Great War pair to 28420 S.McIntyre of the Northumberland Fusiliers .plus 2 medals for the North of England Musical Tournament 1930 & 31 to F.T. McIntyre.
Pte Stanley McIntyre, 1/4th Northumberland Fusiliers, attached Trench Mortar Battery – Prisoner of War May 1918
Stanley McIntyre came from Whitley Bay. He may, like 28429 Pte Percy Green[1], have been a ‘Derby Scheme’ man, attesting his willingness to serve on a deferred enlistment basis – in Green’s case, making his attestation on 22 November 1915. Possibly, like 28426 James Richards (a musician and band boy, born 1900, who enlisted in the 1st Northumberland Fusiliers), together with 28418 Pte Thomas Lambert (26th and then 12th and 12/13th Northumberland Fusiliers), and the aforementioned Pte Green, Stanley enlisted or was mobilised/called up circa 17 April 1916, subsequently training with the 15th (Reserve) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers at Rugeley, Cannock Chase.
Going overseas some time after 31 December 1915, Pte McIntyre most probably embarked for France, like 28429 Green, on or about 10 September 1916 – although, unlike Green, he was then posted to a Northumberland Fusiliers battalion rather than being transferred to the West Riding Regiment.
According to his medal roll entry, Pte McIntyre served with the 1/4th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. The 1/4th was part of the Northumberland Brigade, Northumbrian Division and landed in France in April 1915. In May 1915 the brigade became the 149th Brigade, 50th (Northumbrian) Division. After taking part in much fighting in the Ypres salient, the battalion moved down to the Somme in August 1916 preparatory to taking part in the Battle of Flers-Courcelette on 15 September 1916. The battalion incurred substantial casualties in this action (120 killed, 236 wounded and 143 missing) and it is probably as a result of this that Pte McIntyre was drafted to the battalion, possibly as part of a draft of 139 other ranks received on 26 September 1916. If so his first experience in the line may have been following the 1 October 1916 Battle of the Transloy Ridges (on the night of which the 4th battalion provided carrying parties for the Durham Light Infantry units in the line), as the battalion relieved the 8th Durham Light Infantry and 5th Border Regiment: “The weather and the mud was appalling and a large number of bombs had to be carried forward, so the men were absolutely exhausted. The relief was not completed until about 9am on the morning of the 3rd”.
From an inquiry lodged with Red Cross, we know that Pte McIntyre was attached to a Light Trwnch Mortar Battery, and would most probably have been attached the Light Trench Mortar Battery of 149th Brigade, which joined the brigade upon its formation, from infantrymen of the Brigade, on 18 June 1916. It is not clear from surviving records precisely when this took place. The Long, Long Trail gives the following information about the LTMBs: “Light Trench Mortar Battery (2 Sections, each of four 3-inch Stokes mortars)
Captain, 3 Lieutenants or Second Lieutenants, 2 Sergeants, 8 Corporals or Lance-Corporals, 32 Privates, 4 Batmen.".
Either with the battalion, or as part of the LTMB, Pte McIntyre would have been involved in further action in the Le Transloy-Butte de Warlencourt area in November 1916, and the 1/4th Northumberland Fusiliers remained on the Somme through the winter of 1916-17 before serving at Arras during the first and second Battles of the Scarpe, and then at Ypres during October 1917, taking part in the Battle of Passchendaele.
1918 saw involvement in the German Spring Offensive 1918 (Battles of St Quentin, the Somme Crossings and Rosieres), with the 149th Light Trench Mortar Battery travelling by train with other units of the brigade there to hold the rear zone defences (Green Line), specifically the right flank of the brigade front. After facing an enemy assault on the 22nd, the 4th battalion was driven back to Caulaincourt and there again found its flank exposed, and the 50th Division ordered a withdrawal that night over the bridge at St Christ. By this time the brigade trench mortar battery was out of ammunition and so took its place on the inner flank of the 5th battalion. The withdrawal to the western bank of the Somme was successfully completed and the St Christ bridge, partially destroyed through being blown up and burned, was fought over through the night, the 4th NF and 22nd Entrenching Battalion successfully thwarting one partially-successful crossing, until the units of the 50th Division began withdrawing from the line of the canal circa 3am on the 23rd March.
