6th February 1918.  The war diary records that "8 Officers and 150 OR from D Coy proceeded to join the 2nd Bat RWF".  The remainder of the men marched to Bailleulval and later joined the 8th Entrenching Battalion.

On 9th April 1918 Amos received gunshot wounds to his left leg, hand and back injuries which necessitated in his hand being amputated.  He was taken the the 33rd Casualty Clearing Station where he died the next day.

Whether Amos was transferred to the 2nd Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers or the 8th Entrenching Battalion is not known at this time.  The 2nd battalion war diary does not mention any casualties around the date of Amos' death.  Unfortunately Amos' story can not be completed at this time, but I will continue to research him to hopefully one day draw to a conclusion his life story.

Amos was buried at the Haverskerque British Military Cemetery in France, grave ref; A9.  His grave shows the sign of the cross, no additional inscription was chosen by his family.

Private Amos Briscoe Freeman 45770 was awarded the Victory and British Medals for his service.  Amos never regained his Lance Corporal stripes.

Life went on....

Barbara Freeman was widowed with two young son's to bring up after the death of Amos in 1918.  The terrible news arrived on 18th April when she received a telegraph informing her of the death of her husband.  Barbara was living at Ringwood Cottage, Private Road, Brimington at the time, she later moved to 52 Manor Road in Brimington.

Barbara was awarded a pension of 25 shillings 10 pence per week for her two sons upkeep.  The pension didn't however start until 21st October 1918, six months after Amos' death.  

Barbara found happiness again and married John Frederic Cropper in the summer of 1925.  John was a builder by trade and was well known in the area.  The family returned to New Whittington and set up home at 66 Wellington Street.  Sadly John became ill and after a long illness he died at Chesterfield Infirmary on 21st April 1939.  John was aged just 52 years old.  A service was held at St Patrick's Church on Wellington Street and then the interment took place at Brimington Cemetery.  

Later that year the 1939 Register was compiled and showed Barbara had son Amos and 19 year old John D Mann living with her.  Both Amos and John worked as hairdressers, John was the business owner. 

In 1942 Barbara married a man named John D Mann, whether this was the young man who lived with the family in 1939 is not known (marriage certificate would confirm).  She died in 1966 aged 73 years old.  John died in 1989.

Amos Briscoe Freeman married Beatrice Mosley in 1940. The couple had their own children but the naming pattern of "Amos Briscoe" appears to have been dropped.  Amos lost his wife Beatrice in 1971, he died a year later aged 62 years of age. 

James Walter Freeman married Dorothy Barker in 1948.  He died in 1976 aged 60 years of age.  

Annie Maria Huddless Amos' mother died on 29th September 1914.  She was only 43 years of age.  The family still lived on South Street where she left her husband Thomas.  Thomas was living with his nephew Harold* and family in 1939 at 17 Hardwick Avenue, New Whittington, he died on 12th December 1943.  

*The son of Harold also named Harold is also named on the St Barnabas War Memorial after he lost his life during WW2.  Harold was serving with the RAF and aged 22 years of age.

Albert Huddless married Florrie Mitchell in 1916.  The couple had three sons and one daughter.  Albert died in 1980.

Doris Maria Hudless married Samuel Wilson on 22nd June 1925 at St Bartholomew's Church, Old Whittington.  The couple lived at 91 London Street.  Doris died in 1985.

*****

If you may be connected to this family or have any further information on Amos Briscoe Freeman or his family please do either leave comments via the pen icon below or drop me an email.

I hope that I have not given details of living persons, if so please advise and I will remove immediately.

Please note all information has been taken from online indexes and sources.  Due to the sheer numbers of people to be researched I am unable to purchase vital event certificates to confirm my research.



