George Rolfe

[Rolfeyworld]

Hi all,
can anyone tell me any more about George Rolfe, he has become a sadly forgotten part of our family history which I would like to put right!

He was born in 1894 to William daniel Rolfe and Matilda Emily Mayo and served in the 11th Battallion of the Middlesex Regiment. He was killed in the Somme on March 16th 1916 aged just 22!!!! He was a private, number 5396.
Any ifo you have would be excellent.
Thankyou
Darren

[Maths girl]

Is this him
1901 7, Dowell Mews, Fulham
ROLFE, William Head Married M 39 1862 Sawdust Dealer Lambert London
ROLFE, Matilda Wife Married F 38 1863 Domestic General Lambert London
ROLFE, Florence Daughter Single F 15 1886 Fulham London
ROLFE, Matilda Daughter Single F 10 1891 Fulham London
ROLFE, Fredk Son Single M 8 1893 Fulham London
ROLFE, George Son Single M 5 1896 Fulham London

1911 10 George Square North End Road Fulham SW
ROLFE, William Daniel Head Widower M 49 1862 Sawdust Dealer London Lamberth
ROLFE, George Frederick Son Single M 15 1896 Assisting In The Business London Fulham
WILSHER, Martha Visitor Married 30 years F 45 1866 General Servant Domestic Witshire Derzes

Looks as though he might have lied about his age!

[apowell]

Hi,

I found some information:

He embarked from England with the Middlesex Regiment on the 31st May 1915 disembarking at Boulogne, France the next day.

He was awarded the 1915 Star, British & Victory medals and If a soldier was deceased then the medals would have been given to his next of kin. I've checked the CWGC site and no wife or family members are listed which probably meant he wasn't married and his parents were deceased. A letter was sent by the CWGC to the next of kin listed on the soldier's military records requesting personnal information but of course if no information was returned the details for the deceased soldier would be listed unknown.

The 11th Battalion was part of the new Armies raised in 1914 and was made up of civilian volunteers.

Middlesex Regiment
11th (Service) Battalion
Formed at Mill Hill in August 1914 as part of K1 and attached to 36th Brigade in 12th (Eastern) Division. Moved to Colchester, going on to Shorncliffe in November and in February 1915 went into Ramillies Barracks at Aldershot.
June 1915 : landed at Boulogne.

12th (Eastern) Division- Middlesex Regiment 11th (Service) Battalion was part of this Division
The Division moved to France on 29 May - 1 June 1915 and after two days rest near Boulogne, moved to concentrate near St Omer and by 6 June had moved to the Meteren-Steenwerck area. Next day Divisional HQ established at Nieppe. Units of the Division were placed under temporary orders of 48th (South Midland) Division for the purposes of instruction. The third of the New Army formations to go to France (after 9th (Scottish) and 14th (Light) Divisions) the 12th Division served with distinction on the Western Front throughout the rest of the war.

1915
On 23 June 1915 the Division took over a sector of the front line for the first time, at Ploegsteert Wood, relieving 46th (North MIdland) Division. 6th Queen's, 6th Buffs and 11th Middlesex were the units that first entered the trenches. By 15 July the Divisional front had extended south to reach east of Armentieres; the 12th was now holding 7000 yards. In just holding this relatively quiet sector, in July alone the Division suffered the loss of 7 officers and 64 men killed, 18 officers and 413 men wounded.

The Battle of Loos
On 26 September, after this battle had started, the Division was relieved by the 1st Canadian and 50th (Northumbrian) Divisions and moved towards the Loos front. It arrived on 29 September and relieved outgoing units in the Gun Trench - Hulluch Quarries sector on the night of 30 September - 1 October. The Division commenced consolidating the position, under heavy artillery fire. The Officer Commanding, Major-General Frederick Wing CB, was killed in action on 2 October 1915. His ADC, Lieutenant Christopher Tower DSO, was killed by the same shell. On 8 October, the Division repelled a heavy German infantry attack. Five days later the Division took part in a large scale action to renew the offensive, now called the "Action of the Hohenzollern Redoubt". The Division succeeded in capturing Gun Trench and the south western face of the Hulluch Quarries. During this period at Loos, 117 officers and 3237 men were killed or wounded. By the end of 21 October the Division had been relieved and moved to Fouquieres-les-Bethune. It took over the Hohenzollern Redoubt front after a very short rest of five days and spent a cold, wet and miserable month here before being relieved on 15 November by 15th (Scottish) Division, whereupon it moved into reserve at Lillers.

1916
Between 12 December 1915 and 18 January 1916 in a quiet period of trench-holding, the Division nonetheless suffered the loss of 102 officers and 670 men killed, wounded or missing. Relieved on 19 January and moved to Busnes, the Division had a spell of training in open warfare. Units moved back into the Loos trenches at the Quarries on 12-13 February 1916 and by 15 February held the line from there to the Hohenzollern Redoubt. The area of the Hohenzollern Redoubt had in the meantime become one where underground mine warfare was very active. A plan was evolved that required 4 mines to be blown under the enemy positions, which would be followed by an infantry assault aimed at capturing the enemy front trench called "The Chord". 36th Brigade made the attack after 170 Tunnelling Company RE detonated the mines at 5.45pm on 2 March 1916, successfully capturing the craters and gaining important observation over enemy lines as far as Fosse 8. Severe fighting in the crater area continued for some weeks, with the Division suffering more than 4000 casualties until being finally relieved on 26 April.