April 1918 saw the 50th Division sent up to the Lys sector to relieve Portuguese forces there. On the day the further German offensive, Operation Georgette, hit, 9 April 1918, the 149th Brigade was out of the line but then advanced to support the 150th Brigade in defending the northern bank of the River Lys. On 10 April the crossing at Pont Levis was forced at 7.30am and the enemy forced their way into Estaires, requiring the 149th Brigade to reform their defensive line, from which a partially-successful counter-attack was launched by the 6th NF. However, it was not enough to prevent the Germans strengthening the bridgehead. On the 11th the brigade was gradually forced back and a general withdrawal was made at 2.30am on the 12th, with Neuf-Berquin falling later that morning. The 149th Brigade was relieved that night. During the action on the Lys Lt Stiles of the trench mortar battery was wounded and the squad of stretcher bearers carrying him back was knocked out whilst doing so.
In early May 1918 the battered 50th Division, then training at Coulognes, was 'warned' to be ready to take over positions from the 51st Division d'Infanterie Francaise in the Pontavert sector on the Aisne. Doing this with effect from the morning of 6 May, the 149th Brigade's part was to relieve the 1st to 3rd Battalions, 33rd Regiment d'Infanterie. The 151st Brigade occupied positions to the 149th's right, and 8th Division to its left. The first six days on the line were very quiet, with very slight enemy activity. On 19 May, the 149th Brigade HQ war diary noted "1.30am A German fighting patrol of 3 NCOs and 12 O.R. penetrated our wire at 84.16 owing to its being mistaken for a wiring party which was due to go out at this time. They were able to approach and bomb no.5 LG post of A Coy (centre) (85.15). Rifle and L.G. fire was at once turned onto them and they fled back to their own lines leaving one dead man and one wounded NCO. The remainder were caught in No Man's Land by our light TM fire and undoubtedly suffered more casualties. Prisoner belonged to IIIrd Bn 33rd R 103d D.I. (Normal). Our casualties were 4 killed, 4 wounded and 1 missing."
After a preliminary bombardment of unparalleled intensity commencing at 1am on 27 May 1918, the German launched the assault which commenced the Battle of the Aisne 1918 at 3.45am. An initial assault on the line held by the 4th NF was repulsed but a re-formed attack supported by four tanks on the 4th and 6th NF line was successful. After passing through the battle zone supported by tanks, the Germans turned their attention to the redoubt line, where Lt-Col Gibson of the 4th NF was making a stand, eventually falling back onto the Butte de l’Edmond when the redoubt line was finally taken, and there being killed in action. The Light Trench Mortar Battery was also represented in this action, the 4th Northumberland Fusiliers chaplain recording in his memoir, ‘When the Lantern of hope Burned Low’, “Captain Benson, of the Trench Mortar Battery, having made his way to the forefront of the fight, led an attack on a German tank but was killed in the effort.”. By 8.30 Pontavert and its bridges had been taken and the remnants of the brigade and many stragglers were collected and the focus shifted to guarding the remaining Aisne bridges at Chaudardes and Concevreux. Through the afternoon the improvised force was pushed back through Concevreux, the high ground to its south, Le Faite Farm and south of Ventelay. This movement continued through the night and the remnants withdrew to the high ground north of Montigny where the 75th Brigade assumed command.
It was most probably during this battle that Pte McIntyre was captured, featuring on the Red Cross/Joint War Organisations Enquiry list as “Northumberland Fusiliers C Company attached L Trench Mortar Battery. Missing Last heard 18 . 5. 18 France. Mrs S McIntyre, (wife) 27, Alnwick Avenue, Whitley Bay, Northld.”
The 149th Brigade War Diary entry for 1pm on the 26th observed "During the fighting since 5am we had had no artillery support and very few MGs. The enemy artillery advanced very quickly and were continually in action." The light trench mortars were not referenced specifically in this extract but it seems very likely that (if they did not suffer from the same ammunition problems referenced during the Battle of St Quentin) they were also swept away before the German assault.
The Enquiry index card notes "Negative reply 29 July 1918" but adds (presumably subsequently) “According to letter of fam. 20.x9.19 in a prison in Germany".
He is not readily identifiable in any 1918 Daily Casualty List, however as McIntyre, S, Private, Service Number 28420, Northumberland Fusiliers, he does feature on War Office Daily List No.5761, Report Date 2 January 1919, listed as ‘Released Prisoner of War from Germany, arrived in England’. This list gives his Next of Kin Address as Whitley Bay.
He was subsequently discharged to the Army Class Z Reserve and would have received his British War Medal and Victory Medal (this being his full entitlement) some time after May 1920.
[1] 8th Northumberland Fusiliers, later 23772, 2nd West Riding
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