2/Lt William Frederick Law Johnson - WiA Nieuport Sector August 1917

[ProudGrandson]

Hi everyone. I'm new to the forum today. 

My Grandfather, William Frederick Law Johnson (Fred) was injured at Nieuwpoort on 1st August 1917, in a night time raid on the German trenches.

His orders (see attached) contain references to 'Nun' trench and 'Nice' trench.

I was wondering if anyone could point me to a map of the trenches (if it's not shown on the one above) and tell me where that might correspond to on a modern map of the town?

There was mention of a German rounding a wall in his memoir so I'm assuming it was a built up area rather than  a field. But beyond that, I'm stuck. 

Fred was hit by shrapnel from a grenade and was recovered by a comrade the next morning. He was treated in a field hospital, then moved to De Panne, where he was visited at bedside by the King and Queen of Belgium who were volunteering there. Fred lived to his 80s, with the shrapnel still in his body, but died when I was six.

Grateful for any help you can provide. Thanks.

[RussT]

 

2 hours ago, ProudGrandson said:

William Frederick Law Johnson (Fred) was injured at Nieuwpoort on 1st August 1917

Welcome to the Forum.

Can you let us know which Regiment/Battalion (or other Corps if relevant) Fred was in when he was injured? I can just about see at the top of your document that he might well have been in the 1/7th West Yorkshire Regiment.

Here is a map showing the Nice and Nun trenches marked out for August 1917 - they were in the St George's sector - I have magnified that area to make it clearer. For some bizarre reason, the map is being loaded upside down!

The map was sourced from the 2nd/KOYLI War Diary - available free from TNA.

I'm not sure whether the map is on TrenchMapper - if it is, it will be possible to overlay it on a modern map to see exactly where those trenches are in relation to the modern-day landscape.

A fascinating document/memoir you have there. One of my relatives was fatally injured in this sector in mid-July 1917 during Unternehmen Strandfest (Battle of the Dunes) so I have been studying the events/area quite a bit and managed to visit the locations last year to follow his footpath and explore all the other local WW1 areas of interest. A rather neglected sector but it's an excellent area to visit - and at the coast too!

I would be interested to learn a bit more of Fred's story - in particular if he details the medical units involved during his evacuation from the front line to Hospital in De Panne.

Regards

Russ

(Images courtesy TNA)

 

 

 

[RussT]

I can now see from the 1/7th WYR WD that he was the 2/Lt that led B Company on that raid, and which also records his wounding.

 

[ProudGrandson]

Thanks so much for your reply Russ and the maps. The layout of the channels makes it possible to place him roughly I think, which is amazing.

He was a 2nd LT with the 1/7 Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment, No.5 platoon, B Company.

He was rescued from the crater hole by a Sgt J Lancaster (would love to know more about him too) and evacuated to Ambulance de l'Ocean La Panne. I have various letters from a Red Cross nurse and doctor that were sent to Fred's parents to let them know where he was and the nature of his injuries.

Thanks again.

[Chris_Baker]

Great stuff, ProudGrandson. I cover the Nieuwpoort area in some depth, which includes some guided walks, in my recent book "From the Channel to the Ypres Salient: the Belgian Sector" (in the Battleground Europe imprint of Pen & Sword Military). Might be useful if you ever go to see where your grandfather was in action.

[RussT]

TrenchMapper does have some maps of the area - all rather poor ones unfortunately.

You GFs Operations Order quotes the Trench Map coordinates for the raid's point of entry. I have plotted these (as pins) and you can see how they are at Rat & Rose Trenches opposite Nun and Nice Trenches.

The slider allows you to fade out progressively the trench map to the modern-day one - so also shows the pins on the modern-day map with the same scale.

Russ

 

[Chris_Baker]

The spot in question is, unfortunately, not too good for walking. The N358 Brugsevaart is a pretty busy road with no footpath (you could walk along the cycleway but make sure your life insurance is up to date ..). The two front lines run across inaccessible fields, and of course a creek bisects both, although you do get a reasonable view from the N358. Same from Polderdijk, which is just a narrow tarmac lane, so again take care if walking it.