Sadly this is where it ends for George and from the information he must have been wounded in the fighting around the crater area of the Hohenzollern Redoubt from 2nd March-11th march (probaly during the assault on the trench called "The Chord") when he sadly died of his wounds probaly at the No2. or No5. Hospitals (see below).

George is buried at:
ABBEVILLE COMMUNAL CEMETERY ( SOMME)
For much of the First World War, Abbeville was headquarters of the Commonwealth lines of communication and No.3 BRCS, No.5 and No.2 Stationary Hospitals were stationed there variously from October 1914 to January 1920. The communal cemetery was used for burials from November 1914 to September 1916, the earliest being made among the French military graves.

This webiste gives you a detailed account of the Battle of Loos and includes eyewitness accounts from soldiers who took part in the carnage and their experiences would have been shared by George and his pals.

www.hellfire-corner.demon.co.uk/terriers1.htm

It would be great if you could post a tribute to George on our roll of honour section.

I hope this helps.

Regards
Adrian

[Rolfeyworld]

I love this, its fascinating!!!
each answer brings up another dilemma!!!
That 1901 census is correct in every way except that William Rolfe, born June 6th 1883, is missing from it? He must have been around, somewhere, he is my direct relation.
I guess he may have been old enough to move out??? Does he appear on the 1901 census as himself, elewhere? I have him at 2 Mulgrave road, Fulham in 1904.

Thankyou for the miliary history as well, I cannot comprehend what they went through!! I shall post my regards to him in the right section.

Thankyou so much all
D

[Maths girl]

Was William in the army too?

1901 Halifax Barracks, Gibbet Street Halifax
ROLFE, William Single M 18 1883 Private W R Regt No London (I think the original says Mx after London)

WR seems to stand for West Riding

[Rolfeyworld]

Does anyone know if I could claim Georges medals as his Nephew?
How terrible that no one replied to the letter asking for information about him!!
He had 2 brothers and 2 sisters.
His brother William was till having children in 1922, so he a next of kin!!!!

[Rolfeyworld]

Excellent!! yep, birth date is correct, must have been him!!!
I was told as a child that he was in the army, so I reckon you found him!!

[MarkCDodd]

Claiming medals that have not been issued or have been returned relies on you showing the next of kin has given you permission.

So, if the soldier is alive he can claim them anytime.

If he is dead then his Widows can claim them upon proof of his death.

If both are deceased then a legitimate child can claim the medals upon proving the parents are dead.

I have seen illegitimate children have their request refused in England but not Australia even if the soldier has claimed the child in their service records.

It is one of the reasons they started allowing re-issuing of birth certificates with a father's name if he wished to claim the child. i.e My mother has two birth certificates. One without a father in 1935 and one issued in 1940 with my grandfather listed.

After that the right of inheritance gets a bit messy but it is always decendants who get preference. So a Great Great Grandchild would have a higher claim than a neice/nephew/brother/sister.

This inheritance can also be enforced. i.e My father wants his father's medals but a grandchild is refusing to give them up. The law is telling him he has no choice as they were not passed on to him in a will and even if they were, my father would still have the legitimate claim.

At any rate, you must prove that you are the next of kin or get written permission from the next of kin.

[MarkCDodd]

Claiming medals that have not been issued or have been returned relies on you showing the next of kin has given you permission.

So, if the soldier is alive he can claim them anytime.

If he is dead then his Widows can claim them upon proof of his death.

If both are deceased then a legitimate child can claim the medals upon proving the parents are dead.

I have seen illegitimate children have their request refused in England but not Australia even if the soldier has claimed the child in their service records.

It is one of the reasons they started allowing re-issuing of birth certificates with a father's name if he wished to claim the child. i.e My mother has two birth certificates. One without a father in 1935 and one issued in 1940 with my grandfather listed.

After that the right of inheritance gets a bit messy but it is always decendants who get preference. So a Great Great Grandchild would have a higher claim than a neice/nephew/brother/sister.

This inheritance can also be enforced. i.e My father wants his father's medals but a grandchild is refusing to give them up. The law is telling him he has no choice as they were not passed on to him in a will and even if they were, my father would still have the legitimate claim.

At any rate, you must prove that you are the next of kin or get written permission from the next of kin.

Look at this form.

http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/6E35B75F-5F97-4AF2-8412-2B27B0E9D73A/0/Certificate_Of_Kinship.pdf

[Rolfeyworld]

Thankyou, looks like I will not be able to claim them.
Shame when no one else in the family seems to have given a hoot about the poor chap!
thanks anyway
d