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World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment
Act/Cpl. William Neilly DCM
British Army 150th Field Company Royal Engineers
from:Belfast
L/Cpl. J. T. Neilon
British Army 14th Btn. Durham Light Infantry
(d.19th Dec 1915)
L/Cpl. John Thomas Neilon
British Army 14th Btn Durham Light Infantry
from:Jarrow
(d.19th Dec 1915)
John Thomas Neilon enlisted in the 14th Btn. Durham Light Infantry and was killed in action on the 19th December 1915 aged 31. He is remembered at St. Paul's Church and Potijze Burial Ground Cemetery. Grave O.7.
His medal card shows his name as Neilon as does the entry at Potijze but the St Paul's inscription is Neilson. He was awarded the 1915 Star, British War and Victory medals (Pip, Squeak and Wilfred as commonly termed.)
In the 1911 census he is living at 127 Western Road, Jarrow with his wife Mary Casey nee Jordan age 22 and their son George who is 1 year old. John is 26 years old and they have been married for two years. He is a Riggers Labourer in the Shipyard. John's two brothers are also on the census form. Edward is 20 and is a blast furnace worker while Hugh is 12 years old and still at school.
Pte. George Thornton Nellist
British Army 15th Battalion Durham Light Infantry
from:Jarrow
(d.22nd Nov 1917)
George Thornton Nellist enlisted in the 15th Battalion the Durham Light Infantry and died on the 22nd November 1917 aged 23. He was born at Jarrow in 1894, the son of George Thornton Nellist and Dorothy E. Nellist (nee Pearson) of Jarrow. In the 1911 census he is age 17 the second of 5 sons and two daughters. He is working as a driver in the coal mine.
He is remembered on the Palmer Cenotaph Jarrow (brass plaque west face) and is buried in Tyne Cot Cemetery.
Able Sea. F. Nelms
Royal Navy HMS Astraea
from:Belgrave Gate, Leicester
(d.1st October 1915)
Able Seaman Nelms was the son of Mrs. C. Nelms, of 1 Orchard St., Belgrave Gate, Leicester.
He was buried in the Douala Cemetery in the Cameroons, Grave 18.
Pte. Albert Nelson
British Army 2nd Btn. Lincolnshire Regiment
from:Holderness Road, Hull, East Yorkshire
My great grandad, Albert Nelson from Hull, served with the 2nd Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment and 41st Labour Corps, 717 Company. He enlisted on 27th February 1917 aged 37 and embarked on 12th March at 1917 Folkestone. He disembarked on the 12th at Boulogne and saw action in France and Germany. He was demobilised at Coln on 5th March 1919.
Albert died in 1927 in Sculcoates, Hull, East Yorkshire.
Alick Nelson
British Army
Sgt. Arthur Lumley Nelson
British Army 15th Btn West Yorkshire Regiment
from:Burley, Leeds
(d.28th July 1917)
My dad was named after Arthur Nelson who was captured and died as a prisoner of war. He is buried in Niederzwehren Cemetery. My father, in WW2 was driving an officer when they stopped at the war cemetery and he was able to visit the grave.
Cpl. Charles Nelson
Canadian Expeditionary Force 35th Battalion
from:Orrville, Ontario, Canada
Charles Nelson was wounded and taken prisoner on 8th of August 1918 on the first day of The Battle of Amiens. He had been shot in the neck. However it was not too bad and he recovered with just a scar. He was released and returned on 12th of December 1918, returning home shortly after that in February 1919. He was a tough individual right up to his death and worked as a bridge builder for Canadian National Railway before and after the war
Major David Nelson VC MID.
British Army 59th Bde. Royal Field Artillery
from:Ireland
(d.8th April 1918)
David Nelson died of wounds on the 8th of April 1918, aged 31 and is buried in the Lillers Communal Cemetery in France.
An extract from the London Gazette (No. 28976, dated 13th Nov., 1914), records the following- "Helping to bring the guns into action under heavy fire at Nery on 1st September, and while severely wounded remaining with them until all the ammunition was expended-although he had been ordered to retire to cover."
