Private Harry Fletcher

[Guest J.Woodward]

I was wondering if anyone could help with this one, what battalion of the Lincolns was Private Harry Fletcher in? I need to know rather quickly and won't have time to get to the PRO you see,

Thaks

Joe

[Guest Hill 60]

If you are talking about Private 41373 Harry Fletcher then he was in the 5th Bn.

He was killed on the 21st March 1918, which is the same day as one of my great uncles.

The CWGC state the following:

Son of Mrs. Fletcher, of 66, Weelsby St., New Clee, Grimsby, Lincs.

Cemetery: ARRAS MEMORIAL Pas de Calais, France

Grave or Reference Panel Number: Bay 3 and 4.

Is this what you were after?

[Guest J.Woodward]

Thanks Lee, it could well be. The chap I'm after donated, or his family did, his wartime letters, papers etc to the North East Lincolnshire Archive Service, I'm searching for personal papers from members of the 10th Battalion and as no Battalion was mentioned in the details provided by the Archive Service I was hoping that Private Fletchers was a 10th Lincolns man. It would seem not,

Cheers Joe

[Cliff. Hobson]

Joe, re. 10th Lincolns

for your info., attached.

STREETS ARTHUR ROBERT (ARCHIE) N. 10636 Age 25 10th Lincolns. K. in A. 9th April 1917. Grave Roclincourt Valley Cemetery, ref.,III.F.2. Pas.de.Calais, France.

15th October 1915 (approximate date)

Writing to his Parents Mr. & Mrs. R Streets Scotland Lane Corporal A Streets with the B.E.F. in France says I hear that W. Hunt. H. Holden & G. Wilson are in Hospital wounded . We are all very lucky we came out of that go. I have not heard anything of other Whitwell lads . When we had to retreat we were scattered all over the place like lost sheep and that is how I never saw any of my pals. I was left in the trenches with an Officer Sergeant Major and some N.C.O.s and about 30 men and all the other men were told to clear out and make the best of it. We who were left behind loaded our rifles and peppered the enemy who were dropping like skittles but there were too many of them for what few there were of us. Then we had to go and make the best of it, I got through alright but one chap who was running at my side just got into the wood when a bullet hit him in straight in the back and he dropped. I then lost my pals altogether and joined the Notts. and Derbys. and we made another attack upon them and got them back a bit. Some of these chaps came from Creswell and they knew Uncle Ben. and his lads. Then when I advanced with my new Regt., I met 2or 3 of my own men and went with them.

Night was drawing in and we got relieved by-------- and what was left of our Regt., had to fall in together down on the Village. We could not get to know where we could get some snap and I can tell you I was almost exhausted what made it worse was the slight gas attack and it made me breathe faster than I ever did in my life.

When we were in the trenches we had our packs off . These contained Overcoats shirt socks pants towel and soap , cap comforter, and holdall containing knife fork spoon razor and toothbrush. When the Boches came we abandoned all these to make good our escape. One Scottish Soldier had a prisoner who was begging for mercy he said big family, mercy comrade, what happened after that I am not going to tell you but you can guess. When we answered the Roll Call the Whitwell Lads who answered were F. Webster, T Turner, J. Buckingham, (K. in. A. 12th. October 1917, N. K. G. Comm. Arras Memorial.) G. Topley, A. Rutledge H. Beardsley, A. Medlam and myself.

I am writing up the history of the men who served in the 1914/18 war from my home village and I wondered if you could throw any light on the action of the 10th Lincolns to which Archie Streets refers to in his letter or the best place to go to for information.

Out of the 370 men who went from the village 120 joined the Lincolns and 170 joined the Notts and Derbys ( Sherwood Foresters) the County Regt.,