Thanks Dave - I even managed to get some sails action in especially for Tim...
Thanks Dave - I even managed to get some sails action in especially for Tim...
Never Knowingly Undergunned !!
10th January 1917
Well its either feast or famine at the moment, one day pages of material, the next finds you scrabbling around or a couple of half decent columns...
2 AIRMEN HAVE FALLEN ON WEDNESDAY JANUARY 10TH 1917
Captain Rowland Burton 46 Reserve Squadron RFC - Killed while flying at Leeds 10 January 1917 aged 23
Lieutenant Frederic Harry Turner 11 Squadron RFC - Accidentally Killed while flying at Leeds 10 January 1917 aged 21
2nd Lieutenant Thomas Hugo French witnessed the accident that killed both the above airmen and appeared as a witness at the inquest. On the 10th of January 1917 he witnessed the crash of a FE2d aircraft from his base which killed Captain Rowland Burdon and his passenger, Lieutenant Frederick Harry Turner. He appeared as a witness at the inquest which followed the incident where he was recorded as saying: - "Opening up the engine to go round again, and with the aircraft six to eight feet off the ground, the pilot appeared to leave his climb too late to clear a wood. A wing tip caught the top of the trees. The machine then rose above the trees until it lost all speed, and then nose dived into the ground, catching fire on impact."
Lieutenant French was to be killed just three days later when On the 13th of January 1917 he took off from Bramham Moor in FE2d 1947 with a 250hp Rolls Royce engine when he was caught in a heavy snowstorm and was forced to descend. During his decent in poor visibility his machine crashed into some trees in Ringhay Wood at Aberford near Leeds and caught fire, killing him instantly.
There were just the two aerial victory claims on this day- opening their accounts with their first victories we have...
Leutnant Hans Korner of Jasta 8. He downed a balloon on this day for his first kill and went on to claim another 7 in total. He survived the war but died in a motorcycle accident some time after the war ended.
Leutnant Hans Korner scored once in his zig-zag marked Jasta 19 triplane on the last day of March, 1918 He survived the war with a final victory total of 7. He remained in aviation after the war, but was killed in a motorcycle accident on the way to his airfield.
Capitaine Pavel Vladimirovich Argeyev of the French Air Service also opened his account on this day.
In August 1914, Lieutenant Colonel Pavel Vladimirovich Argeyev left the Russian army to join the French. He received flight training in 1915 and was assigned to N48. Rejoining the Russians in 1916, d'Argueff served on the Russian Front before returning to France to serve with Spa124 in May 1918. Born in Yalta, Crimea in 1887 to an engineer of steamships named Vladimir Akimovich Argeyev and his wife, Argeyev graduated from the military academy in Odessa in 1907 and Odessa College in 1909 and joined the Imperial Russian Army as a sergeant in the 184th Reserve Infantry Regiment in Warsaw, Poland. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1912 and transferred to the 29th Chernigov Infantry Regiment, where he was made a lieutenant colonel. In 1914, on the outbreak of World War I, Argeyev resigned his Russian commission (after refusing to carry out a punishment on a soldier that he considered undeserved) and moved to France, enlisting in the French Foreign Legion with the rank of lieutenant on September 12, 1914. As with many airmen, he chose first to enlist in the infantry. He was assigned to the 131st Infantry Regiment, and participated in the Battle of the Marne, in which he received a head injury but returned to the front in October. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre, followed by an appointment as a chevalier of the Legion d'honneur in May 1915. In the process of winning these honors, Argeyev was wounded thrice, on 23 September 1915, in April 1916, and again on 2 May 1916.
A Nieuport 17, as flown by Argeyev on the Eastern Front in 1917
In January 1916, having been ruled unfit for infantry service due to his injuries, Argeyev requested a transfer to the Armée de l'Air. After training at Pau, he was enlisted as a pilot on January 30, 1916.[6] After having accumulated flying hours on the Western Front with Escadrille N48,[4] he returned to Russia and was made a Captain of the Imperial Russian Air Service, assigned to the 12th Fighter Detachment on October 20, 1916. Argeyev's first victory came four months later, on the morning of January 10, 1917 where he downed an Albatros C.V. An uncredited victory came four months later, on the evening April 8, when he downed a Fokker near Mitau, in modern-day Latvia. His second official victory came at 9:45am on April 21, followed by his third on May 6, which he shared with Ernst Leman and Alexander Kazakov. He downed a Hansa-Brandenburg C.I near Berezhany, Ukraine in his Nieuport 17. He then scored three more victories in three months - an LVG C.II at Jēkabpils on May 17, another Hansa-Brandenburg C.I near Kozova on June 8, and finally a Rumpler C.I on June 20. Now he was a flying ace, having scored more than five victories. In May 1918, as the Russian Revolution raged on, Argeyev returned to France due to the hostile attitudes of the Bolsheviks towards the Tsar's officer corps. Enlisting once more in the Armée de l'Air, he was assigned to Escadrille SPA.124, where he would spend the rest of the war. His first victory came only days after joining the squadron, when he downed an LVG C.II on June 1, 1918. Now flying a SPAD XIII,within the few months he spent in the French air force, he considerably expanded his victory score.
Now sporting seven credited and one uncredited victory, he added two more on June 14 and 15 when he downed, respectively, a Rumpler C.I and another two-seater aircraft on successive days. He scored his tenth victory on June 26, another two-seater.
Despite downing no aircraft in July or August, in September 1918 he scored three victories, bringing his total to 13. Firstly, a Fokker D.VII north of Cerny on September 27, followed by two kills the day after, two two-seater aircraft near Séchault at 10:10am and 3:20pm. He again scored a double victory on October 5, albeit one of them uncredited - another two-seater north-east of Autry at 11:25am. However, he scored a credited victory in downing a Pfalz D.III at Orfeuil at 6:25pm. His final victory of the war came on October 30, 1918, only 12 days before the end of the war. He scored a victory against a two-seater aircraft at 3.40pm near Quatre-Champs. By the end of hostilities, he had scored fifteen credited victories and two uncredited victories, making him Russia's third highest-scoring flying ace after Alexander Kazakov and Vasili Yanchenko. Reluctant to return to the USSR, he continued flying as a test pilot and was killed on October 20, 1922 near Trutnov, Czechoslovakia when his Potez aircraft crashed in the Sudetes mountains.
On this day 342 British Troops were lost
Today’s highlighted casualties include:
Captain Sidney Frederick Johnson (Border Regiment) is killed at age 29. His son will be killed serving in the Royal Air Force in February 1941.
Captain Arthur Brooks Close-Brooks MC (Manchester Regiment) is killed in Mesopotamia at age 32. His brother was killed in October 1914.
Lieutenant Frederick James Willson (attached Sapper & Miners Indian Army) is killed in action in Mesopotamia at age 27. His brother will be killed in April next year.
Lieutenant Charles Arnold Owens (West Yorkshire Regiment) dies of wounds at age 20. His brother died at home in June 1916.
Arthur Brooks Close-Brooks
He was the son of John Brooks Close-Brooks and Emily Close-Brooks of Birtles Hall, Chelford, Cheshire and Emily (the Register says Anne Close-Brooks, daughter of Sam Brooks, also a banker, of Manchester). His father and two uncles were the Close brothers who were famous for their rowing at Cambridge. Before coming to Winchester he was with the Reverend C.L. Cameron at Mortimer. He went up to Trinity College, Cambridge in 1903 and rowed for two years in the University VIII as his father had before him. He took his degree with Honours in Jurisprudence and afterwards went into business in Bolton. On the outbreak of war he enlisted in the Public Schools Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers, and subsequently obtained a commission in the 2nd Battalion Manchester Regiment. He was awarded the M.C. in June 1915 for attempting to rescue a wounded man, and was also mentioned in Despatches.He was posted to Mesopotamia and died of wounds sustained in the attack near the Shatt-el-Hai Canal on January 10th 1917; he left a widow, Frances, the daughter of Andrew Brown, and two children. The family lived at Glemham Grove, Saxmundham, Suffolk.
Captain Tunstill's Men: (Winnipeg Camp) Training continued; according to the War Diary, “Specialists were trained under Specialist Officers. One Platoon in each Company was set aside for training. About 60 men per day were employed on working parties”.
Lt. James Oag, RAMC, who had been temporarily transferred from 69th Field Ambulance to stand in as RMO for the Battalion from 1st January was instructed “to proceed forthwith to 12DLI for temporary duty”; presumably Battalion Medical Officer Capt. Cecil Berry (see 1stJanuary) had returned to duty.
Politics
USA: Allies reply to Wilson’s peace note with special message from Belgium.
German San Francisco Consul*-General and 4 employees found guilty of conspiracy to sink arms ships. Bernstorff cables Zimmermann war inevitable if U-boats unleashed.
Western Front
Somme: British attack takes trenches on 3/4-mile front northeast of Beaumont Hamel, Fifth Army operations on Ancre until March 13 involve Anzac and 3 other corps (11 divisions).
Sea War
Channel: First Anglo*-French collier convoy sails (up to 45 colliers with 3 or 4 trawler escorts); only 5 of 2.600 lost by April 30.
A further six cargo ships were lost today to a mix of surface raiders and U-Boats
Bergenhus Norway The cargo ship was sunk in the Irish Sea south east of Ireland (48°55′N 10°05′W) by SM U-84 ( Kaiserliche Marine).[96] Her crew were rescued by Borinquem ( United States).
Brookwood UK The cargo ship was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 210 nautical miles (390 km) north by west of Cape Finisterre, Spain (45°50′N 11°50′W) by SM U-79 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of two of her crew.
Lundy Island UK The cargo ship was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 190 nautical miles (350 km) south east of Santa Maria, Azores, Portugal by SMS Seeadler ( Kaiserliche Marine). One of her crew was taken as a prisoner of war.
Netherby Hall UK The cargo ship was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 300 nautical miles (560 km) east by north of Pernambuco, Brazil by SMS Möwe ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Tholma Germany The cargo ship was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean (43°23′N 11°01′W). Formerly a Norwegian cargo ship, she had been captured on 8 January by SM U-48 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Tuborg Denmark The cargo ship was sunk in the English Channel (49°38′N 4°45′W) by SM UB-37 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
A ‘Punch’ cartoon: ‘Hail Columba! President Wilson to American Eagle: Gee! What a dove I’ve made of you!’
On this day in nonviolent history, the Silent Sentinels began their two and a half years long protest in front of the White House demanding Women’s Suffrage. They were organized by Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, and the National Woman’s Party. The women began on Jan 10th, 1917 and protested for six days a week until June 4, 1919 when the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed both by the House of Representatives and the Senate. The name Silent Sentinels was given to the women because of their silent protesting. Using silence as a form of protest was a new principled, strategic, and rhetorical strategy within the national suffrage movement and within their own assortment of protest strategies. The two-and-a-half year long protest sparked outrage, fury, beatings, scorn, derision, and arrests. The horrific conditions of the Occoquan Workhouse (torture, beatings, rotten food, lice, vermin, and force feeding the suffragettes raw eggs to break their hunger strike protest) ignited public sentiment and brought the cause further to national attention.
Never Knowingly Undergunned !!
Ok it's late and bloody windows 10 is trying to update my PC yet again meaning I can't get on. So sending this in on my phone. Hopefully I can get an update out before midnight or bedtime.
Never Knowingly Undergunned !!
Panic over I have managed to get on - although apologies it will quite a short one this evening (oh how I hate 05:30 starts every morning)
January 11th 1917
1 AIRMAN HAS FALLEN ON THURSDAY JANUARY 11TH 1917
2nd Lieutenant Raymond Hopper 60 Squadron RFC - Killed in Action 11 January 1917 aged 23. Son of Annie Hopper, of 46, De la pole Avenue, Hull, and the late W. H. Hopper.
There were no aerial victory claims on this day
Tunstill's Men: Training continued and a draft of 49 men who had arrived in France a few days earlier reported for duty; the draft included Ptes. Richard Field and Patrick Sweeney (see 6th January).
2Lt. Ernest Cyril Coke (see 28th October), serving with 3DWR at North Shields, appeared before a Medical Board assembled at Tynemouth. The Board found that, “The condition has much improved and he is now fit for General Service”. 2Lt. Harry Widdup (see 26th December 1916), who had been admitted to 1st Southern General Hospital, Edgbaston, Birmingham two weeks’ earlier, appeared before a Medical Board assembled at the hospital. The Board found that, “He reported sick on December 16th 1916 at Meaulte with pain in both lower limbs and in wrists. He was taken to the 14th Casualty Clearing Station, where he remained until December 26th; he was then transferred to Corbie and Rouen and was subsequently admitted to this hospital on December 31st 1916. The pains have considerably abated, but have not disappeared and there is recurring debility”. He was deemed unfit for any service for one month on grounds of “Myalgia contracted as a consequence of infection while on active service in France”. Capt. William Norman Town (see 18th November 1916), who was currently on three months sick leave, wrote to the War Office in reply to a request made almost two months earlier, confirming his current address as being c/o Junior Army and Navy Club, Horse Guards Avenue, London SW. This was in advance of a further Medical Board due to be held on 22nd January. A payment of £2 4s was authorised, being a partial payment of the amount outstanding in pay and allowances to the late Pte. Thomas Robinson Barwick (see 15th July). The payment would go to his widowed mother, Mary Ann. The reason why only a partial payment was made (there was a further £2 3s 11d due on his account) is unclear.
Middle East
Mesopotamia: Turk 45th Division breaks through British line (over 650 casualties) but gradually forced back to Tigris south bank until night January 18-19. British Cavalry Division occupies Hai town, but inhabitants attack, it is retiring on January 14.
In Mesopotamia after 14:00 the British attack under cover of heavy artillery fire but are forced back by a Turkish counter-attack which is itself halted by British machine gun fire. Among those killed in the days fighting is
Major James Alfred Balfour (Highland Light Infantry) killed at age 38. He is the son of Brigadier General ‘Sir’ Alfred Balfour. His brother will die on service in April 1941.
He served in the 1st Bn. and was a son of Brigadier-General Sir Alfred G. Balfour, K.B.E., C.B., and Lady Balfour of 3 Eaton Gate, London, S.W.1; husband of Marie Frederica Balfour (nee Vandeleur). His brother, Lieutenant-Commander Ronald Egerton Balfour fell in WWII.
Lieutenant Noel Holme Wiggin (Royal Field Artillery) is killed at age 25. His brother died of wounds in December 1914.
Second Lieutenant Cyril Francis Hodgson (Duchess of Connaught’s Own Baluchistan Infantry) dies of wounds at age 19. He is the son of the Reverend Francis Hodgson Vicar of Worth during the advance to the Haj and capture of Khudaira Bend while leading a bombing attack.
Second Lieutenant Mark Sanderson Watson (Highland Light Infantry) is killed near Kut. He is the son of the Reverend Richard Watson.
Second Lieutenant Allan Young Annand (Highland Light Infantry) is killed. His brother was killed on Gallipoli in June 1915.
Sinai: War Cabinet cables Murray to defer large-scale operations in Palestine till later in year.
Arabia: King Hussein finally declines British troops.
Western Front
British carry German trench on front of 0.75 mile, north-east of Beaumont Hamel.
The British operations at the end of the Battle of the Ancre in November 1916, had captured German positions on Beaumont Hamel spur and the village of Beaucourt, before the weather stopped operations. In the early hours of 10 January, a battalion of the 7th Division attacked "The Triangle" and the trenches either side, including Muck Trench about 1,000 yards (910 m) east of Beaumont Hamel. The attack began after an 18-hour bombardment and a standing barrage on the objective. Due to the state of the ground, the infantry advanced in three parties, which carried duckboards and had 20 minutes to cross 200–300 yards (180–270 m) of no man's land. The objectives were consolidated and a German counter-attack was broken up by British artillery fire; a prisoner later said that a second one was cancelled; the 7th Division captured 142 prisoners, for a loss of 65 casualties. The success covered the right flank of the 7th Division for the main attack next day against Munich Trench, from The Triangle to the Beaumont Hamel–Serre road and a smaller attack by the 11th Division, against German defences east of Muck Trench. The 11th Division operation failed, when an unknown German dug-out was overrun in the fog. German troops emerged and attacked the British troops from behind, at the same time that German counter-attacks from further east began, which pushed the British back to their start line.[18]
A bombardment had been fired on the whole Fifth Army front for two days, particularly in the neighbourhood of Serre, intended to mislead the Germans. The attack by a brigade of the 7th Division began at 5:00 a.m., when the leading companies lined up on tapes, 200–300 yards (180–270 m) from Munich Trench. At 6:37 a.m. three divisional artilleries began a standing barrage on the trench and a creeping barrage started in no man's land in thick fog. Movement was so difficult that the barrage moved at 100 yards (91 m) in ten minutes. German resistance was slight, except at one post where the garrison held on until 8:00 a.m. After the fog cleared at 10:30 a.m., the ground was consolidated, most of it being free from observation by the Germans. V Corps took over from XIII Corps, with the 32nd and 19th divisions by 11 January, with II Corps on the south bank facing north, with the 2nd and 18th divisions. The 11th Division stayed in the line, for another attack on the slope west of the Beaucourt–Puisieux road. The bunker overrun in the previous attack was found empty but German artillery caused many casualties, before a British bombardment stopped a German counter-attack as it was forming up at 10:00 a.m.; the division was relieved on 20 January. For the rest of the month British troops sapped forward, by digging new posts in advance of their positions at night and then linking them to the front line before repeating the process, over the crest of Beaumont Hamel spur. The freeze continued to make movement easier, despite temperatures which fell to 15 °F (−9 °C) on 25 January. Trench foot cases declined and small attacks became easier, although digging was almost impossible. The rearrangement of corps and divisions on the Fifth Army front continued, with the IV Corps moving to the southern boundary of the Fourth Army, to take over ground from the French Sixth Army. Command of I Anzac Corps on the northern Fourth Army boundary, was transferred to the Fifth Army.
Ancre Heights late 1916 positions
Eastern Front
German counter-attack near Kalutsem, south of Lake Babit, repulsed.
Successful Romanian attack in Casin valley.
Enemy progress in Susitsa valley and between Braila and Galatz.
Sea War
Eastern Mediterranean: Seaplane carrier HMS Ben-my-Chree sunk in Kastelorizo Island harbour by Turk guns off Southwest Asia Minor (more shelling of French island base on February 27). (Thanks to the fog of war this was also reported a couple of days agao - maybe the pigeons got crossed)implement dispersal and coasting system in Eastern Mediterranean to try and cut shipping losses, causes friction with French.
Politics
Germany: Turco-German Settlement Treaty signed at Berlin. Austro-German note to neutrals and Vatican disclaims blame for war’s continuation.
Montenegro: Second proposal for union with Serbia; General Martinovic succeeds Radovic as Prime Minister.
and finally...
News reached Britain (and the British papers) of the passing late on January 10th of one of the greatest figures of the American 'Wild West' (and one of the last) - BUFFALO BILL CODY
William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody (February 26, 1846 – January 10, 1917) was an American scout, bison hunter, and showman. He was born in Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), but he lived for several years in his father's hometown in Toronto, Ontario, Canada before the family again moved to the Kansas Territory. Buffalo Bill started working at the age of eleven, after his father's death, and became a rider for the Pony Express at age 14. During the American Civil War, he served the Union from 1863 to the end of the war in 1865. Later he served as a civilian scout for the US Army during the Indian Wars. He received the Medal of Honor in 1872. One of the most colorful figures of the American Old West, Buffalo Bill started performing in shows that displayed cowboy themes and episodes from the frontier and Indian Wars. He founded Buffalo Bill's Wild West in 1883, taking his large company on tours in the United States and, beginning in 1887, in Great Britain and Europe .
Cody received the nickname "Buffalo Bill" after the American Civil War, when he had a contract to supply Kansas Pacific Railroad workers with buffalo meat. Cody is purported to have killed 4,282 American bison (commonly known as buffalo) in eighteen months in 1867 and 1868. Cody and another hunter, William Comstock, competed in an eight-hour buffalo-shooting match over the exclusive right to use the name, which Cody won by killing 68 bison to Comstock's 48. Comstock, part Cheyenne and a noted hunter, scout, and interpreter, used a fast-shooting Henry repeating rifle, while Cody competed with a larger-caliber Springfield Model 1866, which he called Lucretia Borgia, after the notorious beautiful, ruthless Italian noblewoman, the subject of a popular contemporary Victor Hugo play of the same name. Cody explained that while his formidable opponent, Comstock, chased after his buffalo, engaging from the rear of the herd and leaving a trail of killed buffalo "scattered over a distance of three miles", Cody—likening his strategy to a billiards player "nursing" his billiard balls during "a big run"—first rode his horse to the front of the herd to target the leaders, forcing the followers to one side, eventually causing them to circle and create an easy target, and dropping them close together.
In 1869, Cody met Ned Buntline, who later published a story based on Cody's adventures (largely invented by the writer) in Street and Smith's New York Weekly and then published a highly successful novel, Buffalo Bill, King of the Bordermen. Many other sequels followed, by Buntline, Prentiss Ingraham and others from the 1870s through the early part of the twentieth century. Cody became world famous for Buffalo Bill's Wild West, a touring show, which traveled around the United States, Great Britain and Europe. Audiences were enthusiastic about seeing a piece of the American West. Emilio Salgari, a noted Italian writer of adventure stories, met Buffalo Bill when he came to Italy and saw his show; Salgari later featured Cody as a hero in some of his novels.
As a frontier scout, Cody respected Native Americans and supported their civil rights. He employed many Native Americans, as he thought his show offered them good pay with a chance to improve their lives. He described them as "the former foe, present friend, the American" and once said that "every Indian outbreak that I have ever known has resulted from broken promises and broken treaties by the government."Cody supported the rights of women. He said, "What we want to do is give women even more liberty than they have. Let them do any kind of work they see fit, and if they do it as well as men, give them the same pay."In his shows, the Indians were usually depicted attacking stagecoaches and wagon trains and were driven off by cowboys and soldiers. Many family members traveled with the men, and Cody encouraged the wives and children of his Native American performers to set up camp—as they would in their homelands—as part of the show. He wanted the paying public to see the human side of the "fierce warriors" and see that they had families like any others and had their own distinct cultures. Cody was known as a conservationist who spoke out against hide-hunting and advocated the establishment of a hunting season.
Cody died on January 10, 1917, surrounded by family and friends at his sister's house, in Denver. He was baptized in the Catholic Church the day before his death by Father Christopher Walsh, of the Denver Cathedral. He received a full Masonic funeral. Upon the news of Cody's death, tributes were made by George V, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and President Woodrow Wilson. His funeral service was held at the Elks Lodge Hall in Denver. The governor of Wyoming, John B. Kendrick, a friend of Cody's, led the funeral procession to the cemetery.
Last edited by Hedeby; 01-12-2017 at 14:34.
Never Knowingly Undergunned !!
Expediencies of the service and Jerry bombing old boy.
Well done for overcoming obstacles.
Kyte.
"Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."
Should be ok now Chris.
See you on the Dark Side......
Good man - all sorted and I have managed to put the pictures back in - no idea what happened there...
12th January 1917
and as the snow falls softly outside my 400 mile round trip with a 5:00am start is looking even more daunting... yuk
There was one recorded death on this day...
Sergeant Thomas Mottershead VC. DCM. 20 Squadron RFC : Died of burns 12 January 1917 aged 27. F.E. 2d A39 he was flying was set on fire 7 January 1917 at 2750m and he was enveloped in flames while landing his aeroplane the observer, Lieut W E Gower, was spraying him with the fire extinguisher. See above (7th January for more details of the man and his VC)
There were no aerial victory claims on this day.
346 British troops lost their lives on this day
Today’s highlighted casualties include:
Brigadier General ‘Lord’ George Baillie Hamilton Binning (Lothian & Border Horse) dies of pneumonia at age 60. He is the son of George Binning, 11th Earl of Haddington and served in the Egyptian Campaign (1882) and Black Mountain Expedition (1891).
Brigadier-General George Baillie-Hamilton, Lord Binning, CB, MVO, DL (24 December 1856 – 12 January 1917) was a British Army officer; he was styled "Lord Binning" as a courtesy title.
He was born in 1856, the second child and eldest son of George Baillie-Hamilton-Arden, 11th Earl of Haddington and Helen Katherine, daughter of Sir John Warrender, 5th baronet of Lochend by Frances Arden. After an education at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, he was commissioned in the Royal Horse Guards on 11 September 1880. He served with distinction in the 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War, the Nile Expedition of 1884, and the Hazara campaign of 1888. In 1889 he was appointed aide-de-camp to the Viceroy of India during the Black Mountain Expedition, being mentioned in despatches. From 1899 to 1903 he was appointed commanding officer of the Royal Horse Guards. He retired from the army in 1907, but remained in the Territorial Force as commanding officer of the Lothians and Border Horse, and served as His Majesty´s Lieutenant of the County of Berwick from 1901 until he died.
He was appointed a temporary Brigadier-General in December 1915, on receiving command of 41st Brigade in 14th (Light) Division. He remained in command until April 1916, returning to blighty to take charge of 11th Mounted Brigade. In 1892 he had married Katharine Salting, with whom he had two sons and a daughter. He died, aged sixty, a few months before his father, and so did not inherit the title of the Earl of Haddington; instead, it passed to his eldest son, George Baillie-Hamilton. His widow, Lady Binning, donated Fenton House in Hampstead, London to the National Trust on her death in 1952.
Lieutenant Colonel John Holberton Whitehead (commanding 93rd Burma Infantry Indian Army) dies on service at age 48 in Mesopotamia.
Sergeant Thomas Mottershead VC DCM (Royal Flying Corps) dies of the first degree burns received five days prior when his aircraft was attacked at an altitude of 9,000 feet, the petrol tank of his machine was pierced and the machine set on fire. Enveloped in flames, which his observer Lieutenant Gower was unable to subdue, Mottershead succeeds in bringing his airplane back to our lines, and though he makes a successful landing, the machine collapsed on touching the ground, pinning him beneath the wreckage from which he was subsequently rescued. Though suffering extreme torture from burns, Sergeant Mottershead showed conspicuous presence of mind in carefully selecting a landing place, and his endurance and fortitude undoubtedly saved the life of his observer. He will be posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions.
The Air War
The Third Squadron Royal Naval Air Service raids the Burbach blast furnaces near Saarbruecken. The crews suffer from intense penetrating cold with three pilots and gunlayers having their hands frozen in spite of the fact that the surgeon has greased all exposed skin before their departure. This raid is a disaster from the beginning due to the considerable number of engines that refuse to start and the litany of engine failures en route. Only sixteen of the twenty five machines that start out from Ochey reach the target.
Eastern Front
Rumania: Mackensen‘s Turkish troops take Mihalea on river Sereth northwest of Braila, he takes Vadeni 10 miles northwest on January 14 but driven out on January 16.
A Turkish soldier on guard on the Eastern Front. He wears the huge shaggy fur coat used by eastern Anatolian peasants since at least the 6th century, as well as large fur over-boots.
Middle East
Yemen: 5 British ships land a force at Salif, capture 100 Turks and recover British rock salt works after 3 hours action. Britain recognizes Farson Island as Idrisi territory on January 22.
Politics
Austria: Count Czernin tells Austrian Common Ministers Council compromise peace must be sought.
