1914-15 Star and Victory Medal to 22125 PTE. E. PELLING 2nd GLOSTERS, killed in action, possibly by sniper, on 22 October 1915

1914-15 Star and Victory Medal to 22125 PTE. E. PELLING 2^nd GLOSTERS, killed in action, possibly by sniper, on 22 October 1915

Ernest Pelling was born in 1894, in Worthing, Sussex. He was living in Worthing upon enlistment. Judging from the enlistment dates of 22113 Pte William Webb, and 22135 Pte Walter Frederick Walters, this was probably in early September 1914.

 

As 22125 PTE. E. Pelling of the Gloucestershire Regiment, he was posted overseas in August 1915 to join the 2nd Battalion, entering the France and Flanders theatre of war on 4 August 1915. At this time the battalion was out of the line at L’Hallobeau near Erquinghem-sur-Lys, training, enjoying recreations and from 9 August working on the Bois Grenier line. It is possible (although it would have been a very fast transit if so) that Pte Pelling was one of a draft of 20 men joining the battalion on 5 August, although it seems more likely that he was part of the 12^th August draft. His first experience in the line is therefore likely to have been on 18 August at Bois Grenier, ‘B’ Company relieving the 2^nd Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment. The war diary that night commented “Relief completed by 10PM. Trenches fair, have been badly kept up. Lot of work required. Very little stores. Continual sniping [from trees behind the enemy line] all night otherwise quiet” (the war diary for the 20^th commented “Traversed trees behind German lines with MG. This had the effect of quietening enemy’s snipers”; the battalion had three casualties, one fatal, on this day). The diary for the week comments on aircraft activity, artillery, trench howitzers, sniping, suspected mining activity, and work night and day on communications trenches and improving the support line and continual casualties. The routine was broken on the 26^th of the month by the announcement of Russian decorations awarded to men of the battalion. The battalion was finally relieved on 1 September, going into billets at La Rolanderie Farm, near Erquinhem.

 

For the first fortnight of September the battalion remained at La Rolanderie, the battalion giving instruction to two newer battalions (the 11^th West Yorkshires and 10^th West Ridings) and the battalion MG Officer testing out ammunition: “Experiments carried out by M.G. Officer to test efficiency of “B” type SAA in rapid fire. Results with M.G. satisfactory. With rifle causes jams[1]”. The third week was occupied in moving down to the Somme via Hazebrouck, Abbeville, Amiens and Warfusee-Abancourt. On 2 October the officers and non-commissioned officers of battalion reconnoitred the trenches at Fontaine les Cappy with a view to aking them over from the 2^nd Royal Irish Fusiliers, the war diary commenting “Trenches on the whole bad, several mines, in places lines are very close”. When the battalion finally took over trenches F1, F2, G1 and G2 on 4 October the trenches were noted as full of mines started by the French and counter-mined by the Germans and the ground between the mines “dotted with craters of exploded mines, in some cases we hold one side of crater & enemy the other”. There was much mine warfare during this first period in the line with both sides mining the other and quite a lot of artillery fire. After a two-day relief the battalion was back in the trenches on 12 October. This period was marked by exchanges of hand- and rifle-grenades at the Filippi crater, plus some sniping and shelling. The battalion was relieved again on the 16^th, returning to the Fontaine les Cappy trenches again on the 20^th.

 

Pte Pelling saw less than three months of active service before being killed in action aged 21 on 22 October 1915, probably by a sniper. At this time the battalion was in the trenches with its HQ at Fontaine Les Cappy, Pte Pelling serving in ‘B’ Company, and the war diary noted that enemy snipers were very busy:

 

"20 October. In trenches. HQ FONTAINE Les CAPPY. Relieved 1st A&S in trenches F1 F2 G1 G2. Relief completed by 11.30 am. Very quiet day. Hardly a shot fired. Suspect a move for 81 IB. At 9.15pm enemy throws over some bombs at PAYAN crater [right of G1 trench]. We replied to this and enemy ceased at 10pm. Fairly quiet night.

 

21 October. Thick fog & very quiet morning. Have reason to believe French are relieving 27 Div in this sector Oct 23rd. Enemy very quiet at night. Left taken over by the French from 22 Div.

 

22 October. Enemy snipers very busy in the early morning opposite FILLIPI. German biplane passed over from our right rear to left front and was engaged by British biplane with M.G. which ended in enemy plane being brought down in enemy's lines direction of FRISE about noon. Enemy shelled the SOCERIE with 4.2 howitzers about 30 shells from 1.15pm to 2pm. A quiet night.[in the margin] Casualties No 22125 Pte Pelling B Coy KILLED buried FONTAINE Les CAPPY."

 

Presumably being disinterred after the war, he now lies buried in plot I. K. 13., Hangard Communal Cemetery Extension, south of Villers-Bretonneux, Somme, France. He was survived by his mother, Mrs. G. A. Coleman, of Capel St. Mary's, Ipswich.

 

Pte Pelling’s War Gratuity was £4. This, and his financial effects of £4 3s, was given to his mother (Gertrude Annie Newson, later Coleman) in 1916 and 1920 respectively.

 

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[1] 2^nd Gloucestershire Regiment war diary, September 7^th 1915