Military History

John died of Liver Cancer at 1st Southern General Hospital in Edgbaston. He had previously served for years in the Macedonian Theatre.

Military History

Ernest is listed as dying of gun shot wounds to the chest on 28 Jan 1916 at the No 17 Casualty Clearing Station at Lijssenthoek. We are not sure on which day Ernest was wounded but as he died at the Casualty Clearing Station it would have been a relatively short time before he died. The 5th Battalion War Diary for the period 20th to 28th January 1916 is transcribed below:

Military History

John is listed as being killed in action on 23 Aug 1918 during the attack on Lupart (Loupart) Wood. The 14th Battalion war diary entry for that day is transcribed below.

22nd August 1918 - S of Bucquoy: The Battalion is still in reserve. The G.O.C. Division decides not to use the 13^th Infantry Brigade until 23^rd if possible.

23^rd August 1918 - In the Field S of Bucquoy - 10.00am: Orders are received to reconnoiter forward & find suitable trenches for the Battalion near the Blue or Brown Lines or in between them. Our troops are reported to be holding Red line & Red dotted line. Patrols are therefore sent out.

1.30pm: Battalion is in position in valley south of Bucquoy on the slope of the hill in L.10. B & D Coys are in the front line & C in support & A in reserve. Bn HQ is at L.13.a.2.1.

6.00pm: The CO is sent for by Brigade & given orders to attack through the Red Dotted line with 1 R W K Regt on right and 15 R W R on left. The attack is to take place at 7.30pm

7.30pm: B & D Coys, with only 10 minutes notice, pass through the Red Dotted line. The advance is gallantly made. Messages form two Coy Cmdr who formed the front line are attached.

8.00pm: The CO goes forward with HQ details & orders Capt Gibson to move through B & D Companies to capture Loupart Wood if at all feasible in conjunction with an advance by 15 R War R on Grevillers, but by the time C Coy was in position it is too dark. A Company moves up into reserve behind B & D Coys in the trench recently captured by C. END

24^th August 1918: The Battalion remains in its positions all day. KOSB clear Loupart Wood. END

Military History

George is listed as being killed in action on 7 Nov 1914 during the First Battle of Ypres. He was initially reported missing and his family were still writing to the Red Cross about him in June 1915. The 2nd Battalion war diary records for the period 28 Oct to 9 Nov 1914 were lost and so we have extracted a passage from the book The Story of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment by C.L. Kingsford which can be read below.

The Story of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment by C.L. Kingsford

Though the Brigade was withdrawn on November 4, two days later it was recalled to take part in a counter-attack. With General Lawford leading them on foot they advanced as dawn on November 7 in four lines and captured the enemy's position. That day the Royal Warwickshire [2nd Battalion] and South Staffords formed a composite battalion under the command of Captain Valentine [John Franks Vallentin] of the latter regiment, who was killed in action after winning the Victoria Cross by the gallantry of his leading.

For three weeks the 7th Division had withstood the repeated attacks of the enemy, who through their superior numbers could again and again hurl fresh troops into the battle to be met by the same worn and tired Battalions. Neverless at the end Ypres was uncaptured and for the time secure. But of that heroic Division there was left only a bare fifth of its original numbers. In the 2nd Royal Warwickshire the losses had been particularly heavy; of the officers seven had been killed, 6 wounded and ten were prisoners of war; of the men there were hardly enough to make one weak company.