Nurse Emily Nelson
Voluntary Aid Detachment
A couple of pages of Emily Nelson's autograph book
Spr. Frederick Augustus Nelson
British Army 76th Field Coy. Corps of Royal Engineers
from:Bethnal Green
(d.5th Apr 1918)
Frederick Nelson died on his 29th birthday and is buried at Etaples Military Cemetery.
Pte. Frederick Nelson
British Army B Coy., 13th Btn. Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards)
from:Stockton upon Tees
(d.22nd Mar 1918)
Frederick Nelson of B Company, 13th Yorks was killed on 22nd of March 1918 in an attack on a trench near St. Leger Sunken Road. He is remembered at the Arras Memorial in the Faubourg-d'Amiens Cemetery.
A/Cpl. G. Nelson
Australian Imperial Force. att. 3rd Salvage Coy. Australian Field Artillery 40th Bty
Pte. George Harry Nelson
British Army 16th Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment
from:Shepshed, Leicestershire.
George Nelson served with the 16th, 15th & 1st Battalions, Royal Warwickshire Regiment.
Harry Nelson
British Army
Cpl. James Punton Nelson
British Army 2nd Battalion, D Company Seaforth Highlanders
from:Tyninghame
(d.2nd Nov 1918)
I followed the last day of his diary and on to the extension cemetery in Presau in France where Great Uncle James Punton Nelson has a memorial stone. So wish I had a photograph of him. James was one of five children and only his brother William, my grandfather, went on to have a family - my father and he was an only son. So sad!
Pte. James Nelson
British Army Lancashire Fusiliers
from:Blackburn
James Nelson served from 1914 to 1918 and received an honourable discharge in June 1918 due to being gassed in the trenches.
Pte. James Nelson
British Army 20th Btn. A Coy. Durham Light Infantry
from:2 Fairfalls Terrace, New Brancepeth Colliery, County Durham
(d.28th July 1917)
Born to a large family, James Nelson was the eldest son, aged 38 when he died. He served with the 20th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry and was killed in action on the 28th July 1917 at Fusilier Wood in the Ypres salient,leaving a wife and family at home. James has no known grave but is commemorated on the Menin Gate. He was killed at the same time as Second Lieutenant Arthur Rhys Willis and 4 others and the officer has a grave at Dickebusch New Military Cemetery Extension Grave. According to regimental records these people were killed by artillery fire and its my guess that whatever remains there were, are probably all together in this grave.
His brother John Robert was the youngest son, aged 18 when he died. He served with the 2nd/5th Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment. I've tried for years to locate him and in the end an old friend of mine who happens to be an expert saved the day. He was killed in action on 29th April 1918 and is buried at Klein-Vierstraat British Cemetery which is only 1.9km from Dickebusch and 10km from the Menin Gate.
Pte John William Nelson
British Army 13th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers
from:Hawthorn Rd, Ashington, Northumberland
(d.12th Apr 1917)
Nelson, John, William. Private, 28/45. Killed in action on 12th April 1917. Aged 19 years.
Buried in Warlincourt Halte British Cemetery, Saulty, Pas de de Calais, in grave VIII. C. 5.
Son of Elizabeth Piggales (formerly Nelson), of Hawthorn Rd, Ashington, Northumberland, and the late Edward Nelson.
Linked to the 19th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers but has the service number 28/45, this indicates he was in the 28th Btn N.F. However the 19th Btn records show, Pte Nelson, was attached to the 13th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers.
From the 19th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers Roll of Honour.
Pte. John Nelson
British Army 24th (Tyneside Irish) Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers
from:High Felling
Pte. John Robert Nelson
British Army 20th Battalion Durham Light Infantry
from:New Brancepeth, Durham
(d.1917)
I know John Nelson was 18 when he was killed according local records of service of members of New Brancepeth working men's club. According to these he was killed in Italy in 1917. I can't find any record of him at all regarding his service or Commonwealth War Graves but he is on the war memorial in New Brancepeth a former mining village just outside of Durham City.
