HENRY WARREN

HENRY WARREN

Corporal 11241

2/5th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment

Missing presumed dead - 21st March 1918

Henry was the youngest of seven children born to Arthur and Annie Warren.  He was born in the winter of 1896/early 1897, baptised at Whittington on 8th January 1897.  He was affectionately known as "Harry".

World War 1 brought tremendous loss to the Warren family; Arthur and Annie Warren lost three sons to the cause, the first was William on 10th March 1916.  Next came Henry on 21st March 1918 and later that year Arthur on 29th June 1918. 

The Warren family....

Arthur Warren was a sawyer born in Therfield, Hertfordshire and Annie Matilda Hunt was from Grafton Underwood near Northampton; they married on 16th May 1881 at Staveley parish church.  Annie had lived in the Staveley area since she was a child.  Their first son was baptised on 26th January 1882, his name was James Edward (named after his maternal grandfather James Hunt).  Next came a daughter Lily in 1884 who sadly did not survive infancy, she died later that year. Two more son's followed; John Frederick baptised on 22nd December 1886, then Arthur baptised 17th January 1889 at New Whittington.

After a tough few years Annie and Arthur found hope again, when in 1890 a daughter was born, they named her Annie after her mother, she was baptised on 20th November 1890.

The 1891 census shows the Warren family living at London Street, New Whittington.  Not long after the census was taken John Frederick died aged just 4 years old.  Over the coming years more children were born to Arthur and Annie; William and Ellen were baptised on the same day, 21st June 1895 and then came Henry (Harry).

Another sad time had troubled the Warren family, when in 1896 their eldest son James Edward died aged 15 years old.  James was employed at Staveley Company's wagon shop.  He "got wedged between two wagons, and suffered in consequence serious injuries internally, which necessitated his removal to the Chesterfield Hospital".  Unfortunately the doctors were unable to save James and he died the following night (1).

1911 the eve of war....

The Warren family had left New Whittington and were now living at 2 Higher Albert Street, Stonegravels.  Henry was aged 14 years old and had begun his working life as an apprentice in engineering at the iron works. 

William was 15 years old and had found employment as a pipe moulder also at the iron works.  Arthur Snr and Arthur Jnr were both employed as sawyers at the local timber yard.  

Poignantly this, the last census before the Great War shows Arthur and Annie living what was probably a very ordinary life, their three sons Arthur, William and Henry still lived in the family home.  

The girls had left home; Annie was the cook at the Temperance Hotel also known as the Park Hotel, run by Henry Victor Davis.  I have not located Ellen on the 1911 census.

A few years later on 14th September 1913 Annie married George Venus Lloyd at Scarborough.  George was living at Coventry at the time.

Sadly Annie, Harry's mother died not long after in 1913, she was 53 years of age.

Harry's war....

Harry went to Chesterfield and signed his papers to serve for "Short Service" on 28th August 1914, just a few weeks after war had been declared.  His service record states that Harry was aged 19 years 14 days old and worked as a labourer in the iron foundry.  Harry must have lied about his age as this would mean that he had been born in the August of 1895.  Harry was in truth aged just 17 years old when he enlisted.  He needed to be 18 to sign up and 19 years old to serve over seas.  

He was posted the very next day, straight to the depot, no time to be found out for falsifying his age.  We may never know if his parents or siblings knew of his enlistment before this date, did he spend one last night at home before leaving or did he set out on the 28th and not return until he was a soldier?   

On 5th September 1914 Private 11241 Henry Warren was posted to his first battalion, the newly formed 7th Lincolnshire Regiment.  Ten months later on 10th July 1915 the battalion received their orders that they would be moving overseas.  They marched out of Flowerdown Camp to Winchester Station on 14th July; 29 Officers and 932 Other Ranks.  The march would pass through the local community, people would be out in the streets cheering the brave men along the way.  Harry was now 18 years of age, his war was just about to begin.

Harry and his battalion embarked from Folkstone and arrived on the shores of Boulogne, France at just past midnight on 15th July, from there they moved on to Ostehove Camp for a short rest.  At 9am the battalion was again on the move, they took a train journey to the village of Wizernes near St Omer.  Harry would spend most of the month moving from place to place until on 27th the "B Company (Coys)" saw its first tour in the trenches, its not known which Company Harry was attached to, but by the end of the month all had spent time in the trenches; the battalion recorded 4 other ranks killed and 16 wounded for that first month with the British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F).  

