2/4th Battalion, Duke of Wellingtons West Riding Regiment

16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme

1st Dec 1915 Derby Scheme Armlets

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10th Jan 1916 Group System Reopens

9th February 1916 Call Ups

13th January 1917 Leaving Havre

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There are:5236 items tagged 2/4th Battalion, Duke of Wellingtons West Riding 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.

Those known to have served with
2/4th Battalion, Duke of Wellingtons West Riding Regiment
during the Great War 1914-1918.

Breckon William. Pte. (d.29th September 1918 )
Flanaghan Richard. Pte. (d.30th Sep 1918)
Garside Wilfred. Pte. (d.8th April 1918)
James Matthew Pattison. Pte. (d.12 September 1918)
Roberts John Henry. Pte. (d.29th Sep 1918)
Roberts John Henry. Pte. (d.29th Sep 1918)
Robertshaw James. Pte. (d.21st November 1917)

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Records of 2/4th Battalion, Duke of Wellingtons West Riding Regiment from other sources.

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Pte. John Henry Roberts 2/4th Btn. Duke of Wellingtons (West Riding) Regiment (d.29th Sep 1918)

John Roberts was born on Tuesday 28th of July 1891 at 294 Queen Street, Kilnhurst in the Borough of Rotherham. He was one of 11 children born to Henry Leech Roberts and Jane Roberts. Census records indicate that 11 of these children died and that the only other survivor was a sister, Susannah, who was about 8 years his junior. When he left school, John worked as a trammer at Thrybergh Hall Colliery.
On Friday 28th of May 1915, at the age of 23 years and 10 months, he signed up for war service at Pontefract and was posted, apparently immediately, to the 3rd Battalion of the York and Lancaster Regiment based in Sunderland. Some time after his arrival in the town, he met local girl Frances Wright. As a soldier, John was categorised as Class W which meant that he was returned to his civilian job as a miner until the army were ready to recall him to the colours. On Monday 6th of August 1917, John and Frances married at the Parish Church in Hooton Roberts and they returned to Sunderland where they lived with Frances's family. On Friday 12th of July 1918, their daughter Mary was born.
John was recalled to his unit and embarked with the British Expeditionary Force to France on Friday 30th of August 1918 and on Monday 2nd of September 1918 was transferred permanently to C Company, 2/4th Battalion of the Duke of Wellington's (West Riding) Regiment. Ten days later, the Regiment took part in the Battle of Havrincourt, where they broke through the Hindenburg Line. On Sunday 29th of September 1918, while fighting in Havrincourt, he was killed in action. He is buried in the Grand Ravine British War Cemetery next to Havrincourt Wood.
Irwin Smart

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Pte. John Henry Roberts 2/4th Btn. Duke of Wellingtons (West Riding) Regiment (d.29th Sep 1918)

John Roberts was born on Tuesday 28th July 1891 at 294, Queen Street, Swinton in the Borough of Rotherham. He was one of 11 children born to Henry Leach Roberts and Jane Roberts. Census records indicate that 9 of these children died and that the only other survivor was a sister, Susannah, who was about 8 years John Henry's junior. John left school to become a miner at Thrybergh Hall Colliery where he worked as a trammer (a trammer loaded rocks or coal into four-wheeled barrows known as trams).
On Thursday 28th of May 1915, at the age of 23 years and 10 months, he signed up for war service with the York and Lancaster Regiment at their depot in Pontefract. He was posted immediately to Sunderland to engage in coastal protection duties. Sunderland was an industrial town noted, among other things, for shipbuilding and was a target for enemy action.
It seems he met his wife, Frances, some time after his arrival in Sunderland, and they married at Hooton Roberts in the parish church of Kilnhurst on Monday 6th of August 1917. Their daughter Mary was born on Friday 12th July 1918.
On Friday 30th of August 1918, John was posted to 1st Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment and embarked with the British Expeditionary Force to France. A day later however, he was transferred to C Company, 2/4th Battalion, Duke of Wellington's (West Riding) Regiment, and on Sunday 29th of September 1918, he was killed in action during the Battle for Havrincourt where machine-guns, automatic rifles, and trench mortars were used against British troops. He is buried in the Grand Ravine British War Cemetery, Havrincourt.