His eldest brother, James, was also in the 20th Battalion DLI and was killed on 28th July 1917 by artillery fire alongside one officer and 4 others. The officer has a grave and James is commemorated on the Menin Gate as well as the aforementioned memorial.
If anyone could provide more information about John Robert Nelson I would be eternally grateful.
Pte. John Robert Nelson
British Army 2nd/5th Btn. Lincolnshire Regiment
from:25 Eshwood Street, New Brancepeyh Colliery, County Durham
(d.29th April 1918)
My father was named John Robert Nelson after his uncle who was killed in WW1. Born to a large family John Nelson was the youngest son and aged 18 when he died. I've tried for years to locate him and in the end an old friend of mine who happens to be an expert saved the day. John was killed in action on 29th of April 1918 and is buried at Klein-Vierstraat British Cemetery which is only 1.9km from Dickebusch and 10km from the Menin Gate.
His brother James, who at 38, was the eldest son, served with the 20th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry and was killed in action on the 28th July 1917 at Fusilier Wood in the Ypres salient, leaving a wife and family at home. James has no known grave but is commemorated on the Menin Gate. He was killed at the same time as Second Lieutenant Arthur Rhys Willis and 4 others and the officer has a grave at Dickebusch New Military Cemetery Extension. According to regimental records these people were killed by artillery fire and its my guess that whatever remains there were, are probably all together in this grave.
Rfmn. John Stanley Nelson
British Army 18th Btn. London Regiment
from:Hammersmith
John Stanley Nelson served with 18th Battalion, London Regiment. I have his discharge to reserves papers and it lists him as serving overseas.
Pte. Jonathan Nelson
British Army 18th Btn. Durham Light Infantry
Pte. N. H. Nelson
Australian Imperial Force. att. 3rd Salvage Coy. 10 M.G. Coy
Pte. Richard Nelson
British Army 10th Btn. Duke of Wellingtons West Riding Regiment
from:13 Ramsay Terrace, Otley
(d.7th June 1917)
We found two first world war medals for Richard Nelson. He was my great grandfather's brother. I knew my great grandfather. My mother, Shirley Nelson doesn't remember the family ever mentioning that they had a brother called Richard. He signed up in Halifax on 16th of October 1916 and arrived in Folkestone on 11th of January 1917. He arrived at Etaples on 12th of January 1917. We have a copy of the battalion diary for 7th of June 1917 (the day he died) and around 20 documents showing his signing up and posting as well as being killed in action and the delivery of posthumous medals. His name is commemorated on the Menin Gate, Ypres.
Pte. Robert Nelson
British Army Tank Corps
from:Easington Lane, Durham.
Growing up, I remember my mother's stories of my grandfather Robert Nelson (born 19 Oct 1890 in Hetton le Hole, Durham, England), and how he fought in the trenches in France and Belgium during WWI. Other family members have said that he was assigned to the Tank Corps and trained in Wareham, Dorset. My aunt has in her possession a small tin box (possibly to hold tobacco and papers for rolling cigarettes) that was given to my grandfather at the conclusion of the war by a German POW that he had met while in France. All family members agreed that the war was not something my grandfather liked to talk about, so there is very little additional information to be had from family sources.
With these family stories as a guide, as well as a photograph of my grandfather in his WWI uniform, I sought to further verify what I had learned, and to find additional information that might add more depth to the story. I decided to start by using Google to search for information on the Tanks Corps and came across a number of websites dealing with Tank Corps History and research. Wikipedia, proved quite useful, as well as the Tank Museum website. Another valuable website dealing exclusively with British Army History during WWI entitled The Long, Long, Trail, provided a wealth of information. Other websites that proved extremely useful were the National Archives and Ancestry.com.
