Great Uncle Sgt. Jimmy Gentleman Seaforth Highlanders

[Andy J2022]

He's on "Sheet 3" which doesn't list regiments

Thanks, Shaun

[ALAMO2008]

Full name appears to be James Wemyss Gentleman Died October 1975
Ancestry Trees didn’t even know he served. Odd

[Calleva]

Many thanks to you all for the superb information which I’m happily working through with the unexpected bonus of a splendid co-incidence yesterday - explanation below.

Jim, good of you to be concerned about the risk of information overload but please don’t hesitate to post all information you’ve gleaned, I like detail very much!

The coincidence is that yesterday I looked into ‘The Spirit of the Troops is Excellent’ to read not just accounts of how Jimmy earned his MM and bar on pages 167 and 199 but delighted to find a photo of him on page 83 playing the fool with comrades in front of a damaged cottage somewhere near the front. I don’t want to post a copy of the photo yet because of any copyright issues but will follow up in hope - the acknowledgments confirm the photo came from an A Gentleman who I think may be local to me in Morayshire.

https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-spirit-of-the-troops-is-excellent/derek-bird//9781910829271

Hoping to post the photo after permission from the copyright holder.

Now to work through all the fantastic information about Sgt James Gentleman MM and Bar!

[jim1]

Your man was awarded the Bar to his MM during the 2nd. Battle of Arras AKA the 100 days
Offensive.
The allied armies combined to regain the ground lost during the German Spring Offensive.
The 6th. were involved from the outset starting just to the East of Arras & it was a case
of fighting from village to village.
By the 12th. Oct. they had reached the river Selle & this phase was named after the river.
The Battle of the Selle commenced on the 12th. but there no major involvement by the 6th. until
the 25th./26th. Oct. when they reached the village of Maing.
The 6th. were part of an offensive tasked with taking the village of Famars just to the East.
Unfortunately all went well until the 6th. leapfrogged the 4th. Gordons to take their objective
in the village where they met fierce opposition, adding to that the Btns. on their flanks failed
to stay in touch & left their flanks exposed which was exploited by the Germans.
Being in danger of being cut off & running short of ammunition they were forced to withdraw
under heavy shellfire.
The village was eventually taken 2 days later.
The 6th. C.O. records 15 men being awarded MM's for this however your man isn't one of them.
I don't know if your book sheds any light on this, it would be interesting to know.
As the C.O. was meticulous in recording details I can't see him making a mistake.
It may be he was being over meticulous as your man wasn't awarded the MM as he already had
it & a man could only be awarded one of any medal.
His award would have been the Bar.
The map shows the attack that took place on the 25th./26th.
The 4th. Gordons had reached the consolidated line (blue dotted) unopposed the 6th. leapfrogged
them to reach their objective the green line.

[Andy J2022]

The coincidence is that yesterday I looked into ‘The Spirit of the Troops is Excellent’ to read not just accounts of how Jimmy earned his MM and bar on pages 167 and 199 but delighted to find a photo of him on page 83 playing the fool with comrades in front of a damaged cottage somewhere near the front. I don’t want to post a copy of the photo yet because of any copyright issues [...] Hoping to post the photo after permission from the copyright holder.

Obviously the photograph was taken sometime between 1916 and 1919, therefore the copyright law which applies is section 21 of the Copyright Act 1911:

21 Provisions as to photographs

The term for which copyright shall subsist in photographs shall be fifty years from the making of the original negative from which the photograph was directly or indirectly derived, and the person who was owner of such negative at the time when such negative was made shall be deemed to be the author of the work, and, where such owner is a body corporate, the body corporate shall be deemed for the purposes of this Act to reside within the parts of His Majesty's dominions to which this Act extends if it has established a place of business within such parts.

This applies to both published and unpublished photographs, and so you can see that copyright in the photograph ended no later than 31 December 1969. Furthermore, during that 50 year period no new legislation retrospectively altered that situation.

Thus although you may consider it a courtesy to do so, you don't actually need the author's or owner's permission to copy it or use for any purpose you choose, even assuming the owner considers himself to be the copyright owner, presumably through inheritance. 

[Calleva]

Sorry for the delay in responding but there is a reason.

Yesterday I met with James Gentleman’s son, my second cousin , the owner of the photo in the book who showed me the original as well as others of his Dad dating from WW1. Very pleased to find out he has his Dad’s MM (We were able to share other family photos and stories which was terrific).

Photo attached, James is on the left of the photo pretending to pour a coffee pot. The occasion must have been a rare moment of light relief.

I’ll now go through the superb information everyone has so kindly provided in detail including checking the account Jim described against the book’s description and report back.

I’ll also share everything found out by everyone about Jimmy’s service with his son and the rest of the family. To answer an unspoken question - Jimmy was a father at a fair age, my second cousin told me when younger he was often thought to be his Grandson! I doubt if there are many children alive today whose father (or mother) served in WW1.

Many thanks again.

[Calleva]

Should have said, Jimmy explained that they ‘were playing at being old wifies’ with domestic items found in a cottage! Presumably not far behind the front lines where civilians had to leave their homes because of the fighting.

[jim1]

What a great photo.
Unusual to see these casual photos as it was against
Army Orders to take cameras to the Front.
The photos we see are typically official war photos or
those taken by local photographers when in reserve.
Having re-read the excellent info provided by others I've
attempted to fill in some of the blanks (in the absence of a service record)
As he was TF but not deployed overseas may be because these men were
given the option of service overseas or home service only which may account for that.
In Jan. 1916 with the introduction of conscription all that changed & men who were due to be
time served could now be kept in for the duration & deployed overseas.
Allan has found a record for him post war & he may have re-joined under the Emergency Powers Act.
this was a 6 month contract offered to servicemen with possible deployment to Ireland although
many were never sent.