Italy: Allied Rome Note pledges to work for liberation of all Habsburg subject peoples.
Tunstill's Men: Training continued.
Pte. Jacob Carradice Green (see 27th December 1916) who had been treated in hospital for ‘ICT’ (inflammation of connective tissue) in his leg, re-joined the Battalion. Pte. Sydney Charles Nicholls (see 14th September 1916), who had been evacuated to England suffering from trench fever four months earlier, appeared before an Army Medical Board. The Board found him unfit for further military service due to myalgia: “Occurred in June 16 on the Somme. Got rheumatism from laying so much in the wet. Pain right hip, right leg and right foot and across small of back. Lame. General health good. Not fit for military service because he cannot march. Damaged as a civilian by stiffness of hip and back (muscular).Result of exposure on active service. Permanent.” A final decision was deferred. The weekly edition of the Craven Herald reported news of the death of Sgt. Thomas Moyle MM (see 7th January)
STEETON MILITARY MEDALLIST KILLED - SERGEANT THOMAS MOYLE
Information reached Steeton yesterday (Thursday) morning of the death in action on the Western Front of Sergeant Thomas Moyle, of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment, the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Moyle, Elmsley Street, Steeton, aged 28 years. The deceased soldier spent ten days' leave at home in December last, along with several other members of the same battalion, and the news of his death came as a great shock. He was the holder of the Military Medal, and the fact was recorded in our columns on October 27th last. He married 18 months' ago Miss Atkinson, daughter of Mr. Thos. Atkinson, contractor, Steeton, for whom very sincere sympathy is felt. Prior to the war, Sergeant Moyle was a twister in the employ of Messrs. John Clough and Sons, Steeton. He was at one time actively associated with the Steeton Football Club as an official and a player.
Sergeant Thomas Moyle
The War at Sea
Five more allied ships were lost on this day
Auchencrag United Kingdom The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 20 nautical miles (37 km) west of Ouessant, Finistère, France (48°28′N 5°35′W) by SM U-84 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of four of her crew.
Brentwood United Kingdom The cargo ship struck a mine and sank in the North Sea 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) east north east of Whitby, Yorkshire with the loss of two of her crew.
Emeraude France The schooner was sunk off the coast of Spain by SM U-48 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Saint Michel France The schooner was scuttled in the English Channel off the Owers Lightship ( United Kingdom) (50°31′N 0°25′W) by SM UC-18 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew were rescued by a Royal Navy destroyer.
Vestfold Norway The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 70 nautical miles (130 km) west north west of Cape Finisterre, Spain (43°46′N 11°49′W) by SM U-48 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived
We will finish today with an article featuring the great war poet (or should that be Great War Poet) Wilfred Owen
On 12th January 1917 the 2nd Manchesters were ordered to take over part of the front line on the Serre road known as C2 Sector. The British trenches in this section of the front, ran parallel to the present day Serre to Mailly-Maillet road (D.919) - in 1917 the road itself being in No Man's Land.
Wilfred Owen was at battalion HQ in La Signy Farm and immediately took command of the Manchesters’ "A" company setting out from there along a long communication trench known as Sackville Street. This led to the front line near a German stronghold jutting out towards the British trenches and known as the "Heidenkopf". Whilst the rest of his company took over the front line, Owen took charge of two Sections of one of his platoons (25 men), crossed over into No Man's Land and occupied a former German dug-out there. Conditions were appalling, for water filled it to a depth of between two and three feet leaving about four feet for air.
Being a German dug-out, the entrance and its steps down into it faced the German lines so it was necessary to post a sentry on the stairway in order to give warning of any approach by the enemy. During a terrific bombardment, one sentry was blown down the stairway and was blinded. On the 15th January, Owen and his men handed over to two companies of the 15th Bn. Highland Light Infantry and left the front. Owen’s fifty hours in the line were over.
As soon as Owen began to use his experience of war in his poetry, this early incident on the Serre road became a foundation for his poem "The Sentry".
The photograph was taken from the site of the former communication trench called Sackville Street. In 1917 the British front line followed the Serre road which is hidden in a cutting which runs from right to left across the picture and in front of the cemetery. Sackville Street entered the front line near to the present day cemetery (Serre Road No. 2.) which is on the right of the picture. The cemetery faces the Serre road and now occupies the area of what in 1917 was the German strong point called the Heidenkopf.
The German dug-out lay in the field to the left of the cemetery. In January 1917 the field was a mass of mud and formed part of No Man's Land with the German front line running from the rear of Serre Road No. 2 cemetery to the Memorial Chapel on the left hand side of the photograph. The site of the dug-out was discovered by archaeologists in 2003.
We'd found an old Boche dug-out, and he knew,
And gave us hell, for shell on frantic shell
Hammered on top, but never quite burst through'.
So wrote Wilfred Owen, perhaps the greatest first world war poet, of his terrifying experience guarding a dug-out in no-man's-land on the western front for 50 hours in January 1917. It figures in one of his poems, The Sentry, but for more than 80 years it was hidden beneath French farmland on the battlefield of the Somme. Now a BBC documentary to be shown next month will reveal just how authentic the young army officer's poem was, as a result of the discovery of the site of his bleak vigil during an archaeological dig last autumn. The archaeologists traced the site of the dug-out - one of thousands along the 450-mile length of the western front - through old trench maps, though it had long been obliterated under a farmer's field beside a country road outside the village of Serre. The area was the scene of heavy fighting involving Owen's regiment, the Manchesters, during the battle in 1916.
The poet was posted to the front soon afterwards. His letters home reveal that he was sent to guard what had formerly been a German dug-out between the lines, in a bend in a former enemy front-line trench known as the Heidenkopf, or Heathen's Head. As such, it was particularly dangerous because its opening faced the enemy's position. It was also several feet deep in freezing water. But under the top soil of the field, still littered with unexploded shells and the detritus of battle, the researchers found the sodden wooden duckboards still in place. One of the boards was given to Owen's nephew, Peter, who accompanied the film crew and was clearly moved by the discovery. The team also found two rusting magazines of bullets from a British Lewis machine gun and the corpses of three soldiers, two German and one British, all apparently killed on the first day of the battle, July 1 1916. One of the Germans, who was identified after forensic work in Britain and the US on his rusted dog-tag, was a farmer from near Stuttgart. The corpse, whose skull had disappeared, had the top of a polish tin from one of the city's stores in what remained of his pocket, together with a comb and a small mirror. The British soldier, a member of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, has not yet been identified, but the discovery of the body was particularly poignant. Owen's poem speaks of the sentry in his platoon being blinded in an attack and the poet placing a candle near his face to see whether his sight was irretrievably damaged:
'Oh sir, my eyes - I'm blind - I'm blind, I'm blind!'
Coaxing, I held a flame against his lids
And said if he could see the least blurred light
He was not blind; in time he'd get all right.
'I can't,' he sobbed'.
The skeleton was found with three candles beside it. Peter Owen said: "That was the most poignant moment of all for me."
Never Knowingly Undergunned !!
The Wilfred Owen section is most moving Chris.
Many years ago part of our G.C.E. English Literature assignment was the War Poets, one of whom was of course Owen.
This brings back a lot of memories.
Rob.
"Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."
The answer to that question is "yes".Originally Posted by Hedeby
Happy to oblige Rob, I raise my glass of G&T (Masons Yorkshire + Fever Tree Premium) to your memories
Never Knowingly Undergunned !!
Well that was a day and a half... 412 miles round trip (setting off @ 05:20), 40 miles in a blizzard on untreated roads - thank god for Land Rover, lol. I think when my time comes I want to be buried whilst a blizzard rages - it was certainly a different day...
Well deserving of a G&T (see above) as I write this evenings addition to our thread. I do hope that wherever you are inclement weather has not spoiled your day or put you at any risk.
Bit of a struggle news wise today - apologies for the paucity of content.
13th January 1917
4 AIRMEN HAVE FALLEN ON SATURDAY JANUARY 13TH 1917
2nd Lieutenant George Warwick Bentley 5 Squadron RFC - Killed in Action 13 January 1917 aged 22
2nd Lieutenant Thomas Hugo French 46 Reserve Squadron RFC Accidentally Killed while flying near Leeds 13 January 1917 aged 21 (for more information see previous few days posts)
He was born at Roxwell in Essex on the 21st of June 1895 the fourth son of George Dennis French, farmer, and Alice (nee Snow) of Utling Hall near Maldon in Essex. He was educated at the King’s School Canterbury from January 1904 to July 1911 where he was a member of the Officer Training Corps. He played for the Cricket XI in 1911, holding one of the school records. The Canturian said of his cricket season in 1911:- "Fast and, at times erratic bowler but on his day bowled well. A batsman of the wild type who loves the high balloon. Good field." On leaving school he joined the firm of Messrs Davey, Paxman Ltd. Engineers of Colchester on a five year apprenticeship where he was a member of the firm’s athletic club and was half mile champion. Following the outbreak of war he enlisted at Westminster as Private PS/1498 in the 18th Battalion Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) (1st Public Schools), University and Public School Corps, on the 15th of September 1914. At a medical examination, which was held on the same day, it was recorded that he was five feet eleven inches tall and that he weighed 161lbs, It was also noted that he had : - "Slight flat feet. States he can march without pain or fatigue."
He was promoted to Lance Corporal on the 23rd of November 1914 and reverted to the rank of Private at his own request on the 28th of May 1915. He embarked for service in France with his battalion from Folkestone on board the SS "Princess Victoria" at 8.15am on the 14th of November 1915 bound for Boulogne but floating mines off the harbour meant they were diverted to Calais where they arrived at 11.15am the same day. He was promoted to unpaid Lance Corporal on the 4th of February 1916. While he was there he was commended for his shooting and was offered special leave for a very clever sniping feat. He applied for a commission on the 6th of March 1916 and returned from France on the 20th of March 1916. He was posted to No. 4 Officer Cadet Battalion for officer training on the 24th of March 1916. He was commissioned as a Temporary 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Flying Corps on the 5th of August 1916. He was appointed as a Flying Officer on the 15th of December 1916 and was posted to 46 Reserve Squadron based at RFC Bramham Moor the same day. He was confirmed in the rank of 2nd Lieutenant on the 24th of December 1916. On the 10th of January 1917 he witnessed the crash of a FE2d aircraft from his base which killed Captain Rowland Burdon and his passenger, Lieutenant Frederick Harry Turner. He appeared as a witness at the inquest which followed the incident where he was recorded as saying: - "Opening up the engine to go round again, and with the aircraft six to eight feet off the ground, the pilot appeared to leave his climb too late to clear a wood. A wing tip caught the top of the trees. The machine then rose above the trees until it lost all speed, and then nose dived into the ground, catching fire on impact." On the 13th of January 1917 he took off from Bramham Moor in FE2d 1947 with a 250hp Rolls Royce engine when he was caught in a heavy snowstorm and was forced to descend. During his decent in poor visibility his machine crashed into some trees in Ringhay Wood at Aberford near Leeds and caught fire, killing him instantly. A court of inquiry into his death was held on the 14th of January 1917.
2nd Lieutenant Douglas Roy Hinkley 5 Squadron RFC - Killed in Action 13 January 1917 aged 21
Flight Sub Lieutenant Ranulph Kingsley Joyce Vallings RNAS - Killed while flying (crashed) 13 January 1917 aged 23
badge of the RNAS
Again there were no aerial victory claims made by aces of any side on this day..
On this day 249 British troops were lost
Today’s highlighted casualties include:
Flight Sub Lieutenant Ranulph Kingsley Joyce Vallings (Royal Naval Air Service) dies of illness in Greece at age 23. He is the son of the Reverend James Frederick Vallings Vicar of Sopley.
Company Sergeant Major Henry Lynch (Welsh Fusiliers) is murdered at age 39 in camp behind the lines. His murderer will be executed on 21 March.
Trooper Ewen Elmslie (Wellington Mounted Rifles) dies of wounds in Egypt. His brother was killed on Gallipoli in August 1915.
Private William Hylton Sandford Poole (Lincolnshire Regiment) dies of pneumonia at home at age 18. His brother will be killed one week before the end of the Great War.
Private John Francis Hosegood (Army Service Corps attached Remounts) dies at home at age 54. He is the son of the Reverend John Hosegood.
Tunstill's men: Training continued. There had been a plan for a Brigade exercise in communicating between infantry and aircraft, but this had to be postponed because of the wet and misty weather.
Eastern Front
Rumania – Battle of Pralea (until January *18): Rumanians hold Susitza valley.
Middle East
Arabia: Abdulla’s 5,000 Arabs capture Mecca-bound Turk convoy (much gold), reach Wadi Ais, 50 miles northwest of Medina on January 19.
Politics
Rumania: US and Dutch Ambassadors leave Rumania.
Neutrals
USA*: Trotsky lands in New York.
and finally...
The second USS Milwaukee (C-21) was a St. Louis-class protected cruiser in the United States Navy. Entering service in 1906, Milwaukee was deployed to the Pacific Ocean. On 13 January 1917, while aiding a grounded submarine, the cruiser grounded herself. The ship was decommissioned and sold for scrap in 1919.
Milwaukee was laid down on 30 July 1902 by Union Iron Works, San Francisco, California and launched on 10 September 1904, sponsored by Miss Janet Mitchell, daughter of U.S. Senator John L. Mitchell of Wisconsin. The cruiser was commissioned on 10 December 1906, Commander Charles Augustus Gove in command. After a shakedown cruise off the coast of California and Mexico, from 14 March through 28 May 1907, Milwaukee departed San Francisco, California on 26 June 1907 and cruised off the coast of San Salvador and Costa Rica threatening the local population and engaging in target practice with the squadron in Magdalena Bay. On 26 March 1908, the cruiser sailed from San Francisco for Bremerton, Washington, where she was placed in reserve on 25 April. Except for a cruise in the summer of 1908 which took her to Hawaii and to Honduras, the ship remained in reserve status at Puget Sound Navy Yard until decommissioned on 3 May 1910.
Milwaukee was recommissioned in ordinary service on 17 June 1913 and was assigned to the Pacific Reserve Fleet. In the next two years the ship made several brief cruises, one to Honolulu with a detachment of Washington State Naval Militia from 1-22 July 1914, and several along the coast of California. On 18 March 1916, Milwaukee was detached from the Reserve Fleet and assigned to duty as a tender to destroyers and submarines of the Pacific Fleet. Based at San Diego, the cruiser participated in exercises and maneuvers off the coast, patrolled Mexican waters, transported refugees, and performed survey duty. Milwaukee was then overhauled at Mare Island including the installation of heavy machine tools so the cruiser could act as a tender for the Coast Torpedo Force of destroyers and submarines.
Under the temporary command of a lieutenant acting as Coast Torpedo Force Commander, Milwaukee sailed on 5 January 1917 for Eureka, California, to assist in salvaging the U.S. Navy submarine H-3 which had run aground off Humboldt Bay on 14 December 1916. On 13 January, while attempting to float the submarine and disregarding the recommendations of local mariners, the cruiser stranded in the first line of breakers at Samoa, California, off Eureka. Four hundred twenty-one enlisted and 17 officers were rescued safely by the Humboldt Bay Life-Saving Station and local volunteers but attempts to salvage the ship were unsuccessful. H-3 was ultimately salvaged and returned to service.
Never Knowingly Undergunned !!
January 14th 1917
Lets start to day with the loss of a French air ace....
Sous Lieutenant Andre Jean Delorme
Serving with an infantry regiment in 1914, Delorme was wounded three times during 1914. He transferred to the French Air Service in 1915 and received a Pilot's Brevet on 14 June. Posted to C56, he scored his first two victories in the summer of 1916 but was wounded again during aerial combat on 31 July 1916. When he recovered, he was reassigned to N38 where he scored three more victories before he was killed in action.
"Adjudant of Escadrille C56, pilot of remarkable audacity and sangfroid. Prepares his missions instantly and with great initiative and then executes them with remarkable energy. On 6 February 1916, he descended to 700 meters to bomb an important station where he caused an explosion and a fire. With his passenger wounded, he flew more than an hour in the clouds completely lost in enemy territory, but succeeded to land in our lines as his fuel gave out." Médaille Militaire citation
"Sous Lieutenant of Escadrille C56, elite officer who has distinguished himself by his brilliant conduct in the infantry, fighting combats at the start of the war during which he was wounded twice. As an airplane pilot, he has continued to demonstrate the highest qualities of bravery, devotion and audacity. On 28 May 1916, after having executed a bombardment very far to the rear of the lines, he was attacked by a German scout which he downed in flames, returning to the Escadrille with his plane riddled by bullets. Already has the Médaille Militaire and has been cited twice in army orders." Légion d'Honneur citation.
There were three RFC losses on this day:
2nd Lieutenant George Allan Exley 29 Squadron RFC Killed while flying 14 January 1917 aged 23
George Exley was born in the Holbeck area of Leeds in July 1892. His father, John, a dispensing chemist owned a string of pharmacists shops operating under the name Messrs G Exley and Son. The Exley family moved to Burley-in-Wharfedale in 1903 and lived in a house known as Farr Royd and George was sent to school at Ilkley Grammar where his father became a school governor. After finishing school, George, attended the London College of Pharmacy and by 1914 had become a member of the prestigious Pharmaceutical Society. At the beginning of 1915, George, enlisted in the Royal Engineers as a despatch rider, however, within three months his officer potential had been noted and he was commissioned into the 5th Battalion Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. Within a few months George was again on the move when he transferred into the Royal Flying Corps as an observer with 20 Squadron. Based in the Ypres sector he survived many incidents including a forced landing in April 1916, when his plane was attacked by two German fighters. In the summer of 1916, George, returned to England to train as a pilot in the Military Flying School at Huntingdon. he qualified as a pilot in September of that year and by December was back in France.
At the beginning of January 1917 George was attached to number 29 Squadron Royal Flying Corps in the Arras sector of the Western Front. The weather that January had been atrocious, bitterly cold with frequent heavy snowfalls. On the 14th January the weather was poor with low lying cloud cover when George took off in a scout plane, probably a DH2 biplane. Whilst flying in the low cloud he became disorientated and decided to fly at a lower altitude, probably, get under the cloud base. Unfortunately, this manoeuvre brought him too low and his plane collided with a tree killing him instantly. Today 2nd Lieutenant George Allan Exley is buried in the British Military Cemetery at Hararcq and is remembered on the war memorials in Burley in Wharfedale and at Ilkley Grammar School.
Flight Lieutenant Warner Hutchins Peberdy RNAS Accidentally Drowned 14 January 1917 aged 32
During the First World War, Britain’s Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) operated from airbases in the northern Aegean, on the islands of Tenedos, Imvros, Limnos and Thasos.
The last was located at Prinos. Between May 1916 and the end of the war, British and Commonwealth pilots used its airfield for combat missions against the Bulgarians who occupied Eastern Macedonia and Thrace from 1916 to 1918 and also the Turks in the Dardanelles. The Bulgarians and Turks were allied to the Germans and some of their famous Ace pilots were involved in dogfights with British and Greek pilots over the Aegean. One of those British pilots was Flight Lieutenant Warner Hutchins Peberdy, a Canadian who voluntarily joined the RNAS in 1915. Sent on a reconnaissance mission to Eastern Macedonia on 14 January 1917, Peberdy failed to return to Prinos. He was declared missing in action and it was assumed that his aircraft had crashed in the sea and that he did not survive.
But a discovery in February provides strong evidence that the mystery of his fate may be resolved at long last. At that time, the municipality of Thasos invited members of the Kerykeion team, a non-profit and non-governmental organisation that researches aviation history in Greece, to investigate the veracity of a story circulating for many years now about an aircraft wreckage on one of the island’s mountains, supposedly dating back to the time when the airbase at Prinos was operational. The members of the team, aided by two locals, were able to locate the wreckage close to the peak of Profitis Ilias, a high mountain overlooking Prinos. The wreckage consists of a large number of metallic parts on the surface of the soil while many more appear to be buried in the earth and covered by bushes. What is particularly interesting is that we seem to have located the exact spot of the plane’s impact, a hole in the surface where parts belonging to the airplane’s front are still visible.
(many thanks to alkis21 for this info posted in the historical discussions area of this forum)
2nd Lieutenant Vicat Scott Taylor 10 Reserve Squadron RFC Killed while flying 14 January 1917 aged 24. Son of Henry Andrew Taylor and Alice Rose Taylor, of 65, Altenburg Gardens, Clapham Common, London. Enlisted in Public Schools Bn., Royal Fusiliers, Jan. 1915.
There were two aerial victory claims on this day...
Claiming his 4th victory was Major Gilbert Ware Murlis Green DSO & Bar, MC & Two Bars. 17 Squadron RFC - flying a BE.12 he forced down an ALBATROSS C over Lahana (This kill was shared with Franklin Saunders - see below)
Chalking up his first aerial victory on this day we have Captain Franklin Geoffrey Saunders MC 47 Squadron RFC (this kill was shared with Major Gilbert Green - see above)
Saunders was serving as a sub-lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve when he was granted Royal Aero Club Aviators' Certificate No. 721 after soloing a Bristol biplane at the Bristol School at Brooklands on 1 January 1914. On 27 January he was posted to HMS Pembroke, the shore establishment at Chatham, while attending a course of instruction at the Central Flying School, as a probationary sub-lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve. Soon after the outbreak of the war he transferred to the Army, as he was commissioned as a temporary second lieutenant on the General List on 9 September 1914. At some point between then and late 1916 Saunders was seconded to the Royal Flying Corps, as on 14 January 1917 he gained his first aerial victory while serving in No. 47 Squadron in northern Greece. Flying a B.E.12 single-seat fighter he shared in the forcing down and capture of an Albatros Type C reconnaissance aircraft over Lahana with Second Lieutenant Gilbert Green. Further victories followed, and in mid-March he drove down a Friedrichshafen G over Karasoúli, and destroyed an Albatros C west of Dovista, and in June destroyed an Albatros D.III. On 4 June 1917, now a lieutenant, he was awarded the Military Cross "for distinguished service in the field". He then transferred to No. 17 Squadron to fly the S.E.5a single-seat fighter, where in January 1918 he captured a DFW C at Porna, and destroyed a Rumpler C north-north-east of Kajendra, then on the afternoon of 5 February he drove down an Albatros D.III at Vernak Farm, and sent a DFW C down in flames north-west of Topolčani. In March 1918, now an acting-captain, he was awarded a Bar to his Military Cross.
On this day 250 British Troops were lost.
Today’s highlighted casualties include:
Captain James Wilfrid Haynes Park (Sam Browne’s Cavalry Frontier Force) is killed in Mesopotamia at age 28. He is the son of the Reverend James Park Rector of Gosforth.
Captain Frederick Herbert Cumberland Wilcox (Lancashire Fusiliers) is killed at age 28. He is the son of Major General E R C Wilcox who has already lost two sons in the Great War.
Second Lieutenant Hubert Darrell Hughes (Welsh Fusiliers) is killed at Kut at age 19. He is the son of the Reverend Llewellyn R Hughes Chaplain to the Forces at Conway Camp.
Corporal Frank Leslie Olver (Warwickshire Regiment) is killed. His son will lose his life in the Second World War.
Lance Corporal William Martin (Scots Guards attached Machine Gun Corps) is killed. He is a member of the Essex County Constabulary.
Private Joseph Westfell Heavan (Norfolk Regiment) is killed in action. His brother will be killed next October.
Sea War
Channel: Q-ship Penshurst makes her second kill, coastal submarine UB-37.
North Sea: Beatty concentrates Grand Fleet for wide sweep and exercises especially in night shooting.
HMS Penshurst was a Royal Navy warship that was active during World War I. She was a Special Service Vessel (also known as Q-ships) whose function was to act as a decoy, inviting attack by a U-boat in order to engage and (if possible) destroy it. Penshurst fought a number of engagements against German U-boats during her service, and was successful on two occasions, destroying UB-19 in November 1916, and UB-37 in January 1917. Penshurst was sunk following an action with U-110 in December 1917.
Penshurst was built in 1906 as a cargo steamer, and had an uneventful peacetime career before the start of World War I. In 1915 she was requisitioned by the Royal Navy for conversion into a special service vessel. She was taken in hand at Longhope, part of the Scapa Flow naval base in the Orkney Islands. She was armed with five guns originally; this was increased later in the campaign. These were a 12 pounder, two 6 pdr and two 3 pdr guns, hidden behind screens and dummy fixtures. Penshurst was manned with a volunteer crew and commanded by Cdr FH Grenfell. She commissioned on 6 November 1915.
Penshurst commenced operations around the North coast of Scotland before being transferred in spring 1916 to Queenstown, operating around the coast of Ireland and in the English Channel. For almost a year she had little success; during 1916 the German Navy had scaled down their U-boat operations against commerce around Britain, and there were few contacts in this theatre.
On 29 November 1916 Penshurst fell in with a U-boat which was attacking the steamer Wileyside. Penshurst was able to approach to 3000 yards before the U-boat ordered her to stop. Grenfell's crew went through their "abandon ship" evolution, putting out boats manned by a "panic party", while Penshurst stopped, waiting for the U-boat to come closer. However the U-boat declined to come closer, and with it partly hidden in the glare of the setting sun Penshurst opened fire. She got several shots off before the U-boat dived, and closed to drop depth charges on the spot, but the U-boat (which was unidentified) escaped.
The following day on 30 November Penshurst, having changed her appearance and moved to a different part of the Channel, came upon a U-boat, UB-19 attacking the steamer Ibex. She again closed, but was overtaken by an approaching seaplane, which bombed the U-boat as it quickly submerged. When the pilot became aware of who Penshurst was he landed, and agreed to spot for her while she dropped depth charges. However, on take-off the seaplane went out of control and crashed into the sea. As Penshurst stopped to pick up the crew, the U-boat, thinking it was safe, came to the surface again to attack. Taking the opportunity, Grenfell waited until the U-boat drew nearer, then opened fire. UB-19 was fatally damaged and sank. Grenfell was awarded the DSO for this achievement. On 14 January Penshurst was able to repeat her success. Two months later she was on patrol in the Channel when she encountered a U-boat, UB-37. The U-boat closed in, opening fire at 3,000 yards. Grenfell sent off his panic party, and allowed Penshurst to turn as she slowed, to be broadside-on to the U-boat. However, the U-boat made to cross Penshurst's bow, continuing to fire, causing damage and several casualties over a twenty-minute period. At length, when no further advantage could be gained, Penshurst opened fire, and scored several hits with her first shots. UB-37 was crippled and started to sink, and Penshurst finished her attack by dropping depth charges over the site. UB-37 was destroyed, with no survivors.
On 20 February Penshurst again encountered a U-boat in the Southwest Approaches. She was again attacked, and after the U-boat closed was able to fire on her, causing damage. The U-boat submerged and was depth charged, but on this occasion was able to escape, returning to base despite the damage. Two days later on 22 February Penshurst again met with a U-boat, U-84, which had just sunk the sailing ship Invercauld. As Penshurst drew up to pick up Invercauld's survivors, U-84 fired a torpedo at her, which was narrowly avoided. Penshurst then feigned running, but at half speed, and, as the U-boat opened fire, sent off her boat party. U-84 submerged to examine Penshurst in safety, but was satisfied, surfacing 600 yards away. Penshurst was then able to open fire, damaging the U-boat, and dropping depth charges as she submerged. As she did this, Penshurst was joined by the sloop Alyssum, which joined the attack. However, U-84 was able to surface, away from the two hunters, and fled on the surface, outstripping her two pursuers. The following month, on 30 March, Penshurst again encountered a U-boat, UB-32, but on this occasion the U-boat was able to inflict severe damage to her before escaping. Penshurst was towed back to Portsmouth where she was docked for repairs and a refit.
