WW1
pair to 209620 Pnr CGT Jago, RE No.2 Special (Gas) Company, wounded in action 13
July 1917
Clifford George Treverton Jago was born in Bodmin in
1892, the eldest son of Clifford Jago, tailor, and his wife Charlotte. After
spending eight years as an assistant at Northey’s Chemist in Bodmin, in
September 1915 or thereabouts he joined the Pharmaceutical College at
Westminster[1].
As of August-December 1916, when presumably mobilised at Wansdworth or Kingston,
his next of kin address was given as 23a St Albans Avenue, Bedford Park, Surrey.
He was working as a student[2]. A Derby or ‘Groups’ Scheme man, he had
attested his willingness to serve on 6 December 1915 at Clapham. His records
noted that he was aged 23 Years 1 Months, Height 5ft 3in., Weight in pounds 130,
Chest expansion inches 3, Chest size inches 35. The records suggest that he was
recruited into the Royal Engineers, under the regimental number 12093. Judging
by information set down in one of his medical records, he may have entered a
theatre of war around January 1917. This would have potentially have put him in
line to take part with GHQ Special Brigade in the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the
3rd Army in the Battle of the Scarpe and with IX Corps of Second
Army in the Battle of Messines.
By 1918, Pnr Jago was on the strength of No.2 Special
Company, 5th Battalion, Special Brigade, a mortar company including sections,
E, F, G and H, utilising a specially designed 4” variant of the Stokes Mortar.
It is possible that he spent all of his service with this Company. In early
August 1917 he was reported in War Office Daily List No.5332 of 8 August 1917
as Wounded, suggesting that his wound occurred about a month earlier, at the
beginning of July 1917. At this time No.2 Company was in Belgian Flanders, in
the vicinity of Eikhoek, north-west of Poperinghe. In the first two days of the
month ‘H’ Section was in the process of installing mortars and bomb stores in
the 51st (Highland) Division sector, whilst ‘E’, ‘F’, and part of
‘G’[3] Sections were doing the
same in the Guards’ Division (IX Corps) sector.
A newspaper article in the Cornish Guardian of
27 July 1917[4],
describing Clifford as ‘Pioneer Chemist CGT Jago’ gives the date of his
wounding as 13 July; it observes that he was “wounded in France on July 13th
and is now in the Canadian hospital at Etaples. He has previously been gassed
[possibly accidentally, as there appears to be no Casualty List entry for
this], but fortunately recovered. We understand the wound is not a serious
one.”. This would agree with him being the single other rank casualty mentioned
in the 2nd Company War Diary for that date, which states “13 [July]
Operations arranged, all sections took up battle positions, but unfavourable
winds necessitated a postponement of the operation. 1 O/R wounded”. This
appears to have been in connection with the operations finally carried out at
2a.m. on 14/15 July. Two operations took place, one to gas the enemy in strong
points at Canal Drive, Canal Avenue, Cable Support and Baboon Support ‘and
reduce his resisting power’, of which it was reported ‘Despite torrents of rain
and pitch darkness, and despite the occurrence of a large number of misfires
due to the exceptional conditions prevailing the operation was successfully
carried out, a large number of bombs was discharged in two bursts of 5 minutes
each, the first at zero and the second at zero plus 60 minutes, which work
reflects very creditably upon the personnel concerned’. The second operation
was to ‘gas the enemy in the strong points PORT CALEDONIA, CANADIAN TRENCH,
CANADIAN SUPPORT, CANADIAN AVENUE and to reduce his resisting power’. Taking
place at the same time, this was also eventful, the war diary commenting that
“Owing to the complete inundation of one emplacement only 11 guns [mortars]
were able to fire” and “A total of 560 bombs was successfully discharged in two
bursts of 5 minutes each, the first at zero and the second at zero plus 60
minutes. Torrents of rain fell, and extremely heavy enemy fire was experienced.
The mud, which it was impossible to remove entirely from the bombs, caused
numerous misfires”. The bombs used appear to have been primarily filled with Chloropicrin
(‘PS’), intermixed with tear gas (Ethyl Idoacetate or ‘SK’[5]) bombs. Pnr Jago was entitled to wear a "Wound
Stripe" as authorised under Army Order 204 of the 6th July 1916 in
consequence of his wounding. The casualty list confirmed his Next of Kin
Address as Bodmin.
If Pnr Jago was serving with No.2 Company in early to
mid-1918 this might have put him in line to have taken part in the Battle of
Ballieul and (with the Canadian Corps, Fourth Army) in the Battle of Amiens.
Certainly, Pnr Jago was confirmed at serving with No.2
Company as of September 1918. During this month, as Pioneer Jago, C, Service
Number 209620, 2nd Special Company, Royal Engineers, Age 25, under Index Number
of Admission 32210[6]
on 11 September 1918 he was admitted from No. 22 Casualty Clearing Station
(where he had been admitted on 01/09/1918) with Inflammation of stomach, severe,
to Ward R, 18th General Hospital. He was subsequently transferred
from sick convoy No. 6 Ambulance Train. The admission and discharge register recorded
him as having served 1 year 8 months with the Field Force (i.e. on active
service with the BEF, which would accord with an entry to theatre date of circa
January 1917) and confirmed his religion as Church of England.
Potentially taking part in the Battles of the St
Quentin Canal and Pursuit to Mons, Pnr Jago remained with the 2nd
Company until 1919, where he had the sad duty of giving evidence at an inquiry
related to the accidental death (ran down by a train) of a friend of the same
unit, 220200 Cpl Duncan Turnbull, Royal Engineers.
Pnr Jago was subsequently discharged (on 14 December
1919) with 20% disabling Gastritis, possibly attributable to the severe
inflammation of the stomach which he suffered in September 1918. This was
adjudged attributable to service, for which he was given a weekly allowance of
5/6 until 13 December 1921. His pension
ledger entry gives an address in Bodmin.
By 1955 (as evidenced in ‘The Chemist and Druggist’,
February 5 1955), Clifford GT Jago and Reginald C Jago were operating three
chemist and druggists’ stores at 35 and 49 Molesworth Street Wadebridge and 12
Fore Street, Bodmin.
[1] Cornish Guardian, 10 September 1915
[2] Surrey Recruitment Registers
1908-1933, Page number 174, Reference 2496 / 10. Notes. Groups and C2 is
written on the cover and Groups 6 written on the spine. Dates and recruitment
centres covered are: Wandsworth, 16th August 1916 to 8th December
1916, Kingston, 30th August 1916 to 8th December 1916.
[3] The other part of ‘G’ proceeded to
the Special Brigade base at Helfaut to provide demonstrations of the 4” Stokes
Mortar before the King and Queen
[4] Also the Newquay Express and
Cornwall County Chronicle, same date
[5] So named, supposedly, after the
South Kensington location of Imperial College London, where Professor Jocelyn
Thorpe discovered the lachrymatory gas.
[6] Archive Reference MH106/116
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