*****

Ref and further reading  -

Census

Parish registers
Service records - www.ancestry.co.uk 

Medal rolls

Soldiers who died in the Great war

Register of soldiers effects

Newspaper articles 

CWGC  http://www.cwgc.org

War diaries - 19th Royal Welch Fusilliers WO 2607/3

(1) http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency-converter/#currency-result

18th Battalion Sherwood Foresters http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/sherwood-foresters-nottinghamshire-derbyshire-regiment/

19th Battalion Royal Welch Fusilliers http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/royal-welsh-fusiliers/

https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/units/317/royal-welsh-fusiliers/

Bantam Battalions -
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-Bantam-Battalions-of-World-War-One/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-31023270

Hindenburg Line http://www.remembrancetrails-northernfrance.com/history/the-battlefield/the-hindenburg-line.html

WILLIAM HENRY TOLLEY

WILLIAM HENRY TOLLEY

Lance Corporal 20296

1/5th West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales Own)

Killed in action - 3rd April 1918

William Henry Tolley was born in 1891 at East Ham in Essex the son of Samuel and Phoebe Tolley.  His father Samuel was working as a dock labourer at the time but he was a coal miner by trade.  Samuel and Phoebe (nee Crampton) married in 1873 at Dudley in Staffordshire.  The couple moved around the country during their married lives, most likely travelling to wherever work could be found.

Samuel and Phoebe had thirteen children in between the years of 1873 and 1895, William was the eleventh child.  Sadly only eight of the children lived into adulthood; Samuel born 1878, twins Samuel and Wisdom born 1883, Phoebe born 1889 and Phoebe born 1895 all died as infants or toddlers.  

The surviving children were; Richard, Alice, Mary Ann*, John, Matilda, Elizabeth Mercy, William and Albert.  The family moved to live in Barlborough around 1892 just after William was born.  On the 1901 census they were living at California Lane, Barlborough and Samuel was employed as a coal miner once more.  

A new century dawns....

The decade of the 1900's brought with it much change for the Tolley family.  On 15th September 1904 William's brothers Richard and John set sail on the Ionian destined for Quebec, Canada.  They arrived on 21st of September and began their new lives. 

The men no doubt wrote home to their parents and told the Tolley family how wonderful it was living in Canada.  Canada was actively seeking immigrants to work in its country, the boom years of British immigration into the country were 1912 and 1913 when the numbers made up 39% of Canada's total immigrants.  

The lure of the new country must have encouraged William as on 17th June 1910 he to set sail from Liverpool to Quebec.  William was aged 19 years and worked as a coal miner at the time.  He sailed 3rd Class on the Empress of Britain and arrived on 23rd June 1910.

1911 the eve of war....

Samuel and Phoebe were living at 97 Cresswell Road, Clowne by now.  Richard had returned from Canada and Albert was also still living with them.  William and John do not appear on the UK 1911 Census so we can assume that they were settled in Canada.  The girls had left the family home; 

Alice married James Stretton in 1893 they had three children Thomas, Clarence and Constance.  James died sometime between 1901 and 1911 as Alice was living in Leeds as a widow with her three children on the 1911 Census.

Matilda was working as a cook for the Harper family in Idle, West Yorkshire.  The head of the household James Harper was a business owner in the woollen textile trade. 

I have not located (Elizabeth) Mercy on the 1911 census. 

Canada beckons....

Having heard stories from their children it seems the idea of a new life in Canada also appealed to Samuel and Phoebe and so in August 1913 they to set sail for a new beginning.  They sailed with Richard and Albert on the Empress of Ireland and arrived on 14th August 1913.  Richard had already done this exciting journey he would be able to lead the family through the process of immigration.

Once in Canada the Tolley family started a new life in Fernie, British Columbia.  The city is located in the south east of British Columbia and is surrounded by the Canadian Rocky Mountains.  The city was founded in 1898 and grew in 1904 when it was officially declared a city.  The area was home to the Crowsnest Coalfield which would no doubt have been the lure for the Tolley family.  

William however did return to England as on 15th February 1915 he married his sweetheart Mary Ellen Fortune Taylor at St Mary's Church, Laisterdyke, Yorkshire.  William was aged 24 and worked as an engineer, Mary was slightly older at 26 years of age.  Mary was the daughter of grocer Herbert Taylor.  Both gave the address of 34 Campbell Street.  Two witnesses signed the marriage register Margaret Ellen Fortune and "Herb" Fortune.

