Pte A Langley Royal Warwickshire Regiment Old Contemptible wounded in action 1st Battle of Passchendaele

1352 Pte/Cpl A Langley, 2nd & 1st Btns Royal Warwickshire Regiment, Old Contemptible, wounded in action Passchendaele October 1917

 

Arthur Langley was born in 1891 to Edwin, a brass dresser, and his wife Minnie, being christened on 1 April 1891 at the Church of St. John the Baptist, Deritend, Warwick, England. In April 1891 the family was living at 5 back of 497 Moseley Road, Bordesley, Aston, Warwickshire. Arthur served in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment under the regimental number 1352, enlisting on 6 January 1909. The 1911 census shows him as a soldier, staying with his family and now widowed mother at 11 Whitby Place, St Andrew's Road, Small Heath, Birmingham. A regular infantryman, Pte Langley was probably stationed with the second battalion at Malta on the outbreak of war. The 2nd Royal Warwickshires landed at Zeebrugge in October 1914 as part of the 22nd Brigade in the 7th Division. Entering the France and Flanders theatre on 4 October 1914, he was entitled to the 1914 or ‘Mons’ Star which he received along with the clasp and roses signifying that he had been under fire in the France and Flanders theatre during the qualifying dates. Being entitled to the August-November 1914 clasp to the Star he was therefore an ‘Old Contemptible’. At some point between October 1914 and October 1917 he was posted to the 1st Battalion of the regiment. He was entered on a Casualty List published on 7 January 1915, suggesting that he was wounded in early December 1914, and that this may have been the occasion of his posting from the 2nd Battalion to the 1st. With 'A’ Company of the 1st Battalion in mid-October 1917 he suffered a gun shot wound (GSW – Army term for any penetrating wound) to his left leg (knee), for which he was later pensioned. Most probably he was injured in the battalion’s participation in the attack of 12 October, the battalion’s contribution to the First Battle of Passchendaele, part of the Third Battle of Ypres. The battalion suffered slight casualties moving up from Jolie Farm to the Poelcappelle-5 Chemins Road on the early morning of the 11th and then advanced into the attack at 5.25am on the morning of the 12th, taking slight casualties from British supporting artillery but taking Landing Farm, Water House, Besace Farm and Bower House with relatively little resistance. The advance was halted 50 years west of Memling Farm due to ground conditions and enfilading fire, from which position the battalion sighted a potential German counter-attack at 5.20pm on the 12th, which was dispersed with artillery fire.

Now-Corporal Langley’s ‘A’ Company, along with ‘C’ Company, led the assault, with ‘B’ and ‘D’ Companies following as moppers-up. After an abortive attempt at a relief during the night of 12-13 October, the battalion was relieved by the 26th Northumberland Fusiliers on the evening of the 13th to proceed via Leipzig Camp into reserve. 83 other ranks were listed as wounded in the actions of the 12th October and two more the following day, Pte Langley probably being one of these. (No casualties were sustained by the battalion for the rest of the month.) Certainly, on 18 October, shortly after the battalion’s participation in this First Battle of Passchendaele, he had reached as far down the casualty evacuation chain as Rouen, being evacuated by 31st Ambulance Train, entraining at Rouen bound for Le Havre, as part of a trip 136, party of convalescents destined for England aboard HM Transport ‘Grantully Castle’, a former Union Castle Line steamship converted to a hospital ship/transport.

He appears to have been discharged on 8 March 1919 and pensioned with effect from the following day at a rate of Six Shillings and Ten pence weekly for one year; he was also entitled to the Silver War Badge, number B269018. He was aged 28 on discharge, married and his address after discharge was 16 Hams Road, Saltley, Birmingham. By 1921 Arthur was still living in Satley, at 16 Hams Road, with his wife Blanche Langley (nee Hall, whom he had married at St Andrew’s, Bordesley on 3 June 1917) and daughter Beryl. He was formerly a carpenter’s labourer in the employ of Watson & Potts, Paradise Street, Birmingham.

