John R Taylor (RFA - 42213): WW1 Place of Injury and Medals for service in ME

[Kevin, now in Chester]

My grandfather, John Richard Taylor (service number 42213) of the 340th Battery, 337th Brigade of the RFA was injured on 30 July 1916 in France.  Can anybody decipher the place name where the injury occurred (see box 12 of attachment).

Fortunately he survived and was later awarded the usual medals for the time he served in France between 1915 and 1916, but I can find record of award of medals for the time he served with the 74th (Yeomanry) division in Gaza and Jerusalem between 1917 - 1918. Were separate medals awarded and do records survive?

I shall be very grateful for any advice.

Kevin

[ShaunJ]

There is a medical record which shows that he was admitted to 34 Casualty Clearing Station (CCS) on 30 July 1916. 34 CCS was at Vecquemont at that time per https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/locations-of-british-casualty-clearing-stations/

According to the medical record he was with B Battery 104 Brigade RFA at that time and was one of 3 sergeants from that unit admitted that day.

[philipsearching]

Fortunately he survived and was later awarded the usual medals for the time he served in France between 1915 and 1916, but I can find record of award of medals for the time he served with the 74th (Yeomanry) division in Gaza and Jerusalem between 1917 - 1918. Were separate medals awarded and do records survive?

Unlike the Victorian wars (campaign medals with clasps) and WW2 (Stars for different campaigns eg North Africa, Burma etc) there were no medals awarded for different theatres of war.  All soldiers (depending on when they first went on active service in a theatre of war) were awarded one or more of the trio of 1914 Star (or 1914-15 Star), Victory Medal and British War Medal.

Philip

[MaxD]

On 4 July 1916 104 Brigade deployed at Fricourt to the east of Albert.  Although the brigade war diary is totally silent on casualties (stoical Gunners), the Commander Royal Artillery's war diary has a comprehensive report on artillery operations in early July to mid August in which he records 310 OR casualties across the divisional artillery and notes that all batteries were subjected throughout to daily and nightly shelling.  Thus it is likely that your man was wounded in late July resulting in being taken back to the CCS some 15 miles or so to the west.


MaxD

[Kevin, now in Chester]

I am very grateful for your comprehensive replies.  I had been pondering the award of medals for service later in WW1 for some time, so am grateful for having this so clearly explained by Philip.

And thank you to Shaun J and Max D for the guidance on Jack's deployment and the likely place where he received the gun shot wounds to his head. 

Jack was evacuated on the Hospital Ship St David and then nursed back to health at the Northern General Hospital in Leicester by a lady known to the family as Miss Petrie.  She fell in love with him, but Jack was already married, with six children born before the war, and six or seven more after, including my mother in 1929.  Miss Petrie, a wealthy woman - whose family recently confirmed the story - stayed in touch and helped Jack's oldest boys and daughter find work in the 1920s.  The full story is recorded in the East of London's FHS' Cockney Ancestor #148.

Jack went back to war in 1917 in the Middle East and then to France, disembarking in Marseilles on 11 May 1918.  He returned to the Western Front in September 1918, before being discharged at Shorncliffe, Folkestone in January 1919.  He never regained full health; pieces of shrapnel continued to emerge from the side of his head for the rest of his days, but was turned down for a pension. 

Jack passed away on 1 January 1953, after falling ill during the Great Smog, sadly two years before I was born.

Thanks again

Kevin, now in Chester!

[ShaunJ]

The two comrades who were wounded with him (presumably from the same shell burst) received more extensive  injuries but both appear to have survived the war. They were Sergeants Tom Hemming Scott 56318 and Thomas Portch 88940.

[MaxD]

Looking more closely at the relevant diaries, one finds that on the afternoon of 17th July, the four batteries of 104 Brigade were moved from their positions near Fricourt forward to new positions just south of Contalmaison where they remained until mid August.  On 20th July, the diary notes an increase in hostile shelling.  The dates would suggest that it was here rather than earlier near Fricourt where he was wounded.

B Battery's location was X 23 c 9 9 which can be seen on the link :
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01mze/
that is about on the bottom left point of the number 2 in 23

MaxD

[MaxD]

A quick addendum.  His initial admission to the medical chain was to 57 Field Ambulance (on the form pictured above) which on 19/20th July moved to Albert.

MaxD

[Kevin, now in Chester]

Thank you again Shaun J and Max D.  I never thought that I would learn the names of his comrades in arms or such a precise location for the place where Jack was injured.

To add some flesh to the bones, here is Jack Taylor with his wife Mary Ann Maud (nee Wright).

I also have a photograph of the brigade at Canterbury, prior to departure for the ME in March 1917, which I shall attach to the next message.

Kevin