Reginald Horace's Story.
Reginald was the youngest of three children born to Thomas and Agnes Dutton. The 1901 census shows that the family were living at 67 Highwayside, Alpraham with their three sons John age 9, Arthur age 5 and Reginald Horace age 2, Thomas was working as a painter.
Ten years later in 1911 the family were still at the same address, however by the time war broke out in 1914 or in the early years of the war they had moved to Crewe, On the 17th January 1916 Reginald joined the LNWR as a boy labourer, he gave three referees Mr Thompson who worked in the traffic office at Calveley Station, Mr Hughes who was a grocer in Bunbury and Mr H Entwistle who lived at the Grange in Bunbury. Eight months later, on the 11th September 1916 Reginald attested in to the Army reserve his given age was 17 years 11 months and the family address was 28 Nile Street, Crewe. At the end of April 1917, he was mobilized having a medical at Birkenhead his given age was now 18 years 7 months, height of 5ft 6inches and weighed 117lbs, a couple of days later on the 1st May he was posted, arriving at Edinburgh Castle on the 3rd May. On the 16th August, his was posted to the 3rd Battalion East Surrey Regiment, he would stay with them until the 1st November he was then posted to the BEF Etaples, France with the 9th Bn East Surrey Regiment, three days later he was transferred to the 7th Bn
Reginald was wounded and reported missing on the 30th November during the Battle of Cambrai, 20th November – 30th December 1917. This British attack was originally planned as a very large scale raid with new artillery techniques and tanks, it was initially successful with large gains of ground being made, but German reserves brought the advance to a halt. Ten days later the 30th November a counter attack regained much of the ground.
The battalion War Diary for the 30th November reads:
At 6:30am on the 30/11/17 the enemy opened a barrage on the whole of our defensive flank from GONNNELIEU to LES RUE DES VIGNES and shortly afterwards attacked with 5 divisions. The battalion was attacked by two large parties of the enemy from both flanks, the right party of the enemy advanced up the line of the sunken road the left party advanced from the wood in the direction of BLEAK QUARRY swamping our RIGHT advanced post on the way. The remainder of our advanced troops had to withdraw shortly after the enemy attack commenced to avoid being surrounded.
The enemy now advanced on BONAVIS from both flanks attempting to “envelope” the village. The C.O arranged to counter attack the advancing enemy. The BUFFS then attacked with 1 company and drove the enemy back over the GOUZEAUCOURT – BONAVIS road. The enemy in the meantime appeared on the ridge at LE QUENNET FARM and advanced in the direction of PAM PAM FARM, an unused garrison in the trench held the up the enemy attack from this direction for about an hour. Finally, the enemy got into PAM PAM FARM from which he got an MG into action against the flank of our troops holding the line along the GOUEAUCOURT – BONAVIS road causing them to withdraw down the trench, fighting all the time. By this time the enemy had got another MG into the MEBUS also an MG firing down the top of the trench, when our men tried to withdraw over the road owing to enemy bombing they were immediately hit by one or the other of 3 MGs, it was found impossible to withdraw men over the road and the party was finally captured no assistance being able to help them.
From this point all the men of the battalion were commanded by the C.O of the 6th BUFFS down the line of the communication trench, this position was held late into the afternoon when orders were received for withdrawal. The withdrawal was carried out by dusk and a bombing block was made in the communication trench.
The battalion posted 276 other ranks missing.
On the 6th December 1917, a post card notification was received stating he was a POW, Red Cross files and a War Office letter show that he had gunshot wounds to his left thigh, he died of these wounds at the German Military Hospital in Clary on the 17th December.
Reginald had been in the army for 1 year 98 days of which 47 days were spent in France. He left effects totalling a little over £5 and was awarded a war gratuity of £3
By the early 1920s when the Commonwealth War Graves were compiling the registers his parents Thomas and Agnes had moved to 8, Waine Street, Crewe.
Thank you to Joy Bratherton for the information on Reginald.