He claimed the clasp and roses for his 1914 Star in December 1932. An Arthur Langley, born 17 March 1891, died in Birmingham in the second quarter of 1978.

Image: Hospital train in foreground transferring patients to Grantully Castle. Source: https://birtwistlewiki.com.au/wiki/HMHS_Grantully_Castle

2223 Pte W Nunn 1/24th London Regiment, wounded in action at Festubert, 26 May 1915

Victory Medal with replacement suspension ring to 2223 Pte W Nunn 1/24th London Regiment, wounded in action at Festubert, 26 May 1915

Walter Nunn was born in Tottenham and by the age of 18 was employed as a warehouseman by Stapley & Smith, clothing manufacturers of London Wall and living at 42 Queens Road, Lower Edmonton. When enlisting he gave as his next of kin his father, Harry William Nunn, of the same address. By his own account he was aged 18 years 8 months when he attested his willingness to serve for 4 years in the Territorial Force at the Orderly Room of the 24th Londons at 73 New Street, Kennington on 12 August 1914, Lance-Sergeant V.A. Kent being his witness. He was medically assessed the same day and pronounced ‘fit’; he was 5’ 9 ½” tall with a 33” chest (3” range of expansion) and his vision was described as ‘good’. He was embodied for service in the 24th Londons the same day and at St Albans on 6 September 1914 he took the Imperial Service Obligation, agreeing to serve ‘in any place outside the United Kingdom’. The 1/24th (county of London) Battalion, the London Regiment (The Queen’s) (formerly 4th Volunteer Battalion, Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment). The battalion formed part of the 142nd (6th London) Brigade of the 47th) 2/1st London) Division, going overseas to the France and Flanders theatre in March 1915. Pte Nunn entered the theatre of war on 16 March 1915. He was accordingly entitled to the 1914-15 Star, which he acknowledged receipt of on 21 August 1920.

Per Wikipedia: "The division embarked for France in March 1915, concentrating round Béthune. In May the division (already known in France simply as 'The London Division' to distinguish it from the Regular Army 2nd Division) took its place in the line and was designated 47th (1/2nd London) Division, with the brigades numbered consecutively: 6th London became 142nd (1/6th London) Brigade.

The division suffered casualties from shellfire while holding the line as neighbouring formations fought the Battle of Aubers Ridge, (9 & 15 May), but Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby's 142 Bde carried out the division's first offensive action, on 25 May during the Battle of Festubert. The attack on the 'S' Bend was timed for 18.30, to precede a Canadian night attack further along the line. The 23rd and 24th Londons swept across the open ground and immediately captured the German front trenches with few losses. However, German listening posts had given warning of the impending attack, and they had registered their artillery onto their own trenches. The divisional historian records that the Londoners now encountered 'a fierce and deadly enfilading fire from the German guns, and particularly from a heavy battery posted near Auchy-les-la Bassée, far to the south and out of range of the guns of our Division'.

The brigade supports, 21st Londons, and the 20th Londons from divisional reserve, were brought up and desperate attempts made to extend the brigade's gains, 'but tremendous losses were suffered by the men crowded in the captured trenches. Nothing could be done to keep down this enfilading fire, and by the following morning much of the captured trenches had been knocked to bits and had to be abandoned, but a considerable part of their front line was retained and taken into our own trench system'.[13]" 

Pte Nunn was wounded on 26 May 1915, suffering a gun shot wound to the head. After some treatment he was evacuated home to the UK on 9/10 June 1915. He was accordingly listed as “wounded” on the Casualty List issued by the War Office from 18 September 1915.

He was later discharged as no longer physically fit under section 392(xvi) of King’s Regulations as of 19 November 1915 and issued with Silver War Badge number 89701, which is listed on his Medal Index Card as ‘returned to owner’ on 23 November 1917. He had been in embodied service for 1 year 100 days and his character was given as ‘good’.

 

(NB note on file to say “A.46. (Particulars re pension) filed with paper of 2480 Pte Whittle"; Whittle was also wounded (GSW to the head) with the 24th Londons on 26 May 1915)