Jimmie Bland

Jimmie Bland. 4956, Rifleman. 2nd Bn. Royal Irish Rifles. KIA 25th. Sept.1915, Hooge, Belgium, age 28yrs.

James was the son of Joseph Gill Bland, a postman, and Margaret Bland of Cartmel, later moving to Grange Fell.

He was baptised in the Priory on 20th Feb 1887 and had a sister, Annie, born in 1889. Jimmie Bland is also named on the Grange-over-Sands memorial. That this is the man whose baptism was recorded as above, has been confirmed by evidence from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The only mention in the Parish Magazine is in the Memorial service of 31st December 1916.

The 1911 census confirms his birthplace as Cartmel and records his occupation as house painter. While I was conducting my original research in 1997 I was shown a copy of the above photograph by the late Joe Gaskarth, the Gaskarth family business included painting and decorating (see James Gaskarth) at that time, so I think it safe to assume he was an employee of theirs.

The "Barrow News" 16th Oct 1915 published the following report;

"KILLED IN ACTION- On Wednesday morning Mr & Mrs J. Bland, Front-row, Grange Fell received an intimation from the Record Office of the Royal Irish Rifles, in Dublin, that their only son, James, who was serving as a private in the Irish Rifles, was killed in action at Hooge on Sept. 25th. Previous to this no news had been received of him for about a month and considerable anxiety was felt for his safety. He was about 28yrs. of age, and originally enlisted with two other chums (Grange Red Book for 1916 lists three other names, F. Dibble, D. Hadwin and T. Hayhurst) in the 16th Lancers soon after the outbreak of war and the trio were subsequently transferred to the Royal Irish Rifles. He was a native of Grange, and was a well known footballer, having played for the Grange Tradesmen, and also for Lindale and Cartmel clubs. The deepest sympathy is felt for his parents in their loss of one who was a well set up and promising young man. A memorial service is to be held in the Church Room, Grange Fell, on Sunday afternoon."

Front Row, Grange Fell in about 1908.

The Hooge-Bellewaerde sector of the front was, for most of the war, amongst the "hottest" places on the whole of the Western Front.

In the afternoon of April 22nd 1915 the wind in Flanders changed and began blowing towards the south-west. The German "Stinkpioneren" took this opportunity to release chlorine gas against the northern shoulder of the Ypres Salient, French colonial troops broke and ran, leaving a great gap in the line, and beginning the 2nd Battle of Ypres. The line had to be shortened and the Salient reduced in size but, before the decision was taken, British and Canadian troops fought desperately to prevent a breakthrough, casualties were heavy but Ypres could not be saved without shortening the front.

This meant Hooge and Bellewaerde were at the extremity of the position after the withdrawal, leaving Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, on Bellewaerde Ridge, one of the most exposed units in the line.

The Parish Magazine reported in July 1915, "You will have read the glorious story of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. Lt. Papineau, who with Lt. (now Captain) Niven and a few men came through their terrible ordeal, stayed in Cartmel some three or four years ago at Tanley, while on a visit to England, and some of you no doubt saw him then." Tanley was the home of Reuben O'Neill Pearson Esq., solicitor. Lt. Papineau was a descendent of Louis Joseph Papineau, a French-Canadian lawyer, politician, and a leader of the 1837 rebellion. He had won the Military Cross at St Eloi in 1915 and later became a staff officer, he left the staff and rejoined his old unit in September 1917. Major Talbot Mercer Papineau MC, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Eastern Ontario Regt.) died on Passchendaele Ridge on Tuesday, 30th October 1917, age 34. He is commemorated on the Menin Gate.

On 8th May the Princess Pat's were under intense artillery fire and their trenches almost obliterated. There was a gap of two miles between the Canadians and the Northumberland Fusiliers, at Mouse Trap Farm, a much depleted 1/5 King's Own (local men Lord Richard Cavendish and Tom Dixon were wounded during the fighting) and 2nd East Yorks attempted to fill the gap, but a whirlwind of fire prevented the advance. The Patricias held the line against the ferocious enemy attack. The next day the battle abated with the Patricias having only four officers and one hundred and fifty men left. Their turn came to be relieved. Lt. Niven formed them up behind the trench and marched at the head of the column, carrying the colours, past Bellewaerde Lake, Railway Wood and down to the Menin Road cheered by all the troops they passed, to be written into the pages of history.

The 2nd Royal Irish Rifles, 7th Bde, 3rd Div, fought a savage battle on June 15th. They supported an attack on the Bellewaerde salient by the 9th Brigade, at 4.15am, which took the first line of enemy trenches. 2/RIR were to consolidate the captured trenches. This was done under a heavy barrage, but at 3.30pm they were ordered to attack once more. Enemy fire was intense and casualties mounted until an order reached the attackers that the advance was postponed. This appalled the troops and the attack faltered, the survivors retreated to the old German Front Line, where they collapsed with exhaustion.

They were relieved, but during the next month they experienced new horrors, of liquid fire and mining, where tunnels were dug and explosives laid under the trenches. Mid-July to September were passed rather more peacefully, but late September was to bestow more terrors.

September 25th, 1915 was the date of the great Loos battle. In an attempt to divert German reserves from the main offensive, several attacks were made up and down the line. One of these was on a mile long front from Hooge to Bellewaerde Ridge, to the north and south of the Menin Road.

The 2nd Bn. Royal Irish Rifles attacked in the same area as before. Their objective was the south-west of Bellewaerde Lake and a line extending 200yds south. The ground over which they fought was already strewn with bodies and the mud was, typically of the Ypres salient, deep and clinging. The attack was to be preceded by the explosion of four mines at 4.19 am.

The ground over which the Royal Irish Rifles attacked. The houses in the background are along the Menin Road.

The mines exploded and an hour long artillery barrage preceded the infantry assault. The two lead companies gained the German front line and a few men managed to reach the second line, but most were mown down by machine-gun fire. The third company attacked without orders, in an attempt to help their comrades, but to no avail. Those who reached the German second line, like their friends, melted away. The fourth company was not committed. The battalion suffered over three hundred casualties, most "missing, believed killed."

Bellewaerde Lake, centre left, Hooge, centre right, photographed in 1917. (IWM)

This action is officially known as the Second Attack on Bellewaerde. The Loos attack failed, with British casualties of nearly 50,000.

Jimmie Bland has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate, Ypres, Panel 40, one of 54,896 missing, who fell in the Salient between the outbreak of war and 15th August 1917.

His pal, Cpl. Daniel Hadwin, who hailed from Bardsea, was also wounded in the same attack and sent home to recover. He then served during the "Troubles" in Ireland, before returning to France in September 1916. He was killed in action on 18th May 1917 and is also named on the Menin Gate. The newspaper report of his death (incidentally giving 22 May as the day he was killed) contained another sad story. He married Beatrice Bennet in February 1915, "who some months previously had the ill-fortune to lose a leg through being knocked down by a train at a level crossing near Grange. Great sympathy is felt for his young widow...."

The best first person account of life in the Royal Irish Rifles in the Great War is by John Lucy and entitled, "There's a Devil in the Drum."

It may be difficult to find, but is well worth the effort.