Accidental injury....

Harry found himself the subject of speculation when on 21st August 1915 he caused himself accidental wounding.  A witness statement given by Pte. G Bates;

"In the trenches about 10am, 21/08/15, I was standing near No7, 11241 Pte. H Warren, who was in the act of cleaning his rifle - he was at the same time conversing with me.  I noticed the man had his right hand near muzzle of his rifle, cleaning the trigger guard with left hand.  I heard a report & found that Pte Warren had accidentally discharged his rifle, the shot taking away the forefinger of right hand."

Injuries like this were taken very seriously by the military leaders, they would need to decide if the incident was by accident or in fact done in a deliberate act to avoid further service.  Harry was tried by a Field General Court Martial, this type of trial could if necessary issue a death penalty.  

The court martial took place on 26th August 1915, he was tried "for neglect to the prejudice of good order and military discipline (self inflicted wound)".

The verdict;

"The Court found the accused not guilty"

Through the winter months of 1915 to spring 1916 the battalion saw some heavy fighting around the Hooge / Ypres area.  On 1st March the battalion prepared to take part in an operation to recapture an area known as "The Bluff".  At 5pm "Companies taking up position in assembly trenches.  Battalion march out 20 Officers 558 Other Ranks".  The attack commenced at 4.30am on 2nd March, the battalion were a  forward support battalion.   By 8am "Runners reported that whole objective was in our hands and we, consolidating recaptured trenches".   The casualties were high;

"Officers - 1 killed, 5 wounded

Other ranks - 33 killed, 178 wounded, 16 missing"

The Somme offensive....

On 1st July 1916 the battalion marched to take up their positions in the front line trenches at Fricourt.  At 8am the next day they received orders that they were to attack the town of Fricourt along with the South Staffordshire Regiment.   The attack began at just after midday with B and D Coys in front, A and C Coys as support.  They reached their first objective not long after and thirteen prisoners were taken.  Heavy fighting continued, with many casualties for the 7th battalion.  Twenty four hours later the battalion made progress when they captured "Railway Alley".  The battalion began work to consolidate the trench until 10.30pm when they were relieved by the South Staffordshire Regiment.  They moved to billets at Ville for a well earned rest.  The casualties for those four opening days of the Battle of Albert were;

"Officers - 4 killed, 4 wounded

Other ranks - 35 killed,  153 wounded, 18 missing"

The battalion played an active part in the Battle of the Somme, they were part of a successful mission to capture of the town of Fricourt.  

On 28th August 1916 Harry was transferred to the 8th battalion Lincolnshire Regiment.  He joined the men the next day whilst they were stationed at their billets in Villers-Au-Bois, just north of Arras.

8th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment.... 

Harry spent the first month with the 8th battalion receiving training, it wasn't until the middle of July that the men were to relieve the Nelson battalion of the Royal Naval Division in the trenches at Sain.  The months ahead took on the same routine; training, rest and duties in the trenches.

1917....

Harry had reason to celebrate with the coming New Year when he was awarded ten days leave to England.  We would hope that Harry visited his family back in New Whittington and I am sure that they were overjoyed to have their beloved youngest son back home where he belonged, especially as the family were in turmoil over their son William being declared missing in action the year earlier.

Harry's leave ended on 12th January and he returned to the B.E.F in France.  This time his stay in France was short lived as at the end of February 1917 Harry became ill with a condition called Adenitis, inflammation of the lymph nodes within the abdomen.  Often confused with appendicitis, the condition would have been extremely painful and Harry would also suffer with a fever.  He was admitted to the General Hospital however his condition must have deteriorated as on 12th March he was transferred back to the UK on hospital ship "HS Stad Antwerpen".

On 8th June 1917 Harry was transferred to the 3rd battalion Lincolnshire Regiment.  This was a reserve training battalion which were based at Grimsby at this time.

Back to the front....

Unfortunately for Harry the time came when he was deemed fit and able to return to active service.  He embarked at Folkstone on 17th July 1917 and arrived once again in Boulogne that same day.  He was attached briefly to the 6th battalion before joining the 2/5th battalion on 10th August.  The war diary records that the battalion received 219 Ordinary Ranks in the month of August, bringing its strength to; 37 Officers and 957 Ordinary Ranks.

