1914-20 WAR &
VICTORY MEDALS To 61956 PTE. E. ELLIOTT. DURH. L. I.
Served ; 2nd Infantry
Labour Company Durham Light Infantry & Lab. Corps & 13th Btn.
Inniskilling Fusiliers
Ernest
Middleton Elliot was from Bradwell, Derbyshire. Possibly, like 61959 Joseph C
Richardson, he enlisted or attested his willingness to serve in late 1915 (in
Pte Richardson’s case, on 23 November 1915), and may have spent some time in
the Army Reserve before being called up/mobilised some time in early 1917.
Initially
serving with the Durham Light Infantry under the regimental number 61956, he
was transferred to the Labour Corps and served under the regimental number 19368.
This number fell within the number range 19201 to 19800, allocated to men converting
from the 2nd Infantry Labour Company, Durham Light Infantry.
The
Durham Light Infantry hosted 8 Infantry Labour Companies for work on the
lines of communication overseas, mostly comprised of men medically rated as
unfit for combat duty. Pte Elliott would most probably have gone out to France
with the company circa 16 February 1917. As part of the hasty creation of ILCs
in the early part of February 1917, in response to the escalating demand for
military labour, it was apparently not uncommon for them to be formed within
two to three weeks and then hastily despatched overseas, with 23 companies
going overseas in the second half of February and a further 96 companies going
out to France in March 1917.
He
would have remained with his ILC until the Labour Corps was formed, at which
point new regimental numbers were issued to the men and the Company was
retitled the 33rd Labour Company, as part of the wider transfer-in of Infantry
Labour Companies and Labour Battalions into the newly-forming Labour Corps
which took place in May of 1917. Possibly as a result of some internal
transferring to balance the size of the companies, he is recorded on his medal
roll entry as having served with the 31st Company, one of two
companies formed out of the 17th (Labour) Battalion, the York and Lancaster
Regiment.
The
450-man Labour Companies of the Labour Corps were employed all along the
forward areas running behind the front line on a range of labouring and other
tasks ranging from road mending and ammunition loading to drainage, ditching
and sanitation.
The
fact that Pte Elliott was with this unit suggests that he was medically rated
as unfit for combat duty. In post-June 1916 terms this would be Class Bii -
Class B indicating that he was fit for service abroad, other than general
service, whilst the (ii) indicated that he was fit for service in Labour units,
or on garrison or regimental outdoor employment. In practical terms it
indicates he was able to walk to and from work a distance not exceeding five
miles and see and hear sufficiently for ordinary purposes.
Subsequent
to his service with the 31st Company, it is likely that he was
medically upgraded and subsequently served with the 11th Garrison
Guard Battalion, which later became the 13th (Service) Battalion, Royal
Inniskilling Fusiliers. The 11th Garrison Guard Battalion was one of
six battalions raised from medical category Bi men of the Labour Corps who had
previously served as infantry, in response to the urgent need for men and units
to replace casualties and decimated formations in the aftermath of the German
Spring Offensive. The 13th Inniskillings was formed in June 1918,
initially as the 13th (Garrison) Battalion, and attached to the 40th
Division, which (having been reduced to a training cadre following the battles
of March and April 1918) was in the process of being reconstituted with men
below A1 medical category, for the purpose of serving as a ‘B’ Division,
principally for holding the line. Pte Elliott would have transferred to the
Inniskillings at around this point, receiving the new regiment number 48025.
Whilst
serving with 40th Division, in the 119th Brigade, the 13th
was renamed a service battalion on 13 July 1918 and (notwithstanding the ‘B’
Division status) saw action in the Final Advance n Flanders and Battle of Ypres.
The battalion’s first action took place at Vieux Berquin on 27 August 1918 and
is described in the Regimental History as follows: “This Battalion won its
spurs near Landeck. Advancing on August 27th at 10 a.m. the 13th Inniskillings
were held up by heavy machine gun fire, but by resolute and clever outflanking
movements evicted the enemy”. The battalion took casualties of three officers and
27 other ranks killed and nine officers and 147 other ranks wounded, together
with three other ranks missing, in the action.
The
1918 Absent Voters List for Derbyshire Western Division shows Pte Elliott as
serving with the 31st Company, Labour Corps with his ‘qualifying
premises’ being in Small Dale, Bradwell, in the polling district of Bonsall.
