South Warwickshire Family History Society War Memorial Transcription Project

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The Fallen Men of South Warwickshire - World War One


Wheeler 614023 John Thomas DURRAN - 1st/1st Warwick Battery, 15th Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery

Killed in action on Thursday 30th August 1917 aged 27


Military History

     
Theatre of War Campaign Medals Commonwealth War Grave or Memorial
France & Flanders 1914 Star, British War & Victory Medals Duhallow A.D.S Cemetery
     
Arrived in Theatre Bravery & Conduct Medals SWFHS Area Memorials
31 Oct 1914 in France  ~ Leamington Spa War Memorial
    Leamington St. Paul's Memorial
Action, Battle or Other Reason Died Date and Place Mobilised Warwickshire RHA Memorial, Warwick 
Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) 5 Aug 1915 in Leamington Spa   
     
Place of Death Enlistment in Territorials Other War Memorials
near Boesinghe  February 1913 with service number 322  
     

Circumstances of Death

John is listed as being killed in action on 30th August 1917 and was originally buried at Map Ref 28.B.12.a.5.6, his remains were moved to their current location at Dulhallow in August 1919. Click here for CWGC Record and click here for the Trench Mapper website to produce a map for that reference. Also buried at this spot on the same day were Bombardier Hill, Bombardier Saddler, Bombardier Crowther and Gunner Goodman.

The 15th Brigade War Diary has the pages for July, August and September 1917 missing from it and the Brigade Orders section makes no mention of any event on 30th Aug.

15th Brigade was part of the 29th Division and again the 29th Division Artillery Commander war diary for the period Jul to Sep 1917 is missing from the National Archives records which end on June 30th and restart on Ocotober 1st 1917.

Further the book "Brookes Battery, A History of the 1/1 Warwickshire Horse Artillery" makes no mention of any events after 12th August and before the 14th September 1917. It does though list John in the Battery Roll of Honour and shows that he was one of the men originally mobilised on 5th August 1914 in Leamington.

Given the above we are not yet able to describe the events leading to the deaths of these five men.


 
 Personal & Family History

 

Birth Date/Place Baptism Date/Place
Jan Qtr 1890 in Leamington Spa  
   
Parents Names Abode
John (died 1901) and Harriet Durran 103 Queen Street, Leamington Spa 
   
Schools Colleges
  ~
   
Address History Employment History
1891 - 18 Bedford Road, Leamington Spa   1901 - School 
1901 - 103 Queen Street, Leamington Spa  1910 - Carpenter in Canada (see below)                         
1910 - Nelson, Ontario, British Columbia, Canada  1914 - Carpenter & Joiner (see below)
1917 - 103 Queen Street, Leamington Spa   
   
  • We have not found John in the 1911 census and we believe he is the John Durran, a carpenter born in 1890 who arrived in Canada on
    28 Oct 1910 aboard the SS Tunisian before returning to the UK circa 1913 when he enlisted in the 1st/1st Territorial's
  • Member of the Vancouver, Canadan branch of the Amalgamated Society Of Carpenters & Joiners in 1910
  • Member of the Leamington Branch of the Amalgamated Society Of Carpenters & Joiners from 8th March 1913
  • Transferred to the Hammersmith branch of Amalgamated Society Of Carpenters & Joiners on 24th January 1914
  • Played football for, and was Vice-Captain of, Leamington Town FC