250661 Sgt. Lionel Joseph "Whacker" Watkins Home Guard 5th Gloucestershire Battalion from:Gloucester Lionel Watkins was a very quiet man who happily worked on the Great Western Railway, when wars didn't interfere.
He lived in Gloucester all his life, but in 1915 joined the Gloucestershire Regiment.
He was an early member of the Territorial Army and held his rank of Serjent when he volunteered for overseas service. He trained in Wiltshire and then went out to the Western Front where he saw repeated action, and twice was there when officers gained Victoria Crosses for outstanding bravery. They were Captain Adrian Carton de Wiart and Acting Captain Manley James.
He never discussed his war service with his sons, but was able to talk about some of it with his eldest grandson, me. What he never mentioned was that he was shot during the battle where Capt James won his honour.
Researching his history, I was surprised to discover he was shot in the left arm on 22nd of April 1918, and was treated by the 59th Field Ambulance.
By the nature of the numerous horrific wounds that many soldiers suffered, his was a relatively minor one, and seems to have thought it was not worth mentioning.
I have been to various places on the Somme where I have been able to trace some of his movements. Now I have to return to France to find where the 8th Gloucesters reinforced the weakened line at St Quentin.
He could not have been seriously hurt because he was in action at Messines within a month, and eventually returned home safe and well to Gloucester where he duly married... and the rest is history, family, sons, grandsons and during WW2 he served in the Home Guard as CSM.
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