Celebrations soon followed when on 14th June 1916 a son was born to the young couple.  They named him after his father William Henry Robert Tolley.

William's war....

On 27th January 1916 the Military Service Act was announced, this act deemed that all single men aged between 18 and 41 were automatically conscripted into the Army Reserve from 2nd March 1916, unless they fell into certain categories.  As a recently married man, William was exempt from this act.

A further amendment to the Act was passed on 25th May 1916 which now included married men.  William was now eligible for conscription into general service with the Army.  He would receive a call up notice which would tell him of the date and place he was requested to enlist at.  There would also be general posters around the local area and in the newspapers advising the men of what was expected of them, each man had a duty to make sure he was informed of his obligations.

William signed his papers on 21st June 1916 at Halifax, West Yorkshire.  He was aged 25 years and 219 days and worked as a foreman at the time.  He was placed with the 7th Reserve West Yorkshire Regiment and given his own regimental number of Private 6023.  

It appears that William had a few days to enjoy time with his family after enlisting as his home service commenced three days later on 24th June 1916.  This would have been especially important to William and Mary as their first child had been born only weeks earlier on 14th June 1916*.  

Once attested William would be taught the art of warfare, how to march, use weapons and would partake in physical fitness activities.  On 9th December he was ready to see active service and he set sail from Folkstone landing in Boulogne that same day.  On Christmas Eve of 1916 William was posted to the 1/5th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment.  His regimental number was also changed to Private 202916.  His wife and six month old son would be spending Christmas Eve without him.

Active service....

The 1/5th West Yorkshire Regiment was part of the 146th Brigade, 49th West Riding Division.  They had landed in Boulogne to join the British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F) in April 1915 and taken part in some major battles of the war so far, including; the Battle of Albert (Somme), Bazentine Ridge, Poziers and Flers-Courcette.  

William joined up with the battalion at the village of Bouquemaison which is located in the Somme area.  The war diary gives the following account of Christmas Day 1916, the day which William most likely joined the battalion;

"Christmas Day.  H.Q and party of A Coy bathed in the Bde Baths a(t) Bouquemaison.  The men had Christmas Dinner at midday.  Officers dinner at H.Q at 8pm.  No work on training was done.  Reinforcement of 68 O R joined the Battn, the majority being from the 3/7th and 3/8th West Yorks Regt".

The following days were spent with further training in musketry, Lewis Gun fire, bomber training and bayonet fighting.  Working parties were sent out wood cutting and other general duties.  

William probably took his first taste of life in the trenches on 6th January 1917 when the battalion relieved the 19th Manchester Regiment in trenches at Bailleulmont.  The enemy fire was relatively quiet but work was hard for the men as they were put to pumping out the water from the trenches, general repairs and erecting some head cover for the men to shelter under.  The weather was bad, heavy rain was filling up the trench system and rendering their jobs impossible.  On 9th January the battalion received its first fatality since William had joined, when enemy gun fire killed a man of A Coy returning from a working party.  On 11th January they were relieved by the 1/6th West Yorkshire Regiment and took up their billets back in the village of Bailleulmont.

Life for William and his comrades would continue in this way for the months through till May 1917, taking tours of the trenches, working parties, training and rest in the billets.  In May of 1917 however the training became more intensive, they were given four days training which included a "tactical scheme and full attack practice".  The men were being prepared for an upcoming attack to be carried out jointly by the British and the French forces.

Secret plans....

The 49th West Riding Division were part of the force which were to launch an attack on the Belgium coast.  The intention was to regain hold of the stretch of Belgium coastline which was in the enemy's hands.  The plan was named "Operation Hush" and was to take place in July or August 1917.

William's battalion moved to Estaires and then on to Oost Dunkirke by mid July in anticipation and continued their specialist training.  However the attack was eventually cancelled due to the lack of advance from Ypres.  The enemy gained information regarding the planned invasion and set about a massive attack on the British to offset Operation Hush.

The battle of Poelcapelle....