On 2 July, back in service and under a new commander, Lt C Naylor, Penshurst was again in the SW Approaches when she fell in with another U-boat. The boat submerged as Penshurst approached and fired a torpedo, which missed. Naylor sent his boat party off, and then waited for the U-boat to come into range. Penshurst was under fire for some thirty minutes until she was able to open fire herself. The U-boat was damaged, but again was able to escape, despite the arrival of a group of destroyers. For this action, and his resolution under fire, Naylor received the DSO. On 19 August Penshurst was following up a report from a merchantman when she fell in with UC-72. As she approached, the U-boat fired a torpedo, which struck below the bridge. As the boat surfaced, Penshurst fired using a 3 pdr gun she carried in plain sight. By this stage of the campaign many merchant ships were defensively armed, and a Q-ship would look suspicious if she did not do the same. It was a further development in the process of bluff and double-bluff which typified the Q-ship campaign. However UC-72 was not fooled by this lacklustre response, and Penshurt was not fully under control, so Naylor refrained from sending off his boat party, but opened fire with all guns. He had also sent a distress call, and after a short time was joined by the destroyer Leonidas. At this UC-72 submerged and fled. Penshurst, escorted by Leonidas then made her way back to Plymouth, where she remained in dock for repair and refit. One of the changes was to improve her armament, adding two 4-inch guns and upgrading to two 12 pdr and two 6 pdr guns. These were re-positioned to give more firepower over the bow and stern. These changes were to take account of the changes in U-boat armament and tactics.
On 24 December 1917 Penshurst was again on patrol in the southern part of the Irish Sea, when she encountered a U-boat off The Smalls. The boat, U-110, submerged in order to let Penshurst come into range, and just after midday fired a torpedo, which hit her in the engine room. Naylor sent his boat crew off, but U-110 remained under for two hours, examining the ship, until she surfaced off Penshurst's bow and commenced shelling. Penshurst replied, but was unable to bring all her guns to bear, as she was down by the stern. She scored some hits, but U-110 submerged again, and, when a RN submarine chaser arrived around 4 pm, made off, having suffered little damage. Penshurst, however, was seriously hurt, and despite attempts to bring her home, she sank at 8.05 pm. All her crew were successfully removed, though stoker 1st class Albert Brewer died later the same day. Irish medals web page, including Albert Brewer. Naylor was awarded a second bar to his DSO for this action. Penshurst was one of the RN’s most successful Q-ships, fighting eleven engagements over a two-year period, and destroying two U-boats and damaging several others in that time.
SM UB-37 was a German Type UB II submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 22 July 1915 and launched on 28 December 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 17 June 1916 as SM UB-37. The submarine sank 31 ships in ten patrols. UB-37 was sunk by British Q ship HMS Penshurst in the English Channel on 14 January 1917. The wreck of UB-37 was identified by marine archaeologist Innes McCartney in 1999.
SM UB-45 a u-boat similar to UB-37
Eastern Front
Russian Army now 6,900,000 men strong.
Rumania: Falkenhayn repulsed northeast of Focsani (January 13-14), but takes Nanesti on January 19 and Fundeni on January 20.
Occupied countries
Poland: *Provisional Council of State first meets; Prince Niemoyovski appointed Regent by Kaiser Wilhelm II.
Tunstill's Men: Training continued. There was a second attempt to conduct the Brigade exercise which had been planned for the previous day, but this had again to be abandoned because of the continuing misty weather.
Last edited by Hedeby; 01-15-2017 at 06:48.
Never Knowingly Undergunned !!
Sorry Chris, this is not something that I can do anything about. I only just saw it. The thread should now be open.
Rob.
"Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."
Many thanks Rob - bit of a loss as to why it happened. All sorted now and pictures back in place
Never Knowingly Undergunned !!
Must be the fifth column at work trying to sabotage the Presses.
Kyte.
"Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."
I will have to double the guard around the printing works...
Never Knowingly Undergunned !!
Should have acted sooner - just lost the whole of tonight's post thanks to power glitch - seriously NOT Impressed
Never Knowingly Undergunned !!
January 15th 1917
For the second time of asking....
There were two RFC losses on this day.
Lieutenant Spencer John Meadows White 47 Squadron RFC (Norfolk Regiment attached Royal Flying Corps) is shot down and killed at age 27 with his observer Second Lieutenant Henry Matthews in Salonika. He is the son of the Reverend Lewis Meadows White Vicar of Potter Heigham and the grandson of the late Prebendar Borrett White of St Paul’s Cathedral. Their BE2c was shot down by Friedrich Karl Buckhardt and both men were subsequently killed in aerial combat over village of Smolari at 10.30 hours on 15 January 1917 aged 27. The Germans dropped a message that the plane was bravely fought but crashed in about five minutes and that the crew died as heroes and were buried with military honours.
The one claim on this day is the same Friedrich-Karl Burckhardt - this was his first victory.
Hauptmann (Captain) Friedrich-Karl Burckhardt was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories. He was a professional soldier who already held a pilot's license when World War I began. He served on the Eastern Front until 28 November 1916, when he was promoted to command Jasta 25 in Macedonia. On 25 February 1918, he was withdrawn back to Germany, where he eventually commanded a home defense squadron until war's end. He was one of the few German aces to serve in aviation for the entirety of World War I. Friedrich-Karl Burckhardt was born on 24 December 1889 in Koslin, Prussia, which is now located in Poland. From 1902-1904, he served as a cadet. He then joined Prussian Infantry Regiment No. 54. He was already interested in aviation; he garnered Pilot's License No. 418 on 27 May 1913. He then transferred to military aviation.
As World War I began, Burckhardt was serving in Feldflieger Abteilung (Field Flier Detachment) 14 on the Eastern Front during August 1914. He was awarded the Iron Cross Second Class on 9 September 1914. He was wounded on 27 September. On 28 October 1914 he was awarded the First Class Iron Cross. He remained with FA 14 until December 1915. He transferred to FA 30, serving with until 28 November 1916. He was then appointed to command Jagdstaffel 25, a fighter squadron stationed in Macedonia. Between 15 January and 5 July 1917, he downed four enemy aircraft and an observation balloon. In August 1917, he was again decorated, this time with the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern. On 25 February 1918, he was recalled to Germany. Once there, he was appointed to lead a home defense unit, Kampfeinsitzerstaffel (Combat single-seater squadron) 4a.
The Air War
This day proved to be a seminal day in the history of aerial warfare as Manfred Von Richthofen arrives at Jasta 11. He officially takes over tomorrow (16th January 1917).
Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 11 ("No 11 Fighter Squadron"; commonly abbreviated to Jasta 11) was founded on 28 September 1916 from elements of 4 Armee's Kampfeinsitzerkommandos (or KEKs) 1, 2 and 3 and mobilized on 11 October as part of the German Air Service's expansion program, forming permanent specialised fighter squadrons, or "Jastas". It became the most successful fighter squadron in the Luftstreitkräfte.
Jasta 11's first commander was First Lieutenant (Oberleutnant) Rudolf Lang, from its mobilization at Brayelles, until 14 January 1917. Jasta 11's first months of operations were very undistinguished.
It was not until the appointment of 24-year-old Cavalry Captain (Rittmeister) Manfred von Richthofen on 16 January 1917 as Commanding Officer that the unit commenced its path to fame and immortality. Von Richthofen, later known as the Red Baron (due to the practice of painting his aircraft red for easy identification during combat) was already an able tactical pilot and ace following several months of service in Jasta 2 and became a highly effective unit commander who led his pilots by example. He already had 16 victories and was awarded the Pour le Merite just before he assumed his command. The unit was first based at Douai-Brayelles and then Roucourt for operations over the 6 Armee on the Arras front, the Jasta were equipped with various models of the excellent Albatros D.III sesquiplane fighter. Between 22 January 1917 and the end of March the Jasta claimed some 36 victories. The beginning of the Battle of Arras in early April meant a higher number of targets, with Jasta 11 logging 89 claims for aircraft destroyed in April (from a total of 298 made by all German fighter units for the month.) This decimation of the Royal Flying Corps became termed 'Bloody April'. The Jasta's performance is all the more extraordinary as the unit usually flew in small flights of six or fewer. Significant 'scorers' in the unit that April were Manfred von Richthofen (21 claims), Lt. Kurt Wolff (22), Lt. Karl Schäfer (15), Manfred's brother Lothar (15) and NCO pilot Sebastian Festner (10).
On 26 July 1917, Jasta 11 became part of Jagdgeschwader 1 - a collection of four Jastas into one administrative and highly mobile tactical force. Richthofen was promoted to command JG I, which was the second fighter wing in the history of military aviation.[citation needed] It was dubbed 'Richthofen's Flying Circus' because it mimicked a circus's logistics by using dedicated railway trains to transport it to forward airfields, and because of its vividly painted aircraft.
In September 1917, Jasta 11 would be equipped with Fokker Dr.I triplanes. It would operate these until April–May 1918, when it received the Fokker D.VIIs it would use until war's end.
Manfred von Richthofen remained Jasta commander until 26 June 1917, when his deputy, Leutnant Karl Allmenroeder took over. Following the latter's death the next day, former Jasta 11 pilot Leutnant Kurt Wolff took over after his transfer back from Jasta 29. After Wolff was wounded in September, Oberlt. Wilhelm Reinhard took charge until Wolff returned. Soon after Wolff was killed in action on 15 September, thereafter Lothar took command. Jasta 11 would then have a bewildering succession of other temporary commanding officers, especially when Lothar was frequently away from the front recovering from wounds. Oberleutnant Erich Rüdiger von Wedel was the last Staffelführer, from September 1918 until the end of the war. The Jasta was demobilised at Darmstadt on 16 November 1918. Jasta 11 eventually became the highest scoring German Jasta of World War I, with 350 claims. The first was scored on 23 January 1917, the 100th on 23 April, the 200th on 17 August, the 250th on 2 April 1918, and the 300th on 28 June 1918. It numbered no fewer than twenty aces among its ranks, and "graduated" pilots to command numerous other Jastas in the German Air force. In return it suffered 17 pilots killed, 2 POW, and 2 killed in flying accidents. Its loss rate was thus less than one-tenth of its opponents, although it also suffered 19 wounded in action.
In January 1917, after his 16th confirmed kill, Richthofen received the Pour le Mérite (informally known as "The Blue Max", the highest military honour in Germany at the time. That same month, he assumed command of the fighter squadron Jasta 11, which ultimately included some of the elite German pilots, many of whom he trained himself. Several later became leaders of their own squadrons. Ernst Udet (later Colonel-General Udet) belonged to Richthofen's group. At the time he became a squadron commander, Richthofen took the flamboyant step of having his Albatros painted red. Thereafter he usually flew in red-painted aircraft, although not all of them were entirely red, nor was the "red" necessarily the brilliant scarlet beloved of model- and replica-builders.
Western Front
Britain: New French Western Front commander Nivelle in London until January 16 expands his plan and wins British cabinet support despite War Office misgivings.
Eastern Front
Russia: Royal Navy Armoured Car Unit awarded 46 Russian decorations.
The RNAS engaged in interservice rivalry on land as well as in the air, possessing for a time the UK's only mechanised land forces in the form of the RNAS Armoured Car Section made up of squadrons of Rolls-Royce Armoured Cars. Commanded by Commander Charles Samson, the section was originally equipped with unarmoured touring cars and intended to provide line of communications security and to pick up aircrew who had been forced to land in hostile territory. Samson saw the possibilities when he armed one vehicle with a Maxim gun and ambushed a German car near Cassel on 4 September 1914. He then had a shipbuilders in Dunkirk add boilerplate to his Rolls Royce and Mercedes vehicles. The new armoured car squadrons were soon used to great effect forming part of Naval mechanised raiding columns against the Germans. By November 1914 the Section had become the Royal Naval Armoured Car Division (RNACD) eventually expanding to 20 squadrons. As trench warfare developed, the armoured cars could no longer operate on the Western Front and were redeployed to other theatres including the Middle East, Romania and Russia. In the summer of 1915 the RNACD was disbanded and the army took over control of armoured cars, with the units soon coming under the command of the Motor Branch of the Machine Gun Corps. However RNAS experience of the Western Front would not be lost, No. 20 Squadron RNAS was retained under Naval control to further develop armoured vehicles for land battle, these personnel later becoming the nucleus of the team working under the Landships Committee that developed the first tanks. The RAF later inherited some ex-RNAS armoured cars left in the Middle East, and during the Second World War, the Number 1 Armoured Car Company RAF played an important role in the defence of RAF Habbaniya when the base was attacked by Iraqi nationalists.
The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) raised the first British armoured car squadron during the First World War. In September 1914 all available Rolls Royce Silver Ghost chassis were requisitioned to form the basis for the new armoured car. The following month a special committee of the Admiralty Air Department, among whom was Flight Commander T.G. Hetherington, designed the superstructure which consisted of armoured bodywork and a single fully rotating turret holding a regular water cooled Vickers machine gun.
The first three vehicles were delivered on 3 December 1914, although by then the mobile period on the Western Front, where the primitive predecessors of the Rolls-Royce cars had served, had already come to an end. Later in the war they served on several fronts of the Middle Eastern theatre. Chassis production was suspended in 1917 to enable Rolls-Royce to concentrate on aero engines. The vehicle was modernized in 1920 and in 1924, resulting in the Rolls-Royce 1920 Pattern and Rolls-Royce 1924 Pattern. In 1940, 34 vehicles which served in Egypt with the 11th Hussars regiment had the "old" turret replaced with an open-topped unit carrying a Boys anti-tank rifle, .303-inch Bren machine gun and smoke-grenade launchers. Some vehicles in Egypt and Iraq received new chassis from a Fordson truck and became known as Fordson Armoured Cars. Pictures show them as equipped with what appear to be turrets fitted with a Boys ATR, a machine gun and twin light machine guns for anti-aircraft defence.
Six RNAS Rolls-Royce squadrons were formed of 12 vehicles each: one went to France; one to Africa to fight in the German colonies and in April 1915 two went to Gallipoli. From August 1915 onwards these were all disbanded and the materiel handed over to the Army which used them in the Light Armoured Motor Batteries of the Machine Gun Corps. The armoured cars were poorly suited to the muddy trench filled battlefields of the Western Front, but were able to operate in the Near East, so the squadron from France went to Egypt. Lawrence of Arabia used a squadron in his operations against the Turkish forces.He called the unit of nine armoured Rolls-Royces "more valuable than rubies" in helping win his Revolt in the Desert. This impression would last with him the rest of his life; when asked by a journalist what he thought would be the thing he would most value he said "I should like my own Rolls-Royce car with enough tyres and petrol to last me all my life".
Two of thirteen Rolls-Royce armoured cars used during the Irish Civil War: The Fighting 2nd (ARR3) and The Big Fella (ARR8) In the Irish Civil War (1922–1923), 13 Rolls-Royce armoured cars were given to the Irish Free State government by the British government to fight the Irish Republican Army. They were a major advantage to the Free State in street fighting and in protecting convoys against guerrilla attacks and played a vital role part in the retaking of Cork and Waterford. Incredibly, despite continued maintenance problems and poor reaction to Irish weather, they continued in service until 1944, being withdrawn once new tyres became unobtainable. Twelve of the Irish Army examples were stripped and sold in 1954.
At the outbreak of World War II, 76 vehicles were in service. They were used in operations in the Western Desert, in Iraq, and in Syria. By the end of 1941, they were withdrawn from the frontline service as modern armoured car designs became available. Some Indian Pattern cars saw use in the Indian subcontinent and Burma.
Politics
Italy: Government signs 1914 Anglo-French Naval Convention.
Britain: British War Cabinet confers with Haig and Nivelle until January 16.
Tunstill's Men: Training continued. The twice-postponed Brigade exercise to test communication between infantry and aircraft at last went ahead “in spite of a misty morning and poor visibility”. The Battalion War Diary recorded simply “practice for signalling between aircraft and infantry”. Later in the day the weather became very cold. Lt. Cecil Edward Merryweather (see 14th December 1916), currently on home service with the RFA, appeared before a further Medical Board at the Military Hospital at Ripon. The Board found that, “he has been under treatment and his headaches are less frequent. He should be fit for general service in three weeks”
In all 228 British troops were lost on this day
Major John Bedward Royle (South Wales Borderers) is killed at age 43. His son Major John Popplewell Royle will be killed as a glider pilot at Arnhem on 20th September 1944.
Lieutenant Spencer John Meadows White (Norfolk Regiment attached Royal Flying Corps) is shot down and killed at age 27 with his observer Second Lieutenant Henry Matthews in Salonika. He is the son of the Reverend Lewis Meadows White Vicar of Potter Heigham and the grandson of the late Prebendar Borrett White of St Paul’s Cathedral. (see above)
The war at Sea
10 ships were lost on this day
Bernadette France The brig was scuttled in the Bay of Biscay 8 nautical miles (15 km) south south east of the Glénan Islands, Finistère (47°27′N 3°50′W) by SM UC-18 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Brabant Norway The cargo ship struck a mine and sank in the North Sea 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) off Flamborough Head, Yorkshire, United Kingdom with the loss of three of her crew.
Esperanca Norway The cargo ship was captured in the Atlantic Ocean by SM U-48 ( Kaiserliche Marine). She was scuttled the next day 165 nautical miles (306 km) north of Cape Finisterre, Spain.
Garfield United Kingdom The tanker was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 60 nautical miles (110 km) north east by north of Alexandria, Egypt (36°05′N 19°57′E) by SM U-39 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived, but her captain was taken as a prisoner of war.
Graafjeld Norway The coaster struck a mine and sank in the North Sea 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) east of Flamborough Head. Her crew survived.
Independant France The sailing vessel was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 20 nautical miles (37 km) north west of Ouessant, Finistère by SM UB-38 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived; they were rescued by a Royal Navy destroyer.
Kinpurney United Kingdom The full-rigged ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 110 nautical miles (200 km) west of the Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly (49°20′N 9°10′W) by SM U-84 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Omsk Denmark The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 90 nautical miles (170 km) west of the Bishop's Rock (49°12′N 8°39′W) by SM U-84 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Otto Norway The cargo ship was sunk in the Bay of Biscay 10 nautical miles (19 km) north west of Belle Île, Morbihan, France (47°32′N 3°41′W) by SM UC-18 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Port Nicholson UK The cargo liner struck a mine and sank in the North Sea 15 nautical miles (28 km) west of Dunquerque, Pas-de-Calais, France (51°01′45″N 1°58′15″E) with the loss of two of her crew.
Never Knowingly Undergunned !!
Take a well earned rest Chris. The typewriter and carbon paper arrived this evening safely.
See you on the Dark Side......
Thanks Neil - I will complete this evening's edition then its over to your good self...
Never Knowingly Undergunned !!
16th January 1917
Accidents notwithstanding (see below) there were no reported combat losses or claims on a very quiet day for the war in the air.
Unfortunately there were still some RFC losses (three to be precise)
Air Mechanic Thomas James Brewster No.1 (Southern) Aircraft Repair Depot, South Farnborough. Died 16 January 1917 aged 39. Husband of Henrietta Maud Bysouth (formerly Brewster), of 33, Cranbrook Rd., White Hart Lane, Tottenham.
Lieutenant Alan Paddock Ravencroft RFC Killed 16 January 1917 aged 24
Lieutenant Rudolph (Rollo) Dunstan Vavasour RFC killed in an accident at home 16 January 1917 aged 23.
Rudolph Dunstan Vavasour was the second son of Henry and Bertha Vavasour's twelve children. His father Henry was the 3rd son of Sir William Vavasour of Harewood Castle in Yorkshire (the family were descended from Saxon nobility) after arriving in New Zealand in 1871 he took up sheep farming in the Marlborough area where he purchased Ugbrooke Station in 1897 which comprised of 13,000 acres in the Awatere Valley. The Ugbrooke homestead is today a boutique accommodation. Rudolph (known as Rollo) was a Stock Agent of W.G. Turnbull in Masterton before he voluntarily enlisted with the NZ Army in March 1915 however, on his military record it states he was discharged before serving overseas on personal grounds (it does not elaborate as to what these grounds were). Whatever the reasons for his discharge he was not to be deterred from enlisting and he took himself to England arriving in June 1915 where he obtained a commission in the Royal Field Artillery (RFA). He time with the RFA was also short lived as he transferred to the Royal Flying Corp at the beginning of 1916. From all accounts he saw a good deal of action in the air as his obituary taken from the Otago Daily Times illustrates before he succumbed to ill-health:
After a period of convalescing he took up the role of flight instructor then in January 1917 he was admitted to the Royal Flying Corp hospital at 37 Bryanston Square, London with an appendicitis unfortunately the operation to remove the appendics proved fatal and he died on 16 January 1917. He was buried with full military honours at St Thomas of Canterbury, Fulham, London, SW6 7HW. Sadly for the Vavasour family back in New Zealand he was not the first member of their family to be buried at St Thomas's. Henry and Bertha Vavasour's fourth daughter Bertha was attending boarding school in London when after a short illness she suddenly died on 17 March 1915 aged 17 years. She was laid to rest at St Thomas of Canterbury and I imagine the brother and sister are buried together. Meanwhile back in New Zealand Henry and Bertha Vavasour's eldest son 2nd Lieutenant George Marmaduke Vavasour was set to embark with the New Zealand Rifle Brigade on 14 March 1917. George was amongst the attacking force at Passchendaele on 12 October 1917. He was killed in action and like many who fell that day he has no known grave. His passing is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium.
282 British troops were lost on this day...
Major the Right Honorable Henry Gorell-Barnes 2nd Baron (Royal Field Artillery) the 2nd Baron Gorell dies of wounds at age 35. He is the eldest son of ‘Sir’ John Barnes, 1st Baron Gorell. After an education at Winchester, Trinity College, Oxford, and Harvard, he is called to the Bar by the Inner Temple in 1906. He worked as a secretary to his father when he was on the Bench, and later as secretary of the Royal Commission on Divorce. He succeeded his father to the peerage in 1913.
Today’s losses include:
The 2nd Baron Gorell
The son of a member of the clergy
A man whose brother will be killed next October
An Australian Rules footballer
Today’s highlighted casualties include:
Captain John Tasker Kewley (North Lancashire Regiment) is killed in Mesopotamia at age 24. He is the son of the Reverend Joseph Kewley.
Lieutenant Rudolph Dunstan Vavasour (Royal Field Artillery attached Royal Flying Corps) is accidentally killed at home at age 23. His brother will be killed in October of this year. (see above)
Private Harold Holt Rippon (Australian Pioneers) dies of wounds received in action at age 32. He is an Australian Rules Footballer who played with Melbourne and South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League playing a total of 9 games.
Air War
Western Front: Manfred Von Richthofen awarded Pour le Merite and takes over officially as the commander of Jasta 11 ( see yesterday's edition)
African Fronts
East Africa: NRFF takes Malawis bridge over river Ruhudje. Kilwa Force occupies Mohoro and takes Koenigsberg gun.
Tripolitania: General Latini’s 5 battalions defeat Senussi near Zuara (until January 17).
Home Fronts
Germany: A7V tank prototype ordered. (See below)
Italy: Food Commis*sion appointed.
Tunstill's Men: The Battalion made its now familiar journey back to Ypres, marching to Vlamertinghe and by train at 6.10pm from there. Billets on this occasion were in the Infantry Barracks and the Battalion’s numbers were swelled by a further draft of 109 men from the Base. The weather was much colder and there was a light dusting of snow.
The Panzerwagon A7V
The A7V was a tank introduced by Germany in 1918, during World War I. One hundred chassis were ordered in early 1917, 10 to be finished as fighting vehicles with armoured bodies, and the remainder as the Überlandwagen cargo carriers. The number to be armoured was later increased to 20. They were used in action from March to October 1918, and were the only tanks produced by Germany in World War I to be used in combat. Following the appearance of the first British tanks on the Western Front, the Allgemeines Kriegsdepartement, Abteilung 7 Verkehrswesen ("General War Department, Section 7, Transportation"),[3] was formed in September 1916.
The project to design and build the first German tank was placed under the direction of Joseph Vollmer, a reserve captain and engineer. It was to have a mass of around 30 tons, be capable of crossing ditches up to 1.5 metres wide, have armament including cannon at the front and rear as well as several machine-guns, and reach a top speed of at least 12 km/h. The running gear was based on the Holt tractor, copied from examples loaned by the Austrian Army. After initial plans were shared with the army in December 1916, the design was extended to be a universal chassis that could be used as a base for both a tank and unarmoured Überlandwagen ("over-land vehicle") cargo carriers. The first prototype was completed by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft at Berlin-Marienfelde and tested on 30 April 1917. A wooden mockup of a final version was completed in May 1917 and demonstrated in Mainz with 10 tons of ballast to simulate the weight of the armour. During final design, the rear-facing cannon was removed and the number of machine-guns was increased to six. The first pre-production A7V was produced in September 1917, followed by the first production model in October 1917. The tanks were given to Assault Tank Units 1 and 2, founded on 20 September 1917, each with five officers and 109 NCOs and soldiers.
The tank's name was derived from that of its parent organization, Allgemeines Kriegsdepartement, 7. Abteilung, Verkehrswesen. In German, the tank was called Sturmpanzerwagen, (roughly "armoured assault vehicle")
The A7V was 7.34 metres (24.1 ft) long, 3 metres (9.8 ft) wide, and the maximum height was 3.3 metres (11 ft). The tank had 20 mm of steel plate at the sides, 30 mm at the front and 10 mm for the roof; however, the steel was not hardened armour plate, which reduced its effectiveness. It was thick enough to stop machine-gun and rifle fire, but not larger calibre rounds.
The crew normally consisted of up to 17 soldiers and one officer: commander (officer, typically a lieutenant), driver, mechanic, mechanic/signaller, 12 infantrymen (six machine gunners, six loaders), and two artillerymen (main gunner and loader).
Power came from two centrally mounted Daimler 4-cylinder petrol engines delivering 75 kW (101 hp) each; the A7V carried 500 litres (110 imp gal) of fuel. The top speed was about 15 kilometres per hour (9.3 mph) on roads and 5 kilometres per hour (3.1 mph) across country. The 24 wheel suspension was individually sprung—an advantage over the unsprung British tanks.
Compared to that of other World War I tanks, the A7V's road speed was quite high, but the vehicle had very poor off-road capability and a high centre of gravity, which made it prone to getting stuck or overturning on steep slopes. The large overhang at the front and the low ground clearance meant that trenches or very muddy areas were impassable. The driver's view of the terrain directly in front of the tank was obscured by the vehicle's hull, which meant that there was a blind spot of about 10 metres. However, on open terrain, the A7V could be used to some success, and offered more firepower than the armoured cars that were available. The power-to-weight ratio was 5.1 kW/ton(6.8 hp/ton), trench crossing: 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in), ground clearance: 190 to 400 mm (7.5 to 15.7 in)
The A7V was first used in combat on 21 March 1918. Five tanks of Abteilung I under the command of Hauptmann Greiff were deployed north of the St. Quentin Canal. Three of the A7Vs suffered mechanical failures before they entered combat; the remaining pair helped stop a minor British breakthrough in the area, but otherwise saw little combat that day.