At 11pm on 25th September 1917 the battalion moved to their point of assembly just south of Wieltje, as part of the attack around Hill 37.  The night was a misty night, their objective could not be seen in the darkness.  A day later the diary reads "The battalion attacked, gained and held its objectives".  The enemy put up a barrage of shells and gunfire over the day of 27th, the battalion were eventually relieved at 11pm.

Promotion for Private Warren....

Harry gained recognition for his service and experience when on 13th October 1917 he was promoted to Lance Corporal.  With this promotion came more responsibility but unfortunately his service records note that this was "unpaid" meaning he would not receive a higher pay allowance for this promotion.  The promotion would make Harry's family very proud back in "Blighty", some positive news to chat about in the village of New Whittington.

Further paid promotion followed in January 1918 when Harry was made Corporal, this was a senior non-commissioned rank.  Harry had done well and would now be in charge of a section within his battalion. More reason for his family and friends to be extremely proud. 

The early months of 1918 were spent in training and exercise; bayonet and open warfare training were taught, but also football, boxing and running were all part of the itinerary.  On 9th February the men marched out of Ambines, they marched for three days, resting only at night, before arriving in Bullecourt on 12th February.  They went straight into position, relieving the 20th Middlesex Regiment in the front line and the 13th Yorkshire Regiment in support.  The coming weeks saw the battalion involved in some heavy bombardments, by both sides.  On the 20th the war diary records "Enemy used gas shells today which burst like ordinary H.E shells.  Five men were affected and sent down.  These shells are difficult to detect as the smell of the smoke from the H.E masks the smell of the gas" ("H.E" High Explosive).

March 1918....

The war diary tells an interesting account of how some members of the German Army had an "attempt at fraternisation" with the battalion.  It goes on to comment "It appears the German soldier will do anything for "bully beef" offering our men cigarettes etc in exchange".  The battalion however did not succumb to such bribery and returned their approach with gunshots and grenades.  

The German Army was about to launch a surprise attack on the allies, German prisoners and deserters "all state that an attack would be made shortly". This act of "friendship" would have rendered the allies hungry and weak, the Germans would have benefited from the extra rations at a time when both armies were working on empty stomachs.  The battalion spent the coming weeks preparing for the enemy attack; maintaining and building strong front line trenches and support trench systems.  On 19th March the men were relieved from the trenches and moved to Mory South Camp.  The men were on high alert, "standing to" an hour before day break each morning in anticipation.

The attack....

It was a foggy morning on 21st March 1918 when the German Army launched a massive attack on the British Army.  Known as "Kaiserschlacht" or "The Kaiser's Battle", this attack was launched on a huge scale.  Code named Operation Michael the Germans bombarded the B.E.F for five long hours.  After the initial artillery attack 6,600 men of the German Army left their trenches and moved under cover of the dense fog to the British front line trenches.  

Harry and his comrades were in reserve on the morning of the 21st March 1917, they were still in camp at Mory when it became clear that "something was happening on the front line".  The enemy had been firing intermittent gun fire throughout the night, which had been "increasing in violence till about 4am".  At about this time the order was given for the men to "Stand to".  

Three hours later at 7am the battalion were ordered to move to the assembly position which they had achieved by 7.36am, all ready in artillery formation.  At 12 noon orders were further received to "advance and occupy support trench of the First Battle System".  The battalion were split; A Coys went to the right and B, C and D Coys to the left.  

It was soon noticed that the men were moving off of their allocated lines towards the right.  Further investigation found "large masses of enemy were seen streaming over the ridge to the S.E of Longmatte".  The German army had already occupied the Lincolns intended target and so the Company Officers had decided to change track and aim to occupy an area known as Norevil Switch.  By now the battalion and its companies had become completely detached from each other, some behind the front line.

Several attempts were made to send patrols out to find the remainder of the battalion, but unfortunately these men continued to come into the lines of "large bodies of enemy troops".  Thus they were forced to retreat, many of the men were wounded in these efforts.  The enemy were getting closer, they were moving from right to left "in large numbers"  across the battalion's front lines.  At one stage they did reach the wire of the allies "but were beaten off".

At 3.15pm it was decided that the Battalion Headquarters should be moved back from the front line to the support lines.  By 5.20pm it was feared that the brigade would lose its right flank and so supporting troops were rushed to the line to assist.  Eventually at 8pm the battalion received the welcome news that they would be relieved in the front line.  Nine hours later the relief was complete, at 5am on 22nd March the battalion were further back in the support line.  

