Lance Corporal Leonard Britton

[BenRalph]

Is there anywhere I can find info about Leonard Britton's army service who died Sept 1918 in Belgium. His service was 17522. He was in the Northumberland Fusiliers.

Thank you in advance.

[mmm45]

Served initially 2nd battalion,10th and 12th on the Medal Rolls.

War diaries maybe available.

Ady

[JJen]

Is there anywhere I can find info about Leonard Britton's army service who died Sept 1918 in Belgium. His service was 17522. He was in the Northumberland Fusiliers.

Thank you in advance.

Just a small amendment 

Leonard died 20 Sep 1917

JJ

[MaxD]

His Commonwealth War Grave Commission entry has "died 20/09/1917".  The Register of Soldiers Effects has 20.09.1917 "[death] officially accepted".  He is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial.  These are all indications that he was among the missing in an action and he was never found (or if found, the burial site lost subsequently).

On 20 Sep 1917, the 10th Battalion NF to which he belonged  carried out an attack to the south of Ypres.  Among the casualties were 15 missing, it may fairly be assumed he was among those men.

More in a mo.

MaxD

[MaxD]

The action took place due east of Ypres over the ground shown on the side by side map/image:
 http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=15&lat=50.8386&lon=2.9623&layers=101464645&right=BingHyb.  (You can zoom in and out to help locate the area on present day maps - search Geluveld (present spelling) on Google Earth.

specifically from the "Jam" trench complex in square 19 towards the Menin Road which cuts obliquely across the map to the east.  The action is described in great detail in the 68 Infantry Brigade diary.  The ground over which they fought was wet and swampy, the diary records that at one time it took 6 men to drag their company commander out of the mud to save him from being engulfed.

MaxD

[MaxD]

As to Leonard Britton's service - the medal records that Ady cites are the only records that survive.  It is possible to suggest a possible sequence for his service from the clues therein.

His service number when compared with others suggest an enlistment in the early months of 1915, a volunteer not a conscript (started in 1916).  His first battalion overseas was the 2nd Battalion,  His date of entry to France was 22 July 1915 when the battalion were already there.  The battalion war diary does record the arrival of a draft of 100 men joining from the training battalion on 24th July (about right time for travel from the port to the battalion).  The battalion went to Salonika via Egypt in October 1915 and remained there so I'd propose that he transferred before they left to the next unit, 12th Battalion who had arrived in France in September 1915.  Later still to the 10th Battalion with whom he was serving when he died.

MaxD

[BenRalph]

Thank you all so much for this. It has been very helpful.

I found this website that lists a bit of info and mentions photos of the three brothers. I've emailed them but have had no reply.

https://collection.nam.ac.uk/inventory/objects/results.php?shortDescription=&event=&campaign=World+war+one+&associatedName=Leonard+Britton+&unit=&placeNotes=&productionNotes=&keyword=&otArc=1&ot%5B%5D=6&ot%5B%5D=8&ot%5B%5D=10&ot%5B%5D=12&ot%5B%5D=13&otArt=1&ot%5B%5D=1&ot%5B%5D=39&ot%5B%5D=14&ot%5B%5D=15&ot%5B%5D=16&ot%5B%5D=17&ot%5B%5D=18&ot%5B%5D=19&otBmu=1&ot%5B%5D=21&ot%5B%5D=20&ot%5B%5D=38&ot%5B%5D=23&otEqt=1&ot%5B%5D=26&ot%5B%5D=2&ot%5B%5D=22&ot%5B%5D=27&ot%5B%5D=28&ot%5B%5D=40&ot%5B%5D=29&ot%5B%5D=30&ot%5B%5D=32&otWea=1&ot%5B%5D=24&ot%5B%5D=3&ot%5B%5D=4&ot%5B%5D=31&otVA=1&ot%5B%5D=25&ot%5B%5D=33&flag=1

Sorry for the long url