Western Front
Important daylight raid by British west of Lens.
Eastern Front
Romanians recapture height between Casin and and Oitoz valleys.
Enemy driven from Vadeni.
Political, etc.
Despatch from Mr. Balfour in amplification of Allies' Note to U.S.A. communicated to American Government.
Complete acceptance of Allies' ultimatum by Greek Government.
and finally...
The Zimmermann Telegram
The Zimmermann Telegram (or Zimmermann Note) was an internal diplomatic communication issued from the German Foreign Office in January 1917 that proposed a military alliance between Germany and Mexico in the event of the United States' entering World War I against Germany. The proposal was intercepted and decoded by British intelligence. Revelation of the contents enraged American public opinion, especially after the German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann publicly admitted the telegram was genuine on 3 March, and helped generate support for the United States declaration of war on Germany in April.
The message came in the form of a coded telegram dispatched by the Foreign Secretary of the German Empire, Arthur Zimmermann, on 11 January 1917. The message was sent to the German ambassador to Mexico, Heinrich von Eckardt. Zimmermann sent the telegram in anticipation of the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare by Germany on 1 February, an act the German government presumed would almost certainly lead to war with the United States. The telegram instructed Ambassador Eckardt that if the United States appeared certain to enter the war, he was to approach the Mexican Government with a proposal for military alliance with funding from Germany.
The decoded telegram is as follows:
"We intend to begin on the first of February unrestricted submarine warfare. We shall endeavor in spite of this to keep the United States of America neutral. In the event of this not succeeding, we make Mexico a proposal of alliance on the following basis: make war together, make peace together, generous financial support and an understanding on our part that Mexico is to reconquer the lost territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The settlement in detail is left to you. You will inform the President of the above most secretly as soon as the outbreak of war with the United States of America is certain and add the suggestion that he should, on his own initiative, invite Japan to immediate adherence and at the same time mediate between Japan and ourselves. Please call the President's attention to the fact that the ruthless employment of our submarines now offers the prospect of compelling England in a few months to make peace." Signed, ZIMMERMANN
The telegram was sent to the German embassy in the United States for re-transmission to Eckardt in Mexico. It has traditionally been claimed that the telegram was sent over three routes: transmitted by radio and also sent over two trans-Atlantic telegraph cables operated by neutral governments (the United States and Sweden) for the use of their diplomatic services. But it has been established that only one method was used. The message was delivered to the United States Embassy in Berlin and then transmitted by diplomatic cable first to Copenhagen and then to London for onward transmission over transatlantic cable to Washington. The misinformation about the "three routes" was spread by William Reginald Hall, then the head of Room 40, to try to conceal from the United States the fact that Room 40 was intercepting its cable traffic. Direct telegraph transmission of the telegram was not possible because the British had cut the German international cables at the outbreak of war. However, the United States allowed limited use of its diplomatic cables for Germany to communicate with its ambassador in Washington. The facility was supposed to be used for cables connected with President Woodrow Wilson's peace proposals.
The Swedish cable ran from Sweden, and the United States cable from the United States embassy in Denmark. However, neither cable ran directly to the United States. Both cables passed through a relay station at Porthcurno, near Land's End, the westernmost tip of England. Here the signals were boosted for the long trans-oceanic jump. All traffic through the Porthcurno relay was copied to British intelligence, in particular to the codebreakers and analysts in Room 40 at the Admiralty. After their telegraph cables had been cut, the German Foreign Office appealed to the United States for use of their cable for diplomatic messages. President Wilson agreed to this, in the belief that such cooperation would sustain continued good relations with Germany, and that more efficient German-American diplomacy could assist Wilson's goal of a negotiated end to the war. The Germans handed in messages to the United States embassy in Berlin, which were relayed to the embassy in Denmark and then to the United States by American telegraph operators. However, the United States placed conditions on German usage, most notably that all messages had to be in the clear (i.e., uncoded). The Germans assumed that the United States cable was secure and used it extensively.
Obviously, Zimmermann's note could not be given to the United States in the clear. The Germans therefore persuaded Ambassador James W. Gerard to accept it in coded form, and it was transmitted on 16 January 1917. In Room 40, Nigel de Grey had partially deciphered the telegram by the next day. Room 40 had previously obtained German cipher documents, including the diplomatic cipher 13040 (captured in the Mesopotamian campaign), and naval cipher 0075, retrieved from the wrecked cruiser SMS Magdeburg by the Russians, who passed it to the British. Disclosure of the Telegram would obviously sway public opinion in the United States against Germany, provided the Americans could be convinced it was genuine. But Room 40 chief William Reginald Hall was reluctant to let it out, because the disclosure would expose the German codes broken in Room 40 and British eavesdropping on the United States cable. Hall waited three weeks. During this period, Grey and cryptographer William Montgomery completed the decryption. On 1 February Germany announced resumption of "unrestricted" submarine warfare, an act which led the United States to break off diplomatic relations with Germany on 3 February.
Hall passed the telegram to the Foreign Office on 5 February, but still warned against releasing it. Meanwhile, the British discussed possible cover stories: to explain to the Americans how they got the ciphertext of the telegram without admitting to the cable snooping; and to explain how they got the cleartext of the telegram without letting the Germans know their codes were broken. Furthermore, the British needed to find a way to convince the Americans the message was not a forgery.
For the first story, the British obtained the ciphertext of the telegram from the Mexican commercial telegraph office. The British knew that the German Embassy in Washington would relay the message by commercial telegraph, so the Mexican telegraph office would have the ciphertext. "Mr. H", a British agent in Mexico, bribed an employee of the commercial telegraph company for a copy of the message. (Sir Thomas Hohler, then British ambassador in Mexico, claimed to have been "Mr. H", or at least involved with the interception, in his autobiography.) This ciphertext could be shown to the Americans without embarrassment. Moreover, the retransmission was enciphered using the older cipher 13040, so by mid-February the British had not only the complete text, but also the ability to release the telegram without revealing the extent to which the latest German codes had been broken—at worst, the Germans might have realized that the 13040 code had been compromised, but weighed against the possibility of United States entry into the war, that was a risk worth taking. Finally, since copies of the 13040 ciphertext would also have been deposited in the records of the American commercial telegraph, the British had the ability to prove the authenticity of the message to the United States government.
As a cover story, the British could publicly claim that their agents had stolen the telegram's deciphered text in Mexico. Privately, the British needed to give the Americans the 13040 cipher so that the United States government could verify the authenticity of the message independently with their own commercial telegraphic records; however the Americans agreed to back the official cover story. The German Foreign Office refused to consider a possible code break, and instead sent Eckardt on a witch-hunt for a traitor in the embassy in Mexico. (Eckardt indignantly rejected these accusations, and the Foreign Office eventually declared the embassy exonerated.)
On 19 February, Hall showed the Telegram to Edward Bell, secretary of the United States Embassy in Britain. Bell was at first incredulous, thinking it was a forgery. Once Bell was convinced the message was genuine, he became enraged. On 20 February Hall informally sent a copy to United States ambassador Walter Hines Page. On 23 February, Page met with British Foreign Minister Arthur Balfour and was given the ciphertext, the message in German, and the English translation. Then Page reported the story to President Wilson, including details to be verified from telegraph company files in the United States. Wilson released the text to the media on 28 February 1917.
Popular sentiment in the United States at that time was anti-Mexican as well as anti-German, while in Mexico there was considerable anti-American sentiment. General John J. Pershing had long been chasing the revolutionary Pancho Villa and carried out several cross-border raids. News of the telegram further inflamed tensions between the United States and Mexico
Last edited by Hedeby; 01-16-2017 at 14:39.
Never Knowingly Undergunned !!
Today we lost: 347Wednesday 17th January 1917
· Brothers killed together · An 18 year oldToday’s losses include:
· Privates John W and Robert Christy (Liverpool Regiment) are killed in the same action. Robert dies at age 25 while John was only 21 and the brothers are buried together in the same grave at Pozieres British Cemetery.
Today’s highlighted casualties include:
· Deck Hand Robert Stannard (Royal Naval Reserve) dies of septicemia at age 18.
Air Operations:
Another big British daylight raid west of Lens.
No. 43 Squadron (Sopwith Two-Seater) arrives in France.
Royal Flying Corps Losses today: 2
A Mech 2 Bell, J.S., No 1 Aircraft Repair Depot, Farnborough, RFC.
A Mech 2 Stanley, R.W. RFC.
Claims: There are no confirmed claims for today.
Western Front
Somme: British troops capture German posts on 600-yard front north of Beaucourt-sur-Ancre and repulse four counter-attacks until February 4.
Tunstills Men Wednesday 17th January 1917:
Royal Artillery personnel load a Lewis gun and ammunition onto a motor cycle combination.
Billets in the Infantry Barracks in Ypres
The men of the two recent drafts were given intensive arms drill whilst upwards of 160 men were employed each night in working parties for the front line. There was a considerable snowfall, of around three inches, during the day.
The Slaidburn Parish Magazine recorded the provision of various items of clothing for local men serving at the front. The list included: “Mrs. Tunstill (for the Settle Company): 6 shirts, 12 pairs of socks, 8 pairs of mittens”. There was also specific mention for the two remaining Slaidburn recruits from among the six who had originally joined Tunstill’s Company in September 1914; Sgt. Charles Edgar Parker MM(see 20th November 1916) was still serving with the Company but Pte. George Whitfield (see 17th October 1916) had been posted to 1st/7th Durham Light Infantry, having recovered from wounds suffered at Le Sars in October 1916. Both men (along with a number of other local soldiers) received parcels comprising of “1 sweater, 1 muffler, 3 pairs of socks, 1 pair of mittens”.
Eastern Front:
Austria: Emperor Charles moves Austrian GHQ from Teschen to Baden near Vienna despite Conrad’s protests.
Mackensen's advance in Romania checked.
Naval Operations:
Britain: Royal Navy’s Room 40 partially deciphers Zimmermann Telegram two days before Bernstorff receives it in Washington.
British Admiralty announces that German raider in the Atlantic has sunk 10 British and 2 French ships, and captured 2 British ships.
Shipping Losses: 2 both to U-Boat action.
Political:
General Bieliaev appointed Russian Minister of War in place of General Shuvaiev.
lnter-Allied Conference "Commission de Ravitaillement" (Russia, France, Great Britain and Italy represented) assembles at Petrograd to discuss war policy, finance, supplies and co-operation (see February 20th).
Anniversary Events:
1601 The Treaty of Lyons ends a short war between France and Savoy. 1746 Charles Edward Stuart, the young pretender, defeats the government forces at the battle of Falkirk in Scotland. 1773 Captain James Cook becomes the first person to cross the Antarctic Circle. 1819 Simon Bolivar the "liberator" proclaims Columbia a republic. 1893 Queen Liliuokalani, the Hawaiian monarch, is overthrown by a group of American sugar planters led by Sanford Ballard Dole. 1852 At the Sand River Convention, the British recognize the independence of the Transvaal Board. 1912 Robert Scot reaches the South Pole only a month after Roald Amundsen.
Last edited by Lt. S.Kafloc; 01-18-2017 at 02:37.
See you on the Dark Side......
Updated post 2172 after more information was delivered late by dispatch rider.
See you on the Dark Side......
Today we lost: 235
Thursday 18th January 1917
· Three men shot at dawnToday’s losses include:
· The son of a Baronet
· A man whose brother will be killed in Oct 1918
· A member of the Hardingstone Football Club· Private Patrick Basil Barlow (Grenadier Guards) dies from blood poisoning resulting from trench foot at age 32. He is the son of ‘Sir’ Thomas Barlow 1st Baronet KCVO and Lady Barlow.
Today’s highlighted casualties include:
· Private Leonard Henry Green (Royal Warwickshire Regiment) is killed by a sniper in Mesopotamia at age 23. His younger brother will be killed in October 1918 by shellfire.
· Lance Corporal Batup Oliver (King’s Own Scottish Borderers) is killed by shrapnel at age 27. He is a well known member of the Hardingstone Football Club.
Air Operations:
Royal Flying Corps Losses today: There are no recorded losses for today.
Claims: There are no confirmed claims for today.
Western Front
Tunstills Men Thursday 18th January 1917:
Billets in the Infantry Barracks in Ypres
The very cold weather continued, with a hard frost. Training, and the provision of working parties, continued.
Capt. Adrian O’Donnell Pereira (see 8th December 1916), currently on light duty with 3DWR at North Shields, and with a pending application for a permanent commission in the Indian Army, appeared before a Medical Board at Tynemouth. The Board found him fit for general service.
Aidan Nicholson (see 6th May 1916), who had previously been dismissed from his officer training course, as being “of insufficient physique”, wrote to the War Office asking that his case be reconsidered. He told them that, “Since being discharged I have endeavoured to improve my physique and my measurements are now – 5ft 4 ½ inches; 30 – 34 ½ inch chest. I should be grateful if you could do anything for me as regards resuming my course and should I not be sufficient for the Infantry I should be only too pleased to offer myself as an observer or otherwise for the Flying Corps. This I suggest on account of the training and theory I obtained, firstly during the twelve months OTC training and secondly in the Cadet Battalion where I was for two months”. He would later serve with 10DWR.
Eastern Front:
Unsuccessful attacks on enemy positions between Casin and Susitsa valleys.
Southern Front:
Greece: British Military attaché and Chief Control Officer reports 8,948 Greek troops; 3,132 animals, 78 guns and 62 MGs have transferred to Pelopon*nese in past month.
Africa, Asiatic & Egyptian Theatres:
Arabia: Feisal begins final march on Wejh.
Naval Operations:
Channel: UC-18 torpedoes Royal Navy destroyer Ferret, but latter survives to be converted to a minelayer.
The destroyer ‘Jackal’, which belongs like ‘Ferret’ to the British I-class from 1911
South Atlantic: Raider Wolf lays 29 mines off Cape Agulhas, South Africa; 2 ships sunk and only 7 mines swept in 1917.
Black Sea: Russian submarine Nervel sinks 3,000t steamer; 440 mines added to fields off Bosphorus.
The KING (is) pleased to confer the Decoration of the Albert Medal of the Second Class on:
Acting Lieutenant Frederick William Weeks, R.N.R.
The following is the account of the services in respect of which the Decoration has been conferred:
A member of the crew of one of his Majesty’s Ships, when returning from leave, falls into the sea between the ship and the quay. The matter is at once reported to Acting Lieutenant Frederick William Weeks RN, to whom it is obvious that any attempt at rescue must be attended by considerable danger. The ship, which is kept clear of the side of the quay by spar fenders of only nine inches in diameter, is working to and fro with the slight swell entering the harbor. Moreover the man is incapable of helping himself as he is of heavy build and is wearing a uniform greatcoat. Due to the risk of the rescuer being crushed between the ship and the quay, Lieutenant Weeks decides that he cannot order a man down. He thereupon takes a line and goes down himself. By this time the man is almost unconscious. Lieutenant Weeks manages to obtain a hold of his hair and by this means keeps him sufficiently above water, while wedging himself with his back against the quay with his knees against the ship’s side. During this time he is mostly under water, the temperature of which is thirty-nine degrees. He succeeds in securing a line round the man, who is hauled on deck. The man is unconscious and very nearly drowned when brought on deck, and there is no doubt that, but for Lieutenant Weeks’ prompt measures, he would have lost his life. For his action he will be awarded the Albert Medal.
Shipping Losses: 6 (1 to a mine, 6 to U-Boat action)
Political:
Re-opening of Duma and of Council of the Empire postponed by Russian Government from 25 January to 27 February.
Anniversary Events:
1486 Henry VII marries Elizabeth of York. 1701 Frederick III, the elector of Brandenburg, becomes king of Prussia. 1778 Captain James Cook discovers the Hawaiian Islands, naming them the 'Sandwich Islands' after the First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord Sandwich. 1836 Jim Bowie arrives at the Alamo to assist its Texas defenders. 1862 John Tyler, former president of the U.S., is buried at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond. 1902 The Isthmus Canal Commission in Washington shifts its support from Nicaragua to Panama as a favoured canal site. 1910 Aviator Eugene Ely performs his first successful take off and landing from a ship in San Francisco. 1916 The Russians force the Turkish 3rd Army back to Erzurum.
Last edited by Lt. S.Kafloc; 01-18-2017 at 02:53.
See you on the Dark Side......
Today we lost: 254
Friday 19th January 1917
· A family that will lose four sons in the Great WarToday’s losses include:
· Multiple families that will lose two sons in the Great War · A man who played football for six different clubs
· The son of a member of the clergy · The grandson of a member of the clergy
Today’s highlighted casualties include:
The front line held by the Rifle Brigade at the village of Bouleau suffers heavy shelling from German artillery as well as a number of British shells that drop short of their targets. One of the British shells strikes a dugout killing Corporal Frank Anthony at age 21. His brother died of wounds in April 1916.
· Acting Lieutenant Hugh Twynam (Royal Naval Reserve) is killed at age 29. He is the last of four sons of the late John & Mary Twynam of Droxford who are killed in the Great War (See E36 naval losses).
· Private Thomas Clifford (Royal Scots Fusiliers) is killed in action at age 42. He played football for Glossop, Celtic, Luton Town, Notts Forest, Motherwell and Ayre United.
· At about 07:00 Lieutenant Ralph Ireland (HMS Southampton), grandson of the Reverend Wiliam McHinch age 28 and three Able Seamen Tom Ralph Knight, Ernest Roland Starkey, and William Henry Meagham, are washed off the forecastle and drown, approximately 100 miles due east of May Island, in a fairly heavy sea. The cover of the navel pipe is carried away, and as it is being repaired, about 150 tons of water gets into the cable lockers. When Ireland hears of this he rushes down to get a mat over the navel pipe. The Captain is on the bridge and eases down. The ship dips her nose and scooped up a huge wave which carried everybody off their feet, and all four men are never seen again.
· Captain Evelyn Horace Guy Sharples (Royal Flying Corps) is accidentally killed at home at age 19. He is the son of the Reverend H M Sharples and his brother was killed in the loss of HMS Hampshire.
Air Operations:
Royal Flying Corps Losses today: 2
A Mech 1 Pyke, W., RFC.
Capt Evelyn Horace Guy Sharples, RFC. Accidently killed at home aged 19.
Claims: 1
Lt Otto Brauneck, Jasta 25, claims his 5th confirmed victory when he shot down a Caudron G.IV north of Gjwvgjeli.
Home Fronts:
Silvertown Explosion
At 18:52 in Silvertown in West Ham the sky above Blackwall flashes bright as day when London is rocked by an explosion at the Brunner Mond TNT factory. The factory has been producing munitions since the first months of the war, attracting many women workers who receive good pay for a job recognized as socially noxious because of the fact that their skin is yellowed by the chemicals used in the plant. The factory is a small older plant unlike more recent munitions plants and the site is in a heavily populated area. What has started the fire, which ignites fifty tons of trinitrotoluene (TNT) remains unclear. Seventy-three are killed seventy-two others seriously injured and more than three hundred injured enough to require hospital treatment. The King will later award the Edward Medal of the First Class posthumously to Dr. Andrea Angel and Mr. George Wenborne, who lose their lives in endeavoring to save the lives of others as a result of the explosion.
Western Front
Tunstills Men Friday 19th January 1917:
Billets in the Infantry Barracks in Ypres
Another bitterly cold day. Training, and the provision of working parties, continued.
More men departed to England on ten days’ leave; among them were Sgt. William Edmondson Gaunt (see 6th January);and Cpl. Frank Christelow, who had joined the Battalion in June 1916. He had attested under the Derby Scheme in November 1915, when he had been 21 years old and working as a wool salesman in Bradford. He had been called up on 20th January 1916 and had been in training in England until departing for France on 17th May, joining 10DWR three weeks later. He had been promoted Corporal on 24th September and was a member of the Orderly Room staff.
Cpl. George Mitchell (see 6th October) was promoted Sergeant.
Lt. John Edward Lennard Payne (see 1st October 1916) was promoted (Temporary) Captain whilst commanding a Company, taking over from Lt. Henry Kelly VC who had returned to England having been taken ill (see 25th December 1916).
Four new subalterns arrived in France en route to join the Battalion. 2Lt. George Patrick Doggett was 21 years old; he was the youngest of ten children of George and May Doggett of Cambridge. He had previously served in the Cambridgeshire Regiment, arriving in France in February 1915 and had been mentioned in despatches. He had risen to the rank of Corporal before being posted back to England to undertake his officer training. He had been granted his commission on 5th August 1916. 2Lt. Arthur Neill was 23 years old (born 16th February 1893 in Bradford). He was the son of a solicitor, Alexander Neill, who was originally from Scotland, but had lived in Yorkshire for some years. Arthur had been working as a journalist before the war and had been commissioned on 5th September 1916. 2Lt. Charles George Edward White was just 19 years old; he was the fifth of nine children of Charles and Elizabeth White and had been born and brought up in Walthamstow, where his father worked as a ‘carman’. Charles himself had been working as an office boy but had enlisted, under-age, in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and had served in France from 17th May 1915. He had been commissioned on 24th October 1916. 2Lt. Stanley Reginald Wilson was 26 years old. He was the third, and youngest, child of Alfred and Lydia Wilson. His father was a commercial traveller from London and Stanley himself had worked as a clerk for a shipping company. He had been commissioned, like Arthur Neill, on 5th September 1916.
A payment of £10 13s 4d was authorised, being the amount outstanding in pay and allowances to the late Pte. George Edward Bush who had died of wounds following the action at Contalmaison (see 19thJuly 1916). The payment would go this father, Thomas.
Eastern Front:
Further unsuccessful Romanian attacks between Casin and Susitsa valleys.
Town of Nanesti and bridgehead of Fundeni carried by enemy.
Africa, Asiatic & Egyptian Theatres:
Mesopotamia: 3rd Indian Division has cleared Khadalri Bend (south bank of Tigris below Kut); for 1,639 casualties since January 9.
Naval Operations:
Shipping Losses: 12 (1 to a collision and 11 to U-Boat action)
The submarines E36 (Lieutenant Thomas Bollen Seath McGregor-Robertson killed age 29) and E43 leave Harwick at 07:30 for a patrol of Terschelling. At 11:26 just before they leave the coast E43 signals E36 to proceed independently. At 13:30 E36 is to the port beam of E43 but out of sight by 15:00. The sea is running fairly high and at 18:50 E43 having lost her bridge screen eases to 5 knots and turns to fit a new one. This delay enables E36 to overtake her and at 19:50 off the Haaks Light Vessel, E43 suddenly sights a submarine on the port bow steering east and only 50 yards off. The helm is put hard to starboard and engines full astern but E43 strikes E36 aft from the stern and rides right over her and sees her vanish on the starboard quarter in the dark. E43 goes astern but finds nothing in the darkness and heavy seas.
Political:
German Government send instructions to German Minister in Mexico (von Eckhardt) to negotiate alliance with Mexico and Japan against the United States (see February 28th).
Anniversary Events:
1523 In Switzerland, Ulrich Zwingli publishes his 67 Articles, the first manifesto of the Zurich Reformation which attacks the authority of the Pope. 1783 William Pitt the Younger becomes the youngest Prime Minister of England at age 24. 1847 New Mexico Governor Charles Bent is slain by Pueblo Indians in Taos. 1861 Georgia secedes from the Union. 1902 The magazine “L’Auto” announces the new Tour de France. 1915 The first German air raids on Great Britain inflict minor casualties.
Last edited by Lt. S.Kafloc; 01-19-2017 at 14:57.
See you on the Dark Side......
Today we lost: 298
Saturday 20th January 1917
· A Justice of the PeaceToday’s losses include:
· Major Joshua Fielding (Officer in charge, Ismailia, Egypt, British Red Cross Society, formerly Dragoon Guards) dies on service in Ismailia at age 76. He is a former adjutant at the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, Dublin and a Justice of the Peace. He served in the Egyptian Campaign of 1882.Today’s highlighted casualties include:
Air Operations:
Three Royal Flying Corps pilots bomb and hit the Baghdad citadel though two one hundred pound bombs fail to explode. Major J Tennant becomes Wing Commander in command Royal Flying Corps in the theater, Captain Geoffrey de Haviland taking over 30th Squadron.
Royal Flying Corps Losses today: 1
A Mech 3 Bell, G. (George), 76 Home Defence Squadron, RFC. Died of pneumonia.
Claims: No confirmed claims for today.
Western Front
Tunstills Men Saturday 20th January 1917:
Billets in the Infantry Barracks in Ypres
The weather remained bitterly cold. The Battalion moved into front line trenches in Sanctuary Wood, relieving 11th West Yorks, from I.24.b.2½.8½ to I.24.b.8½.3½. Two Companies were in the front line, with one Company in Wellington Crescent, one in Ritz Street and Battalion HQ at the Tuilleries.
A payment of £11 11s 8d was authorised, being the amount outstanding in pay and allowances to the late of Sgt. Wilfred Blackburn, (see 18th August 1916). The payment would go to his next of kin, his married sister, Mrs. Jessie Kendall.
Eastern Front:
Rumania: Germans decide to halt offensive at river Sereth.
Africa, Asiatic & Egyptian Theatres:
Official dispatch from German East Africa reports progress in Rufiji valley region and west of Mahenge.
East Africa: Hoskins succeeds Smuts as British C-in-C. Main and Kilwa Forces only 40 miles apart, Hoskins flies from Kilwa to GHQ in a BE2c. Only 15,000 fit troops against 8,400 Germans with 20 guns and 73 MGs. Smuts sails from Dar-es-Salaam for London.
Naval Operations:
Shipping Losses: 6 (2 to mines, 4 to U-Boat action)
Eastern Mediterranean: French Salonika-bound transport Admiral Magon (5,566t) sunk by U-39 (Forstmann).
The steamship SS Bulgarian (Master James Sutherland) is torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic. The crew of 14 is killed including the master who dies at age 34. The skipper of the Trawler Raven III Thomas Randal Agnew drowns at age 24 along with one other crewman.
Political:
The Tsar addresses a rescript to Prince Golitzin laying down the main lines of his policy.
Anniversary Events:
1327 Edward II of England is deposed by his eldest son, Edward III. 1616 The French explorer Samuel de Champlain arrives to winter in a Huron Indian village after being wounded in a battle with Iroquois in New France. 1783 Britain signs a peace agreement with France and Spain, who allied against it in the American War of Independence. 1908 The Sullivan Ordinance bars women from smoking in public facilities in the United States.
See you on the Dark Side......
Today we lost: 277
Sunday 21st January 1917
Today’s losses include:
· An Irish Football International
· The son of a member of the clergy
· A man whose brother will be killed next October
Today’s highlighted casualties include:
· Major William Hurst Nicolson (Dogras) is killed at the battle of Al Hannah at age 25. He is the son of the Reverend Millar Nicolson.
· Private Albert Thomas Briggs (Australian Infantry) dies of injuries at age 29. His brother will be killed in October 1917.