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Pte. William Breckon West Yorkshire Regiment (d.29th September 1918 )

William Breckon was the natural son of Alice Breckon of Duck House Farm. Alice suffered from mental health problems and was eventually committed to the North Riding Asylum at Clifton, York.
William was raised by his maternal aunt, Lydia Mary Duck nee Breckon, on Wold House Farm, Farndale. She was his legal guardian. He became a carpenter and wheelwright and volunteered on the 21st of August 1917. He was just 18. He was posted on the 8th of May to the Yorks Regiment, Army no 60208, and then transferred (comp.) to the Duke of Wellington's Own, 2/4th West Yorkshire Reg, Army no 35871 on 16th of September. He was posted missing and the killed in action or died of wounds shortly thereafter on 29th September 1918, just two months from the end of the war and only 19 years old.
William was killed on the 29th of September 1918 when 62nd (West Riding) Division were involved in heavy fighting to recapture the French village of Marcoing, which had been occupied by the Germans since March 1918.
At 5.20 am on the 27th September 1918, the 1st and 3rd Armies attacked with IV, VI, XVII and Canadian Corps on a 21 km front from Gouzeaucourt to Sauchy-Lestrée. The vital point of the attack was the Canal du Nord near Moeuvres. On the VI Corps front the Guards Division and 3rd Division crossed the canal in the face of strong machine gun fire. 62nd Division started their move forward at 8 am, following close behind the reserve brigade of 3rd Division. There was heavy fighting all day and by 8.30 pm 3rd Division had withdrawn and 62nd Division held a line just east of Ribacourt.
In the early hours of the 28th September 1918, attacks were resumed towards Marcoing and Masnieres. Fierce fighting continued all the day, and by 6 pm, Marcoing had been taken, together with the trenches on the east side of the St Quentin Canal.
On the 29th of September 1918, the attack was renewed with Masnires and Rumilly as the objectives. By noon, Masniares had been recaptured by the 62nd (West Riding) Division and cleared, but because of fierce opposition Rumilly was not taken that day.
William Breckon was buried at The British Cemetary Masnieres, Nord France one of 170 soldiers.
As s a postscript to this biography of William Breckon, it is perhaps worth mentioning the famous or infamous Incident at Marcoing, which took place the day before and at the same place that William Breckon died. It was September 28, 1918 and the fighting had been exceptionally heavy that day. Private Henry Tandey of the 5th Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment), had been killing Germans throughout the day, but when a wounded enemy soldier limped into his gun sights, Tandey held his fire. The German was clearly wounded, and though Tandey took aim, he could not bring himself to shoot the wounded man. The wounded soldier nodded in gratitude and disappeared into the fog. The incident at the French village of Marcoing was over quickly, but one that the German soldier would never forget and that Henry Tandey wouldn't recall for some 20 years. During the fighting on that day the English private would single-handedly destroy a German machine gun nest, lead a bayonet charge on a far larger German force and, for his bravery, win the Victoria Cross. Private Henry Tandey was by anyone's account a true hero. That German soldier was Adolf Hitler!

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Pte. James Robertshaw 2nd/4th Btn. Duke of Wellington West Riding Regiment (d.21st November 1917)

Jim Robertshaw was my great uncle. We have letters he wrote to my grandma and great grandma while serving in the Great War. One was written while having a short rest in an orchard. He spoke of having come across friends from the same village while in a battle and witnessing them being killed. He described the farms and land and expressed a wish to be able to farm similar land after the war, when he got back home. No matter how many times we read them, we cry, it is so sad. Unfortunately, he was killed on 21st of November 1917 at the Battle of Cambrai. He is commemorated on the Cambrai Memorial, Louverval, I am visiting Cambrai and the memorial to pay my respects a day or two before the 100th anniversary of his death. He will always be remembered.
Jennifer Holding

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Pte. Wilfred Garside 2/4th Btn Duke of Wellington's West Riding Regiment (d.8th April 1918)

Wilfred Garside was the son of Samuel and Mary Garside, of 44 Stamford Rd., Mossley, Manchester.
Chris Porter

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Pte. Richard Flanaghan 2nd/4th Btn. Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) (d.30th Sep 1918)

Richard Flanaghan was born and lived in Jarrow, the Son of Patrick Flanagan of Jarrow. On the 1911 census, Richard Flanaghan age 20 General Labourer at Chemical Works is with his father Patrick Flanaghan at 54 Old Church, Jarrow.
Richard enlisted at Newcastle and served with the 2nd/4th Battalion Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment). He died aged 27 on the 30th September 1918. He is commemorated on the Triptych in St. Paul's Church Jarrow and is buried in Grevillers British Cemetery.
Vin Mullen

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2/4th Battalion, Duke of Wellingtons West Riding Regiment

Want to know more about 2/4th Battalion, Duke of Wellingtons West Riding Regiment?

Those known to have served with
2/4th Battalion, Duke of Wellingtons West Riding Regiment
during the Great War 1914-1918.

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Recomended Reading.

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The Wartime Memories Project - 2/4th Battalion, Duke of Wellingtons West Riding Regiment during the Great War -

2/4th Battalion, Duke of Wellingtons West Riding Regiment

Want to know more about 2/4th Battalion, Duke of Wellingtons West Riding Regiment?

Those known to have served with2/4th Battalion, Duke of Wellingtons West Riding Regimentduring the Great War 1914-1918.

Can you help?

If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.

Announcements

Recomended Reading.

Links

The Wartime Memories Project
- 2/4th Battalion, Duke of Wellingtons West Riding Regiment during the Great War -

Those known to have served with
2/4th Battalion, Duke of Wellingtons West Riding Regiment
during the Great War 1914-1918.