Thomas Dorricott

[peterd]

DORRICOTT , THOMAS
Private 24428 03/05/1917
King's Shropshire Light Infantry United Kingdom
ARRAS MEMORIAL

any one find any more military info please

bcc

http://bcconnections.tribalpages.com/fa ... ott-Family

[FarSide]

Name: Thomas Dorricott
Birth Place: Hope, Salop
Residence: Minsterley, Salop
Death Date: 3 May 1917
Death Location: France & Flanders
Enlistment Location: Shrewsbury
Rank: Private
Regiment: King's (Shropshire Light Infantry)
Battalion: 5th Battalion
Number: 24428
Type of Casualty: Killed in action
Theatre of War: Western European Theatre

There's a medal card for him, not much on it, do you want a copy of it..

[peterd]

yes please any pension info ?

[apowell]

Hi,

I couldn't find any service records for Thomas but looking at his Medal Index Card i think he was also awarded the Territorial Force War Medal (1922) additional to the standard British & Victory medals.

Territorial Force War Medal
Awarded: 33,944
The Territorial Force War Medal was a campaign medal awarded to members of the British Territorial Force and Territorial Force Nursing Services who served overseas in World War I; it is the rarest of the five British Great War medals.

The medal was established in April 1920 for award to members of the Territorial Force and Territorial Force Nursing Services who volunteered for service overseas on or before 30 September 1914, and served overseas. They had to:
have been serving with the force on 4 August 1914 or
have completed four years service with the force before 4 August 1914 and rejoined the force on or before 30 September 1914

In addition provided they:
Undertook, either verbally or by written agreement on or before 30 September 1914 to serve outside the United Kingdom, such agreement being operative after 4 August 1914, and
Have served outside the United Kingdom between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918 (both dates inclusive; note that the last date was in 1918 though the years on the reverse said 1914-19) and
Did not qualify for the 1914 Star or 1914-15 Star

Given his death details we know he was sadly killed fighting at Arras on the 3rd May 1917.

Shropshire Light Infantry
Battalions of the New Armies
5th (Service) Battalion
Formed at Shrewsbury in August 1914 as part of K1 and came under orders of 42nd Brigade in 14th (Light) Division. Moved initially to Aldershot and then went on to Chiddingfold in March 1915, before briefly returning to Aldershot.
20 May 1915 : landed at Boulogne.
4 February 1918 : disbanded at Jussy. Troops dispersed to 1st, 1/4th, 6th and 7th Bns.

42nd Brigade in 14th (Light) Division
1917
The First Battle of the Scarpe**
The Third Battle of the Scarpe**
The battles marked ** are phases of the Arras Offensive
The Battle of Langemark***
The First Battle of Passchendaele***
The Second Battle of Passchendaele***
The battles marked *** are phases of the Third Battles of Ypres

Thomas was sadly killed on the first day of the 3rd Battle of the Scarpe: 3 - 4 May 1917

Someone wrote on another forum regarding the attack on the 3rd May which sums up the terrible waste of the war:

As Cyril Falls noted in the Official History, the reasons for failure on 3 May 1917 were:

"The confusion caused by the darkness; the speed with which the German artillery opened fire; the manner in which it concentrated upon the British infantry, almost neglecting the artillery; the intensity of its fire, the heaviest that many an experienced soldier had ever witnessed, seemingly unchecked by British counter-battery fire and lasting almost without slackening for fifteen hours; the readiness with which the German infantry yielded to the first assault and the energy of its counter-attack; and, it must be added, the bewilderment of the British infantry on finding itself in the open and its inability to withstand any resolute counter-attack."

My Great Great Uncle also fought at the same engagement on the 3rd May at Arras.

Hope this helps.

Regards
Adrian

[peterd]

thanks adrian