· Second Lieutenant Harold Alexander De Barbizon Sloan (Royal Garrison Artillery) is killed at age 34. He played football for the Irish club Bohemian scoring the first goal ever at Dalymount Park and who earned eight full international caps once scoring a hat trick against Wales in a 4 – 4 draw in April 1906.
Air Operations:
Royal Flying Corps Losses today: 3
A Mech 2 Bailey, L.L. (Louis Leonard), 25th Kite Balloon Section, 5th Balloon Company, RFC. Accidently killed aged 19.
2Lt Ball, T.T.H. (Theodore Thomas Hollyman), 12 Squadron, RFC. Died of injuries received whilst flying in France 21 January 1917 at 7.20am, aged 30, aeroplane accident - crash. (Fractured jaw, Right Femur).
Capt Jenkins, D.R. (David Roy), RFC. Killed (no details known) aged 28.
Claims: No confirmed claims for today.
Western Front
Verdun: French repulse attacks north of Bois de Caurieres.
Tunstills Men Sunday 21st January 1917:
Front line trenches in Sanctuary Wood (I.24.b.2½.8½ to I.24.b.8½.3½)
The weather was cold and the ground so hard after a period of prolonged frosts, that little work could be done on improving the trenches, so work focussed on putting out extra wire defences.
Conditions were generally quiet, with little shelling.
Pte. Mark Beaumont (see 5th January), who had suffered severe shrapnel wounds to his left thigh when the Battalion billets in Ypres were shelled, was evacuated back to England from the General Hospital in Rouen, where he had spent the previous two weeks. On arrival in England he was admitted to the Red Cross Hospital in Gloucester.
2Lt. Charles Archibald Milford (see 13th January), who had spent just three weeks with the Battalion in October/November 1916, and had been recently released from hospital, was formally recorded as no longer serving with the Battalion.
Pte. Arthur Herbert Procter (see 20th October 1916), who had been severely wounded at Le Sars, went home for ten days from hospital in Aberdeen to the family home in Eldroth. He was joined at home by his older brother Pte. Edward Alexander Procter who was on sick leave from France where he had been serving with 10th West Yorks.
Africa, Asiatic & Egyptian Theatres:
Persia: Ali Ihsan ordered to move troops to Baghdad, 44th Regiment leaves Kermanshah.
Naval Operations:
Shipping Losses: 6 (All to U-Boat action)
Anniversary Events:
1189 Phillip Augustus, Henry II of England and Frederick Barbarossa assemble the troops for the Third Crusade. 1648 In Maryland, the first woman lawyer in the colonies, Margaret Brent, is denied a vote in the Maryland Assembly. 1785 Chippewa, Delaware, Ottawa and Wyandot Indians sign the treaty of Fort McIntosh, ceding present-day Ohio to the United States. 1790 Joseph Guillotine proposes a new, more humane method of execution: a machine designed to cut off the condemned person’s head as painlessly as possible. 1793 The French King Louis XVI is guillotined for treason. 1910 Japan rejects the American proposal to neutralize ownership of the Manchurian Railway.
Editors Note:
Apologies for the derth of news but things will get better soon.
Last edited by Lt. S.Kafloc; 01-21-2017 at 01:23.
See you on the Dark Side......
Or worse Neil, depending on your point of view, and if you are the Editor or not!
Rob.
"Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."
Monday 22nd January 1917
Today we lost: 290
Today’s losses include:
· Multiple families that will lose two sons in the Great War
· The son of a member of the clergy
Today’s highlighted casualties include:
· Second Lieutenant Bernard Hudson Shaw (Cheshire Regiment) is gassed to death at Ploegsteert. He is the son of the Reverend W Hudson Shaw Rector of St Botolph’s Bishopsgate.
· Company Sergeant Major George William Groves (Royal Garrison Artillery) dies on service at home. His brother was killed last March.
· Private Percy Hadaway (Sussex Regiment) dies of wounds at home at age 26. His brother will be killed in April 1918.
· Private Aleck Howard Brewster (Worcestershire Regiment) dies of wounds at age 29. His brother will die of illness in October 1918.
· Private Thomas William Street (Hampshire Regiment) is killed at age 26. His brother was killed in June 1915.
Air Operations:
Eastern Front: Airship LZ97 raids Kishinev, Rumania.
Royal Flying Corps Losses today: 3
2Lt Hodgson, A.H. (Albert Hodgson), 52 Squadron, RFC. Killed in action aged 22.
2Lt Kellett, W. (William), 10 Squadron, RFC. Killed in action aged 30.
2Lt Woodley, S.W. (Stanley William), 10 Squadron, RFC. Killed in action aged 20.
Claims: 3
Lt Karl Emil Schäfer claims his first confirmed victory today with Kasta 11, shooting down a Caudron west of Pont-a-Mousson.
ObLt Eduard Ritter von Dostler claims his 2nd confirmed victory with Jasta 13, shooting down a Caudron near Nixelle.
Adj Gustave Douchy claims his 3rd confirmed victory withN38, shooting down an Albatros C near Navarin.
Western Front
France: Foch assumes temporary command of Eastern Army Group (until March 26) for Castelnau, which is on Allied mission to Russia.
Foch’s CoS Weygand goes to Berne for secret talks with Swiss General Staf on steps against any German invasion of Switzerland.
Tunstills Men Monday 22nd January 1917:
Front line trenches in Sanctuary Wood.
In the continuing freezing weather little work could be done, but conditions remained generally quiet.
Pte. George William Thompson died at no.17 Casualty Clearing Station and was buried at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery. He had been an original member of the Battalion (though not one of Tunstill’s Company), but it has not yet been possible to make a positive identification of this man. In the official records he is simply recorded as having ‘died’, rather than as ‘killed in action’ or ‘died of wounds’ as is often noted; given this, and the fact that it was subsequently recorded that one man had been killed accidentally during January, it is possible that Thompson was this man.
The London Gazette published confirmation of the award of the Military Medal to Sgt. Charles Edgar Parker (see 17th January) earned during the trench raid carried out in November 1916. The same edition also published notification of the award of the Military Medal to L.Cpl. Lawrence Tindill, serving with 1st/5th Yorkshires (see 11th June 1916); the date and circumstances under which he had earned the award have not been established. He would later be commissioned and serve with 10DWR.
2Lt. John Selby Armstrong Smith (see 22nd December 1916), who had left 10DWR a month earlier as ‘unfit’ returned to France but on his return was posted to 9DWR, joining them, along with six other officers, at La Neuville, south-east of Albert.
Pte. Harold Illingworth Cawthra embarked at Folkestone to sail overnight to Boulogne, as part of a draft of 29 men who would later be posted to 10DWR. He was 19 years old and had been called up under the Military Service Act in September 1916, since when he had been in training in England. He was the third of four children of Joseph and Sarah Cawthra of Bradford and had been working as a warehouseman. On arrival in France, he, along with the rest of the draft, joined 34th Infantry Base Depot at Etaples.
Eastern Front:
Dobruja: 2 Bulgar battalions cross south arm of Danube near Tulcea but thrown back on January 23, losing 337 PoWs.
Africa, Asiatic & Egyptian Theatres:
East Africa: 150 German soldiers repel 125 KAR (Kings African Rifles) from Mpotora, west of Kilwa.
Naval Operations:
Two destroyer actions by night in North Sea. Harwich flotilla action with German 6th torpedo boat flotilla in the North Sea: H.M.S. "Simoom" sunk. One German destroyer sunk and one (V69) towed damaged into Ijmuiden.
Shipping Losses: 15 (1 to surface action, 2 to mines & 12 to U-Boat action)
Neutral:
President Wilson addresses U.S. Senate on America's attitude towards peace.
Anniversary Events:
1689 England's "Bloodless Revolution" reaches its climax when parliament invites William and Mary to become joint sovereigns. 1807 President Thomas Jefferson exposes a plot by Aaron Burr to form a new republic in the Southwest. 1813 During the War of 1812, British forces under Henry Proctor defeat a U.S. contingent planning an attack on Fort Detroit. 1824 A British force is wiped out by an Asante army under Osei Bonsu on the African Gold Coast. This is the first defeat for a colonial power. 1863 In an attempt to outflank Robert E Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, General Ambrose Burnside leads his army on a march to north Fredericksburg, but foul weather bogs his army down in what will become known as the "Mud March." 1879 Eighty-two British soldiers hold off attacks by 4,000 Zulu warriors at the Battle of Rorke's Drift in South Africa. 1905 Russian troops fire on civilians beginning Bloody Sunday in St. Petersburg. 1912 Second Monte Carlo auto race begins. 1913 Turkey consents to the Balkan peace terms and gives up Adrianople.
See you on the Dark Side......
Today we lost: 300
Tuesday 23rd January 1917
· The 17th victim of the Red BaronToday’s losses include:
· A grandson of the 7th Duke of Grafton
· Multiple sons of members of the clergy
· An Irish International Rugby player
· A man whose son will be lost in March 1941 winning an Albert Medal
· The first son to be killed flying after his father has been killed flying in history
· Multiple families that will lose two son in the Great War
· Colonel William Hallaran (Royal Army Medical Corps) dies on service in India at age 55. He is the Director of Medical Services, an Irish International Rugby player and South Africa War veteran. His son will be awarded the Albert Medal for service in March 1941 when he drowns attempting to save a stoker thrown overboard from a motor boat from HMS Springbank.Today’s highlighted casualties include:
· Lieutenant Samuel Franklyn Leslie Cody (Royal Flying Corps) is killed at age 21. He is the son of Samuel Franklin Cody an aviation pioneer, and military kite and plane developer and the first civilian to be buried with honors in Aldershot’s Thorn Hill Military Cemetery. He was killed on 7 August 1913 while test flying his “hydroplane”. This is the first occurrence of two generations of the same family to be killed flying.
· Lieutenant Kenneth Archibald Campbell (of Barcaldine) (Quebec Regiment) is killed in action at age 24. His brother will be killed next October.
· Lieutenant Nathaniel William Stewart (Royal Scots attached Royal Flying Corps) dies of wounds received in action as a prisoner of war in Palestine at age 25. He is the son of the Reverend Alexander Stewart Minister Emeritus of Newton Stewart and was a medical student at Edinburgh University. His brother will be killed in exactly three months.
· Second Lieutenant John Hay (Royal Flying Corps) is killed one day after his 28th birthday when he is shot down as the 17th victim of the Red Baron. He is the great great nephew of ‘Sir’ John Hay who landed in Australia in 1838. His mother will donate a bell inscribed with his name to the Carillon built in 1923 by Sydney University to commemorate the sacrifice of its students in the Great War.
Air Operations:
Ten Royal Naval Air Service Sopwith aircraft bomb the Burbach blast furnaces near Saarbruecken.
Lt Hans Imelmann was shot down today.An Eindecker pilot with KEK Metz, Imelmann was selected by Oswald Boelcke for service with Jasta 2. Having scored six victories during the last three months of 1916, Imelmann was the first German ace to be shot down in 1917. In an encounter with a BE2c, Immelman's Albatros went down in flames after an accurate burst of machine gun fire struck his fuel tank.
Royal Flying Corps Losses today: 12
A Mech 2 Brown, H.W. (Harry Walter), Crystal Palace Royal Naval Yard, RNAS. Aged 18.
2Lt Cody, S.F.L. (Samuel Franklyn Leslie), 41 Squadron, RFC. Killed in Action. Attacked by three Albatros Scouts and a Roland Scout when returning to our lines from the Passchendaele area. Seen to spiral downwards, east of Boesinghe, then the aircraft went into a nose dive at about 600 feet.
LM Fraser, A., No. 3 (N) Aeroplane Wing, RNAS. Accidentally Killed at Ochey, when a bomb from Sopwith 11/2 Strutter No.N5121 exploded after landing. Leading Mechanic F G Sims was also Killed.
LM Sims, F.G. (Francis George), as above. Aged 29.
Ac Bdr Harrison, A. (Alfred), 45 Squadron, RFC. Killed in action.
FS Hartnett, J.B. (John Bernard), 49 Squadron, RFC. Killed while flying aged 26, aircraft accident at Dover.
2Lt Hay, J. (John "Jack"), 40 Squadron, RFC. Killed in Action 23 January 1917 aged 28. Engaged in aerial combat near Lens by five enemy aircraft. Attacked by Manfred von Richthofen from 160 feet, the aircraft caught fire after 150 shots, and it fell burning, the pilot jumped from the aircraft.
2Lt Lyle, J.V. (James Vernon), 45 Squadron, RFC. Killed in action aged 22.
2Lt Parsons, B.F. (Beresford Frank), RFC. Killed whilst flying aged 24.
Lt Stewart, N.W. (Nathaniel William), RFC. Killed in action aged 25.
A Mech 1 Virgin, P.V., RFC.
2Lt White, F.R. (Francis Reginald), 10 Squadron, RFC. Died of wounds aged 23.
Claims: 20! (Allies 13: Central Powers 7)
2Lt Arthur "Mary" Coningham claims his 1st confirmed victory with 32 Squadron, RFC. Shooting down a C type near Ervillers. Though born in Australia, Arthur Coningham, the son of Arthur and Alice Stanford (Dowling) Coningham, was raised and educated in New Zealand. He enlisted in the 5th Wellington Regiment on 10 August 1914 and served in Samoa and Egypt at the beginning of the war. After contracting typhoid fever, he was deemed unfit for service and discharged from the army on 1 April 1916. Later that month, at his own expense, he sailed for England and was accepted as a cadet in the Royal Flying Corps. He received a commission as a Second Lieutenant (on probation) on 8 August 1916 and learned to fly at Netheravon and Upavon, graduating from the Central Flying School in November 1916. He was then assigned to 32 Squadron, arriving at Lealvillers, northwest of Albert, on 19 December 1916. Flying the DH2, Coningham scored his first victory on 23 January 1917.
Offizierstellvertreter Karl Kaszala claims his 3rd confirmed victory flying a Hansa-Brandenburg CI with Flik 1. He shot down an enemy aircraft near Kimpolung.
2Lt Frank "Pongo" Billinge claims his 2nd confirmed victory with 32 Squadron, RFC. Shooting down a C type near Ervillers.
Lt Alfred Victor Blenkiron claims his 1st confirmed victory with 25 Squadron, RFC. Flying with pilot Lt B Mews, shooting down a Halberstadt DII east of Lens. Whilst serving with the Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's), Alfred Victor Blenkiron was promoted to temporary 2nd Lieutenant on 19 October 1915. He transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in 1916. An observer with 25 Squadron in January 1917,
Lt Charles Dawson Booker, 8 Naval Squadron, RNAS, claims his 1st confirmed victory flying a Sopwith Pup he shot down an Albatros DII north east of Bapaume. The son of Louis and Ada Booker, Charles Dawson Booker joined the Royal Naval Air Service on 8 September 1915. Most of his victories were achieved with a Sopwith Triplane he called "Maud."
Lt Eric Clowes Pashley claims his 6th confirmed victory flying a DH2 with 24 Squadron, RFC. He shot down an Albatros DII near Grandcourt.
Capt René Doumer claims his 5th confirmed victory (shared with MdL R Bazinet), with N76 shooting down an enemy aircraft near Corbeny. While serving with the infantry in 1914, Doumer received the Légion d'Honneur after he was severely wounded in combat. When he recovered, he transferred to the French Air Service.
Capt Paul Adrien Gastin claims his 4th confirmed victory with N49, shooting down an enemy aircraft north west of Altkirch.
Capt Georges Marie Ludovic Jules Guynemer claims his 26th & 27th confirmed victories with N3, shooting down an Albatros C type & a Rumpler C type near Maurepas & Chaulnes respectively.
Marechal-des-Logis Marcel Hauss claims his 2nd confirmed victory with N57, shooting down an enemy aircraft south of Spincourt.
SLt Henri François Languedoc claims his 2nd confirmed victory with N12, shooting down an enemy aircraft near Samogneux. Having joined the army on 21 October 1903, Languedoc was serving with a cavalry regiment when the war began. Promoted to Sous Lieutenant, he transferred to an infantry regiment on 21 March 1915 but was disqualified from further service when he was badly wounded in combat. On 10 January 1916, he joined the French Air Service and received his Pilot's Brevet on 31 March 1916. Posted to Escadrille N12, he scored his first victory flying a Nieuport 11 on 23 October 1916. The following year, Languedoc downed six more enemy aircraft and became N12's leading ace before he was mortally wounded on 16 July 1917.
Capt Armand Pinsard claims his 2nd confirmed victory with N78. Shooting down a 2 seater south of Pompelle. Pinsard joined the army in 1906 and was decorated twice for service in Africa. In 1912, he transferred to the French Air Service and was serving with MS23 when the war began. On 8 February 1915, he was captured when his aircraft was forced down behind enemy lines. More than a year later, after several unsuccessful attempts, Pinsard and a fellow prisoner succeeded in tunneling through a 12 foot wall and escaped from a German prison. Promoted to Lieutenant and retrained on aircraft developed during his incarceration, he returned to combat duty with N26. Pinsard is believed to be the first frontline pilot to fly the Spad VII in combat.
Lt Arthur Clunie "Snowy" Randall claims his 1st confirmed victory with 32 Squadron, RFC. He shot down a C type near ervillers. The son of Arthur and Isabella (Clunie) Randall.
Lt Hartmuth Baldamus claims his 10th confirmed victory with Jasta 9 shooting down a Caudron west of St Martin. When the war began, Baldamus joined the German Air Service. After scoring five victories with FFA 20, he was reassigned to Jasta 5 but failed to score as a single-seat fighting pilot until he was posted to Jasta 9 in November 1916. He scored four victories by the end of the year and nine more victories in 1917. Following a mid-air collision with a Nieuport 17, Baldamus was credited with his 18th victory but was killed in the resulting crash. At the time of his death, he needed two more victories to be eligible for the Blue Max.
Lt Walter von Bülow-Bothkamp claims his 5th & 6th confirmed kills with Jasta 18, shooting down a Sopwith 11/2 Strutter near Gheluvelt and a FE8 near Bixschoote.
Lt Josef Carl Peter Jacobs claims his 2nd confirmed victory with FSW, shooting down a Caudron R4 near terny Sorny. Before he died in 1978, Josef Jacobs was the last surviving aviation recipient of the Orden Pour le Merite.
Vizefeldwebel Friedrich Manschott claims his 3rd conformed victory with Jasta 7, shooting down a Farman near Douamont.
Rittmeister Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen claims his 17th victory, his 1st with Jasta 11, shooting down a FE8 south west of Lens.
Western Front
Tunstills Men Tuesday 23rd January 1917:
Front line trenches in Sanctuary Wood.
Another freezing cold, but generally quiet, day. A large raid was carried out by 70th Brigade further south but “enemy retaliation was very weak”.
The four new subalterns (2Lts. George Patrick Doggett, Arthur Neill, Charles George Edward White and Stanley Reginald Wilson) who had arrived in France four days earlier (see 19th January) now reported for duty with the Battalion.
CSM William Jones MM (see 6th October 1916) left for England to be posted to the Regimental Depot in Halifax; the reason for his departure is unclear.
2Lt. Charles Archibald Milford (see 21st January), was posted from 34th Infantry Base Depot to No.1 Training Camp Base Depot at Etaples.
2Lt. Tom Pickles (see 29th December 1916), formerly of Tunstill’s Company, but currently ill while on home leave from 9DWR, returned to Queen Mary’s Military Hospital, Whalley to attend a further Medical Board. The Board found that he was quite unfit for duty because of ‘severe rheumatic pain in the back, and especially in the stomal region; also from bronchial catarrh; the pain being much aggravated by the cough’. The Hospital advised him to seek hospital treatment.
Driver Harry Metcalfe, who had been one of Tunstill’s first recruits but had quickly been transferred to the ASC (see 15th December 1914), was home on leave and was married to Annie Ethel Wooler at St Mary’s Church, Long Preston.
Capt. William Norman Town (see 11th January), wrote to the War Office with regard to his failure to receive any information regarding his appearance before a Medical Board which he had been due to attend the previous day. He confirmed that he had written to them with news of his current address, but “As I have so far received no orders and there is a possibility of my letter or the order having been lost in the post I thought I ought to repeat the information”.
Lt. Hamlet Unitt Lavarack, brother of the late Lt. Adolph Keith Lavarack (see 27th July 1916), who had been killed on 5th July 1916, submitted the certificate declaring that his brother had left no will and that, with his mother still alive (his father had died in 1914), there was no need for letters of administration for the management of his estate.
Eastern Front:
Baltic Provinces: German Eighth Army counter-offensive regains most ground lost between Lake Babit and Tirul Marsh (until January 25), taking 900PoW (January 30).
Bulgarians driven back across Danube near Tulcea.
Naval Operations:
Britain: Allied London Naval Conference (until January 24) opened by Lloyd George who stresses its importance and appeals for unity. It agrees to withdraw 4 Royal Navy battleships from Mediterranean, Adriatic Squadron to use crews in smaller ships, likewise only HMS Lord Nelson and HMS Agamemnon to stay in Eastern Mediterranean; Anglo-French compro*mise on dispersed or fixed shipping routes in Mediterranean, to try both until next conference; British commander to be in command of Otranto Barrage under Italian C-in-C.
North Sea: A by Room 40 warned Harwich Force (3 cruisers and 14 destroyers) engages German 6th Torpedo Boat Flotilla (8 ships) and damages destroyers G41 and S50 in icy small hours bound for Zeebrugge. British destroyer Simoom sunk by S50 torpedo. German flotilla leader V69 driven damaged into Ijmuiden (Holland) but not interned.
Shipping Losses: 10 (1 to surface action, 1 to mine, 8 to U-Boat action)
Political:
Labour Party approves acceptance of office by Labour Members in Ministry.
Anniversary Events:
1901 A great fire ravages Montreal, resulting in $2.5 million in property lost. 1913 The “Young Turks” revolt because they are angered by the concessions made at the London peace talks.
Last edited by Lt. S.Kafloc; 01-23-2017 at 03:07.
See you on the Dark Side......
Yes WingCo you must always be wary of what you ask for!
See you on the Dark Side......
Today we lost: 327
Wednesday 24th January 1917
· A Cambridgeshire cricketer on the 1909 Minor Counties Championship teamToday’s losses include:
· A man whose brother will be killed next May
· Multiple sons of members of the clergy
· A nephew of the 1st Viscount Knollys
· The son of a BaronetToday’s highlighted casualties include:
- Captain John Bruce Blaxland (South Wales Borderers) is killed at Kut at age 25. He is the son of the Reverend Bruce Blaxland Vicar of the Abbey Shrewsbury.
- Lieutenant Thomas Frederick Preston (Norfolk Yeomanry attached Royal Flying Corps) and his observer Lieutenant Charles Melvill Buck (Indian Army Reserve of Officers attached 53rd Royal Flying Corps) are killed flying over German lines in Belgium. The twenty-seven year old Preston is the son of ‘Sir’ Henry Jacob Preston 3rd Baronet and Buck is the twenty-two year old only son of ‘Sir’ Edward J Buck. They are the first casualties of suffered by the squadron
- Captain George Eric Barclay (Royal Lancaster Regiment attached Nigeria Regiment West African Frontier Force) dies of wounds when he is shot through the lungs while reinforcing the firing line near the Rufiji River at age 27. His brother will be killed in the sinking of the Transport Transylvania in May.
- Captain Hans Hendrick Anthony Cooke (Connaught Rangers attached Nigeria Regiment West African Frontier Force) is also killed in East Africa at age 33. He played cricket for the Cambridgeshire when they won the Minor Counties Championship in 1909 and is the son of the Reverend Edward Alexander Cooke Vicar of St Paul’s Brentford.
- Lieutenant Guy Cuthbert Ewen (Special List attached Nigeria Regiment) is killed. He is the great nephew of the 1st Viscount Knollys.
Air Operations:
Royal Flying Corps Losses today: 11
Flt Cdr Mackenzie, C.R. (Colin Roy), 8th Naval Squadron, RNAS. Missing - Killed in Action aged 24. Sopwith Scout N5198 shot down over Bihucourt, near Favreuil, by Ltn. H Von Keudall, Jasta 1. Confirmed in Communication dropped by German Air Service
Flt SubLt May, T.C. (Theodore Charles), 10th Naval Squadron, RFC. Crashed when wings folded up over Moorslede, Ypres aged 18.
Sgt Booth, L. (Leonard), 23 Squadron, RFC. Killed whilst flying aged 27.
A Mech 1 D'ade, E.R. (Edward Reginald), 26 (South African) Squadron, RFC. Killed in accidental bomb explosion, East Africa, aged 34.
Sgt Tooms, C.S. (Cecil S.), 41 Squadron, RFC. Killed in action aged 22.
2Lt Addis, H.D. (Henry Dansey), 43 Squadron, RFC. Killed whilst flying aged 23.
Lt Buck, C.M. (Charles Melvill), 53 Squadron, RFC. Killed in action aged 22.
Lt Preston, T.F. (Thomas Frederick), 53 Squadron, RFC. Killed in Action when brought down by anti-aircraft fire.
2Lt Evans, P., 59 Squadron, RFC. Accidentally Killed flying near Farnborough when his aeroplane crashed and burst into flames.
Lt Waters, E.G. (Eric Gordon), RFC. Shot by enemy while flying over Belgium aged 30.
Cpl Parker, W.R., RFC.
Claims: 14 (Allies 10: Central Powers 4)
Alfred McKay claims his 3rd confirmed victory.
Harry Alison Wood Claims his 6th confirmed victory.
James Leith Claims his 3rd confirmed victory.
Georges Guynemer claims his 28th & 29th confirmed victories.
Marcel Hauss claims his 3rd confirmed victory.
Alfred Joseph Heurtaux claims his 17th & 18th confirmed victories.
Ivan Orlov claims his 4th conformed victory
Raoul Lufbery claims his 7th confirmed victory.
Hans von Keudell claims his 11th confirmed victory.
Alfred Ulmer claims his 4th and 5th confirmed victories.
Manfred von Richthofen claims his 18th confirmed victory.
Home Fronts:
Germany: Railway chaos in winter freeze prevents all extra traffic (until February 5) despite mobile unloading teams.
Western Front
Tunstills Men Wednesday 24th January 1917:
Front line trenches in Sanctuary Wood.
Bitterly cold again, but largely quiet. The Battalion was relieved by 11th West Yorks and returned to the Infantry Barracks in Ypres.
Although there is no mention in the War Diary, two men were killed and the precise circumstances of their deaths have not been established. Pte. George Gelling had been one of the original members of the Battalion. Born in Skipton in 1880; he was the youngest of three sons of an unmarried mother, Hannah Gelling. George had worked as a mason’s labourer and in the summer of 1911 he had married Julia Jemima Fagan in Skipton and the couple set up home at 17 Cumberland Street. George by then was working as a stoker at the Skipton Gasworks. He was a well-known local sportsman, and at one time had been a prominent Northern Union Rugby Football player. He had played for the Worth Village Club and later played as a three-quarter with both Manningham and Keighley. In September 1914 George joined the 10th Battalion; aged 34, he was among the oldest of the recruits. He had survived what was described as ‘a narrow shave’ in the autumn of 1916 when he was said to have been blown off his feet by a shell explosion, but escaped uninjured.
