James Hallett

LEVERSTOCK GREEN WAR MEMORIAL 1914 - 1918

JAMES EDWIN HALLETT

James Hallett was named after his father, born on 10th November 1897 and baptised on Boxing Day of that year. James father was a Carpenter and the family lived in Hunslet a major manufacturing suburb of Leeds in Yorkshire, his brother George was born here a few years later. Parents Kate Ellen Ratcliffe from Wendover, Buckinghamshire and James from the village of Eggington in Derbyshire. (Due to a historical legal situation, no alcohol is allowed to be sold in the village and hence there is no village pub), married in the district of Aylesbury during October of 1896. By 1901 the family had moved to the Cotswold village of Chedworth just outside Cirencester were James worked as a carpenter’s foreman. In the early summer of 1906 Albert Edward was added to the family born in Henley in Arden, Warwickshire.

By 1908 James and Kate had taken over the Post office and grocery store in Leverstock Green from William Sears, Kate and James must have liked living here as they stayed for 11 years until moving to Aylesbury in 1919. James parents Ann and George lived next door to the post office as the licensee of the White Horse public house.

After leaving the village school James was employed as an apprentice grocer at 31 High Street, Hemel Hempstead for Mr Chennells, and an alderman on the Hemel Hempstead town council.

James enlisted into the army in April 1915 at Hertford, this was most probable at the Hemel Hempstead territorial army base, as Hemel Hempstead was a sub office to Hertford. His first posting is to the Hertfordshire regiment, aged only 17 years and 5 months, well below the legal age for serving as a soldier overseas in a war, the legal age at the time was 19 years unless a parent had given permission but on August 17th James embarked for France, on arrival he is transferred to the12th battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment along with a draft of other soldiers from the Hertfordshire Regiment. On 5th November the battalion was moved up to brigade reserve and whilst working on a road James was wounded along with seven other soldiers, the most likely cause was from shelling. The wound was bad enough for James to be returned to England, this type of wound was called a Blighty wound as it would return the soldier to Britain and away from the trenches. Once his convalescence was over James returned to France during February 1917 and is again transferred, this time to the 15th battalion the Welsh regiment.

By the end of June 1917, the Carmarthenshire Battalion as the 15th battalion were known along with the rest of the 38th Welsh Division where practising for its role in the planned attack over specially prepared terrain were replica German trenches and strong points had been laid out for this purpose. After finishing training the 15th Welsh battalion returned to the front and entered the trenches on 24th July, always a dangerous place with the daily exchanges of fire with the Germans. On the 26th 15 German aircraft attacked various targets before British planes drove them away. 27th at 5, 00 p.m. five platoons were sent out to assert if the Germans still held their front line, this was met with very strong opposition. That evening the Germans shelled the Welsh trenches causing casualties of 24 killed, 60 wounded and 13 missing. 29th July and a German patrol of three men were seen at Kiel cottage, later a British patrol left at 11, 30 p.m. and entered the German lines which were found to be empty. On the 30th German shelling was active and 10 soldiers of the Welsh were killed. On the morning of the 31st the battalion was in its assembly positions ready for the start of the battle known as Passchendaele

The 38th Welsh Division would take part in driving the German army back during the Battle of Pilckem Ridge on the first day of Passchendaele, its 114th brigade had as its two leading battalions the 13th Welsh attacking on the left of 10th Welsh with the 15th Welsh following in support of 10th Welsh.

When the Welsh Division attacked it encountered the Germans 3rd Guards Division. The 3rd Guards Fusiliers a crack unit known as the 'Berlin Cockchafers' and a favourite of the Kaiser was badly mauled by the attackers with many soldiers being forced to surrender.

The attack started at 3.50 a.m. and the battalions advanced behind a tremendous barrage as it was still dark all units of the 10th battalion lost directions right from the start, though this was rectified as the light became stronger. The German front line known as Caesar Nose, as it stuck out like a nose was overrun followed by Caesars Support, some German resistance was met at the next trenches of Caesars Reserve but this was quickly overcome. After this there was little German opposition apart from the shelling with all the objectives taken in the prearranged time table, upon reaching Candle Trench James and the rest of the 15th battalion moved through the 10th battalion and took over as lead battalion, again meeting little German opposition and consolidating the new front, all the time being shelled by the Germans and along with the rain made movement hard going, turning the ground into the mire Passchendaele became known for.

July 31st 1917 Pilckem Ridge Crossing the Yser canal at Boesinghe

James death is recorded by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as occurring on the 31st July or 1st August, his parents seem to think it was on 31st July having received a letter from a soldier from the Yorkshire Light Infantry who helped bury James. The Army list James death as occurring on the 1st August 1917. When the Commonwealth War Graves Commission found James grave on the battlefield in 1919 his death on the cross was given as the 6th August 1917. 

James was originally buried on the battlefield with a second British soldier, George Bates who was from Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead. Only speculation can give an answer as to why two people who served in two separate battalions, with both coming from the same town in England, were buried together many miles from home in France. No other soldiers were buried any where near them. 

James was 19 years old when he died and was reburied next to George Bates during 1919 in Artillery Wood cemetery, Boezinge, Leper, Belgium. Grave III. F. 2. James is also on the order of service for the village church at Easter 1919, the village school memorial, the village memorial and Hemel Hempstead town memorial.

Ann died in 1915 and George in 1924, both lie together in the village graveyard. 

 This epitaph to their grandson is inscribed on their gravestone.

JAMES EDWIN HALLETT

Dearly beloved son of

James and Kate Hallett

Post office Leverstock Green

Killed in action in the battle

Of St Julian in France

July 31st 1917 aged 19 years

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission originally recorded James as having died in 1918

I informed the War graves Commission of this error and they have amended their records accordingly. 

On the departure of Kate and James to Aylesbury in 1919 the Gazette carried an article about the departure. Praising James help with village life and as quoted from the paper.

“His work was particularly arduous during the sojourns of the Queens Westminster’s at Leverstock Green, when he left no stone unturned to render their

"lot as gay and congenial as possible.”

 In August 1914 war was declared and the 56th London Division took up their war station around St Albans. The 16th battalion the Queen's Westminster Rifles were billeted in and around the village. With this sudden influx of soldiers the post office could not keep up with the extra workload so the signal section of the regiment were drafted in to help with the telegrams which for the most part were for the army. All the local shops and pubs did well out of the soldiers.

James brother George served in the Royal Navy as a motor mechanic on motor patrol boats hunting German submarines.

 LEVERSTOCK GREEN WAR MEMORIAL 1914 - 1918