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21st (Wool Textile Pioneers) Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment
21st (Wool Textile Pioneers) Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment was raised in Halifax on the 24th of September 1915 by the Lord Mayor and City of Leeds. After initial training in Halifax they moved to Skipton in February 1916. They proceeded to France in June 1916 and joined 4th Division as Divisional Pioneer Battalion. They were in action during the Battles of the Somme. In 1917 they were at Arras, in action during the The First and Third Battles of the Scarpe, before heading north for the Third Battle of Ypres, where they fought in The Battle of Polygon Wood, The Battle of Broodseinde, The Battle of Poelcapelle and The First Battle of Passchendaele. In 1918 they were in action on The Somme, then returned to Flanders fighting in the Defence of Hinges Ridge during The Battle of Hazebrouck and in The Battle of Bethune, The Advance in Flanders The Second Battles of Arras, the Battles of the Hindenburg Line and the Final Advance in Picardy. The 4th Division was demobilised in Belgium in early 1919.
Jan 1915 Specialist Training
Feb 1916 21st West Yorks in Training The 21st Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment trained at Skipton's Raikeswood Camp from February 1916 having undertaken initial training in Halifax. The camp had previously been set up for the training of the Bradford Pals in 1915. A photo can be found of a group from the 21 WYR in the Rowley Photograph Collection. More info.
14th June 1916 Inspection
15th June 1916 On the Move
16th June 1916 On the Move
17th June 1916 On the Move
18th June 1916 On the Move
19th June 1916 On the Move
20th June 1916 Visit
21st June 1916 Orders
22nd June 1916 Recce
23rd June 1916 Roads
24th June 1916 Dugout
25th June 1916 Shelling
1st July 1916 Bombardment 
10th Mar 1917 Pioneers at Work
28th Jun 1918 Trench Work
29th Jun 1918 Trench Work
30th Jun 1918 Sickness
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| Want to know more about 21st (Wool Textile Pioneers) Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment ? There are:5249 items tagged 21st (Wool Textile Pioneers) Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.
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Those known to have served with21st (Wool Textile Pioneers) Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment during the Great War 1914-1918. - Bateson Joseph S.. Pte. (d.30th Sep 1917)
- Bentham James. Pte.
- Bush Walter George. A/Sgt. (d.25th Oct 1916)
- Hardcastle Bernard Alfred . Pte. (d.16th June 1917)
- Hines Ernest. Pte. (d.8th October 1917)
- McPartland Joseph. Pte.
- Platt Brandon. Pte. (d.8th July 1916)
- Robinson Joseph. Pte (d.27 March 1918)
- Sharpe Albert Austin. Pte.
- Wainhouse Harold. Pte.
- Webb Frederick. Pte. (d.1st Nov 1918)
All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please Add a Name to this List
Records of 21st (Wool Textile Pioneers) Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment from other sources.
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Pte. Harold Wainhouse 21st (Wool Textile Pioneers) Btn. West Yorkshire Regiment Harold Wainhouse was my maternal great-grandad.
According to my mum, Harold was wounded and left for dead on the battlefield in WW1.
He had a huge hole caused by shrapnel in the side of his head which he recovered from and lived to the ripe old age of 85.
My mum always hated visiting Harold as his old head wound scared her.
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Pte. Joseph S. Bateson 21st Btn West Yorkshire Regiment (d.30th Sep 1917) Joseph Bateson trained at Raikeswood Camp outside Skipton.
He worked in a Tannery engaged in the leather trade at Meanwood, Leeds before the war.
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Pte. Frederick Webb 21st (Wool Textile Pioneers) Btn. West Yorkshire Regiment (d.1st Nov 1918) My great Uncle, Frederick Webb served with the 21st Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment in WW1. He died of his wounds, 10 days before Armistice Day, 1st of November 1918, after fighting his way across France and fell on the second to last battle of the Great War.
Frederick was aged 19 years and is buried in Cambrai East Military Cemetery in France. Son of Ellen Webb of 23 Littlemoor St., Doncaster and the late William Webb. His mother had the words "He died so that we may live" engraved on his stone.
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Pte. Albert Austin Sharpe 21st Btn. West Yorkshire Regiment Albert Sharpe was my grandfather who died in 1973. He never recounted tales of his experiences during the war so I'd love to know what his Battalion did or any photos of him within his unit.
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Pte. Joseph McPartland 13th Btn. York and Lancaster Regiment Joseph McPartland served in three different Regiments, 21st West Yorks Regiment, 13th York & Lancaster Regiment and the Northumberland Fusiliers.
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Pte. Brandon Platt 21st (Pioneer) Btn. West Yorkshire Regiment (d.8th July 1916) Brandon Platt walked with his best friend Thomas Hilditch from his home village of Denshaw, Saddleworth, this being in Yorkshire they went to Triangle and rode the tram to Halifax to join a Yorkshire Regiment, were inspected and joined the army at the former tram depot at Highroad Well in Halifax then were sent home until called for. (Pioneers had an extra 2d per day pay over the normal 1/-shilling.)
Training was at Skipton and also Ripon, certainly North Yorkshire as both Hilditch and Platt took a long weekend and were late on parade, this was 'glossed over'. They were then to be sent to Egypt but the 'big push' changed all that and they were sent to France.
During the 4th Division attack the next wave to go over was 21st WYR when the attack was called off, so he was in the front trench it was necessary for the 21st West Yorks to hold the line for quite a few days until they were able to be relieved, certainly they were still in the area as of 9th July
Thomas Hilditch and Brandon Platt served together and on the evening of 8th July 1916 Hilditch was selected as part of a work party and Platt volunteered to go too, as they waited in the rear area to go into the trench system to work on the trench walls a shell fell to the right of Hilditch and Brandon Platt on his left fell dead, a passing RMC Captain was on scene and he immediately examined Pte Platt but found no wound however it transpired that a piece of shrapnel had penetrated the neck and heart causing his immediate death.
Brandon is buried at Colincamps (Sucerie) Cemetry near Mailley Maillet on the Somme.
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Pte. James Bentham 21st Btn. West Yorkshire Regiment James Bentham served with the 21st (Wool Textile Pioneers) Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment. He was injured in October 1917 from gun shot wounds and was sent to the 8th Stationary Hospital at Wimereux.
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