South Warwickshire Family History Society War Memorial Transcription Project

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 The Fallen Men of South Warwickshire - World War One


Private 10333 Arthur CLEMONS - 36th Battalion, Machine Gun Corps


Died of wounds on Saturday 8th December 1917 aged 20

Grave for A Clemons

Military History
     
Theatre of War Medals Commonwealth War Grave or Memorial
France and Flanders British War & Victory Medals Cologne Southern Cemetery
     
Arrived in Theatre Medal Citation (if app) SWFHS Area Memorials
After 1 Jan 1916 ~ Lillington  |  Lillington Mens Club
     
Action, Battle or Other Reason Killed Date and Place Enlisted Other War Memorials
Battle of Cambrai December 1915 at Leamington Spa  
     
Place of Death Previous Regiments or Units  
Germany Pte 23548 Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry  
     

Circumstances Leading to Death (Normally from War Diary)           

Arthur is listed as having died of tetenus in his lower leg wounds whilst a Prisoner of War at the Aachen PoW Camp, Germany where was originally buried before his remains were moved to Cologne. A local newspaper report on 11 Jan 1918 reports that he was taken prisoner on 20 Nov 1917 during the Battle of Cambrai. Click here for his Red Cross records.The war diary entry for 20 Nov 1917 is transcribed below:
 
GONNELIEU - 20th: The Battn [part of 12th Division] formed up to the rear of stations 5&6 of F Bn Tank Corps immediately south of the Cambrai Road by 3.15am. B Coy in front with two platoons in front and two in rear forming 1st and 2nd waves. A Coy in a similar formation forming 3rd & 4th wave. C&D Coy in similar formation together forming 5th & 6th wave.
 
Zero hour was at 6.20am. At 6.10am Tanks and Infantry moved off from assaulting positions. Our artillery barrage started at zero. Hostile barrage commenced at zero + 8 minutes weak and ragged. Certain amount of M.G fire encountered. All Coys captured their objectives, B Coy parts of BARRACK & BARRIER trench and cleared SONNET FARM. A Coy VILLAGE LANE and the Southern portion of LA VACQUERIE SUPPORT. C & D Coys sections of the HINDENBURG front and support lines of the 1st system. Casualties Capt A GREATHEAD and LIEUT G. HALL MC killed
                Capt H.T. PILGRIM and 2/LIEUT P.W. BOWSER wounded. 2 /LIEUT E.C. BUTTERWORTH died of wounds
                Other Casualties 29 O.R.
 
At 10 P.M Bn moved up to relieve 7th East Surrey Regiment in the front lines of the defense flank between BLEAK HOUSE and BONAVIS FARM. D, B and 2 platoons C Coy in front A Coy and remaining platoon of C Coy in support. END
Further Information Regarding 12th Division's part in the Battle of Cambrai from Peter at The Great War Forum

36th Machine Gun Company was part of the 12th (Eastern) Division.

Long, Long Trail [full article] "The special role of 12th Division in the attack of 20 November 1917 was to capture its first objective and then form a defensive flank to the south east, keeping in touch with 55th (West Lancashire) Division which was not attacking. Advancing from Gonnelieu, the Division moved forward through Sonnet and Pam Pam Farms, Bonavis and Lateau Wood, and dug in a defensive flank to allow the cavalry to pass unrestricted, as ordered. On the extreme right of the attack, the 7th Royal Sussex got into Banteux, which had been subjected to gas attack from Livens projectors"

36th Brigade included the 8th and 9th Royal Fusiliers. The Royal Fusiliers in the Great War by H.C. O'Neill is free to read / download from Archive.org . The Battle of Cambrai starts on Page 205 https://archive.org/details/royalfusiliersin00onei/page/204/mode/2up

The 7th Royal Sussex, mentioned above, were also in the same Brigade.

The final Infantry Battalion was the 11th Middlesex. The Die Hards in the Great War: Volume 2, by Everard Wyrall is also available at Archive Org. The 11th Battalion involvement on the opening day starts on page 149 https://archive.org/details/diehardsvol2/page/149/mode/2up?q=Cambrai

There are also narratives on The Landships site regarding the Tanks involvement and the tank units perspective on the units they were supporting.https://sites.google.com/site/landships/home/narratives/1917/cambrai-narratives?authuser=0

 Personal & Family History

 

Birth Date/Place Baptism Date/Place
Oct Qtr 1897 at Hendon 29 Jan 1900 at St. Mary's, Hendon
   
Parents Names Abode
Mark and Mary Elizabeth Clemons  Middle Aston, Steeple Aston, Oxon
   
Schools Colleges
  ~
   
Address History Employment History
1898 - Hendon 1911 - School age
1901 - Hendon  
1911 - 3 Manor Road, Lillington  
1915 - 3 Manor Road, Lillington  
 

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