South Warwickshire Family History Society War Memorial Transcription Project |
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Military History |
| Theatre of War | Medals | Commonwealth War Grave or Memorial |
|---|---|---|
| France and Flanders | 1914-15 Star, British War & Victory Medals | Vimy Memorial |
| Arrived in Theatre | Medal Citation (if app) | SWFHS Area Memorials |
| 15 Oct 1914 | ~ | Lillington |
| Action, Battle or Other Reason Killed | Date and Place Enlisted | Other War Memorials |
| Battle of Le Transloy (Battle of the Somme) | 25 Nov 1914 at Toronto | Trafalgar Township, Canada |
| Canadian Virtual Memorial | ||
| Place of Death | Previous Regiments or Units | |
| near Courcelette | ~ | |
Circumstances Leading to Death (Normally from War Diary)
Richard is listed as being killed in action an attack north east of Courcelette on 1 Oct 1916. The Battalion War Diary is transcribed below.
Courcelette area Oct 1st. Very misty, some rain. The Bn still holding line Destremont Farm to M20.a.4.5. Communication has been established with British on our right. Enemy shelled front line & supports intermittently all day.
During the day our artillery maintained a powerful bombardment of the Regina Trench some 800 yards to our front and the villages of Le Sars and Pys. At 3.15pm the 20th Battalion attacked in conjunction with units on our right and left as per Operational Order attached hereto - the object being to establish a line M.14.d.2.3 on the Dyke Road to M.15.c.2.9. This position was gained - one platoon from each company being put in the front line which formed the first wave. The intense Shrapnel barrage was maintained in selected points on our front and along the Regina Trench. This however did not seem to be entirely effective as our front wave suffered quite severely from Machine Gun fire which it is thought came from the direction of Pys Church and Le Sars village. The new line was maintained until darkness when additional men from the old front line, which had become our support line, were brought forward to assist in digging in on the new positions.
A peculiar characteristic of this operation was that our infantry had to advance four hundred yards in the open, then left in plain view of the enemy to dig in. This would have been practically impossible had it not been for the cover afforded by shell holes. The old German trench at approximately M.14.c.11.4 was previously occupied by patrols of our Battalion on the night of October 1st and was maintained as our left flank to our new line.
During the night of October 1st/2nd a German raiding party attempted to enter our trenches but they were successfully beaten off bvy our garrison which consisted of 1 Officer, 2 lewis guns and 12 bombers on our left flank. END
At times isolated in its new positions because of the units on the flanks not having advanced, the 20th Battalion was thus obliged to create new defensive positions. This work continued for the following day and night, hindered by heavy rain. Mercifully the enemy appeared not to appreciate the precariousness of the Canadian situation and the intensity of his artillery activity tapered off as the hours had passed. Nonetheless, by the time of its relief during the late evening of October 3, the War Diarist’s estimates of casualties were to be documented as seventeen killed in action and one-hundred twenty wounded.
| Personal & Family History |
| Birth Date/Place | Baptism Date/Place |
|---|---|
| 5 Apr 1889 at Cubbington | 21 Apr 1889 at Cubbington |
| Parents Names | Abode |
| William & Phoebe Plummer | 13 Cubbington Road, Lillington |
| Schools | Colleges |
| ~ | |
| Address History | Employment History |
| 1891 - Manns Cottage, Church Street, Cubbington | 1911 - Farm Labourer |
| 1901 - Church Farm Cottages, Cubbington | 1914 - Farm Labourer |
| 1911 - Emigrated to Canada - arrived 2 Apr 1911 | |
| 1911 - Trafalgar Township, Ontario, Canada | |
| 1914 - Trafalgar Township, Ontario, Canada |