Pte. Hubert Henry (‘Bertie’) Greensmith was 29 years old and from Holmbridge, near Huddersfield; he was the only son and eldest of three children of William and Sarah Greensmith. William was a self-employed baker and Bertie had worked with his father. Bertie had been called up under the Military Service Act in May 1916 and posted initially to the Royal Field Artillery before being transferred to the West Ridings in June 1916. He was among a draft posted to France on 3rd October 1916 and had spent two weeks at 34th Infantry Base Depot at Etaples before joining 10DWR on 17th October 1916. Both men were buried at Railway Dugouts Burial Ground.
Sgt. Frederick Griggs MM (see 23rd December 1916), who had been one of Tunstill’s original Company but was now serving with 2DWR, was posted back to England, prior to beginning a course of officer training.
L.Cpl. Edwin Everingham Ison (see 2nd October 1916), 1st Battalion, West Yorkshires, was posted back to England to begin an officer training course. He would later be commissioned and serve with 10DWR.
Aidan Nicholson (see 18th January), who had previously been dismissed from his officer training course, as being “of insufficient physique”, again wrote to the War Office, thanking them for their reply to his recent letter and enclosing a medical certificate as requested. He also informed them that he had been called up for service with the RFC; “I have this day been placed in Category A and I am due to report at the Newcastle Barracks on 1st February 1917”. He requested that they provide him with further instructions on how to proceed before that date. He would later serve with 10DWR.
Pte. Thomas Arnold Woodcock was commissioned Second Lieutenant and initially posted to 3DWR at North Shields; he would later serve with 10DWR. He was 19 years old (born 3rd April 1897), the second child and only son of Wright and Florence Woodcock. The family lived in Bingley where Wright was Headmaster at a local school. On the outbreak of war Thomas had been a student at Bradford Grammar School and a member of the school OTC. He had attested in February 1916 and had served initially with the Ox. and Bucks. Light Infantry before being transferred to no.6 Officer Cadet Battalion based at Balliol College, Oxford.
Pte. Percival Victor Thomas (see 30th December 1916), serving with 28th Battalion London Regiment (Artists Rifles) which was an officer training battalion, based at Richmond Park, completed his formal application for a commission; he would later serve with 10DWR.
Eastern Front:
Further German advance in hard fighting near Lake Babit. Russians fall back.
Africa, Asiatic & Egyptian Theatres:
T.E. Lawrence in Arab dress
Arabia: 400 of Feisal’s regulars with 200 sailors from 3 British ships capture Wejh from 200 Turks (until January 25) as Feisal and Lawrence (in Cairo on january 28) approach by land.
East Africa:Major Grawert’s 289 Germans surrender at Likuju in south. Major Otto’s 600 soldiers (46 casualties) beat Nigerians (64 casualties) at Ngwembe (until January 25) south of Rufiji.
Naval Operations:
Shipping Losses: 6 (1 to mine & 5 to U-Boat action)
Political:
Allied Naval Conference held in London as to policy in Mediterranean (see November 30th).
Greek Government formally apologises to Allies for events of 1 December 1916.
Anniversary Events:
41 Shortly after declaring himself a god, Caligula is assassinated by two Praetorian tribunes. 1458 Matthias Corvinus, the son of John Hunyadi, is elected king of Hungary. 1639 Representatives from three Connecticut towns band together to write the Fundamental Orders, the first constitution in the New World. 1722 Czar Peter the Great caps his reforms in Russia with the “Table of Rank” which decrees a commoner can climb on merit to the highest positions. 1848 Gold is discovered by James Wilson Marshall at his partner Johann August Sutter’s sawmill on the South Fork of the American River, near Coloma, California. 1903 U.S. Secretary of State John Hay and British Ambassador Herbert create a joint commission to establish the Alaskan border. 1911 U.S. Cavalry is sent to preserve the neutrality of the Rio Grande during the Mexican Civil War. 1915 The German cruiser Blücher is sunk by a British squadron in the Battle of Dogger Bank.
See you on the Dark Side......
Thanks for your time, and effort, nice read.
Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Elers Delaval Henderson VC (2 October 1878 – 25 January 1917) . Henderson was educated at Dunstable Grammar School. He joined the West India Regiment as Second Lieutenant on 15 December 1900, and was seconded for service with the Northern Nigeria Regiment, West African Frontier Force. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 10 February 1902.
Thursday 25th January 1917
He was 38 years old, and a Major and acting Lieutenant Colonel in The North Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales’s), attached to The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, commanding 9th Battalion during the First World War. On 25 January 1917 on the west bank of the River Hai, near Kut, Mesopotamia, he performed the deed for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross.
Maj. (actg. Lt.-Col.) Edward Elers Delavel Henderson, late N. Staffs. R.
For most conspicuous bravery, leadership and personal example when in command of his battalion.
Lt.-Col. Henderson brought his battalion up to our two front-line trenches, which were under intense fire, and his battalion had suffered heavy casualties when the enemy made a heavy counter-attack, and succeeded in penetrating our line in several places, the situation becoming critical.
Although shot through the arm, Lt.-Col. Henderson jumped onto the parapet and advanced alone some distance in front of his battalion, cheering them on under the most intense fire over 500 yards of open ground.
Again wounded, he nevertheless continued to lead his men on in the most gallant, manner, finally capturing the position by a bayonet charge.
He was again twice wounded, and died when he was eventually brought in.
He was buried in the Amara War Cemetery.
Robert Edwin "Bob" Phillips VC (11 April 1895 – 23 September 1968). Philips was born at 12, Queen Street, Hill Top, West Bromwich, (then Staffordshire) England. His father was a roll turner. He was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School, Aston. He was 21 years old, and a Temporary Lieutenant in the 13th Battalion, The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, attached 9th (S) Battalion during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 25 January 1917 near Kut, Mesopotamia, Lieutenant Phillips went to the assistance of his commanding officer (Edward Elers Delaval Henderson) who was lying in the open mortally wounded while leading a counter-attack. The lieutenant went out with a comrade and, under the most intense fire, they succeeded in bringing their commanding officer back to our lines.
He later achieved the rank of Captain.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Museum (Royal Warwickshire), Warwick, England
Today we lost: 993
· A Victoria Cross winnerToday’s losses include:
· A nephew of the 3rd Baron Ashtown
· A man whose nephew will be killed in 1942
· A battalion commander · Multiple sons of members of the clergy
· Multiple families that will lose two sons in the Great War
· The son of an Admiral
· The son of the 6th Baron De Blaquiere
· A man whose son will be killed in May 1944· Lieutenant Colonel Edward Elers Delaval Henderson VC (North Staffordshire Regiment commanding 9th Warwickshire Regiment) brings up his battalion up to our two front line trenches which are under intense fire at Kut and the battalion suffers heavy casualties when the enemy makes a heavy counter-attack and succeeds in penetrating our line in several places. As the situation is becoming critical and although shot through his arm Lieutenant Colonel Henderson jumps on the parapet and advances alone some distance in front of the battalion cheering them on under intense fire over 500 yards of open ground. Again wounded he nevertheless continues to lead his men on in the most gallant manner finally capturing the position in a bayonet charge. He is again twice wounded and will of those wounds when he is eventually brought in. For his actions Colonel Henderson will be awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross. · Captain Percy Richard Oliver Trench (West Surrey Regiment) is killed in action at age 22. He is the son of ‘the Honorable’ William C Trench who is a younger brother of the 3rd Baron Ashtown. His nephew will be killed serving in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in 1942.
Today’s highlighted casualties include:
- Captain Armytage Percy Bosanquet MC (Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry) is killed in Mesopotamia at age 23. He is the son of the Reverend Claude Charles Courthope Bosanquet Vicar of St Stephen’s by Saltash, Cornwall.
- Lieutenant William A McNeill drowns. His brother will die on service in less than one week and they are sons of Reverend Daniel McNeill.
- Engineer Lieutenant James Carlisle (Royal Naval Reserve) also drowns at age 43. He is the son of the late Rear Admiral (Engineer) James Carlisle.
- Sub Lieutenant Allan Boyle De Blaquiere (HMS Antrim) dies at age 21. He is the son of the 6th Baron and has had a brother killed in action in March 1915.
- Private Harry Hartill (Royal Marines Light Infantry) is killed at age 22. His brother will be killed in April.
- Seaman Thomas McGregor is killed at age 31. His son will be killed serving in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in May 1944.
Air Operations:
Royal Flying Corps Losses today: 3
A Mech 2 Hartley, B. (Benjamin "Ben"), 14th Wing (Italy), RFC. Killed in action aged 41.
A Mech 2 Peters, C.R. (Charles Robert), HMS Egmont, RNAS, aged 22.
Sgt Price, A.B., No. 1 School of Aeronautics, Reading, RFC. Killed whilst flying, crashed aged 26.
Claims: 8 (Allies 7: Central Powers 1)
2Lt Alfred Edwin "Eddie" McKay claims his 4th confirmed victory in a DH2 with 24 Squadron, RFC. Shooting down a Albatros DII south of Bapaume. Alfred Edwin McKay attended the University of Western Ontario. On 28 October 1916, he and Arthur Knight were on patrol over the Somme when they were attacked by Oswald Boelcke. In the ensuing battle, Boelcke was killed when his Albatros collided with that of Erwin Bohme.
2Lt Douglas Hugh Moffatt Carbery claims his 1st confirmed victory in a RE8 with his observer 2Lt H.A.D. MacKay 52 Squadron, RFC. Shooting down a 2 seater near Molancourt.
2Lt William Thompson Gilson claims his 3rd confirmed victory as an observer in a FE2d flown by Capt Reginald Maxwell with 20 Squadron, RFC. Shooting down a Halberstadt near Westroosbeke.
Lt Selden Herbert "Tubby" Long claims his 7th confirmed victory in a DH2 with 24 Squadron, RFC. Shooting down a LVG C type near Bapaume.
Lt John Bowley Quested claims his 8th confirmed victory flying an FE2b with observer 2Lt HJ Didsee, of 11 Squadron, RFC. Shooting down a C type near Beaurains.
Sous Lt Andre Rene Celestone Herbelin claims his 1st confirmed victory with N102, shooting down an Aviatic C type near Noyon.
Capt Alfred Marie Joseph Heurtaux claims his 8th confirmed victory with Spa 3, shooting down a Fokker E type near Villers Carbonnel.
Lt Wilhelm Anton Seitz claims his 2nd confirmed vixtory with Jasta 8, shooting down a BE2d near Messines.
Western Front
Verdun: German success at Hill 304; mile-long stretch of French trenches stormed, but French regain most of them on January 26.
Tunstills Men Thursday 25th January 1917:
Billets in the Infantry Barracks in Ypres
The freezing weather continued. Around 200 men were employed each day on working parties; conditions remained generally quiet.
Battalion Adjutant Lt. Hugh William Lester MC (see 1st January) was attached to 69th Brigade Headquarters for duty, although he had to leave to England prior to taking up his new appointment. His post as adjutant again went to Capt. Leonard Norman Phillips (see 24th December).
Capt. George Reginald Charles Heale MC (see 3rd January),who had recently been compelled to relinquish his commission on grounds of ill-health but had appealed the decision, appeared before a Medical Board assembled at the War Office in London. The Board found that, “He has recovered and is fit to be re-commissioned”.
Eastern Front:
Fierce fighting near Lake Babit; Russian counter-attacks fail.
Africa, Asiatic & Egyptian Theatres:
Mesopotamia: Maude attacks Hai salient southwest of Kut on a mile front with 13th Division (1,135 casualties including 3 battalion commander, 2 Victoria Crosses) and 114 guns; only half captured trenches held against counter-attacks.
Naval Operations:
German warships raid the Suffolk coast causing some loss of life.
The armed merchant cruiser HMS Laurentic leaves Bucrana at 17:00 bound for Halifax with a secret cargo of five million pounds sterling of gold bullion (3,211 gold bars) to pay for munitions. Under the command of Captain Reginald Arthur Norton the Laurentic in bitingly cold weather strikes a mine off Fanad Head on the port side. The ensuing explosion is followed quickly by a second in the engine room. The ship sinks in forty-five minutes in one hundred ten feet of water, with three hundred fifty four of the four hundred seventy five on board being killed. Although fifteen lifeboats manage to get clear, many of the crew will die of exposure.
Austria: Grand Admiral Haus argues to Emperor Charles for unrestricted U-Boat war. Charles then sees German Admiral Holzendorff (which promises 42 U-Boats in Mediterranean) and Zimmermann.
Shipping Losses: 5 (1 to mines, 4 to U-Boat action)
Anniversary Events:
1533 Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn. 1787 Small farmers in Springfield, Massachusetts led by Daniel Shays, revolt against tax laws. Federal troops break up the protesters of what becomes known as Shay's Rebellion. 1846 The dreaded Corn Laws, which taxed imported oats, wheat and barley, are repealed by the British Parliament. 1904 Two-hundred coal miners are trapped in their Pennsylvania mine after an explosion. 1915 Alexander Graham Bell in New York and Thomas Watson in San Francisco make a record telephone transmission.
Last edited by Lt. S.Kafloc; 01-25-2017 at 05:00.
See you on the Dark Side......
Thanks Neil. So that was the day of Boelcke's death... I read about the accident in P.Kilduff's book, now there is an insight.
"We do not stop playing when we get old, but we get old when we stop playing."
I did a 100 years ago today special on his death.
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/sho...o-Today/page39
Post 1919
See you on the Dark Side......
Today we lost: 397
Friday 26th January 1917
· Multiple families that will lose sons in the Great WarToday’s losses include:
· A family that will lose three sons in the Great War
· Multiple grandsons of Baronets
· The Military Attache in Madrid
· The son of a Justice of the Peace
· A man whose son will be killed in July 1944· Major Stewart Barton Bythesea Dyer (Wiltshire Regiment) dies while serving as Military Attaché to the British Embassy in Madrid a post he held beginning in December 1915. He is 41 years old and the grandson of Sir Thomas Swinerton Dyer 9th
Today’s highlighted casualties include:
· Second Lieutenant Alexander Anson Gardiner (Indian Army Reserve of Officers attached Sappers and Miners is killed at age 30 in Mesopotamia. He is the son of John William Gardiner JP and grandson of Sir Joseph Napier 1st Baronet and Lord Chancellor of Ireland.
· Private William Boyson (Northamptonshire Regiment) is killed at age 21. His two brothers will be killed in the Great War also.
· Private Joseph Weatherer (Manchester Regiment) dies of pneumonia and wounds at age 38. His son will be killed serving in the East Surrey Regiment in Italy in July 1944. They are the only Weatherers to die in the service of King and Country in the two World Wars.
· First Engineer Alfred Greig Hourston is dead at age 30. His brother will die on service in India next June.
· Quarter Mater John McDonald age 26. His brother was killed in August 1916.
Air Operations:
The Royal Flying Corps begins training at Toronto.
Royal Flying Corps Losses today: 4
Cpl Fleming, R.D. (Robert), 45 Squadron, RFC. Killed in action aged 22.
2Lt Sharpe, H.N. (Henry Norman), RFC. Accidently killed aged 21.
FS Webb, W.G. (Walter G), 45 Squadron, RFC.
A Mech 1 Welch, S.B. (Sidney B.), 30 Squadron, RFC.
Claims: 9 (Allies 7: Central Powers 2)
Offizierstellvertreter Franz Wognar claims his 1st confirmed victory with Flik 2. Flying a Hansa-Brandenburg C.I he shot down a Nieuport near St Florian. A machine fitter and mechanic, Franz Wognar enlisted in the Austro-Hungarian army in 1913. In 1914 he transferred to the air service and was assigned to Flik 2 on the Isonzo front in July 1915. A two-seater pilot, Wognar scored 5 victories flying the Hansa-Brandenburg C.I.
Lt William Thompson Gilson claims his 4th confirmed victpry with 20 Squadron RFC, as an observer in a FE2d with pilot Capt Reginald Maxwell he shot down an Albatros DII near Westroosbeke.
Lt James Thomas Byford "Mac" McCudden claims his 2nd confirmed victory with 29 Squadron, RFC. Flying a Dh2 he shot down a C type near Ficheaux.
SLt Jules Charles Covin claims his 2nd confirmed victory with R213 shooting down an enemy aircraft near Carlepont.
Capt Georges Marie Ludovic Jules Guynemer claims his 30th confirmed victory with N3 shooting down an Albatros C type near Montdidier.
MdL Marcel Hauss claims his 4th confirmed victory with N57. Shooting down a 2 seater north of Gincrey.
Lt Jean Augustin Paul Joseph Loste claims his 7th confirmed victory with C46, shooting down an Aviatic north of Bapaume. )Shared with Lt P Barbou & Louis Martin).
Soldat Louis Honore Martin shares a victory with, see above.
Lt Walter von Bülow-Bothkamp claims his 7th confirmed victory with Jasta 18. Shooting down a Sopwith 11/2 Strutter near Recham.
Home Fronts:
Canada: National Steel Factory established at Toronto.
Austria: Ausgleich Agreement (1867) with Hungary changed and renewed in latter’s favour for 20 years.
Germany: War spending to date estimated at £5 billion.
Western Front
French regain most of ground lost near Verdun.
Tunstills Men Friday 28th January 1917:
Billets in the Infantry Barracks in Ypres
Another quiet day but bitterly cold day, with large working parties again provided for the Royal Engineers.
Capt. Gilbert Tunstill (see 5th January), currently on light duty with 83rd Training Reserve Battalion, based at Brighton Road Schools, Gateshead appeared before a further Medical Board assembled at Tynemouth. The Board found that, “nothing is now to be observed wrong with the knee joint; no swelling or tenderness. He states that he has some pain and swelling if he walks far, but the Board ascertains that he is able to march 10 miles”. He was declared fit for general service.
The weekly edition of the Craven Herald again reported on the death of Sgt. Thomas Moyle MM (see 12th January)
STEETON-WITH-EASTBURN - THE LATE SERGEANT T. MOYLE
During the past fortnight many sincere expressions of sympathy from local friends, as well as letters from Steeton soldiers in their late son's battalion, have reached Mr. and Mrs. E. Moyle, Elmsley Street, Steeton. The Chaplain of the gallant sergeant's brigade (Rev. Wilfred L. Henderson, see 7th January) has also written a sympathising letter in which he says:-
"You will already have heard the sad news of the death of your son, but I also wish to tell you how deeply we all sympathise with you in your loss. It happened while we were in a billet behind the line, an unfortunate German shell killing and wounding many of our men. Your son was very seriously wounded and died shortly afterwards. We buried him the following evening in a soldier's cemetery and a short service was held at the graveside. A cross with his name and number will be put over his grave and it will be forever kept sacred and reverently cared for. Your son will be much missed in the battalion. He had been with us so long and had the love and respect of all. Believe me our prayers and sympathy are with you in your great sorrow."
There was also news of the continuing fund-raising efforts and the provision of parcels for men at the front:
SOLDIER’S GRATITUDE
Letters have been received from men on the Longpreston and Wigglesworth Roll of Honour showing how much they have appreciated their Christmas parcels. They all comment on the variety and usefulness of the contents and wish to convey the thanks of all who had in any way contributed, either by working or giving, towards sending them out. One of the letters received brought news that Company Sergeant Major William Jones (see 23rd January) had been awarded the Military Medal during the ‘Big Push’.
Africa, Asiatic & Egyptian Theatres:
Mesopotamia: 14th Indian Division retakes Hai west bank sector, creeping advances until January 31.
British recapture lost trenches near Kut.
Naval Operations:
Germany: At Pless Austro-German naval chiefs draft note declaring Mediterranean prohibited zone to Allied shipping, Austrian U-Boats to operate beyond Adriatic.
Arctic: Minelaying U76 rammed by Russian trawlers; she founders off Hammerfest.
A new British minefield off the Jutland coast is announced from Scandinavia.
Shipping Losses: 4 (1 to mine, 3 to U-Boat action)
A series of fires and explosions occurs on the steamship Bayropea at Economia, port of Archangel. When Master Edgar Twidle arrives on the scene his ship is burning fiercely. On being informed that the First Engineer is alive, Captain Twidle climbs on board but finds that he is dead. He then examines the other rooms and finds a Chinese sailor in a dazed condition. With the assistance of Chief Office William Martin and Mr. Robert MacBryde this man is gotten over the ship’s side across the ice, and eventually to the Red Cross station. About four minutes after the seaman has been removed the vessel blows up and sinks. For their efforts all three men will be awarded the Albert Medal.
The steamship Ava (Master William Forson) sails from Liverpool and goes missing presumably sunk by a submarine today. Ninety-two on board are lost including
Political:
Compulsory loan or sale to Treasury of certain foreign securities.
Anniversary Events:
1699 The Treaty of Karlowitz ends the war between Austria and the Turks. 1720 Guilio Alberoni is ordered out of Spain after his abortive attempt to restore his country's empire. 1788 A fleet of ships carrying convicts from England lands at Sydney Cove in Australia. The day is since known as Australia's national day. 1861 Louisiana secedes from the Union. 1863 President Lincoln names General Joseph Hooker to replace Burnside as commander of the Army of the Potomac. 1875 Pinkerton agents, hunting Jesse James, kill his 18-year-old half-brother and seriously injure his mother with a bomb. 1885 General "Chinese" Gordon is killed on the palace steps in Khartoum by Sudanese Mahdists in Africa.
Last edited by Lt. S.Kafloc; 01-26-2017 at 15:37.
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Edward John Mott VC DCM (4 July 1893 – 20 October 1967) was born in Drayton he enlisted in The Border Regiment in 1910, and in 1915, took part in the ill-fated Dardanelles Expedition, after which he served in Egypt and then on the Western Front. He was 23 years old and a Sergeant in the 1st Battalion, The Border Regiment when he was awarded the VC.
Saturday 27th January 1917
On 27 January 1917 south of Le Transloy, France, an attack by Sergeant Mott's company was held up at a strong-point by machine-gun fire. Although severely wounded in the eye, Sergeant Mott made a rush for the gun and after a fierce struggle seized the gunner and took him prisoner, capturing the gun. It was due to the dash and initiative of this NCO that the left flank attack succeeded.
Today we lost: 431
· The son of a Member of Parliament · A Brigadier GeneralToday’s losses include:
· The son-in-law of Lord Derwent
· Multiple men who will have a son killed in the Second World War
· The Chief Test Pilot for the Royal Aircraft Factory
· The co-pilot of the first flight to carry a passenger from Britain to France in 1910
· A man whose son died of wounds last July
· The son of a Major General
· A man who brother was killed in the sinking of S S Persia
· The son of a member of the clergy
· Another man whose brother will be killed in the Great War
· A family that will lose three sons in the Great War
· A Wing for the Western (Australian) Suburbs Rugby Club· Police Constable Edward George Brown Greenoff of the Metropolitan Police dies from head injuries received on 19th January from an explosion at a fire in a munitions factory at Silvertown where, despite the imminent danger, he remained at the scene to warn others and evacuate the area. He is 30-years old. He will be posthumously awarded the King’s Police Medal for Gallantry.
Today’s highlighted casualties include:
· Major Frank Widenham Goodden (Royal Flying Corps) is the chief test pilot for the Royal Aircraft Factory located at Farnborough, Hants a position to which he was appointed by 1915. In the late summer of 1916, reports had filtered back to the Factory that the Royal Aircraft factory RE8 was involved in a series of spinning accidents and that the type’s reputation had garnered the nickname the “spinning incinerator”. To disprove this, Goodden deliberately spun an F.E.8 three times in both directions from an altitude of no more than 3,500 feet and recovered by applying customary control inputs. Goodden is killed today at age 30 in a crash at RAE Farnborough 1917 while flying one of the first prototypes of the Royal Aircraft Factory SE5, when it breaks up in flight. At the time of his death, Goodden is one of Britain’s most experienced pilots. Inspection finds that the wings suffered failure in downward torsion. Plywood webs will be added to the compression ribs, curing the trouble and are standardized on all later S.E.5s and 5as. Gooden was the co-pilot on the first flight to carry a passenger from Britain to France on 11 April 1910.
· Major H A S Barkworth (Border Regiment) dies at home at home. His son died of wounds in July 1916.
· Captain (Temporary Lieutenant Colonel) George Aubrey Kennedy Lawrence DSO (Royal Field Artillery attached Royal Flying Corps) is killed flying in England at age 25. His brother was killed in the sinking of SS Persia in December 1915 and they are sons of Major General W A Lawrence. ·
Captain Arthur Stewart Churchyard (Rifle Brigade) is killed at age 33. He is the son of the Reverend Canon Oliver Churchyard Vicar of St Matthew’s Newcastle-on-Tyne.
· Second Lieutenant Francis Gerald Russell (Royal Field Artillery attached Royal Flying Corps) is killed in action at age 28. His brother was killed last September.
· Second Lieutenant Pieter Cedric Earlam Johnson (General List attached Royal Flying Corps) is killed at age 18. He is the middle of three brothers who will lose their lives in the Great War.
· Private William Glover McBride (King’s Own Scottish Borderers) is killed. His son will be killed serving in Royal Canadian Air Force in the Second World War.
· Private Charles George Rothwell (Australian Infantry) dies of wounds at age 22. He played wing for the Western Suburbs Rugby club between 1912 and 1914.
Air Operations:
Royal Flying Corps Losses today: 2
A Mech 3 Evans, W.H. (William Henry), 2 Squadron, RFC, aged 36.
Lt Cdr Park, W. (William), HMS Ark Royal, RNAS. Died after operation for ruptured spleen result of Malaria aged 31.
Claims: 6 (Allies 5: Central Powers 1)
Capt Frank "Pongo" Billinge claims his 3rd confirmed victory with 32 Squadron RFC. Shooting down an enemy aircraft near Courcelles-Achiet, for which he is promoted to flight leader.
Lt Frank Neville Hudson claims his 1st confirmed victory with 54 Squadron, RFC.
Lt Selden Herbert "Tubby" Long claims his 8th confirmed victory with 24 Squadron, RFC, near Bapaume.
Lt Charles Edward Murray Pickthorn claims his 1st confirmed victory with 32 Squadron, RFC. Chooting down a C type near Courcelles-Achiet.
2Lt James Milne "Robbo" Robb claims his 1st confirmed victory shooting down a C type near Courcelles-Achiet. The son of James and Mary Robb, James Milne Robb was educated at George Watson’s College, Edinburgh and Durham University. He served with the 4th Northumberland Fusiliers before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps. Captain Robb received Royal Aero Club Aviator's Certificate 4116 on 10 August 1916. Posted to 32 Squadron, he scored his first victory flying a DH2 in 1917.
Lt Emil Meinecke claims his 1st confirmed victory with FA 6, shooting down a BE2c near Yenishir. Meinecke was a aircraft mechanic before he attended flight school. After training he became an instructor and was eventually sent to the Dardenelles where he achieved his first victory flying the Fokker EIII.
Western Front
Somme: British take position near Le Transloy and capture 350* strong garrison.
Tunstills Men Saturday 27th January 1917:
Billets in the Infantry Barracks in Ypres
Working parties were again provided with conditions generally quiet, though freezing cold.
CSM Billy Oldfield MM (see 24th November 1916) completed and submitted his application for a commission.
2Lt. Charles Archibald Milford (see 23rd January), was appointed as an Assistant Anti-Gas Instructor based at Etaples.
