Military History

John is said to have been wounded in the knee/leg on 24th September 1914 during the Battle of the Aisne, he was returned to England for treatment at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham and operated on to remove the shrapnel on September 25, he was reported to be ‘going on very comfortably,’ but died of his wounds in the Bourn Brook Military Hospital on Wednesday October 7. Source: KEVI School website. The 2nd Battalion war diary for the period 22nd to 24th September is transcribed below along with a report from the Stratford Herald.

Vendresse - Tuesday, 22nd September 1914: Still sit in the sun. Very restful. At 1pm message comes that A and C Coys are to be ready to move at once as 15th Brigade on our right expects an attack shortly.

We prepare but presently things get quiet again. We spend some hours having shells over us. Some casualties. Swarms of messages arrive during the night and a few small attacks repulsed. Situation now is:-

Vendresse - Wednesday, 23rd September 1914: At 4amd C and A relieve B and D in the trenches, a few extra posts put out. The mail comes regularly. Heaps of papers and parcels and letters. There is lots of news from people coming back from sick-list and with reinforcements. Now that we have some naval guns coming up that is what we want. Everything is going well.

I managed to get into Vendresse for an hour and get a big hot bath from one of the few remaining families. Very delicious, and a change of underclothing makes a new man of me.

Vendresse - Thursday, 24^th September 1914: We are heavily shelled by German Batteries and ours answer. It is certainly more of an Artillery battle than anything else at present. However no one takes any notice of all that now. Too much accustomed to it. C Company lose three men at one of their look-out posts. Poor fellows. If I am to be killed let it be in the heat and rush of an advance and not by a dirty sniper who waits his chance for perhaps hours. In this case it was ten snipers. News from Brigade that all goes well.

Stratford Herald - Friday 2nd October 1914
SERGEANT J. SAVAGE

Sergeant J. Savage of the 1st South Wales Borderers, the son of Mrs. Davies of 24 Henley Street was wounded in the knee at the battle of Aisne where he went through a very trying experience . He was struck in the leg between 4 and 5 o’clock in the morning and lay in the trenches in the drenching rain until dark before being removed. Then with other wounded he had to travel some 32 miles in a motor lorry and thence by train a matter of 60 hours before being sent to England. He is now at Selly Oak hospital arriving on Friday last and on Saturday he underwent an operation to have a piece of shrapnel shell removed. This was successfully accomplished and Sergeant Savage is now going on very comfortably.