Throughout the day of 22nd the enemy continued its attack, at around 3.45pm the message was sent to confirm that they had in fact taken a key position, the village of Vraucourt.  The order was given for all men to be withdrawn, the 2/5th Lincolnshire Regiment were collected "and acted as general reserve".

Corporal Henry Warren 11241 was reported as killed in action on 21st March 1918.  He died carrying out his duty under the most terrifying circumstances "During the whole of this advance the Bn was under heavy artillery and M.G (machine gun) fire".  His battalion spent the following days under continued heavy fire, trying as they might to move to safety the enemy were constantly at their heels.  

The war diary estimated that 490 other ranks were killed, wounded or missing between the dates of 21st to 25th March 1918.

Harry is remembered on the Arras Memorial, Pas De Calais, France ref Bay 3 & 4.  He has no known grave.

Corporal Henry Warren 11241 was awarded the Victory, British War Medal and 15 Star for his service.

Harry was reported as missing in the Derbyshire Times 27th April 1918 page 4.  The article included a photograph of Henry and read....

"As reported in our last issue Corporal Harry Warren,

Lincolnshire Regiment, of 31 Victoria Street, 

Chesterfield, has been posted as missing from

his Regiment since March 21st.

Enlisting at the commencement of the war, 

he has been wounded once and came 

to England last year after a bad illness.

He is 21 years of age.  His brother William Warren,

Leicestershire Regiment has been missing for two years"

Life went on....

Arthur Warren Williams father lived with his daughter at 31 Victoria Street, Stonegravels at the time of Williams death.  He was employed by Allen & Orr Timber Merchants. 

Newspaper articles in 1918 state that Arthur was a cripple.  He died in 1925 aged in his early 70's. 

Henry's siblings -

Arthur Warren served with the 11th Battalion Sherwood Forester Regiment.  A newspaper article (2) on the front page of the Derbyshire Courier stated that Arthur was employed at Sheepbridge furnace's prior to enlisting.  He was reported killed in action  on 29th June 1918 whilst fighting in Italy.  The article also told that he had been wounded and gassed the year earlier.  Arthur's story will be told on this blog on 29th June 2018.

Annie Lloyd nee Warren and her husband George remained living in Scarborough.  In the December of 1916 George signed up for active service.  At that time they were living at 83 Beechville Avenue, Scarborough.

George served with the Royal Tank Corps; a remarkable time for George to be involved in the new technology of modern warfare.  Looking at this service records he was only a short man of 5ft 1", this height would have made an ideal candidate for tank warfare. 

Annie was left in Scarborough to look after their two young children; Barbara Gladys born on 6th April 1914 and Robert Venus born on 18th August 1916. 

Thankfully George survived the war, being demobilised on 26th January 1919.  He was awarded the British War Medal and Victory medal for his service.  The couple lived out their married lives by the sea in Scarborough; Annie died in 1961 and George died not long after in 1965.

Ellen Warren may have married George H Draper in 1919. If this is correct then the couple may have had a son named Arthur H Draper in 1919.  What became of Ellen after this date is not known? can anyone shed any light on the story of Ellen Warren? please let me know if you can.  Ellen may have had a son out of wedlock, born in 1914 James Edward Warren was the beneficiary of his uncle Arthur Warren's soldiers effects in 1918. 

William Warren served with the 2nd Battalion Leicestershire Regiment.  He enlisted in the early stages of the war and joined the B.E.F in France on 4th October 1915.  In November 1915 the battalion moved to Egypt and became part of the 28th Indian Brigade.  

Private William Warren 16689 was missing presumed dead between the 8th - 10th March 1916.  His official date of death is 10th March 1916.  His full story can be read here.

*****

If you may be connected to this family or have any further information on Henry Warren 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 
Henry Warren in this blog.