Pte
Elliott we have received his British War Medal and Victory Medal, his full
entitlement, some time after September 1920.
1914-20 WAR & VICTORY MEDALS To 61956 PTE. E. ELLIOTT. DURH. L. I.
Served ; 2nd Infantry Labour Company Durham Light Infantry & Lab. Corps & 13th Btn. Inniskilling Fusiliers
Ernest Middleton Elliot was from Bradwell, Derbyshire. Possibly, like 61959 Joseph C Richardson, he enlisted or attested his willingness to serve in late 1915 (in Pte Richardson’s case, on 23 November 1915), and may have spent some time in the Army Reserve before being called up/mobilised some time in early 1917.
Initially serving with the Durham Light Infantry under the regimental number 61956, he was transferred to the Labour Corps and served under the regimental number 19368. This number fell within the number range 19201 to 19800, allocated to men converting from the 2nd Infantry Labour Company, Durham Light Infantry.
The Durham Light Infantry hosted 8 Infantry Labour Companies for work on the lines of communication overseas, mostly comprised of men medically rated as unfit for combat duty. Pte Elliott would most probably have gone out to France with the company circa 16 February 1917. As part of the hasty creation of ILCs in the early part of February 1917, in response to the escalating demand for military labour, it was apparently not uncommon for them to be formed within two to three weeks and then hastily despatched overseas, with 23 companies going overseas in the second half of February and a further 96 companies going out to France in March 1917.
He would have remained with his ILC until the Labour Corps was formed, at which point new regimental numbers were issued to the men and the Company was retitled the 33rd Labour Company, as part of the wider transfer-in of Infantry Labour Companies and Labour Battalions into the newly-forming Labour Corps which took place in May of 1917. Possibly as a result of some internal transferring to balance the size of the companies, he is recorded on his medal roll entry as having served with the 31st Company, one of two companies formed out of the 17th (Labour) Battalion, the York and Lancaster Regiment.
The 450-man Labour Companies of the Labour Corps were employed all along the forward areas running behind the front line on a range of labouring and other tasks ranging from road mending and ammunition loading to drainage, ditching and sanitation.
The fact that Pte Elliott was with this unit suggests that he was medically rated as unfit for combat duty. In post-June 1916 terms this would be Class Bii - Class B indicating that he was fit for service abroad, other than general service, whilst the (ii) indicated that he was fit for service in Labour units, or on garrison or regimental outdoor employment. In practical terms it indicates he was able to walk to and from work a distance not exceeding five miles and see and hear sufficiently for ordinary purposes.
Subsequent to his service with the 31st Company, it is likely that he was medically upgraded and subsequently served with the 11th Garrison Guard Battalion, which later became the 13th (Service) Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. The 11th Garrison Guard Battalion was one of six battalions raised from medical category Bi men of the Labour Corps who had previously served as infantry, in response to the urgent need for men and units to replace casualties and decimated formations in the aftermath of the German Spring Offensive. The 13th Inniskillings was formed in June 1918, initially as the 13th (Garrison) Battalion, and attached to the 40th Division, which (having been reduced to a training cadre following the battles of March and April 1918) was in the process of being reconstituted with men below A1 medical category, for the purpose of serving as a ‘B’ Division, principally for holding the line. Pte Elliott would have transferred to the Inniskillings at around this point, receiving the new regiment number 48025.
Whilst serving with 40th Division, in the 119th Brigade, the 13th was renamed a service battalion on 13 July 1918 and (notwithstanding the ‘B’ Division status) saw action in the Final Advance n Flanders and Battle of Ypres. The battalion’s first action took place at Vieux Berquin on 27 August 1918 and is described in the Regimental History as follows: “This Battalion won its spurs near Landeck. Advancing on August 27th at 10 a.m. the 13th Inniskillings were held up by heavy machine gun fire, but by resolute and clever outflanking movements evicted the enemy”. The battalion took casualties of three officers and 27 other ranks killed and nine officers and 147 other ranks wounded, together with three other ranks missing, in the action.
The 1918 Absent Voters List for Derbyshire Western Division shows Pte Elliott as serving with the 31st Company, Labour Corps with his ‘qualifying premises’ being in Small Dale, Bradwell, in the polling district of Bonsall.
Pte Elliott we have received his British War Medal and Victory Medal, his full entitlement, some time after September 1920.
No comments:
Post a Comment