Edited 5 October by Chris_Baker

[ProudGrandson]

Thank you so much both. I might need a tutorial in how Trenchmapper works! Will spend some time on it this weekend.

My son (Fred's Great Grandson) is off on a battlefields trip with school at half term. Hopefully he will pass somewhere close.

Do either of you have any advice on how I might track down more info on Sgt Lancaster? It seems that without him, I probably wouldn't be here.

Thanks again

Rob

 

[Howard]

4 hours ago, ProudGrandson said:

Hi everyone. I'm new to the forum today. 

My Grandfather, William Frederick Law Johnson (Fred) was injured at Nieuwpoort on 1st August 1917, in a night time raid on the German trenches.

His orders (see attached) contain references to 'Nun' trench and 'Nice' trench.

I was wondering if anyone could point me to a map of the trenches (if it's not shown on the one above) and tell me where that might correspond to on a modern map of the town?

There was mention of a German rounding a wall in his memoir so I'm assuming it was a built up area rather than  a field. But beyond that, I'm stuck. 

Fred was hit by shrapnel from a grenade and was recovered by a comrade the next morning. He was treated in a field hospital, then moved to De Panne, where he was visited at bedside by the King and Queen of Belgium who were volunteering there. Fred lived to his 80s, with the shrapnel still in his body, but died when I was six.

Grateful for any help you can provide. Thanks.

If you put the full map reference into TrenchMapper, it will look like 12.M.24.d.95.10 or 12.M.24.d.45.35, i.e. with the sheet number 12 first.

Put one in and click Convert. Then change map in the left panel to suit date and purpose. You can right-click to add a marker to retain them.

You could also put Nun or Nice in the search box, and then knowing it is sheet 12, choose some of the available points. You may have to change maps to see the name, not every map shows all the trench names (or even some of them!)

Use the Opacity Slider top right to see the modern map, use the layer icon to change the modern base map, use the main menu to draw lines and all sorts of other tools like Street View.

Howard

 

[ProudGrandson]

Many thanks again - getting to grips with it now!

[ProudGrandson]

I do have a couple of numbers for Sgt John Lancaster.
265511 and Regiment number 2543.

He seems to have survived the war as I have a record of him in the National Archives - attached - with a discharge date.
Have happily made a donation to the forum today - you've been a massive help.

Thanks again

WO-372-11-234373.pdf

[RussT]

42 minutes ago, ProudGrandson said:

I do have a couple of numbers for Sgt John Lancaster.
265511 and Regiment number 2543.

Are you saying that your GF memoirs provides those details for J Lancaster i.e. his forename, John, and those service numbers? If so, then he is easily found, as you have done.

Or are you offering up him is a possible candidate for the "J Lancaster" you mentioned earlier?

I did have a look at him.

His is a Private on his 1914/1915 Star although he did finish as a Corporal at the end as per his VM/BWM.

He may of course have been an Acting Sergeant (A/Sgt) or Lance Sergeant (L/Sgt) at the time in August 1917 and so his substantive rank for medal entitlement purposes would be Corporal, as recorded on his MIC/Medal Roll. But he is recorded as being wounded in December 1917 with the rank Corporal - see image below. Note that others on that list are recorded as L/S and L/C etc so it does not seem to be an oversight in recording him as Corporal rather than A or L/Sgt if he were to have had such a rank in December 1917. Of course there is the possibility that he lost his Acting or Lance status and reverted to full Corporal some time between August and December 1917.

There are other men named J Lancaster in the WYR (although it's encouraging that the one you found did indeed serve in the 1/7th Bn). You would also need to consider the possibility that he transferred to a different Regiment later (many did) and/or he himself was commissioned later.

Russ

Image courtesy FMP

 

[ProudGrandson]

Thanks again Russ. I have a list of all the men involved in the raid and Sgt J Lancaster was on it with that service number. I used it to search and the national archive has a medal record with his discharge given as 11/04/18. 
That’s all I’ve been able to find.