With kind thanks to the Lincolnshire Regimental website
for permission to use the picture of the insignia 
in this blog.  
http://www.thelincolnshireregiment.org/

*****

Ref and further reading  -

Census

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

Medal rolls

Soldiers who died in the Great war

Register of soldiers effects

Newspaper articles - Derbyshire Times, Derby Courier
Derbyshire Times obituary 

CWGC  http://www.cwgc.org

War diaries -

7th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment - WO 2007/1

8th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment - WO 2529/1

2/5th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment - WO 3023/3-4

Lincolnshire Regiment http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/lincolnshire-regiment/

https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/units/273/lincolnshire-regiment/

7th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment http://www.wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/allied/battalion.php?pid=6568

HS Stad Antwerpen https://birtwistlewiki.com.au/wiki/HS_Stad_Antwerpen

Operation Michael http://www.greatwar.co.uk/battles/somme/1918-somme-spring.htm

(1) Derbyshire Times 20th June 1896 page 8.

(2) Derbyshire Courier 20th July 1918 page 1.

(3) Derbyshire Courier 22nd July 1916 page 5.

ARNOLD CALLIS

ARNOLD CALLIS

Private 242158

2/6th Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment

Killed in action - 21st March 1918

Arnold Callis' name was spelt incorrectly when it was inscribed onto the St Barnabas Church War Memorial.  It was was written with "SS" on the end, when in fact his birth registration and war records all spell the surname with one "S".

Arnold was born in the autumn of 1897 at New Whittington, he was the son of Catherine (nee Hayes) and William Callis.  His parents married in 1894, Catherine was a young widow with two young children at the time; Alice aged 8 and Charles aged 4 years. 

Derbyshire Times - Charles Hubbard death

Arnold's mother Catherine had married Charles Hubbard in 1885, he wasn't a local lad, he was born in Claypool, Lincolnshire.  In 1891 the family were living on Bamford Street and Charles worked as a coal miner.  A year later on 14th February 1892 Charles passed away, leaving his young wife to bring up Alice and toddler Charles.  His burial took place at St Bartholomew's Church on 17th February 1892.

A new start....

In 1894 Catherine married William Callis a shoe and boot clicker from Sheffield.  His job was to cut out the upper part of the shoe from the roll of leather, it was a very skilled job.  He would become step father to Alice and Charles.  Later that year the couple had their first child together; a son named William.  

In 1896 another son  was born, named Bertram he died aged just nine months old, he was buried at St Bartholomew's Church on 29th October 1896.  Arnold would bring new hope for the family when he was born in 1897, followed by their first daughter Winifred in 1900.

On the 1901 census the Callis family are recorded as living at 11 Bamford Street, Arnold was 3 years old.  His father William was 32 and his mother Catherine was 36 years of age.  William was noted as being a "boot maker and repairer.... own account" meaning William worked for himself.  He may well have run his business from his house or if he was doing well he might be able to afford a workshop to trade from.  One thing we can be sure of, Arnold and his siblings would have quality footwear on their small feet.

1911 the eve of war....

Arnold was 13 years old by now, he had left school and was employed as a mouse trap maker.  The family had grown, another sister for Arnold named Bertha she was born in 1902.  The Callis family had moved home to live at 15 Bamford Street, this was a six roomed house not the usual two up, two down terraced house.  

All of the children still lived at home; Alice and Charles Hubbard were in their twenties now, Charles worked as a colliery labourer above ground.  William was 16 years old and employed as a bell lad, Winifred and Bertha were still attending school.  

There was one more new member of the Callis family; a baby boy named Charles William Hubbard, recorded as "step grandson" to the head of the household.  Baby Charles was the son of either Alice or Charles Hubbard.

The boot making/repair business appears to be doing well, the family have upgraded their home and Catherine is noted as "assisting in the business".

Arnold's war....

Arnold's service records have not survived, his medal card gives us a brief clue to his service as he was not awarded the 15 Star, thus we can surmise that he did not see active service in a theatre of war in between the dates of 5th August 1914 and 31st December 1915.  A newspaper article states that he enlisted as soon as he was old enough, which would have been around 1915 as the minimum aged to enlist was 18 years (he could not serve overseas however until he was 19 years old).

On enlisting Arnold would be transferred to a training camp where he would be taught the basic skills he would need for the war he was about to enter.  He would be given a medical to ensure that he was fit and fell within the required parameters for active service.  He was given soldier number Private 242158 and attached to the 2/6th South Staffordshire Battalion.

This battalion was formed in Wolverhampton in September 1914 as a home service regiment.  From 1915 the regiment was part of the 176th Brigade 59th Division (2nd North Midland Division).  In July 1915 it moved to St Albans.