Through information I gathered from these websites, I was able to determine that my grandfather's uniform was consistent with those worn by British Soldiers during WWI, and the arm bade, cap badge and regimental badge were those of the Tank Corps. The following was information was gleaned from a Wikipedia Article which describes the uniform: “The British soldier went to war.........wearing the 1902 Pattern Service Dress tunic and trousers. This was a thick woollen tunic, dyed khaki. There were two breast pockets for personal items and the soldier's AB64 Pay Book, two smaller pockets for other items, and an internal pocket sewn under the right flap of the lower tunic where the First Field Dressing was kept. Rifle patches were sewn above the breast pockets, to prevent wear from the webbing equipment and rifle. Shoulder straps were sewn on and fastened with brass buttons, with enough space for a brass regimental shoulder title. Rank insignia was sewn onto the upper tunic sleeves, while trade badges and Long Service and Good Conduct stripes were placed on the lower sleeves. A stiffened peak cap was worn, made of the same material, with a leather strap, brass fitting and secured with two small brass buttons. Puttees were worn round the ankles, and ammunition boots with hobnail soles on the feet. Normally brown, they were made of reversed hide and had steel toe-caps and a steel plate on the heel.”
The history of the Royal Tank Regiment began following the invention of the tank in 1916. At that time the six existing tank companies were part of the Heavy Branch of the Machine Gun Corps. On 28 July 1917 the Heavy Branch was separated from the rest of the Machine Gun Corps and given official status as the Tank Corps and “a request was made for the Tank Corp's own metal cap badge.” A close inspection of the cap badge on my grandfather’s uniform confirmed that it was indeed the official Tank Corp cap badge. While waiting for the new official cap badge to be manufactured and delivered, a provisional worsted arm badge became part of the Tank Corps uniform. This arm badge continues to be worn today and is believed to be the only badge of its kind to survive the years of WWI. A closer crop shows that the badge on my grandfather’s uniform is indeed the Tanks Corps arm badge.
The first page of my grandfather's service record was an Attestation Form, dated 11 Dec 1915. This date is significant in that it was just three days before the deadline for registration under the Derby Scheme. Britain entered the Great War in 1914. By the early part of 1915, the number of recruits had gone down significantly. The government struggled with the idea of conscription, and so decided to try a different scheme to raise enlistment numbers. In October of 1915, Edward Stanley, the 17th Lord Derby, was appointed Director-General of Recruiting and came up with idea that was dubbed “The Derby Scheme”. The scheme appealed to men between the ages of 18 to 40 to either enlist voluntarily or to attest with an obligation to come if called up. The deadline to register for voluntary enlistment was 15 December 1915. I believe that my grandfather was one of the 2,185,000 who attested for later enlistment under the Derby Scheme. A war pension was introduced at the same time, which may have helped entice him to sign up, as he had a wife and three children and would have had concern about supporting them on the chance that he did not survive. Robert was assigned to the Army reserve and sent back to his home and job until he was called up for service.
The next step in my research was a visit to the National Archives website to search for the index card of my grandfather’s service records. My search for “Robert Nelson, Tank Corps” brought up two entries. On closer look I discovered that one of the Robert Nelson’s was an officer who died in action, so I was fairly confident that the other Robert Nelson was my man. (I should note that I paid to view the Index Card on the National Archives website, but later learned that these same Index Cards are available on Ancestry.com, to which I already had a subscription). The next step was to search Ancestry.com for the actual service records. Not all of these records have survived, so imagine my delight when I found them! There were fourteen pages!
On August 19, 1918, Robert was mobilized and posted to the Tank Corps Depot in Wareham, Dorset for training. On the 24 of August, he was posted to a Reserve Unit. In September of 1918, his wife Margaret had a son, Joseph, who lived only two days. This must have been a very difficult time for the young father who had just left his home, and equally difficult for his wife who had to deal with her grief alone. On Oct, 25, 1918, Robert was transferred to the B.E.F. (British Expeditionary Force), which was the term referring to those who served in France on the Western Front during WWI. He was given the Medical Category of A1, which meant that he was in good health, and assigned to the 5th battalion. He embarked from Folkestone, on the southern coast of England, and Disembarked at Boulogne, France on the 28 October, 1918.
