Military History

Military History

Frank is listed as being killed in action on 17 Sep 1918. The war diary for the period 16th and 17th Sep 1918 is transcribed below.

Frank's Commonwealth War Grave record shows that he was originally buried in an unmarked grave at map reference 62C.F.19.650.E.750.N and his remains were then reinterred at St. Emilie Valley sometime around 7 Oct 1920.

War Diary Entry

Montuban 16.9.18 - 8.20am: Moved to vicinity of Nurlu & marched to Epinette Wood where dinners and teas were secured.

5.30pm: Battalion moved to take over front line from units of 74th Division between F.19.d.0.4 and E.18.g.5.9 east of St. Emily. Battalion HQrs were located in Railway Bank at E.23.g.5.0.

Epinette Wood 17.9.1918: Remained in present positions all day. A great number of gas shells fell in the vicinity of Battalion HQ during the night. END

Military History

Ernest was killed in action at sea on 2 Mar 1918 when his vessel, HMS H5, was sunk in what turned out to be a "friendly fire incident". The following article detailing the events of that day is courtesy of the Western Front Association (of which we are a paid member) and the full article can be found here.

Lieutenant Cromwell Hanford Varley was assigned as one of H5’s first commanders. Operating for a time from Harwich, she sank U51 on 14 July 1916.  Later spending her time in the Irish Sea at Queenstown and Rathmullen, from September 1917, she joined a flotilla of submarines based at Berehaven in Bantry Bay and at Killybegs, Ireland working from the depot ships HMS Vulcan and HMS Ambrose. It was her role to intercept German U-boats operating around the Irish coast, and in the Western approaches and Irish Sea.

On 26 February 1918, H5 sailed from Berehaven, now under the command of Lieutenant A. W.  Forbes, with US Navy Liaison Officer Earle Childs on board for instructional purposes and was expected to return to port on the morning of the 6 March. It was only after subsequent investigations into the disappearance of H.5 and the ramming of an unidentified submarine in that location was it realised that the H5 had been sunk by the British merchantman SS Rutherglen.

The crew of H5 perished on the 2 March due to a number of unfortunate circumstances:

• The presence of U-boats in the Irish Sea meant that picking up survivors was a risk to any ship that attempted it. Previous experience of ships being torpedoed after stopping to help others led the British Admiralty to advise that ships should abandon survivors to save themselves.
• British submarines, like their German counterparts, varied greatly in their shape and size. Without special knowledge of British submarine outlines, observers had to rely on identification marks to discern friend from foe.
• Weather could exacerbate identification and in H5’s case it was night time, visibility was poor, and merchant traffic did not know of H5’s presence. Whilst the number of submarines lost to friendly fire in the Great War is low compared to the total sunk. (4 out of 56) almost all of those incidents involved a signal or insignia being confused, missed, or not identified in time.

Captain Nasmith, commander of SS Rutherglen, recommended leaving the Rutherglen crew under the impression that they had indeed sunk an enemy submarine. The ship’s muster were never told of the mistake and were even given a bounty for sinking what they thought was a German U-boat.

It was not until some 80 years later that relatives of the crew of H-5 learned on their true fate in that SS Rutherglen had rammed the vessel, and a commemoration service was held on 2nd March 2002 in Holyhead, Anglesey, North Wales which is ten miles from the wreck site and is, as is usual, designated as a controlled site under the Protection of Military Remains Act.

Military History

Harry is listed as being killed in action on 21 Mar 1918, the first day of the German Spring Offensive. The 22nd Battalion war diary entries for the 21st and 22nd March are transcribed below.

Front Lines near Belfast Camp – 21^st March 1918: Enemy attacked. His barrage opened at about 5am and was very intense – particularly on the support, reserve, links and Bunhll Row. It consisted of HE and Gas. The initial casualties on account of this were heavy.

11am - The right forward Company formed a defensive flank as the Battalion on our right had been forced back. Two platoons of the Reserve company were sent forward to assist the forward Company.

11.30am – Two rifle grenade sections of the Reserve Company were sent forward to assist the forward Company

1.pm – 102^nd L.T.M.B. section reported that the enemy were in Ecoust. One Company 25^th N.F. were ordered to extend the defensive flank westward along the Ecoust Switch. Battalion HQ moved to left Bn HQ at U.25.a.60.60

1.30pm – The enemy gained a footing in the front line of Right forward Company as far North as GOG and endeavored to work northwards but was held up.

3pm – The enemy was reported to be on the Hogs Back. Two Companies 25^th NF were immediately ordered by Brigade to counter-attack.

4pm – The enemy was seen advancing on the Hogs Back towards Croisilles

5pm – The enemy was seen gathering on the W side of the Railway bank between U.25.00.90 and U.24.d.55.60. The left Company practically intact and the remained of the three other companies made a fighting retirement Northwards on to a line from Factory Avenue to Croiselles Switch North.

When the enemy were on three sides, three Lewis Guns and the HQ personnel of 22NF, 23 NF and 25 NF made a temporary redoubt of Battn HQ, whilst all documents were burnt and then a fighting retirement was effected Northwards.

22^nd March 1918: The remains of the Battn together with parties of 23 NF & 25 NF, J Coy, R.E’s and 102 Pioneer Company held the Croisilles Switch North. The enemy attempted to enter the trench N of St. Leger. In the afternoon the enemy entered St. Leger and flank fighting ensued. The Battalion was relieved at night and returned to billets at Moyenville.