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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: Jill E on Monday 09 October 06 06:36 BST (UK)
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My Great Uncle was killed on 18th Sep 1918. I have been told this might have been during the Battle of Ephey...not sure of spelling.
Does anyone know where this is...assuming in France
He is listed on the Memorial at Vis-En-Artois, Pas De Calais, France. No grave as his body was not found....
Hoping someone knows.
Jill E
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morning Jill,
The small village of Epehy is indeed in France (Northern France to be exact). It lays roughly 16m east of Albert and 13m south of Cambrai/33m south of Lille. Your rellie would have been part of the British 4th Army at the time of the attack on the village. If you google Epehy it will come up with a few pages for you to explore and if you go to www.history.com and enter the month (number) and last two digits of the year in the area to the left of the page it will then come up with a series of events that have happened in September, scroll down til you get the correct one and click. The opening page will have a brief history of the events for the battle of Epehy.
old rowley
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Thanks for that. I did try Google but of course was spelling Epehy wrong so didn't come up with anything.
Poor Old Great Uncle Bertie must still be out there somewhere. I would like to visit sometime in the future but as I live in Australia it has to be part of an extensive Family History tour.....One Day......
Jill E
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Hi Jill. What was his name and unit?
Bernard
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Sgt Bertie Thorpe CATTON
Regt No 42444 6th Bn Leicestershire Regt
Formerly 17492 York & Lancaster Regt
Jill E
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Thanks Jill. Sorry, but my knowledge is on the 14th Welsh. There is a book called 'The Tigers' by Matthew Richardson (Pen & Sword Books) which covers the 6, 7, 8 and 9th Battalions of the Leicestershire Regiment.
Bernard
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Thanks Jill. Sorry, but my knowledge is on the 14th Welsh.
Bernard
it would be more true to say Bernard is THE expert on the 14th Welsh and anyone interested in that battalion should look for his excellent book "Swansea Pals"
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if you like ww1,then you will like this book,its excellent,mack
BERNARD,if you are trying to escape from the GWF for a while,then you have run into a trap,we are on here as well ;D ;D.
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Oh,oh. You lot are like a rash - all over the place!
Thanks for the kind comments on the book - much appreciated!
Bernard
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Bernard if you are a r.w.f whizz kid you may be able to help. I have finally discovered my grandad's battalions welsh regiment 73148 18th battalion and r.w.f 80225 14th battalion BUT cannot find when he initially joined and when he was transferred to the r.w.f. I have looked for service records with similar nos but without success....His name was Charles Leonard Doherty from St Helens Lans and he was born in 1899. He tried unsuccessfully to join a Lancashire regiment but was found to be under age. I think he may have fought at the battles around Cambrai as I have read the battalion's records.
Ann
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Jill E
Back to Bertie Catton. The action on 18 Sep 1918 is described in detail both in the battalion war diary and (more clearly) in the brigade diary. The 6th Leicesters part in the battle was to the north of Epehy above Pezieres. Referring to the side by side maps at:
http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=14&lat=50.0268&lon=3.1288&layers=101465197&right=BingHyb.
They started from Revelon on the east (left) fighting towards and across Linnet Valley in square 19 and gaining Plane Trench and Beech Avenue in squares 25/26 by the end of the day. Use the zoom to read the names of those places and see where they are on the present day image.
Sadly, as he would have been among the missing that day, we can only say it was somewhere in that part of the battlefield. Hope I have explained clearly enough?
MaxD
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For Ann;
I'm asking some REAL experts! Let's see if they can help.
Bernard
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Thanks
but I'm sure you are being modest given what everyone has written about you. Anyone's help would be greatly appreciated.
Ann.
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I think you'll be able to view this info from Great War Forum experts:
http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/topic/260697-rwfwelsh-regt-numbering-enquiry/
Bernard
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Bernard
Thank you SO MUCH....you and your pals came up trumps!!!! My 87 year old mum will be so happy to have pinned him down. Again thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Ann
Hobart, Australia
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Glad I knew who to ask! ;D
Bernard