Part of the Third Battle of Ypres; In October 1917 the 1/5th battalion found themselves in the middle of a terrible run of wet weather, the rains came down so heavily the ground was like a quagmire.  The men were close to Wieltje and ordered to take up assembly positions on 9th October.  Due to the weather they would have trudged through miles of mud and were worn out before they had even reached the assembly point.  The attack commenced on the Passchendaele Ridge at 5.20 am and saw most of the allies advances eventually being pushed back to their starting points.  Only the villages of Veldhoek and Poelcapelle made any advancement, by 6.40 am the battalion had taken its first objective.  They managed to hold on to their positions until the night of the 10th when they were relieved and fell back to the Reserve Line at Wieltje.  

The B.E.F recorded around 12,000 troops wounded, missing and killed on the days of 9th and 10th October 1917.  For the battalion these numbers were also high;

"Officers - 4 killed, 8 wounded, 2 missing

Other ranks - 48 killed, 182 wounded, 44 missing"

On 17th October the men paraded for the II Anzac Company Commander and he complemented them "on their gallant attack on Passchendaele Ridge".  

Promotion....

William received recognition for his service and experience when on 12th December 1917 he was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal.  This was an unpaid role until 20th when he was awarded the salary to reward his higher rank.

1918....

The early months of 1918 were spent in and out of front line trenches, providing working parties and undertaking training at several brigade camps around the Ypres area.  At the end of March they were in the line at Glenclose Wood Tunnel and were relived on 30th by the 1st Battalion Kings Shropshire Light Infantry.  The men marched to the Scottish Wood Camp the next day attending a Church parade service in the Y.M.C.A hut at nearby Forester Camp.  The battalion were joined by reinforcements of 68 other ranks and were inspected by the Commanding Officer.

The rest was brief and at 6pm on 1st April the men marched to relieve the 1/5th Yorks & Lancaster Regiment in the line near Birr Cross Roads.  Relief was completed by 11.15 pm with no casualties sustained.  The 2nd April was described as a fairly quiet day until the enemy "put over in all about 50 gas shells".  A patrol of six ordinary ranks were sent out into "no-mans land" and reported hearing the enemy talking in their occupied front line trenches.  

The following day the 3rd April saw much more heavy artillery fire into the reserve trenches.  B Company were stationed at Jargow Tunnel and "were heavily shelled about 7.30 am and one of the entrances to the tunnel was blown in".  The war diary records the following list of casualties for 3rd April 1918;

"Casualties killed 4 OR (shell), wounded 1 OR accidental"

Lance Corporal William Henry Tolley was reported as killed in action in the activity on that day.  

William was buried at the Menin Road South Military Cemetery in Belgium, grave ref; III.D.9

Williams grave shows the sign of the cross and the loving inscription was also added by his wife Mary and family;

"GOD BE WITH YOU TILL WE MEET AGAIN"

Lance Corporal William Henry Tolley 202916 was awarded the Victory and British Medals for his service.

William was remembered in the Derbyshire Times, 4th May 1918 page 4.  The obituary included a photograph of Henry and read....

"A former resident of New Whittington

Lance. Corpl. William Henry Tolley (27)

West Yorkshire Regt., has been killed in action.

He was the third son of the late Mr S Tolley,

and of Mrs Tolley, Fernie, British Columbia, late

of New Whittington and Clowne.

His wife and two children live at Leeds"

Life went on....

Mary Tolley was living alone at 21A Back Lane, Bradford in 1939.  She never remarried but held the memory of her beloved William and what could have been if only the war had not reared its ugly head.  

She was awarded a weekly pension of 20s 5p for her and one child which commenced on 21st October 1918.  The newspaper article informing of William's death states that there were two children to the marriage.  I have only found the one son, if any one knows differently please let me know.

Mary died in 1970 aged 82 years of age.

William Henry Robert Tolley would never remember meeting his brave father.  He no doubt had a photograph or a keepsake which would keep the memory of William alive forever.  

William married Edith Hemingway in 1939.  I believe they had a son and daughter in 1940 and 1947 respectively.  William died in Ryedale in 1973 he was 77 years old.  