In advance of his next appearance before a Medical Board, 2Lt. John Keighley Snowden (see 28th December 1916), who had been wounded at Le Sars, prepared a statement of his current situation: “I was wounded at Le Sars on October 4th 1916, while serving with 10th Duke of Wellington's. During an attack on this date an enemy bomb landed within a yard of my side. I was operated on at the Casualty Clearing Station and pieces of the bomb (wood) were removed from my left leg and from my head just behind the right ear. A portion of my right ear was blown off. I was removed to England and placed in the 2nd Southern General Hospital, Bristol. As the result of the explosion I am now suffering from deafness in my right ear. After three months sick leave I find little signs of improvement in my hearing”.
Eastern Front:
Russians carry enemy positions between Kimpolung and Jacobeny (Bukovina), and take 1,218 prisoners.
Naval Operations:
Germany: U-Boat leader Bauer orders his commanders ‘… unrestricted U-Boat warfare is to force England to make peace and thereby decide the whole war. Energetic action is required and above all rapidity of action … expend only one torpedo on each ship stopped …’. Dover Straits route now compulsory to maximize time on station.
Shipping Losses: 1 (See below)
S.S. "Artist" torpedoed in a gale by German submarine; crew left to perish.
Political:
Japan: Government asks Britain to approve her assuming German rights in China (done February 16).
Russia: M. Pokrovski, Russian Foreign Minister, resigns (see December 12th, 1916 and March 15th, 1917).
Anniversary Events:
1695 Mustafa II becomes the Ottoman sultan in Istanbul on the death of Amhed II. 1825 Congress approves Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma), clearing the way for forced relocation of the Eastern Indians on the "Trail of Tears." 1862 President Abraham Lincoln issues General War Order No. 1, setting in motion the Union armies. 1900 Foreign diplomats in Peking fear revolt and demand that the Imperial Government discipline the Boxer Rebels. 1905 Russian General Kuropatkin takes the offensive in Manchuria. The Japanese under General Oyama suffer heavy casualties. 1916 President Woodrow Wilson opens preparedness program.
Last edited by Lt. S.Kafloc; 01-27-2017 at 10:55.
See you on the Dark Side......
Today we lost: 366
Sunday 28th January 1917
· A Great War PoetToday’s losses include:
· A professional Rugby League footballer
· The son of a member of the clergy
· Families that will lose two and three sons in the Great War
· A divinity student· Captain Cyril Morton Horne (King’s Own Scottish Borderers) is killed during an artillery barrage while attempting to rescue a wounded soldier at age 29. He is a Great War Poet and ironically after his death “Songs of the Shrapnel Shell and Other Verse” is published.
Today’s highlighted casualties include:
· Lieutenant William Lindsay Beattie (Border Regiment) is killed at age 26. He is a professional Rugby League footballer where he served as Captain for Wakefield Trinity 1911-14.
· Lieutenant Stanley Campbell Cheverton (Border Regiment) is killed at age 20. He is the son of the Reverend Francis John Cheverton Vicar of Rowley Regis.
· Second Lieutenant Herbert George Huskisson (Hampshire Regiment) dies of wounds at Kut at age 26. His brother will be killed in June.
· Second Lieutenant Edward Lewis Moor (Warwickwhire Regiment) dies of wounds received in the abdomen the day before at age 25. He is a divinity student at London University about to be ordained when he volunteered.
· Sapper George McGlade (Royal Engineers) dies of wounds received in action. His two brothers have previously died in the Great War, the first in 1915 at Gallipoli the other in 1916 in Mesopotamia. Neither of their bodies will ever be identified.
Air Operations:
Royal Flying Corps Losses today: 4
Maj Goodden, F.W. (Frank Widenham), Royal Aircraft Factory, RFC. Accidentally Killed on an experimental flight at Farnborough.
2Lt Johnson, P.C.E. (Pieter Cedric Earlam), 4 Squadron – 15 Wing, RFC. 2nd Lieut P C E Johnson was flying B.E. 2c 2514 on Artillery Observation duties, with Lieut C B Bird. Aircraft came under very heavy Anti-aircraft fire at 3.000 feet and was hit in several places.
Lt Col Lawrence, G.A.K. (George Aubrey Kennedy, Central School of Flying, Upavon, RFC.
2Lt Russell, F.G. (Francis Gerald), 21 Squadron, RFC. Killed in action aged 28.
Own Goal (OG)
A mechanic of 40th squadron is filling the engines of the aircraft with petrol for a dawn patrol, when he has an unthinking moment and he lights a match to see how much he has put in. There is an explosion, a sheet of flame and all the incendiary ammunition goes off in the airplanes, each one firing into the next ones engine and petrol tank. Five aircraft are destroyed.
Claims: 2 (Allies 2: Central Powers 5 OG!)
Lt John Vincent Aspinall, 22 Squadron, RFC, flying a FE2b with 2Lt M Taylor as observer, claims his 2nd confirmed victory shooting down an Albatros DI near Villers au Flos. The son of H. and Lillian Aspinall, Private John Vincent Aspinall, from Worc. R., Spec. Res., was promoted to temporary 2nd Lieutenant with the Royal Flying Corps on 3 June 1916. He received Royal Aero Club Aviator's Certificate 3347 on a Maurice Farman biplane at the Military School, Brooklands on 10 August 1916.
Capt Paul Adrian Gastin, N49 claims his 5th confirmed victory shooting down an Albatros C type near Soppe.
Home Fronts:
Britain: Royal Navy Room 40intercepts Bernstorff’s second protest against unlimited U-Boat war.
Western Front
Somme: Severe British January pressure on the Anere prompts Rupprecht to demand a voluntary retirement to Siegfried Stellung (OHL vetoes on January 29).
Tunstills Men Sunday 28th January 1917:
Billets in the Infantry Barracks in Ypres (I.24.b.2½.8½ to I.24.b.8½.3½)
On yet another bitterly cold day, the Battalion returned to the same sector of the front line as on their previous tour, relieving 11th West Yorks, with the relief complete by 8.20pm.
The application for a commission completed the previous day by CSM Billy Oldfield MM (see 27th January) was endorsed by Major Ashton St. Hill (see 2nd January), temporary C.O. 10DWR. Odfield had also been certified as medically fit by Battalion M.O., Capt. Cecil Berry (see 10th January).
Pte. Walter White (see 14th December 1915), who had originally served with Tunstill’s Company but had been transferred to 2DWR in April 1915, and had subsequently been posted back to England, was reported absent without leave from the Regimental Depot at Halifax.
Africa, Asiatic & Egyptian Theatres:
Considerable progress by British on right bank of Tigris south-west of Kut.
Naval Operations:
Black Sea: 2 Russian destroyers sink or capture 22 Turk sailing craft between Ordu and Sinope (until January 31).
Atlantic: U-53 sinks Spanish SS Nueva Montana (ore for Newcastle) off Ushant and a similar ship on January 29.
Shipping Losses: 9 (3 to mines, 1 to surface action & 5 to U-Boat action)
Neutral:
Mexico: US General Pershing and his troops ordered home.
Anniversary Events:
28 The Roman Emperor Nerva names Trajan, an army general, as his successor. 1547 Henry VIII of England dies and is succeeded by his nine-year-old son Edward VI. 1757 Ahmed Shah, the first King of Afghanistan, occupies Delhi and annexes the Punjab. 1792 Rebellious slaves in Santo Domingo launch an attack on the city of Cap. 1871 Surrounded by Prussian troops and suffering from famine, the French army in Paris surrenders. During the siege, balloons were used to keep contact with the outside world. 1915 The U.S. Coast Guard is founded to fight contraband trade and aid distressed vessels at sea. 1915 The German navy attacks the U.S. freighter William P. Frye, loaded with wheat for Britain.
See you on the Dark Side......
Ouch!
[COLOR=black
Karl
It is impossible for a man to begin to learn what he thinks he knows. -- Epictetus
Today we lost: 315
Monday 29th January 1917
· The son of a member of the clergyToday’s losses include:
· An Albert Medal winner
· The son of a Justice of the Peace· Lieutenant H B H Cox (Royal Flying Corps) is accidentally killed at home. He is the son of G W S Cox JP.
Today’s highlighted casualties include:
Air Operations:
Royal Flying Corps Losses today: 2
Lt Cox, H.B.H. (Hugh Bertram Hamilton), 8 Res Squadron, RFC. Accidently killed whilst flying.
A Mech 1 Dawes, W.D.S. (Wilfred D.S.), HMS President II, RNAS. Died of injuries.
Claims: 7 (Allies 6: Central Powers 1)
LtAlfred Victor Blenkiron, 25 Squadron, RFC, clams his 2nd confirmed victory as an observer in an FE2b, piloted by Lt B Mews, shooting down a Halberstadt DII east of Lens. Whilst serving with the Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's), Alfred Victor Blenkiron was promoted to temporary 2nd Lieutenant on 19 October 1915. He transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in 1916. An observer with 25 Squadron in January 1917, Blenkiron was wounded scoring his second victory from an F.E.2b. For his actions that month, he was awarded the Military Cross. On 3 June 1917, 2nd Lieutenant Blenkiron received Royal Aero Club Aviator's Certificate 4842 on a Maurice Farman biplane at Military School, Gosport. Posted to 56 Squadron as a pilot, he scored two more victories flying the S.E.5a. With 151 Squadron in August 1918, he claimed his fifth victory flying the Sopwith Camel. When the war ended, Blenkiron's marital and financial problems led to a premature death. His body was found in a hotel room in Coulsdon on Saturday morning, 20 March 1920. A coroner's inquest determined he died from prussic acid poisoning.
MdL Marcel Hauss, N57, claims his 5th confirmed victory shooting down a DFW C south of Avincourt.
SLt Henri François Languedoc, N12, claims his 3rd confirmed victory shooting down an Aviatc C near Eptainville. Having joined the army on 21 October 1903, Languedoc was serving with a cavalry regiment when the war began. Promoted to Sous Lieutenant, he transferred to an infantry regiment on 21 March 1915 but was disqualified from further service when he was badly wounded in combat. On 10 January 1916, he joined the French Air Service and received his Pilot's Brevet on 31 March 1916. Posted to Escadrille N12, he scored his first victory flying a Nieuport 11 on 23 October 1916. The following year, Languedoc downed six more enemy aircraft and became N12's leading ace before he was mortally wounded on 16 July 1917.
Lt Henry "Duke" Meintjes, 60 Squadron, RFC, claims his 3rd & 4th confirmed victories in a Nieuport 17 shooting down a C type & an Albatros DIII, both near Bois du Biez. Lieutenant Henry Meintjes received Royal Aero Club Aviator's Certificate 2385 on a Maurice Farman biplane at military school, Thetford on 2 January 1916 and was posted to 60 Squadron. After claiming four victories and becoming a flight commander, he was reassigned to 56 Squadron in April 1917. Scoring his final victories on the evening of 7 May 1917, Meintjes' patrol of S.E.5’s encountered Jasta 11. In the battle that followed, Albert Ball was lost and Meintjes was wounded in the wrist while shooting down two Albatros DIII’s. Meintjes later served with the South African Air Force, attaining the rank of Major.
Lt James Leith Leith, 25 Squadron, RFC, claims his 4th confirmed victory, with observer 2Lt D.C. Woollen, he shot down an Albatros DII near Harnes. After serving with the Hampshire Regiment, James Leith Leith joined the Royal Flying Corps in February 1916. Posted to 25 Squadron, he scored 8 victories with the F.E.2b before joining 46 Squadron as a flight commander, scoring 1 more victory with the Sopwith Camel.
Lt Günther Schuster, Jasta 17, claims his 1st confirmed victory shooting down a Caudron near Nomeny.
Western Front
Tunstills Men Monday 29th January 1917:
Front line trenches in Sanctuary Wood (I.24.b.2½.8½ to I.24.b.8½.3½)
The recent freezing weather continued. It was reported that, “The enemy was rather more active than they were during the previous tour in this sector”, but the Battalion suffered no casualties.
Pte. Jacob Carradice Green (see 12th January) who had returned to duty less than three weeks previously following a stay in hospital, was re-admitted.
The War Office confirmed that Capt. George Reginald Charles Heale MC (see 25th January) had been re-commissioned and instructed to join 3DWR at North Shields as soon as possible.
A medical report on Carl Parrington Branthwaite (see 4th December 1916), who had been permanently discharged from the Army on account of illness contracted in service and had undergone a major operation seven weeks earlier to address the symptoms of TB, found that he “looks wasted and ill”, but that “no TB found in sputum”. He was declared to be totally incapacitated for at least three months.
Following his claim three months earlier for a war pension Fred Tate (see 17th October 1916), who had been an original member of ‘A’ Company but had been discharged on grounds of ill health whilst the Company was in training, was examined by a Medical Board at East Leeds War Hospital. Tate was found to be suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis and he reported the circumstances as, “16 (sic. recte 26) months ago commenced to have a cough and pain in right hand side and became short of breath. Was then in training at Frensham Camp, Surrey. Reported sick but was not taken to hospital, but discharged 12th November 1914 by Regimental MO. Then, six months later admitted to Otley Union Infirmary. Was there 12 months. Latterly working at dye works”. When Tate was examined it was reported that, “Tubercular bacilli found in sputum in very large numbers. Now complains of shortness of breath and pains in the chest. Never spits blood now; last did so two months ago. Says has lost weight. Appears dull mentally and any history is extremely difficult to extract.” The Board had evidence from “Lt. Col i/c 10th West Ridings who states that at present there is no officer serving with this Battalion who can give information as to exposure, rations etc objected to by this man” and they concluded that the TB was not caused by Tate’s military service, thus rendering him ineligible for any pension. However, he was awarded a gratuity of £52.
Africa, Asiatic & Egyptian Theatres:
Progress continued near Kut.
East Africa: 160 soldiers of KAR (Kings African Rifles) besiege Fort Utete on river Rufiji; c.200 Germans escape on rainy night (January 30.31) and maul pursuit (February 2).
Naval Operations:
Announcement of laying of New British minefield from Yorkshire to Jutland.
Francis Herbert Goodhart AM
Just after completing her diving trials the submarine K13 makes one further test. Commander Godfrey Herbert decides to take the submarine down one more time. Checking the control panel he notes that all the lights show the proper green color indicating that the ventilating doors are closed and he begins his dive. One light however malfunctions and though it shows green the boiler room which it represents still has its ventilators open. As soon as the submarine dives the aft compartments flood and 34 sailors are instantly drowned. The sub settles in 10 fathoms of water and Herbert and 47 others sit in near-airless compartments waiting for rescue.
Commander Herbert and Commander Francis Herbert Heveningham Goodhart DSO (commanding officer of sister-boat K14) decide to attempt to reach the surface by equalizing the water and air pressure in the conning tower. They agree that Goodhart will swim to the surface while Herbert will remain behind to stabilize the water and air pressure after he has gone. Accordingly, after placing in his belt a small tin cylinder with instructions for the rescuers, Commander Goodhart goes into the conning tower with Commander Herbert. The conning tower is flooded up to their waists, and the high-pressure air is turned on, the clips of the conning tower are knocked off and the conning tower lid is soon wide open. Commander Goodhart then stands up in the dome, takes a deep breath, and makes his escape, but, unfortunately, is blown by the pressure of air against part of the superstructure, and is killed by the force of the blow. Commander Herbert whose intention it had been to return inside the submarine after Commander Goodhart’s escape is involuntarily forced to the surface by the air pressure, and it is thus rendered possible for the plans for rescuing those still inside the submarine to be carried out. Personally directing a salvage crew, Herbert channels air hoses to his trapped crew through the submarine’s ammunition hoist. Relief comes none too soon as the foul air coming up from the sub is almost black. The ballast tanks are then blown full of air and chain slings are affixed around the submarine. In this manner the sub is hauled up and the 46 men still alive inside her hull are cut out with an acetylene torch. No sooner has the last man stepped from the submarine than the submarine sinks again.The ‘K’-class was designed as fleet submarines capable of 24 kts surfaced. No contemporary diesels were equal to the task so steam turbines were fitted together with a diesel to drive the generator. Over a third of the hull was devoted to machinery.
Shipping Losses: 6 (5 to U-Boat action, 1 to mechanical failure)
Political:
Allies' flags formally saluted at Athens.
Russia: Allied delegation (Lord Milner, Generals Wilson and Castelnau) arrives at Petrograd (until February 21).
Neutral:
Switzerland: Prince Sixtus of Bourbon receives Emperor Charles’ peace letter from his mother (also Empress Zita’s).
Anniversary Events:
1813 Jane Austin publishes Pride and Prejudice. 1861 Kansas is admitted into the Union as the 34th state. 1865 William Quantrill and his Confederate raiders attack Danville, Kentucky.
Last edited by Lt. S.Kafloc; 01-29-2017 at 14:20.
See you on the Dark Side......
Today we lost: 274
Tuesday 30th January 1917
· An Australian Rules footballerToday’s losses include:
· A man whose son will be killed in the Second World War
· A man whose uncle died on service in December 1914
· A family that will lose three sons in the Great War
· A man whose brother was killed at the Battle of Jutland· Lieutenant Harold Carlyle Parker (Australian Infantry) dies of wounds as a prisoner of war at age 25 received in the groin the previous night on a trench raid. He is an Australian Rules footballer.
Today’s highlighted casualties include:
· Second Lieutenant Lionel Calvert (Royal Engineers) is killed. His son will be killed in the first month of the Second World War.
· Private Harry William Holden (Sussex Regiment) is killed at age 23. His uncle died on service in December 1914.
· Private Leslie Hyde Atwill (Cyclist Corps attached Welsh Regiment) is killed at age 24. He is the last of three brothers who lost their lives in the Great War, the other two being killed in 1915.
· Private Cyril George Private (Devonshire Regiment) is killed. His brother was killed at the Battle of Jutland.
Air Operations:
Eastern Front: Airship LZ98 raids Petrograd. But turns back due to bad weather.
Royal Flying Corps Losses today: 1
A Mech 2 Hodgson, B., RFC, aged 31.
Claims: There are no confirmed victories today.
Western Front
Lorraine: Destructive French trench raid south of Leintrey; penetrates to German second line taking PoWs.
Tunstills Men Tuesday 30th January 1917:
Front line trenches in Sanctuary Wood.
A generally quiet day, with no casualties. The weather remained very cold and there was a light fall of snow overnight 30th-31st.
Eastern Front:
Between Tirul swamp and River Aa (Riga) strong German attack succeeds in one sector, 900 Russians taken prisoner.
East of Jakobeny (southern Bukovina) Russians assault and capture important hill fortifications taking over 1,000 prisoners.
Naval Operations:
Shipping Losses: 7 (All attributed to U-55!)
Political:
Allied delegates to Russia hold preliminary meetings at Petrograd on military and financial questions.
Norway forbids submarines in territorial waters.
Germany: Government replies to Wilson’s message from January 22, 1917 and ‘will do her best to protect US interests.’
Anniversary Events:
1649 Charles I of England is beheaded at Whitehall by the executioner Richard Brandon. 1844 Richard Theodore Greener becomes the first African American to graduate from Harvard University. 1862 The USS Monitor is launched at Greenpoint, Long Island. 1901 Women Prohibitionists smash 12 saloons in Kansas. 1912 The British House of Lords opposes the House of Commons by rejecting home rule for Ireland.
See you on the Dark Side......
Today we lost: 360
Wednesday 31st January 1917
· A 1912 OlympianToday’s losses include:
· A man whose brother drowned in the sinking of HMS Laurent
· The son of a member of the clergy
· A footballer and cricket player· Captain Henry Sherard Osborn Ashington (East Yorkshire Regiment), a member of the 1912 Olympic team, is killed by a sniper as he is going round his posts and he dies the same night without recovering consciousness at age 26. In the University Sports of 1912, he won the Hurdles and the Long Jump for Cambridge, in 1913, the Hurdles, the Half-mile and the Long Jump. In 1914 he won the High Jump and the Long Jump, beating his own record. Shortly after the War broke out Captain Ashington was given a Commission in the East Yorkshire Regiment and went to the Belgian Front early in 1915. He was wounded in the advance of July 1916, and was sent to the London Hospital. After some months of light duty he returned to the Front in November 1916, and was promoted Captain. He was mentioned for a gallant action in the General’s Divisional Orders in December 1916.
Today’s highlighted casualties include:
· Cadet Patrick Kerr McNeill (Royal Field Artillery, formerly Glasgow Yeomanry) dies of illness at age 34 at home less than one week after his brother drowned in the sinking of HMS Laurentic. They are sons of the Reverend Daniel McNeill.
· Lance Sergeant Harry Joseph Howard (Sherwood Foresters) is killed in action at age 26. He played for the “Ironville Bible Class” Football Club and “Codnor Park” Cricket Club.
Air Operations:
Britain: Commodore Godfrey Paine Fifth Sea Lord and Director of Air Services (succeeding Rear-Admiral Vaughan-Lee).
Western Front: During January 4 German Jagdstaffeln (fighter squadrons) formed, another 6 in February.
Royal Flying Corps Losses today: 2
Spr Hancocks, E.E. (Edwin Edmondson), General Base Depot, Royal Engineers, RFC, aged 28.
A Mech 1 Hart, W.H. (William H.), Mullion Naval Airship Station, RNAS. Accidently killed aged 23.
Claims: 1
Capt Georges Felix Madon, N38, claims his 5th confirmed victory shooting down an Albatros north os Suippe. Madon's 41 victories place him high among the least recognized top aces of the Great War. Unofficially, Madon was credited with 64 probable victories, for a theoretical total of 105!
Having learned to fly in 1911, Madon entered the army the next year and obtained his military brevet in January 1913. Thus, Corp. Madon was one of the most experienced French military fliers when the war began. While flying with BL.30, he strayed into Swiss airspace in April 1915 but escaped internment in December.
Assigned to MF.218, then-Sgt Madon requested fighter duty and in Sep 1916 he joined N.38. He scored his first victory that month and by year end had four and was promoted to adjutant.
Madon was WIA on 2 July with 12 victories to his credit and was promoted to sous lieutenant in August 1917, becoming a permanent appointment in February 1918. At the end of '17 his string ran to 19 victories, and he continued scoring steadily. He left N.38 in March 1918 when his score stood at 25. He then assumed command of the escadrille which re-equipped with SPADs. Madon's best month was June 1918 when he claimed eight shootdowns. His 41st and final success came on 3 Sept, with temporary promotion to captain on 11 November.
Six years later, Madon was killed in Tunis while flying in a tribute to Roland Garros. He was 32 years old.
Western Front
The Ancre near Beaucourt and west of Serre German attacks fail.
Total of German prisoners taken by British in France during January is 1,228, including 27 officers.
Tunstills Men Wednesday 31st January 1917:
Front line trenches in Sanctuary Wood.
The recent bitterly-cold weather continued. Another generally quiet day, with no casualties.
Former member of Tunstill’s Company, Acting Sgt. George Clark (see 24th October 1916), now serving with ASC, Motor Transport Section in England, having been diagnosed with Raynauds Disease, reverted to the rank of Acting Corporal. This was on account of ‘misconduct’, although the detail was not specified.
2Lt. Harry Widdup (see 11th January), currently on sick leave in England, reported his present address as being, c/o Mrs Barrett, 39 Castle View, Clitheroe.
69th Brigade War Diary recorded casualties for the Brigade for the month of January:
Killed 10 other ranks
Accidentally killed 1 other rank
Died of wounds 0
Wounded 69 other ranks
Accidentally wounded 23 other ranks
Missing 0
10DWR’s casualties were recorded as:
Killed 6 (The Battalion War Diary records 11 killed)
Accidentally killed 0
Died of wounds 0
Wounded 34 (The Battalion War Diary records 35 wounded)
Accidentally wounded 1
Missing 0
These Brigade casualty figures do not take account of the deaths of five men who had been wounded but had died subsequently from their wounds. However, they were accounted for in the figure quoted in the Battalion War Diary.
The official cumulative casualty figures for the Battalion since arriving in France were now:
Killed 154
Accidentally killed 4
Died of wounds 7
Wounded 756
Accidentally wounded 49
Missing 116
Eastern Front:
East of Jakobeny Germans attack three times by night against previous lost positions, but are repulsed with heavy loss.
Naval Operations:
Germany: Government informs US Government it will not ‘leave any means whatever unturned [ie U-Boats terror] to hasten the end of the war. Since the Allies have rebuffed Germany’s attempt to reach an understanding by negotiation … The Imperial German Government must therefore abandon the limitations … imposed upon itself …’.
Germany announces zone in which all shipping liable to be sunk as from Terschelling (Holland) north to Udsive (Norway) then northwest to Faroe Islands and down longitude 20° West 350 miles west of Ireland to Cape Finisterre. Zone also includes whole Mediterranean excluding Balearic Islands and seas east of Gibraltar as far as Spain’s heel. A 20-mile channel left for ships sailing to Greece until January 11, 1918. Archangel added to barred zone on March 1917. Scheer Order of Day says whole Navy must support U-boats.
During January U-Boats have sunk 180 ships (51 British, 63 Allied, 66 neutral including 34 Norwegian) worth 328,391t (British 109,954t), 2 U-Boats lost. U-boat toll in Mediterranean is 75,541t.
While the steamship Rhydwen is lying at Genoa, a fire breaks out in the ship’s magazine. A fire signal is immediately hoisted, but before assistance arrives Boatswain John Bulmer and Private John Edwin Brown (Royal Marines Light Infantry) go below unlock the door of the magazine and get the hose at the seat of the fire. Water is then played on the magazine and the ammunition is taken out on deck and, owing to the prompt action of the ship’s crew, the fire is extinguished. Both men will be awarded the Albert Medal for their efforts. Private Brown will be lost when the steamer Dalewood is torpedoed and sunk in February 1918.
Shipping Losses: 10 (3 to mines & 7 to U-Boat action)
Political:
Germany announces that the traffic of British hospital ships between Great Britain, France and Belgium will no longer be tolerated. The false reason assigned is misuse of the Red Cross.
Anniversary Events:
1606 Guy Fawkes is hanged, drawn and quartered for his part in the Gunpowder Plot, an attempt to blow up Parliament. 1620 Virginia colony leaders write to the Virginia Company in England, asking for more orphaned apprentices for employment. 1788 The Young Pretender, Charles Edward Stuart dies. 1835 A man with two pistols misfires at President Andrew Jackson at the White House. 1865 House of Representatives approves a constitutional amendment abolishing slavery. 1911 The German Reichstag exempts royal families from tax obligations. 1915 Germans use poison gas on the Russians at Bolimov. 1915 German U-boats sink two British steamers in the English Channel. 1916 PresidentWoodrow Wilson refuses the compromise on Lusitania reparations. 1917 Germany resumes unlimited sub warfare, warning that all neutral ships that are in the war zone will be attacked.
Last edited by Lt. S.Kafloc; 01-31-2017 at 04:42.
See you on the Dark Side......
I now hand over the baton to Chris.
See you on the Dark Side......
Yep, the skies are getting more dangerous.
Thanks for the past few weeks Neil, been a bit mental here so welcomed the opportunity to work on some real life stuff. So where were we - looks like there is a war on ....
February 1st 1917
Three airmen lost their lives on this day in 1917
Captain Charles Molyneaux Carbert MC 20 Squadron RFC Killed in Action 1 February 1917 aged 22
Air Mechanic 3rd Class Sydney Harold Hayward 62 Squadron RFC Died 1 February 1917 aged 34
2nd Lieutenant Edward Daniel Spicer 20 Squadron RFC Killed in Action 1 February 1917 aged 18
The following claims were made on this day...