Voluntary enlistment was dwindling and large numbers of men were needed to sustain the war effort.  All men were given the option to enlist voluntarily under the Derby Scheme which would allow them to attest to serve if needed at a later date, the closing date for this voluntary act was 15th December 1915.  Once they had enlisted they were free to go back to civilian life until they were called for at a later date.  Whether or not Arnold took up this offer is not known, but if he did he would have been placed in "Group 1".  This group were given notice of their call up on 25th February 1916, they were mobilised on 28th March 1916.

In April 1916 the 2/6th South Staffordshire Battalion were sent overseas, but not to join the British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F) in France, they were sent to Dublin, Ireland to quell the Easter Uprising.  

A call to arms....

After nine months away the battalion returned to the United Kingdom, based at Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire from January 1917 until they received the call "mobilise for war" in February.  The war diary reads "24/2/17 instructions received under secret cover to embark at Southampton".  The next day 31 Officers and 653 Other Ranks took a train journey from Codford Station, Wiltshire arriving at Southampton to embark on the HMS Viper by 11.30am.  They arrived at Le Harve at 7am on 26th February 1917.

The battalion were based near Genermont, moving in and out of the trenches.  In March the war diary records that "rain fell heavily on two nights.  Communication and front line trenches were very wet and muddy, in some places the mud being knee deep.  Great difficulty was experienced in getting up water and rations owing to the mud and the men were very exhausted".  Arnold may have tried his hand at household chores when for two days the battalion were "engaged cleaning clothing and equipment and making up deficiencies".

From 14th March to 5th April 1917 the German Army made its retreat to behind its newly built defence system known as the Hindenburg Line.  The Germans had planned this manoeuvre with great detail, making sure that the British Armies would struggle to occupy their vacant positions.  They made the land as difficult as possible to cross, for example when the 2/6th South Staffordshire Regiment arrived at the town of Mons-En-Chaussee they found "All houses, wells and fruit trees in this town were destroyed by the enemy before their retirement".  The battalion were put to work remaking the roads and communication lines which had been German army had sabotaged.

In late September 1917 the battalion were present at the Battle of Polygon Wood, part of the infamous Third Battle of Ypres / Passchendaele.  The battle took place just outside Ypres in the areas in between Menin Road and Polygon Wood.  The battalion took their position at "Oxford Road", north of Ypres by 4am on 26th September and were ready to advance as support to the 59th Division attack.  They moved forward into front line trenches at 5am and spent the next few days moving back and forth from those trenches.  By the 30th September the war diary noted "During the time the battalion was in the front line trenches and in immediate support the casualties averaged about 20%".  

The battalion were involved in yet another difficult battle when on the night of 28th/29th November they relieved the 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards south west of Bourlon Woods.  They were then heavily bombarded by the enemy with heavy artillery and gas shells for two further days.  The war diary records the terrible consequences of this attack as "During these two days the battalion suffered heavy casualties from gas, the whole of A C & D Coys. becoming casualties".  The battalion were relieved and moved back into billets, the month of December being relatively quiet in comparison to the terrible times Arnold and his comrades had seen.

On Christmas Day 1917 the war diary comments "Church parades.  Christmas dinner served by Companies.  Extras and geese bought by Regimental Funds and grant of 600 Francs from Divisional Canteen".
I hope that Arnold and his chums had a peaceful and happy Christmas Day, I think that they more than deserved it.

1918....

The month of March began as many others had, with the battalion doing tours of the trenches and carrying out routine repairs "large working parties were found nightly for digging and wiring in defence systems".  time was spent "cleaning up etc, bathing, specialist classes were commenced".  

What happened next would have been unexpected for Arnold and his fellow men....

It was a foggy morning on 21st March 1918 when the German Army launched a massive attack on the British Army.  Known as "Kaiserschlacht" or "The Kaiser's Battle", this attack was launched on a huge scale.  Code named Operation Michael the Germans bombarded the B.E.F for five long hours.  After the initial artillery attack 6,600 men of the German Army left their trenches and moved under cover of the dense fog to the British front line trenches.  

The 2/6th South Staffordshire war diary tells of the day....

"Heavy enemy shelling of back areas commenced between 2 & 3am, also heavy bombardment by enemy of Front and Support line with H.E (high explosive) and gas shells from 4am - 8am.  Enemy attacked in massed formation at 9am and succeeded in capturing the Front Line and also affected a flank move and got through to Railway Reserve and Battalion Headquarters.  23 Officers & about 600 O.R are "missing".