The 5th battalion , formerly named “E Battalion”, was involved in a number of battles in the months leading up to the Armistace on 11 November 1918, including the Battle of Amiens, 2nd Battle of Bapaume, Battle of Arras, Epehy, St-Quentin, and the Hindenburg Line and were part of the Allied 100 Days Offensive which led to the end of the war. Most of the major battles on the Western Front had been fought by the time my grandfather arrived, so I’m not sure how much action he saw. The German armies continued to retreat as the Allied Forces recaptured villages one by one, so he must have been involved in this effort in some way. Between October 17 and November 11, the British advanced to the Sambre and Schledt rivers, taking many German prisoners. Britain and France held about 720,000 German POWs, mostly gained in the period just before the Armistice in 1918. My grandfather's battalion may have had a role with these prisoners, as our family stories suggest. According to his service records, Robert served a total of 204 days active duty, and was demobilized on 20 Feb 1919. He received the British War Medal and Victory medal on 11 Aug 1921.
The next step in my research will be a visit to the National Archives next time I am in London, to view the war diaries of the 5th battalion. These records will probably not mention my grandfather by name, but should give me more clues as to what specific operations his battalion was involved in. I may never find out the details of where my grandfather served or what he may have seen, but I know that even for the brief time he was there, it must have been a life changing experience for him. This Remembrance Day, I am once again reminded of those brave souls who have sacrificed their lives to preserve our freedom and I am grateful for the part that my grandfather played, however small. May we never forget!
Sgt. Stephen Nelson
British Army 8th Battalion Black Watch
(d.19th July 1918)
Stephen Nelson was my grandfather who died in Meteren, France on the 19th July 1918. His wife, Elizabeth, gave birth to a daughter, Christina, the previous year. As far as I'm aware he never saw his own child. My grandmother struggled bravely, as a single parent, to bring up her daughter by finding work as a cook/housekeeper in private homes. Sadly, I have no photos of my grandfather to add to this text. When visiting Meteren on 27th of May 2018 I found my grandfather's grave. I may be the only relative to reflect on this brave man's short life. I think he was 29 or 30 when he was killed. I shall return to Meteren on the 19th July 2018 to pay my respects at his grave once more.
Pte. W. B. Nelson
British Army 14th Btn. Durham Light Infantry
(d.11th Aug 1916)
Billy Nelson served with the Durham Light Infantry 14th Battalion. He was executed for desertion on 11th August 1916 aged 19 and is buried in Acheux British Cemetery in Acheux.
Pte. Nelson was shot at dawn on 11th August 1916 after he "deliberately absented himself, with the sole object of avoiding duty in the trenches". Although he had absconded three times before - because of serious family problems - when he was arrested he had gone to the canteen to eat his first meal in days because he had been on restricted rations while carrying out his punishment for stealing an officer's puttees. One of his superiors said: "This is a bad case of deliberate desertion to avoid duty in the trenches by an old offender. Pte Nelson is not a good fighting soldier. I recommend that the sentence of death be carried out ... If [it] is commuted ... it will encourage others."
Billy was executed after 11 months in the trenches only days after being wounded in the bloody Battle of Loos. The soldier's crime was to miss his unit going over the top because he was having his first meal for days, with permission, in another part of the battlefield His father, also a soldier, had recently been captured.
Billy's trial lasted only five minutes. With no one to represent him, he said: "I have had a lot of trouble at home and my nerves are badly upset. My father is a prisoner in Germany and is losing his eyesight there through bad treatment. My mother died while I was still in England, leaving my sister aged 13 and my brother aged 10. I am the only one left. I had to leave them in the charge of a neighbour. I had no intention of deserting."
But his story didn't impress his superiors, who ordered him to be shot as an example to others. Billy's death warrant describes him as being "of no more military use".
Billy's great-niece, Nora High, 80, of Seaham, Co Durham, who campaigned for a pardon, says: "He was shell-shocked, his nerves got the better of him and he was thinking of his family. I want people to remember he fought bravely for 11 months before breaking down. I'm very angry and annoyed and I won't rest until he is pardoned. We have a prayer book and a button from his coat and that is all we have left of him but we will make sure he is never forgotten. There should be a statue in London of the soldiers who were shot at dawn rather than the one of General Haig."
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