Walter Webb

WALTER WEBB 1881 1917

Walter was born to a farming family in the village of Clophill Bedfordshire, the 1901 census lists the family of seven children aged between 20 year old Walter born in January 1881 to Violet aged 1 year and parents Arthur and Louisa all living in the village of Haynes, West End. Walter like his father was a farm labourer, both worked with horses.

Towards the end of 1905 Walter married Jane Emma Elizabeth Maynard at Bedford and following a move to Hemel Hempstead were daughter Ethel May was born in May 1906. By 1911 the family are living in Balconey, Leverstock Green. In the years prior to the war, Walter worked at one of the local paper mills as a paper mill hand, collecting the orders.

Jane gave birth to a second daughter, Emily Louisa, on 1^st February 1915. and three months later, Walter volunteers for the army, enlisting at St Albans.

The family believe that Walter tried to enlist on a number of occasions

but was rejected due to his asthma.

On the day of his death Walter was killed when he volunteered to deliver a message.

Walters military service records were destroyed during the bombing of London in 1940, but a glance can be gathered of his army service from the records that do survive.

After enlisting into the Bedfordshire Regiment during the first week of May, 1915 Walter trained at the Ampthill depot in Bedfordshire and posted overseas sometime during 1916, just which battalion Walter served in the Bedfordshire Regiment is unknown, but on his return to France in 1917 after being hospitalised, Walter served in D company, 4^th battalion the Bedfordshire Regiment.

The winter of 1916 - 17 had been the worst in living memory and the weather was still very bad in February. The ground was still frozen but in the areas where it had begun to thaw, it become very muddy. The whole area was covered in shell holes and whole trenches had been blown away. The result was there were no landmarks and navigation was very difficult.

The war diaries of the 4^th battalion, Bedfordshire regiment and 190^th Brigade give the following information.

From 1^st to 12^th January 1917 the battalion was away from the front line, training at Nouvion. Returning and entering the front line trenches near the destroyed village of Beaucourt on the 26^th January until the 30^th then withdrawn to become Brigade support battalion, two companies were stationed in the old German 3^rd line and two companies further forward in a Ravine.

On 1^st February the 190^th brigade is relieved and 189^th brigade take over the front line, 4^th Beds are still in support before retiring to barracks on the 2^nd.

The next night 189^th brigade attacked the German trenches to their front and the Bedfordshire battalion moved back to the old German 3^rd line with two companies and two companies further forward in the Ravine to assist 189^th Brigade if needed, as 189^th Brigade moved forward two companies of the Beds followed moving into the vacated trenches. Sometime during the day Walter was killed most probable by shellfire along with three other soldiers.

Entry in the National Roll of Honour for Bedford.

W Webb Lance corporal Beds Reg

Volunteered May 1915, trained at various stations in England

to France 1916 at Vimy ridge Somme and Ancre.

Invalided home 1916 returned to France 1917

“GREAT DEEDS CANNOT DIE”

39 West End Haynes Beds.

MEMORIAL

Walter was 36 years old when he was Killed in Action and is buried at Ancre British cemetery Beaumont-Hamel, Somme, France plot VIII. F. 21. He was also named on the order of service for the parish church at Easter 1919, the village war memorial, Hemel Hempstead town memorial, Ampthill training Memorial and the Haynes war memorial.

On his gravestone Jane had the following inscribed.

A LOVING HUSBAND

A KIND FATHER

A BEAUTIFUL MEMORY

LEFT BEHIND

Jane left Leverstock Green and returned to Bedford after the war.

The 4th battalion Bedfordshire Regiment were one of 4 battalions making up 190 Brigade, of the 63rd Royal Naval Division.

The year 1915 saw the Royal Navy Division moved to take part in the fighting on the Gallipoli Peninsular. Were the Division suffered heavy casualties and were moved to the Western Front upon their evacuation, where they served the rest of the war. In April 1916 the Division was moved to the command of the land armies and, despite their objections, was renamed as the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division. That July also saw the structure change further, with the introduction of an infantry Brigade (the 190th), which included the 4th Bedford’s.

The Division was extremely well led from the top down, with the units within it being very highly motivated and displaying a tremendously stubborn streak when events transpired against them. As a result, by the armistice in November 1918, the Division had suffered almost 48,000 casualties but had earned themselves a reputation as one of the British Army's top Divisions, with some arguing that they were the best.

My thanks go to Heidi Bustard for the pictures of Walter

63rd ROYAL NAVY DIVISION ORDER of BATTLE 1917

188th BRIGADE

Hown Bn

Anson Bn

1st Royal Marine Bn

2nd Royal Marine Bn

189th BRIGADE

Drake Bn

Hawke Bn

Nelson Bn

Hood Bn

190th BRIGADE

7th Bn Royal Fusiliers

4th Bn Bedfordshire

10th Royal Bublin Fusiliers

28th London

The war memorial in St Marys church, Haynes