Despite such a terrible bombardment some of the front line was held until they had to give way due to the "flanks being exposed and heavy enemy attacks".  They held their own until 1am on 23rd March when they had no choice but to withdraw to safety.

The battalion received a surprise visitor to their billets when on 30th March, they were inspected by His Majesty The King.  The battalion also received the following letter from the Divisional Commander;

"Will you please convey to all ranks of your Division my admiration and thanks for the very gallant stand they made against overwhelming numbers of the enemy supported by a tremendous artillery.

The Division nobly did their duty on the right of the VIth. Corps. and from all accounts that have reached me have inflicted heavy loss upon the enemy.  

I grieve for the heavy casualties among your gallant Officers, N.C.O's and men but the 59th Division have the satisfaction of knowing that they did their duty in as trying circumstances as can possibly happen in war".

Arnold was pronounced missing in action on 21st March 1918.  He served through some of the most horrendous battles of the war, he was just 20 years old when he was killed.

CWGC burial record at Bullecourt German Cemetery

He was buried by the German Army at Bullecourt as an "Unknown British Soldier".  On 17th April 1924 his body was exhumed by the CWGC and identified using his clothing and his general service buttons.  The exhumation file describes Arnold as being 5' 9" tall and having light brown hair, some of his teeth were missing but his remaining teeth were "very good and even". 

Arnold was buried at the H.A.C Cemetery at Ecoust-St-Main in France, grave ref; Viii.B.34.  His grave is marked with the sign of the cross and his family chose the following inscription to be added;

"EVER IN OUR THOUGHTS"

Private Arnold Callis 242158 was awarded the Victory and British Medals for his service.

Arnold was reported in the Derbyshire Times 4th May 1918 page 5.  The article shows that his parents had not given up hope of his return.  It included a photograph of Arnold and reads....

"Mr and Mrs Callis, 15 Bamford Street,

New Whittington, the parents of 

Private Arnold Callis, South Stafford 

Regiment are anxiously awaiting for further news

of their son, who has been missing since 

March 21st 1918.

He is 20 years of age and in pre-war days belonged to 

the B.P Scouts.  When war broke out and he was old 

enough to enlist he joined up.  He crossed over to France

in February last year.  He has two brothers serving 

with the Colours.  Before enlisting he worked at 

Messrs. Locker's Waggon Works, New Whittington."

Life went on....

Catherine & William Callis Arnold's parents remained in New Whittington and no doubt continued to offer the boot repair service to the local people.

Article with kind permission of the Derbyshire Times
25th January 1919 page 4

Catherine clung on to the hope that one day her beloved son would return to family in New Whittington.  In January 1919, ten months after his death Catherine placed an article in the Derbyshire Times.  She asked..

"Will any returned prisoner of war know anything about Pte. Arnold Callis 242128, 2/6th South Staffordshire Regt. Battalions runner missing since 21st June 1918 and stationed at Bullecourt, please communicate with Mrs Callis 15 Bamford Street, New Whittington, Chesterfield".  

We will probably never know if anyone came forward and gave Catherine and William the news they longed for.  But, five years on in 1924 her son was finally laid to rest, with their chosen words to remember him by inscribed on his gravestone.

William died on 6th December 1938 aged 70 years.  Catherine lived on until 1953 when she died aged 88 years old.  

Photo taken by author

The grave of William can be found in St Bartholomew's Church graveyard.  The gravestone also remembers Arnold, the inscription reads;

"In loving memory of

WILLIAM

the beloved husband of

CATHERINE CALLIS

Died Dec. 6th 1938 aged 70 years

Also ARNOLD their dear son

South Staff Regt HQ Runner

killed in action March 21st 1918

aged 20 years

also

CATHERINE CALLIS"

The family home of 15 Bamford Street continued to be the Callis home, on the 1939 register Catherine was living there with her son Charles Hubbard and daughter Bertha.

William Callis Arnold's elder brother enlisted to the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) on 13th January 1915.  He was given the soldier number 79939 and posted at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne to receive his training.  His service records have survived and show that he was a gunner with the RFA.  

William embarked from Southampton on 21st July 1915, arriving in Le Harve the following day.  He returned to England in November 1918 and was posted to Woolwich on 24th December 1918.  William served the whole of the war and was finally given his Protection Certificate and Certificate of Identity on 4th March 1919.  He also received a disability certificate, but the reason for the disability was not recorded.