[RussT]

9 minutes ago, ProudGrandson said:

I have a list of all the men involved in the raid and Sgt J Lancaster was on it with that service number.

Ah, that's great - so there is no doubt you have the right man.

Being wounded in December 1917, I thought he might appear on a War Office Casualty List but I can't see one for him.

I did find him on a Wounded WO (The Times) list dated 28/09/1916 as 2543 Sgt J Lancaster - together with other WYR men who were also possibly 1/7th Bn. The actual event that led to appearing on such a list is typically circa 4 week earlier - so you could look at the WD around that time to see what was happening that led to Lancaster's wounding.

Being wounded generally, I thought there might be a possibility he made a Pension claim but he does not appear in the WFA Pension cards, which is a pity as those cards normally have personal details on them e.g. addresses etc.

The only other detail I can find is that his BWM/VM Medal Roll tells you he was disembodied on 19/03/1919.

Perhaps you already know/have this but your GF's Officer Service File is available to order ......

Lieutenant William Frederick Law JOHNSON. The Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire... | The National Archives

Russ

Image Courtesy - The Genealogist

 

[RussT]

Eventually found him (as Cpl) in a WO Casualty List dated 26/01/1918 - note that's circa 4 weeks after the actual wounding (23/12/1917) as per the norm.

The only additional bit of information is that his NoK, and perhaps him too, was from Leeds.

Russ

Image Courtesy - The Genealogist

 

[RussT]

A short description of the outcome of the raid in the 146th Infantry Brigade Headquarters War Diary.

Image courtesy TNA

Russ

[charlie2]

The history of Matrosen Regiment 4, the German Regiment holding the line at the points to be attacked, only records that the enemy was easily repulsed. Two Officers are recorded as being wounded on the 1st August but it is not clear whether due to the raid or later in the day.

Charlie

 

[ProudGrandson]

Thank you Charlie. Afraid my German isn't up to much but it's been great to have all this additional information.

[ProudGrandson]

@RussT you wanted some more info on the medical units involved. I only have brief mentions in my uncle's book...

Sgt Lancaster carried him to a First Aid Post. From there, Fred was taken to an Advanced Dressing Station, then by motor transport to the Belgian Red Cross Hospital at La Panne.

He was treated by a matron, Elsie Boutle, who wrote to his parents, informing them of his condition, and reportedly enjoyed visits from the King and Queen of Belgium.
 

Fred was moved to the 7th Stationary Hospital in Boulogne about five weeks after his wounding, then to the Military Hospital in Manchester. He was discharged from the army on 25/01/19.

[Chris Noble]

The location of both trenches, viewed from 'Rat Post'. I do have some photos of 'Nun' and 'Nice' but I will have to search my files.

Kind regards,

Chris

[Howard]

You can put the map reference or placename in TrenchMapper then right click and choose Street View. Then you can have a look around. Of course, it only offers views from roads or tracks that the Google camera car went down

Map from from above:- 12.M.24.d.95.10

Howard

[ProudGrandson]

Thank you both. It looks so peaceful now. 
I'm sadly drawing a blank on my attempts to track down Pte/Cpl/Sgt John Lancaster, 265511.

Does anyone know where I might go to pick up his trail, following disembodiment on 19/03/19?

Many thanks again.
 

[RussT]

20 minutes ago, ProudGrandson said:

Does anyone know where I might go to pick up his trail, following disembodiment on 19/03/19?

Do you already have or have you ordered your GF's Service Record? You never know, there might be some correspondence in there concerning John Lancaster.

You could also explore local Leeds newspapers - perhaps he gets a mention in one for this and/or other deeds he did during the war.

Is there anything in the Leeds Rifles?

 

 

[ProudGrandson]

Thanks Russ, I believe his letters,  diaries and other docs are with the IWM. I've got a request into them to check.

Will see about ordering a copy of the Leeds Rifles book.

[Chris Noble]

Leeds Absent Voters records John Lancaster residing at Fallowfield Avenue, off Clay Pit Lane, Leeds. Pretty close to Carlton Barracks.

Kind regards,

Chris