Manfred Von Richthofen (19)
Von Richthofen's combat report: 16:00hrs BE Two Seater No.6742
Over trenches, one kilometre South West of Thelus
Occupants: Lieutenant Murray, Lieutenant McBar (both wounded and died on 2nd February)
About 16:00hrs I spotted, flying with Leutnant Allmenroder, at 1800 metres altitude, an artillery flyer. I managed to approach him within 50 yards apparently unnoticed, with my Halberstadt machine. From this distance, up to only the length of a plane, I fired 150 shots. The enemy plane went down in large uncontrolled right hand curves, pursued by Allmenroder and myself. The plane crashed into the barbed wire of our front lines. The occupants were both wounded and were made prisoners by the infantry. It is impossible to remove the plane.
Weather : Overcast morning, but fine for the remainder of the day
Fernand Jacquet Belgium #5
Walter Göttsch Germany #5 #6
Friedrich Manschott Germany #4
Karl Meyer Germany #6
Manfred von Richthofen Germany #19 (see above)
Werner Voss Germany #4
Voss, an avid motorcyclist, had a love of machinery that led him to consort with his enlisted mechanics, Karl Timms and Christian Rueser; he was even on a first name basis with them. In time, they would transfer squadrons to accompany him. Voss contravened uniform regulations at times and could often be found in the hangar working on his machine beside the mechanics, dressed in a grubby jacket without insignia. His care extended to his craft's exterior; he adorned his Albatros D.III with both a swastika and a heart for good luck. And although he was a casual dresser around his home airfield, when flying he would be well-dressed with a silk shirt beneath his aviation gear. He joked that he wanted to be presentable to the girls of Paris if he were captured; however, the shirt's silk collar protected his neck from chafing while he swivelled his head about watching for other aircraft during flight. Voss scored his first aerial victory on the morning of 26 November 1916, and added a second in his afternoon flight. The two victories brought him the First Class Iron Cross, awarded 19 December 1916. His first victory of 1917, over Captain Daly, inadvertently taught Voss the knack of deflection shooting. Voss later visited Daly in hospital twice.Voss scored rapidly during February and March 1917; of the 15 victories credited to his jasta (squadron) during March, 11 fell under his guns. For his feats, he was awarded the Knight's Cross with Swords of the House Order of Hohenzollern on 17 March. The following day, Voss downed two British aircraft in ten minutes. The first one burned; the second aircrew downed protested they had been strafed by Voss after crashlanding within German lines
Captain Eric Bourne Coulter Betts (Ireland #1) 2 Naval Squadron RNAS
Air Vice Marshal Eric Bourne Coulter Betts, CBE, DSC, DFC (24 January 1897 – 30 October 1971) was an Irish air officer of the British Royal Air Force. He began his career in the Royal Naval Air Service during the First World War. He became a flying ace credited with six aerial victories, although acedom was incidental to his more important mission of long range photographic reconnaissance, for which he was decorated. He remained in military service post-war, rising through the ranks of the Royal Air Force to group captain just before the Second World War began. As that war started, he was an influential participant in the United Kingdom's effort to gear up for the conflict; his sixteen early forecasts of needed personnel and logistic requirements for the Royal Air Force were accurate within a five percent margin. Later in the war, having been promoted to air vice marshal, he was in charge of administration for Middle East Command. He retired in that rank post-war, on 10 March 1946.
Betts began his military service as a signalman in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve.[3] He was commissioned as a temporary sub-lieutenant in the RNVR on 14 October 1915. He was seconded for duty in the Royal Naval Air Service, and assigned to No. 2 (Naval) Squadron as an aerial observer. He gained his first confirmed aerial victory on 1 February 1917, while manning the guns in the rear seat of a Sopwith 1½ Strutter on a long range reconnaissance mission. He received the Distinguished Service Cross and the French Croix de guerre with Palm for this sortie.[3] On 28 February, he was promoted to temporary lieutenant. By June, he was assigned to Hendon NAS; the Admiralty planned long range photographic reconnaissance of German naval bases to the west of the Kiel Canal, and Betts was selected to fly in the Airco DH.4 modified for this mission. Although the mission was cancelled, and the aircraft and air crews were reassigned to Great Yarmouth in August 1917, Betts' award citation for the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) credited him with more than 20 successful long range photo-reconnaissance missions. He was promoted to flight observer on 31 December 1917,and remained with No. 2 Naval Squadron when it became No. 202 Squadron of the newly formed Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918. Teamed with Flight Lieutenant Noel Keeble, he scored five more aerial victories between 5 June and 16 September 1918
The War in The Air
The daylight bomber offensive versus England code named Turk’s Cross is scheduled to begin today with the planned availability of thirty Gotha bombers. Material shortages, production and technical problems plus realistic training impose a three months delay.
8 (Naval) squadron hands it’s Sopwith Pups over to 3 (Naval) Squadron which takes its place in the line with the Royal Flying Corps while Naval Eighth’s personnel are sent back to Dunkirk to reform with the more formidable fighting machine – the Sopwith Triplane.
On this day 730 British Troops were lost:
Today’s highlighted casualties include:
Major Harry Kendal Walpole Bruce MC (Gurkha Rifles) is killed at age 37. He is the son of Lieutenant General ‘Sir’ Henry LeGeyt Bruce KCB.
Captain Geoffrey Howard Atkinson (Rattray’s Sikhs) is killed in Mesopotamia ate 26. His brother was killed in December 1914.
Lieutenant Francis St Leger Greer MC (Irish Guards) dies of wounds at age 22. His brother will be killed in July commanding the 2nd Battalion Irish Guards and they are sons of ‘Sir’ John Henry Greer.
Second Lieutenant E L J Barstow (Sikhs) is killed in action at age 21. His two brothers will be killed serving as Generals in the Second World War.
Second Lieutenant George Mitchell (Sikhs) is killed at age 20 in Mesopotamia. He is the son of the Reverend Robert James Mitchell.
Second Lieutenant Thomas Edwards Brydon (Royal Engineers) dies of wounds at Kut at age 28. He is the nephew of ‘Sir’ Henry Ballantyne.
Sergeant Henry William Gordon (Grenadier Guards) dies of wounds at age 25. He is a member of the Bedfordshire Constabulary.
Private Henry Bruce (Australian Infantry) is killed at age 26. His brother will be killed in September of this year.
Private John Isherwood (Manchester Regiment) dies of wounds at age 27. His two brothers have already been killed in the Great War.
Sapper John Shaw Challenger (Royal Engineers) is killed at age 35. He is the organist and choir master at the Foundry Street Primitive Methodist Church.
Driver Frederick Burgess (Royal Field Artillery) becomes the third of four sons of Thomas and Mary Ann Burgess to lose their lives in the Great War when he is killed at age 18. The fourth brother will die as a result of war service in 1920
Sea War
GERMANY BEGINS FINAL UNRESTRICTED SUBMARINE WARFARE CAMPAIGN: 105 U*-boats in service (42 under repair, 51 lost to date – High Seas Fleet 49, Flanders 23, Baltic 2, Adriatic 24 including Austrian, Constantinople 3). 51 more U-boats ordered. Maximum of 44 at sea on anyone day. Royal Navy C-in-C Ireland has 10 Q-ships operational in home waters and Bermuda.
Britain: 4 new seaplane stations cover Southwestern Approaches. Over 600 neutral ships refuse to sail.
North Sea: HM Special Service Smack I’ll Try (ex- G & E) scores two hits on U-boats. In February Super-Dreadnought Queen Elizabeth becomes Beatty’s Grand Fleet flagship.
Aegean: During February Royal Navy Air Service forms seaplane base for 4 planes at Suda Bay, Crete, to patrol against U-boats.
A U-boat puts out to sea, festooned with garlands, the tribute of the German people’s faith in its destructive power. Almost all the press and the people believed, like the high command, that unrestricted submarine warfare could bring Britain to her knees.
Western Front
Germany: In February German Army now has 15 assault battalions and 2 coys of Stosstruppen (given title of Grenadier, and Guard insignia in March). Each German infantry coy to have 3 Bergmann sub-machine guns.
Britain: BEF forms 1st Tank Brigade (2nd on February 15; 3rd on April 24), Central Work*shops and Stores begun on January 7.
57th Division (on February 6) and 59th Division (on February 21) join BEF.
Flanders*: German infantry wearing winter white battle dress unsuccess*fully raid British positions near Wytschaete. Severe frost on this and several succeeding nights. This week temperature falls below zero °F.
Somme*: Unsuccessful German trench raid near Grandcourt. British trench raiders seize 56 PoWs near Gueudecourt.
Occupied France: During February German senior commanders and staffs, attend tactical School at Solesmes to learn new defence methods (school at Sedan opens in March).
Captain Tunstill's Men: In the evening the Battalion was relieved by 8th Yorks & Lancs, with the last men clear of the trenches by 9.40pm ,and proceeded to Winnipeg Camp, arriving at 1am.
The mixed results of the continuing cold weather were noted in the War Diary of the Divisional Trench Mortar Batttery: “ground became very hard, and many places, hitherto impassable owing to mud, were easily visited; digging was very difficult owing to frost making ground like iron for a depth of two feet”.
Pte. William Holdsworth died of wounds at no.10 Casualty Clearing Station and was buried at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery. From Bradford, he was 30 years old and had married Elizabeth Ann Brannan in 1906 and the couple had five young children. William had been working as a woolcomber but had enlisted soon after the outbreak of war and had served with 8DWR, being wounded in June 1915; on recovering he had been posted to 10DWR. Capt. Alfred Percy Harrison (see 9th October 1916), who had been England since being wounded in action at Munster Alley, returned to France en route to re-joining the Battalion. Lt. Robert Stewart Skinner Ingram (see 29th December 1916), who had been one of the original officers of Tunstill’s Company, but was now a Flying Officer (Observer) with the RFC, was posted to no.28 Squadron based at Gosport.
More on The German's use of unrestricted submarine warfare:
On this day in 1917, the lethal threat of the German U-boat submarine raises its head again, as Germany returns to the policy of unrestricted submarine warfare it had previously suspended in response to pressure from the United States and other neutral countries.
Unrestricted submarine warfare was first introduced in World War I in early 1915, when Germany declared the area around the British Isles a war zone, in which all merchant ships, including those from neutral countries, would be attacked by the German navy. A string of attacks on merchant ships followed, culminating in the sinking of the British ship Lusitania by a German U-boat on May 7, 1915. Although the Lusitania was a British ship and it was carrying a supply of munitions—Germany used these two facts to justify the attack—it was principally a passenger ship, and the 1,201 people who drowned in its sinking included 128 Americans. The incident prompted U.S. President Woodrow Wilson to send a strongly worded note to the German government demanding an end to German attacks against unarmed merchant ships. By September 1915, the German government had imposed such strict constraints on the operation of the nation’s submarines that the German navy was persuaded to suspend U-boat warfare altogether.
German navy commanders, however, were ultimately not prepared to accept this degree of passivity, and continued to push for a more aggressive use of the submarine, convincing first the army and eventually the government, most importantly Kaiser Wilhelm, that the U-boat was an essential component of German war strategy. Planning to remain on the defensive on the Western Front in 1917, the supreme army command endorsed the navy’s opinion that unrestricted U-boat warfare against the British at sea could result in a German victory by the fall of 1917. In a joint audience with the kaiser on January 8, 1917, army and naval leaders presented their arguments to Wilhelm, who supported them in spite of the opposition of the German chancellor, Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg, who was not at the meeting. Though he feared antagonizing the U.S., Bethmann Hollweg accepted the kaiser’s decision, pressured as he was by the armed forces and the hungry and frustrated German public, which was angered by the continuing Allied naval blockade and which supported aggressive action towards Germany’s enemies.
On January 31, 1917, Bethmann Hollweg went before the German Reichstag government and made the announcement that unrestricted submarine warfare would resume the next day, February 1. The destructive designs of our opponents cannot be expressed more strongly. We have been challenged to fight to the end. We accept the challenge. We stake everything, and we shall be victorious.
Last edited by Hedeby; 02-02-2017 at 15:21.
Never Knowingly Undergunned !!
Right lets hope that when I save this it does actually display the pictures and it doesn't close the thread down - which it has a habit of doing recently...
2nd February 1917
6 AIRMEN HAVE FALLEN ON FRIDAY FEBRUARY 2ND 1917
LM William Rufus Cross Royal Naval Air Service, H.M.S. 'President' died on this day in 1917
Air Mechanic 3rd Class Thomas James Jarman Recruits Training Centre, Blandford died on this day aged 40
Lieutenant Duncan John McRae 16 Squadron RFC Missing - Killed in Action 2 February 1917 aged 24 (he was shot down by Manfred Von Richthofen yesterday but died of his wounds in captivity today)
Lieutenant Percival WIlliam Murray 16 Squadron RFC - Missing, Died of Wounds as Prisoner of War 2 February 1917 (he was shot down by Manfred Von Richthofen yesterday but died of his wounds in captivity today)
Air Mechanic 2nd Class A.E. Rogers Recruits Training Centre died on this day in 1917
Flight Lieutenant Walter E Traynor No.8 Naval Squadron RNAS died on this day aged 23. Son of Peter and Ann Traynor, of 10, Winthorpe Rd., Putney, London.
There were the following claims made on this day...
James Thomas Byford McCudden VC, DSO & Bar, MC & Bar, MM claimed his 3rd victory
The son of William and Amelia McCudden, James McCudden joined his father in the Royal Engineers as a 15 year old bugler in 1910. By the time war was declared, he was an aircraft mechanic with 3 Squadron in the Royal Flying Corps. One of three brothers to serve with the R.F.C., he saw combat in France as an observer and gunner before returning to England for flight training in 1916. Flight Sergeant McCudden received Royal Aero Club Aviator's Certificate 2745 on a Maurice Farman biplane at Gosport on 16 April 1916. His talents as a pilot were so extraordinary that he became an instructor within days of receiving his aviator's certificate. By the beginning of April 1918, 22 year old James McCudden was the most decorated pilot in the Royal Air Force. Sadly, he was killed three months later when his aircraft stalled after take off and crashed to the ground
Leutnant Hartmut Baldamus of Jasta 9 claims his 11th victory
When the war began, Baldamus joined the German Air Service. After scoring five victories with FFA 20, he was reassigned to Jasta 5 but failed to score as a single-seat fighting pilot until he was posted to Jasta 9 in November 1916. He scored four victories by the end of the year and nine more victories in 1917. Following a mid-air collision with a Nieuport 17, Baldamus was credited with his 18th victory but was killed in the resulting crash. At the time of his death, he needed two more victories to be eligible for the Blue Max. Sometimes incorrectly identified as Hartmut Baldamus
Leutnant Paul Bona of Jasta 1 claims his 2nd victory.
Offizierstellvertreter Fritz Kosmahl of FA261 claims his 4th victory
On 10 October 1916, Manfred von Richthofen engaged and badly damaged an F.E.2b. Continuing to fire upon the smoking two-seater, Richthofen was forced to withdraw when he was suddenly attacked from the rear. Kosmahl and his observer, Oberleutnant Neubürger, took this opportunity to move in for the kill and shot down the badly damaged aircraft. What might have been the Red Baron's fifth victory became the third for Kosmahl.
One of the earliest recipients of the Knight's Cross with Swords of the Order of the House of Hohenzollern, Kosmahl died from a stomach wound received in combat near Poelcapelle on 22 September 1917.
Vizefeldwebel Friedrich Manschott of Jasta 7 becomes an ace on this day by claiming his 5th victory
Lieutenant Colonel Harold Hartney DSC 20 Squadron RFC claims his 4th kill on this day
Born in Canada, Harold Evans Hartney worked as a clerk in his brother's law firm in Saskatoon after graduating from Toronto University in 1911. After obtaining a graduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, he became a barrister, joined the Saskatoon 105th Fusiliers, and played the cornet in the town's band. Married in 1914, he shipped out for England with the Canadian Expeditionary Force less than a year latter. As he trained with his battalion on Dibgate Plains, Hartney's visit to an aerodrome near Folkstone and a chance meeting with William Bishop led to his request for transfer to the Royal Flying Corps. On 21 October 1915, Hartney entered the RFC at Norwich. The following day, he survived a near fatal first flight in a Maurice Farman longhorn. By the following year he was grasping the stick of an F.E.2, flying reconnaissance missions over the Western Front. After scoring 5 confirmed victories, he was shot down for the fourth time on the afternoon of 14 February 1917. In his autobiography, Up And At 'Em, Hartney claimed Manfred von Richthofen shot him down that afternoon, northeast of Zillebecke Lake. On 21 September 1917, Hartney was promoted to Major and ordered back to Toronto to assume command of the American 27th Aero Squadron. As a member of the United States Air Service, he scored two more victories by the end of the war. In 1923, Hartney became a citizen of the United States and published an autobiography, "Up and at 'Em," in 1940. He died, age 57, in Washington, D.C. from heart disease.
A total of 359 British troops were killed on this day...
HM Trawler Cotsmuir (Skipper James Butler, Royal Naval Reserve) disappears on a passage from Tyne to Humber. There are no survivors and no bodies are ever found. Among the thirteen casualties are the skipper and his son 19-year old Deck Hand James William Butler.
Today’s highlighted casualties include:
Captain Oliver Edward Wormald (Suffolk Regiment) dies of appendicitis at age 32. He has two brothers who will lose their lives in the Great War and two others who served as Chaplains.
Acting Captain Alexander Herbert Robins Mackay MC (Saskatchewan Regiment) is accidentally killed during a machine gun demonstration.
Lieutenant Edmond St Vincent-Ryan (Royal Marines) dies at home at age 22. He has served at Ostend and Gallipoli and his father will die on service in August 1919.
Second Lieutenant Richard Radford Turner (Sussex Regiment) is killed at age 20. He is the son of the Reverend Richard Turner Vicar of Barnstaple.
Sub Lieutenant Richard Arthur Wynne Robinson (Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve) dies of wounds at age 32. He is the son of the Reverend Andrew Craig Robinson Rector of Ballymoney Cork.
Private Gerald Kingsley Webber (Royal Fusiliers) is killed at age 26. His brother was killed on Gallipoli in August 1915 and they are nephews of the headmaster of the Scouth School Invercagill New Zealand.
Private Herbert Edge (Lancashire Fusiliers) dies of wounds at age 32. His brother was killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
Private William Arthur Ellis (Machine Gun Corps) is killed at age 20. His brother will be killed in November.
Private Harry Victor Bowden (Sussex Regiment) dies of wounds at age 21. His brother will be killed in March 1918.
Captain Tunstill's Men: The Battalion was employed mainly in training, with the provision of some working parties. The weather remained fine and cold.
Brig. Genl. Thomas Stanton Lambert (no relation of mine) returned from his one months’ leave in England (see 2nd January). This released 10DWR C.O., Lt. Col. Robert Raymer (see 2nd January), who had been in temporary command of 69th Brigade, to return to the Battalion, but in fact the Battalion remained under temporary command of Major Ashton St. Hill (see 28th January), while Raymer went on three weeks’ leave.
2Lt. John Keighley Snowden (see 27th January), who had been wounded at Le Sars, appeared before a further Medical Board; he was declared unfit for duty, with his case to be reviewed in another month. Pte. Keith Sagar Bain (see 17th December 1916), who had remained at no.7 Infantry Base Depot, Le Havre, since arriving in France seven weeks earlier, was transferred to No.8 IBD, still at Le Havre; he had recently submitted his application for a commission and would later serve with 10DWR. The weekly edition of the Craven Herald reported on the recent leave enjoyed by Pte. Arthur Herbert Procter (see 21st January) and his brother.
AUSTWICK
On Leave: Pte. E.A. Procter, of the West Yorks, eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Procter, Eldroth, has been home on ten days’ leave. He has seen heavy fighting and during the very wet weather he got trench feet, and was afterwards invalided to England. He has since returned to France and rejoined his Regiment. Signaller A.H. Procter, brother of the above, has also been home on ten days’ leave. He was wounded on October 5th with a shrapnel ball in his chest and side, and shortly afterwards he was sent to England, and since then he has been in hospital at Aberdeen. He enlisted in September 1914, in the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, and was the first who joined the company formed by Capt. Tunstill at Settle. Private James Harrison, of the West Yorkshire Regiment, has been home on 48 hours leave before leaving for India. Pte. R. Ewbank and Pte. T. Robinson have also been home on short leaves.
Home Fronts
Britain: Food Controller appeals for voluntary weekly rationing (London February meat consumption falls 15%).
Germany: U-boat workers, railway men (February 12) and other key sectors put under Auxiliary Service Law due to widespread job changing. Coal use restricted on February 3.
Pineapples with everything ! They were cheaper than potatoes in UK in February 1917.
Neutrals
USA: Wilson tells Cabinet he wants neither side to win.
Eastern Front
Baltic Provinces: German attacks east of Kalutsem Highroad (west of Riga) repulsed.
Naval and Overseas Operations
Off Anatolian coast Russian warships sink 18 small Turkish vessels.
Bruges harbour bombed by British naval airmen.
Political, etc.
Stambul University proposes German Emperor as recipient of Nobel Peace Prize.
Appeal to nation for food economy by Lord Davenport.
Never Knowingly Undergunned !!
Bingo!
Right lets hope that when I save this it does actually display the pictures and it doesn't close the thread down - which it has a habit of doing recently...
What a relief. It's enough work for you without sabotage from within your own department.
Rob.
"Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."
Thanks for your time and effort for this good read
Well its been a long week, but its the weekend at last and its beer and Vapnartak this weekend so I must remember to do tomorrow's post at some point during daylight hours before I become too 'cultured' to see straight...
3rd February 1917
2 AIRMEN HAVE FALLEN ON SATURDAY FEBRUARY 3RD 1917
2nd Lieutenant Alexander Allen Gray MC 42 Reserve Squadron RFC - Killed whilst flying (Accidental)
Air Mechanic 2nd Class E.G. Savage - RFC - died on this day in 1917 no further details could be found.
There was just the one claim on this day...
Sous Lieutenant Henri François Languedoc N12 claims his 4th victory.
Having joined the army on 21 October 1903, Languedoc was serving with a cavalry regiment when the war began. Promoted to Sous Lieutenant, he transferred to an infantry regiment on 21 March 1915 but was disqualified from further service when he was badly wounded in combat. On 10 January 1916, he joined the French Air Service and received his Pilot's Brevet on 31 March 1916. Posted to Escadrille N12, he scored his first victory flying a Nieuport 11 on 23 October 1916. The following year, Languedoc downed six more enemy aircraft and became N12's leading ace before he was mortally wounded on 16 July 1917.
On this day there were 586 British losses
Today’s highlighted casualties include:
Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Hay (commanding 8th Welsh Fusiliers) is killed in Mesopotamia at age 44. He is a veteran of the South Africa War and son of Lieutenant General ‘Sir’ Robert John Hay KCB.
Major John Morth Woollcombe (Devonshire Regiment) is killed at age 39. He is the son of the Reverend Henry Woolcombe and he served in the South African War.
Captain Maurice Jeffrey Savory (Duke of Wellington’s Regiment) is killed at age 22. His brother will be killed in August.
Captain Herbert Edward Hosking (Punjabis) is killed in Mesopotamia at age 31. His brother was killed in October 1914 when his airplane was shot down by friendly fire.
Second Lieutenant John Bertram Partington (Devonshire Regiment) is killed at gae 32. He is the son of the Reverend Thomas Partington Vicar of Netherfield.
Gunner Seymour Waldegrave Henry Soole (Royal Horse Artillery) dies at home while on active service at age 39. He is the son of the late Reverend Seymour Henry Soole Vicar of Greyfriars.
Private Arthur Raymond Summers (Grenadier Guards) dies on service at home. His brother died of wounds as a prisoner of war last July.
Private William Henry Tothill (Devonshire Regiment) is killed in Mesopotamia at age 18. His brother will drown while serving on HMS Resolution in May 1920.
Private Thomas William Clucas (Border Regiment) is killed at age 36. His son will lose his life serving in the merchant marine in December 1942.
Western Front
East of Beaucourt (north of the Ancre) British line advanced 500 yards on a front of 1,200 yards; over 100 prisoners taken, and counter-attacks repulsed.
First Portuguese contingent arrives in France. France succeeded in convincing its British ally to accept Portuguese reinforcements and a Corpo Expedicionário Português (CEP) was soon assembled and shipped to France to await orders. The CEP, under the command of General Tamagnini, landed in the Breton port of Brest in February 1917 and was subsequently stationed in Aire-sur-la-Lys, a small town in the region of Pas-de-Calais. The Portuguese troops were, from then on, attached to the 11th Corps of the 1st British Army under General Henry Horne. In October 1917 the CEP comprised nearly 56,500 men.
Captain Tunstill's Men: As the fine cold weather continued, so too did traing and the provision of working parties.
Pte. Walter White (see 28th January), who had been absent without leave from the Regimental Depot at Halifax for the previous week now returned. The nature and extent of his punishment is not known.
Lt. Paul James Sainsbury (of the famous grocery/retail family) (see 18th December 1916) serving with 3DWR at North Shields, who had recently been declared fit for general service, was admitted to 1st Northern General Hospital in Newcastle suffering from acute appendicitis; he underwent an operation to remove his appendix.
Naval and Overseas Operations
S.S. "Heusatonic", American grain ship, torpedoed off Scilly Isles. Crew rescued by British ship.
The United States severs diplomatic ties with Germany after a U-Boat sinks the American grain ship Housatonic. Seven more American ships are sunk in February and March as the Germans sink 500 ships in just sixty days.
Political, etc.
President Wilson severs diplomatic relations between U.S.A. and Germany.
Count Bernstorff receives his passports and Mr. Gerard is recalled from Berlin.
U.S.A. demands immediate release of over 60 Americans taken prisoner by German Atlantic raider.
and finally...
Having spent two days and three nights in Winson Green Gaol, Mrs. Alice Wheeldon, her two daughters, Harriett Ann Wheeldon and Mrs. Winifred Mason, and her son-in-law, Alfred George Mason, chemist’s assistant, who are charged with conspiracy to murder the Prime Minister and Mr. Arthur Henderson, left Birmingham for Derby by the 8.45a.m. train to-day. They were brought from the prison to New-street Station in the motor-van. When it arrived in the station rive at 8.35 the only people about were a few station officials. Immediately afterwards Chief Inspector Whittingham and three members of the A Division of the city police arrived on the scene. By the time the train steamed in the crowd in the drive was 200 strong. Apart from the passengers who alighted from the train there were very few people on the platform and as the gates were shut the majority of these were not aware of what was going on outside. The accused were in charge of Warders Michael McLelhannan and Williams, and the wardresses from Winson Green, and as they stepped out of “Black Maria” they had to push their way through the crowd in the drive. Mason was wearing a heavy grey overcoat, with a cap to match, while all four endeavoured to appear lighthearted. It was true they all managed to smile but it was of a semi-sarcastic sort. Even when they had taken their seats in a third class compartment, the blinds of which were drawn, a knot of people were not satisfied, but remained on the platform until the train departed. We understand that whatever happens at the trial today the accused will not be brought back to Winson Green tonight.
Never Knowingly Undergunned !!
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