William was awarded the Victory and British medals along with the 15 Star for his service to King & Country.

Back home in New Whittington William married Alice Philpott on 1st January 1921.  The marriage took place at St Bartholomew's Church, with Winifred Callis, Ambrose Knowles and David Bingham as witness.  

The couple may have the following children; Winifred, Dorothy and named after his brave uncle; Arnold William Callis was born in 1924.  Family life however was short lived as in William died in 1931 aged just 36 years old.  He left three children under the age of 10 years.

Alice took in washing to make ends meet, on the 1939 Register she and her three children were living at 11 Bamford Street, New Whittington (the house that the Callis family occupied all those years ago in 1901).  She lived on until 1972 when she died aged 88 years old.

Winifred Callis married Ambrose Knowles (one of the witnesses at William and Alice Callis' marriage).  They married in 1923 and had two sons; Douglas and Alwyn.  The family resided at 79 Handley Road, Ambrose worked as a machine tool fitter.  Winifred lived to the age of 84 when she died in 1985, her husband Ambrose had died three years earlier in 1982.

Bertha Olive Callis married a Henry (Harry) Vickers in 1943.  Henry had been widowed when his wife Beatrice had died in 1938.  Harry had two daughters by Beatrice.   

Bertha and Harry's wedding was covered in the Derbyshire Times (5th November 1943 page 6).  The marriage took place at the Methodist Church on Wellington Street, New Whittington and was very well attended.  Bertha was given away by her half brother Charles Hubbard and her sister Dorothy was one of the bridesmaids.  Bertha's nephew Douglas Knowles was a groomsman.  The reception was held at the Methodist Church and around 80 people were present, including the Mayor and Mayoress.

The couple lived at 167 Handley Road, not far from Bertha's sister Winfred.  Harry died on 6th December 1960.

Bertha found happiness again when she married neighbour Charles Wilfred Arblaster.  Charles lived at 213 Handley Road, his wife Winifred had died in 1957.  He worked above ground at the colliery.

Bertha and Charles notched up 25 years of marriage until Bertha died on 8th February 1985 aged 82 years old, she still lived at 167 Handley Road.  Charles died in 2001. 

Arnold's half siblings -

Alice Hubbard may have married Frank Goodwin on 26th November 1911.  The marriage took place at St Bartholomew's Church but Alice's fathers name was left blank on the marriage register entry.  If this is correct then the couple had one son named Frank in 1914.  What became of the Goodwin family after that date is not known. 

Was Alice the mother of illegitimate Charles William Hubbard born 1910?  without the birth certificate I cannot say for definite.  

Charles William Hubbard (Snr) lived with his mother until he died in 1945.  He was only 55 years old and appears never to have married.

*****

If you may be connected to this family or have any further information on Arnold Callis 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

Medal rolls

Soldiers who died in the Great war

Register of soldiers effects

Service record - www.ancestry.co.uk

With thanks for the kind permission of the Derbyshire Times to include the images of the relevant newspaper articles within this write up.....

Newspaper articles - Derbyshire Times 4th May 1918 p5

                               - Derbyshire Times 25th January 1919 p4

                               - Derbyshire Times 20th February 1892 p5 

                               - Derbyshire Times 8th December 1939 p11

CWGC  http://www.cwgc.org

War diaries - piece 3021/9 2/6th South Staffordshire Regiment February 1917 - July 1918

2/6th South Staffordshire Regiment https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/units/321/south-staffordshire-regiment/

2/6th South Staffordhire Regiment http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/south-staffordshire-regiment/

Battle of St Quentin http://www.greatwar.co.uk/battles/somme/1918-somme-spring.htm

German retreat to the Hindenburg Line http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/battles-of-the-western-front-in-france-and-flanders/pursuit-of-the-german-retreat-to-the-hindenburg-line/

Battle of Polygon Wood - interesting facts https://www.cwgc.org/learn/news-and-events/news/2017/09/15/13/13/7-facts-about-the-battle-of-polygon-wood

Battle of Bourlon Woods http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/battles-of-the-western-front-in-france-and-flanders/the-cambrai-operations-1917-battle-of-cambrai/

Shoe and boot clicker https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boot_and_shoe_clicker