Lancashire Fusiliers 2nd Battalion Thomas McCabe

[willowwilliam]

Hi all,
I am trying to find out where my great Uncle might of been when he was wounded and died on the 01/01/1916.
I have tried to find out some information but all I can find out is that they moved with the brigade to 36th division which might as well be a different language to me.
Would appreciate any help thank you
Details
- Thomas McCabe
- Lancashire Fusiliers
- 2nd Battalion
- Died of Wounds 1st January 1916, aged 35
 Born in Burnley
 Buried in Moston (St. Joseph's) R.C. Cemetery, UK
Thank you for reading

[tina morana]

Census in 1901 has him born in Bacup, quite close to the Yorkshire border as were his 2 sibs. You probably have this info. Interesting his enlistment place was Huddersfield. His death place listed in Anc as "Home". Rego number 5632. Bless him. Tinam.

[MaxD]

The war diary records no enemy activity in Nov and Dec 1915.  The battalion were out of the line north of Amiens while temporarily attached to 108 Brigade in 36 Division prior to rejoining 12 Brigade.

He therefore must have been wounded some time before the end of the year and have been taken along the casualty chain to UK where, on 1 January 1916 he succumbed to his wounds. War diaries do not as a rule record the names of those other ranks killed and wounded so we are unlikely to find a specific reference.

Have you checked newspapers which may have reported him at home?  There are also casualty lists
http://www.1914-1918.net/soldiers/casualtylists.html

maxD

[jim1]

As Max said there was nothing particular going on Nov/Dec. 1915 however even during normal trench routine men were wounded due to sporadic shelling & sniping.
At the end. of Oct. they were involved in the action to re-take Ploegsteert which may be a more likely scenario.

[willowwilliam]

Hi all and thanks for your replies.
I am really not very smart when it comes to military information so please bare with me.
In 1915 I see the battalion was in the 2nd battle of Ypres but this ended in May, My question is where do you think he could of been wounded closer to date of death ? Do you think the battalion saw any action between May and then moving out with the 36th to provide training over the winter months? Thanks in advance
Kirsten

[Gwil]

According to his Soldiers Effects Register entry he died at 'Manchester Hospital'

Huddersfield Daily Examiner 6 1 1916 page 4 provides info that he died at Manchester Hospital of shell wounds to the head sustained 24th May 1915. Before being sent to Manchester about six weeks ago he was in London for some time. Before joining the army on 1st September 1914 he was a licensed hawker at Huddersfield.

edited:
His address is given as 23 Albion Street, Huddersfied and that he was 35 yrs old leaving a widow and one child. The Soldiers Effects Register names widow Rose, daughter Mary but also has an endorsment that some monies were retained for children Thomas, Francis and John until they reached age 18.

[Gwil]

Here's the Soldiers Effects Register if you are on Ancstry
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/60506/42511_6117462_0043-00192?pid=15131&backurl=http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc%3DsdZ1%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource%26usePUBJs%3Dtrue%26indiv%3D1%26db%3DUKArmyRegistersEffects%26gss%3Dangs-d%26new%3D1%26rank%3D1%26msT%3D1%26MS_AdvCB%3D1%26_F8007A65%3D5632%26_F8007A65_x%3D1%26MSAV%3D2%26uidh%3Da63%26pcat%3D39%26fh%3D27%26h%3D15131%26recoff%3D68%26ml_rpos%3D28&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=sdZ1&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true

Here's the newspaper entry (column 7) if you are on FindMyPast
http://search.findmypast.co.uk/bna/viewarticle?id=bl%2f0000901%2f19160106%

[willowwilliam]

Thank you so much Gwil, that is exactly what I wanted to know.
Much regards
Kirsten

[MaxD]

Gwil

Brilliant find, I had hoped that a newspaper would help. 

On 24 May 1915 the battalion were in support trenches near Vlamertinge having occupied them on 21st/22nd.  At 2 30 am, the firing and support trenches were heavily attacked by shelling and machine gun fire, 2 officers and 12 ORs were killed and 2 officers and 70 ORS were wounded. It would be fair to assume your man was one of the 70.

More generally, if you can bear a bit of additional info, this illustrates what Jim1 inferred about normal trench routine.
When a battalion was in the line with the fairly normal four days in and three to four days in reserve, shelling, minor attacks by both sides, sniper fire, small patrols and bombing from the air was constant.  The "named" battles tended to be those that were significant to the conduct of the war in some way and did produce perhaps the most casualties but, to put it fairly brutally, the killing and wounding was going on all the time.  To take the beginning of June 1915 as an example when there was "nothing going on".  The battalion were in the trenches from 6th to 15th.  There were men killed and wounded, by shelling and sniper fire, on all but two of those days (23 in total). 

maxD