DCM & MM winner 4th KRRC

[Gordon Caldecott]

Fasinating........many thanks guys for all you help with this. It truely is an interesting story. But not over yet I feel. I will visit the local Archives Dept, and see if the local press ran a story on his death, which might tell us more, maybe even a picture of him. If I find anything, I`ll post it on the forum, fingers crossed.

[Gordon Caldecott]

St Asaph War Memorial

[irvmort]

Sergeant George was on the Indian Unattached List from the KRRC - as it happens I have a MSM group to No. 5 Squadron Sergeant Major C. T. Marwood of the 2nd Wireless Signal Squadron - attached from 3rd KRRC. The following is taken from my research on Marwood, but does contain info on the defenders at Kut:

xx.xx.1910 In 1910 Lieutenant Colonel S. H. Powell, R.E., an ex Bengal Sapper and Miner, was posted to Army Headquarters to organize a Signal Service for India. At this time the Army in India was organized into ten divisional areas, including one in Burma. In each area there was a field division, and cavalry brigades and other units were allocated as appropriate. The divisional areas in India were centred on Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Quetta, Mhow, Poona, Meerut, Lucknow and Secunderabad. There were also three independent brigades on the Northwest Frontier. The defence commitments were threefold-to protect the frontier against tribal incursions; internal security; and to provide a field force in the event of war with an external power. It was not considered necessary to have any signal units for internal security.

xx.xx.1911 A pool of four divisional signal companies was raised early in 1911 to be used as required for the field force or for major frontier expeditions. They were designated Nos 31, 32, 33 and 34 Divisional Signal Companies, Sappers and Miners, and were independent of the existing three Corps.

27.01.1911 A draft of 2 sergeants, 1 corporal, 89 Riflemen and 5 boys from the 1st Battalion joined the 3rd KRRC. Embarked at Southampton on H.T. Rewa on 4 January 1911, they arrived at Karachi on 25 January 1911.

13.02.1911 Five Riflemen, 6 women and 14 children joined the Battalion from Malta. They had embarked on the H.T. Dongola on 24 January.

09.04.1911 The 3rd KRRC left Ambala for Dagshai.

15.04.1911 Battalion marched to the hill station of Dagshai.

22.06.1911 Coronation of King George V.

xx.06.1911 No 41 Wireless Signal Squadron (later Company) was authorized to be raised. The cadres of these units came from the Sappers and Miners, but the greater part of the British and Indian ranks consisted of volunteers from regimental signalers of units in India. The British officers were seconded for a period of four years and the British other ranks were transferred from their regiments to be held on the Indian Unattached List. The commanding officers were empowered to return unsuitable men to their units and in consequence all five companies acquired a very high standard of efficiency within the limits of the equipment then available.

15.09.1911 Marwood was seconded to the India Unattached List as Private No 5 - and posted as a telegraphist with No 41 Wireless Signal Company at Roorke.

19.11.1911 The 1911 Coronation Durbar was celebrated. Marwood was granted a Delhi Durbar Medal of 1911 from the allotment to No 41 Wireless Signal Company. This unit subsequently took part in the 1912 Durbar maneuvers, but “ . . . was unsuccessful with regard to wireless communications, as the report by Lance-Bombardier A. E. Eason clearly shows: “Signals there [at Delhi] were a washout, because the powerful Delhi station cut us out.” (SAHR - Number 311 - p. 224)

xx.xx.1913 No 41 Wireless Signal Company (including Marwood) moved back to Saugor and as soon as they had been supplied with horses there was plenty of scope to move around the area to practice wireless communications. It is recorded that ‘quite good signals [were achieved] up to 40 and 50 miles.’

xx.05.1914 Lieutenant A. C. Sykes RE joined the 41st WSC. On joining he found “. . . that the wireless equipment was of the most antique and rudimentary nature. However, new equipment had been on order for some time and five new Marconi pack sets of the latest design arrived in July.” (SAHR - Number 311 - p. 224)

05.08.1914 War was declared in Europe. No 41 WSC was ordered to move to Poona in September. On arrival the Company was expanded. It then provided a detachment to monitor wireless communications from neutral ships in Goa Harbour who were suspected pf passing wireless messages to the German raider Emden, at that time operating in the Indian Ocean. It is most likely that Corporal Marwood was one of those so detailed, as he was one of the most experienced operators in the unit by that time.

