Thiepval Memorial

[Antie Em]

I'm off to France for the Weekend to visit Thiepval Memorial. If anyone would like a photo of their relative who died in WW1 and is commemorated at Thiepval, I will be happy to do this if we have time. Can you please let me know the reference number. Can't promise, but I will do my best.

Maggie

[AndrewA]

OH Superb, I am overjoyed of this offer Maggie, aka Antie EM!

Private Alexander Rowland HEATH
London Regiment (Prince of Wales' Own Civil Service Rifles)
Pier and Face 13 C.

Alexander ended up moving to London from his Portsmouth home when he joined the Civil Service. In the 1911 Census he is 16 years old working as a boy clerk for the Savings Bank. He was later joined by one of his younger brothers Allan.

They both signed up with the Civil Service Rifles in summer of 1915. Allan lied about his age as he was only 17 years old, but declared he was 19, One year younger than Alexander. Obviously the recruiting propaganda did its job and he was eager to fight, preferably alongside his brother, as at that time soldiers had to be 19 years old before being sent abroad. Alexander's regiment number was 4225 and Allan's 4224.

They both ended up fighting in The Somme. Civil Service Rifles were involved in some of the most infamous actions of Battle of The Somme, including the regiment involved battle for High Wood, which saw the use of tanks for the first time, however these turned up late and the "intelligence" of the generals etc decided to go ahead anyway without the tanks.

The regiment was also in the thick of action in one of the futile attempts to take Butte de Warlencourt, which saw the Civil Service Rifles decimated. It was during one of these attempts on the 7th October 1916 that Alexander was killed. His body was never found.

Shortly after this, Allan was sent back for 10 days recuperation suffering from shell shock, for all I know he could have seen his brother killed. Within a month after his return he ended up with a swollen testicle, which was deemed to be late post op complaint as he had an operation on it a few years earlier. This proberbly saved his life. Allan then made a brilliant decision in his Army Career.

After his medical problem eased he would be back on the front line, however having been in the army for over a year, with his civilian job being a Civil Servant, he was now eligible to qualify for the Army Pay Corp and was duly accepted. This was still a dangerous job, but the chances of making it through the war increased a million times.

Records show that after a short time in the APC, he was going to be transfered to the Labour Corp, maybe to do with his rank, however he was promoted to Corporal instead and remaind in the APC. He recieved a 20% disability pension on discharge.

I have yet to find out about Allan after he left, but a tantalising entry in The London Gazette in 1st JAN 1957 shows that there was Alan Gore HEATH esq. appointed as Assistant Director for Navy Contracts for the Admiralty. With the middle name as Gore, it is 99.9% my Allan! He did well!.

Anyway, I waffled on a bit more than I should, but I think a story behind the name etc makes it a little more personal rather than just a name carved onto stone.



Thank you!

[grangers14]

Have a safe and wonderful trip!
Brilliant offer too.
Im sure any who were there of family will bring some emotion of a photo!
Jo

[dudleytaylor]

Lovely thought . xx

[AndrewA]

Looks like it will be good weather, sunny with a little cloud and gentle breeze and about 20 Degrees Celsius , Have a good trip!

[snoopysue]

Have a good trip Maggie

[Northern Lass]

She will be in the pub now

[Rob]

They are called cafes in France Jan.

[Northern Lass]

They are called cafes in France Jan.

Well you would know wouldn't you mr cosmo

[Rob]

[Antie Em]

She will be in the pub now

Actually in a Café in Albert drinking Leffe xxxx

[Northern Lass]

She will be in the pub now

Actually in a Café in Albert drinking Leffe xxxx

Morning Maggie

[Rob]

Morning Maggie.Give my regards to Albert.Leffe? Nice.

[Antie Em]

Had a great trip. Visited the Memorial at Thiepval. Sorry guys, I did see the names you gave me but they were too near the top for me to get a picture - would have needed a 30ft ladder. However, I did buy red roses and laid them under the pier where your ancestors are remembered. We also visited Mametz Wood were my uncle lost his life on the 10th July 1916 which was the objective of the 38th (Welsh) Division during the First Battle of the Somme


"The wood still stands today, surrounded by farmland. Overgrown shell craters and trenches can still be made out. There is a memorial to the 38th Division nearby on a rough single lane road at approximately Lat: 50:00:36N (50.0099) Lon: 2:45:02E (2.7504). This can be reached from the village of Mametz on the D64 road. The memorial takes the form of a red Welsh Dragon, facing the Wood and tearing at barbed wire, on top of a three-metre plinth. The memorial was constructed by the South Wales Branch of the Western Front Association following a public funding-raising appeal. The dragon which tops the memorial was made by Welsh sculptor/blacksmith David Petersen"

We saw the craters at Lochnagar. The biggest one was created by the explosion of two charges of ammonal (36,000 lbs and 24,000 lbs 60 feet apart) under a German position called Schwaben Hohe, and the crater originally measured some 300 feet across and 90 feet deep. Worth a look on Google Earth.

Here is the link to read about it and see pictures : http://www.ww1battlefields.co.uk/somme/laboiselle.html

Such a debt of gratitude we owe to these very brave men who fought and lost their lives in this terrible war. I make sure my children and my grandchildren all remember them. I take my grandkids every year to the service in Oldbury and this year is particularly special to us because Jonathan, who has joined the Army Cadets will be on parade.

What an amazing adventure.

[AndrewA]