Samuel & Phoebe Tolley were still living in Canada during WW1.  Samuel died not long after he had emigrated, never knowing that his son William would lose his life to the war.  Samuel died on 30th March 1915 aged 73 years.  He was buried at St Margaret's Cemetery at Fernie, British Columbia.  

Phoebe died on 11th November 1920 aged 68 years old.  She too was buried at St Margaret's Cemetery in Fernie.

Richard Tolley also lived his life in Canada.  He died on 6th December 1939 at Kamloops, British Columbia.  

Alice Stretton was to remain a widow.  She lived in Leeds in 1939 and died there a year later.  

John Tolley was living in Fernie, British Columbia in 1921.  He worked as a coal miner and had ten children; Albert, Dorothy, Annie, Alice, Raymond, Harold, Sampson, John, Mildred and Phoebe.

John remained in Fernie until he died on 25th May 1950.  His wife Annie died there a few years earlier in 1947.

Matilda and (Elizabeth) Mercy Tolley boarded the ship named the Victorian at Liverpool destined for Canada.  The two sister's travelled to live with their family members in Fernie.  They arrived on 7th July 1920, just months before their mother Phoebe died.  Matilda worked as a cook and Mercy as a tailoress.

Matilda died aged just 43 years old on 14th January 1930, she was buried with her parents in St Margaret's Cemetery.

Mercy married Robert Gash on 28th December 1926 at Victoria, British Columbia.  The couple a daughter named Joan a few years later.  Mercy died aged 69 years old on 9th July 1956.

Albert Tolley also remained in Fernie, British Columbia.  He died aged 65 years old on 2nd November 1959 and was buried along with his parents and sister Matilda at St Margaret's Cemetery, Fernie.

* Mary Ann Tolley - possible child.  The 1911 census states Samuel and Phoebe Tolley had 13 children - 8 living and 5 dead.  I have only been able to fully document 12 of these children at this time.

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Another local man named Frank Fareham also lost his life on the same day as William whilst serving with the 1/5th West Yorkshire Regiment.  His story can be found via the link here.

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If you may be connected to this family or have any further information on William Henry Tolley or his family please do either leave comments via the pen icon below or drop me an email.

I hope that I have not given details of living persons, if so please advise and I will remove immediately.

Please note all information has been taken from online indexes and sources.  Due to the sheer numbers of people to be researched I am unable to purchase vital event certificates to confirm my research.



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With kind thanks to the Derbyshire Times Newspaper
for permission to use the photograph of 
William Henry Tolley in this blog.

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Ref and further reading  -

Census

Parish registers
Service records - www.ancestry.co.uk 

Medal rolls

Soldiers who died in the Great war

Register of soldiers effects

Newspaper articles - 
Derbyshire Times obituary - 4th May 1918 page 4

CWGC  http://www.cwgc.org

War diaries -

1/5th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales Own) - WO 2794/1

Frank Fareham https://staveleyremembers.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/fareham-and-bennett.jpg

1/5th West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales Own) http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/the-prince-of-waless-own-west-yorkshire-regiment/

Battle of Poelcapelle https://www.cwgc.org/learn/news-and-events/news/2017/10/09/07/48/8-facts-about-the-battle-of-poelcappelle

Operation Hush http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/battles-of-the-western-front-in-france-and-flanders/operation-hush-including-the-battle-of-the-dunes/

Conscription http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-lives/yourcountry/overview/conscription/

Recruitment WW1

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recruitment_to_the_British_Army_during_the_First_World_War#Conscription_1916%E2%80%9318

Military Service Act 1916 http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/a-soldiers-life-1914-1918/enlisting-into-the-army/the-1916-military-service-act/

Amendment May 1916 http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/a-soldiers-life-1914-1918/enlisting-into-the-army/the-1916-military-service-act/procedure-for-call-up-under-the-military-service-act/

Canadian immigration http://www.british-immigrants-in-montreal.com/canadian-immigration-early-1900s.html

Fernie, British Columbia https://tourismfernie.com/