27.09.1914 The 3rd KRRC was ordered to prepare for embarkation for England en route to France. A number of other-rank specialists of both the 3rd and 4th Battalions of the KRRC were left in India on the India Unattached List (I.U.L.) on assignment to Indian formations Corporal No 5 C.T. Marwood of the No 41 Wireless Signal Company was one of these men.

10.12.1914 Corporal C.T. Marwood, I.U.L. entered the Macedonian theatre of war as a member of the Signal Service Telegraph Department, landing with elements of the 6th (Poona) Division from India. They were to be known as Indian Expeditionary Force “D”. By the end of the year they had defeated the Turks at Sahil and occupied Bashra and Durna. Elements of the Indian Signal Service Telegraph Department - including No 41 Wireless Signal Company, landed with the 6th (Poona) Division in Mesopotamia, as part of Indian Expeditionary Force “D”. By the end of the year the British had defeated the Turks at Sahil and occupied Bashra and Durna.

xx.03.1915 In March 1915 Force ‘D’ was reinforced by the addition of 6th Indian Cavalry Brigade, 12th Indian Division and Headquarters II Indian Corps, and became known as the Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force. Further small-scale engagements with the Turks were successful and these encouraged advances up the Tigris to Amara and up the Euphrates to Nasiriya. Despite the fact that the Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force had not the administrative resources to maintain the forward troops, if they became seriously committed, the field of operations continued to expand and in October 1915, when Major General Townshend's 6th Division had reached Aziziya, some 400 miles up the Tigris from Basra, the Commander-in-Chief was given permission by the War Cabinet to make a bid for Baghdad, 100 miles farther on.

Included in the reinforcements which reached the theatre in March 1915, when ‘D’ Force was expanded into an army corps, were a cavalry brigade signal troop and some additional pack wireless stations. A corps signal company followed later. Major L. H. Queripel, Royal Artillery (who had commanded No 33 Indian Divisional Signal Company when it was raised in 1911) was appointed as Assistant Director of Army Signals and Telegraphs. Force Headquarters, to which was attached an Inspector General of Communications, was established at Basra

12.04.1915 The battle of Shaiba was fought until the 15th - a striking victory which frustrated the Turkish attempt to break the British ring of occupation round the head of the Persian Gulf.

03.06.1915 The town of Amara on the Tigris River was rushed by river-steamers and taken by the British.

25.07.1915 Nasiriya (on the Euphrates River) was taken by the British, thus placing the British in occupation of a wide area in southern Mesopotamia. Marwood, then a Corporal was recommended by his O.C. for a mentioned-in-despatches for good work during the Euphrates operations from the 26th of June to the 25th of July, 1915.

27.09.1915 The Turks were defeated by Major-General Townshend at Es-Sinn, some eight miles below Kut.

xx.10.1915 In the autumn No 41 Wireless Signal Company was enlarged and converted into No 1 Wireless Signal Squadron; and at about the same time some Marconi 1½ kW wagon sets arrived. This equipment was built into a special four-horsed limbered wagon. It was provided with a 6 horsepower Douglas engine and had an aerial consisting of two 150 foot wires carried on 50 foot masts. There were three fixed wavelengths, centering on 1,000 metres, and the communication range was regularly 150 miles, though on occasions it was as much as 350 miles. Communication with Kut was maintained throughout the siege by means of these sets.

07.12.1915 General Townshend pressed on to Ctesiphon but, with his line of communication stretched to breaking point and his troops exhausted, he was unable to defeat the Turks, who had been strongly reinforced. After a fierce engagement he was compelled to withdraw along his L. of C. to Kut-al-Amara, whither he was pursued by the enemy, and on 7 December was isolated and besieged.

Irv Mortenson

[chris.wight]

Gordon, thanks for posting the photo of his commemoration on the Memorial. I notice they didn't include his MM. That would be very interesting to hear if you come across further details.

Irv, that was fascinating reading. Did your fellow spend the rest of the war in the East? I also noticed in the same London Gazette issue that announced Sjt. George's DCM, that another fellow from the S & M, Cpl. W. Slater, #32 (Birmingham) was also awarded the DCM.

[irvmort]

Chris:

Yup - SSM Marwood did spend the remainder of the war in the East. If you're interested, I'm be happy to send you my research file on him off-list. Send me an email address at irvmort@olypen.com and I'll get the doc off to you.

Irv