George Henry Pearce (1887-1916)

Post date: Sep 14, 2015 8:58:57 PM

The above photo is from the Kent Messenger of 24 November 1917 with the following below :

12118 Pte. G. Pearce, Royal West Kent Regiment, is officially reported missing as from 18th November, 1916. Any information concerning him would be greatly welcomed by his mother, Mrs. Pearce, Pelican Farm, Wateringbury, Kent.

According to the 1901 census George had been born in Tovil in 1892 the son of William and (previously married) Katherine. William was a Bricklayers labourer and they lived at 22 Tovil Hill. There were 6 children at home. They were in the same house in Tovil in 1911 by when both William and George had become labourers in the papermill. George still cites this address when he joins up on 11th December 1915 on a standard short term service contract, which gives his age as 23 years and 281 days, his occupation as a fitter's mate and confirms that he is not married. He was 5 foot 10 ³/4 inches tall, weighed 149 lbs, and had a chest measurement of 37 ¹/2 inches.

The following is an extract from Barbara Ryan's Memoirs about George

George Henry Pearce, their [William and Katherine] fifth son, enlisted at Maidstone in December 1915 and was mobilized into the 12^th Battalion of the Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) on 1 February 1916. He went to France on 3 July and was posted to the 7^th Battalion on 13 July. He was wounded on 1 October 1916. In March 1917 his mother contacted the War Office “I am writing to ask you if you can give me any Information regarding my Son Pte. G Pearce 12118 7/Royal West Kent, who has been Missing since the 18 Nov 1916. If he is Prisoner of War I think we should have (heard) from him before now. Trusting to hear from you soon. Your Obedient Servant, Katherine Pearce. Pelican Farm, Wateringbury, late of 22 Tovil Hill, Maidstone.”

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission show date of death as 18 November 1916 – the last day of the Battle of the Somme – whilst War Office records note that death was formally acknowledged on 13 December 1917 (nine months after his mother’s enquiry).

His name is recorded on the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme at Thiepval (one of 72,000 men with no known grave¹), the biographical database held at Thiepval Visitor Centre, the Great War Memorial in St John the Baptist Church, Wateringbury and in the WW1 Memorial Booklet produced by the Church.

One oddity is that the CWGC record shows the parents address as 3 Medway Terrace, Nettlestead. Katherine’s letter was sent from Pelican Farm and it was this location which I [Barbara Ryan] visited many times with my parents on Sunday afternoons (buying winkles from a handcart) and at Christmas.

George was in the same battalion, the 7th, of the Royal West Kent as Lewis Newman who was killed on 27th September 1916.

Captain C.T. Atkinson's The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment 1914-1919 (published 1924) (pages 221 to 224) gives the following account of the 7th Battalion during the period around Pearce's death:

The 7th was in the front line from the 26th to 29th [October], and was notably active in patrolling, 2nd Lieut. MacDonald in particular obtaining most valuable information. After 4 days rest at Warloy it came forward again to Albert³, had two days in Brigade Reserve, two in the front line, and then moved into reserve trenches, where it remained till the night of November 17th when it took up a battle position in readiness for yet another big attack.

The plan of this attack was that the 55th Brigade, with the Nineteenth Division on its left and the Fourth Canadian on the right, was to attack the portions of the Desire and Grandcourt Trenches between the Twenty Three Road , on the right, and Stump Road. All the four battalions were in line, the 7th R.W.K. being in the right centre between the E. Surreys and the Buffs. It had B and D Companies in front, each attacking on a two-platoon front; A was in support, C in reserve. By this time the persistent wet weather which had set in in October and had contributed so much to the ill-success of the attack of October 7th, had given place to frost and snow . The ground was frozen hard and covered with snow, so that when the attack was launched at 6.10 a.m. the troops showed up clearly against the white ground. However, the attack was pressed with much determination, and the right company, B, got into Desire Trench and established itself there despite much opposition. Its left, however, was "in the air," for D had lost direction and, going off left-handed, soon lost touch with B. Only a few of D ever got back; the company had pushed on over its first objective and had come under very heavy machine-gun fire from a strong point on the left and the survivors had been surrounded by the enemy and killed or taken almost to a man.

A similar fate befell the Buffs and Queen's further to the left. They, too, captured their first objective but, apparently pushing on beyond, were cut off by a German counter-attack which got in behind them, this being the more successful because the Division on their left had been forced back, completely exposing the flank of the 55th Brigade. B Company's position in Desire Trench was, therefore, most precarious, but Major Clare, of the E. Surreys, who was temporarily commanding the battalion, promptly pushed up all available reinforcements, including a Stokes mortar and a bombing party. Thus assisted, B not only maintained its ground, but, inspired by Captain Knight's splendid example, actually extended its gains and cleared Desire Trench as far as Sixteen Trench, the point originally fixed as the left of the battalion's objective. Several barricades had to be broken down but the trench was successfully cleared by 2nd Lieut. Dix, who led a bombing party with much courage and conviction, while another detachment rushed over the open and got into the trench further along. Pte. Keheler, who led the bayonet charge with great dash, disposed of a large number of enemy himself, while Corpl. Coleman threw bombs with the greatest skill and accuracy, doing splendid service. Most of the garrison endeavoured to escape by bolting back across the open to Grandcourt Trench but were shot down by the leading platoon of A Company, which 2nd Lieut. Kent brought up opportunely.

Next morning patrols pushed along Desire Trench as far as Stump Road, the left of the 55th Brigade's objective, and found it evacuated. A welcome supply of food and wine was found in the dug-outs with many other evidences of the haste with which the Germans had departed.It should be added that several British wounded were now recovered who had been most carefully tended and looked after by the Germans, a somewhat unusual occurrence greatly to the defenders of Desire Trench. During the day the Buffs took over the Western portion of Desire Trench, which allowed the battalion to concentrate its energies on Cross Trench, a communication trench running diagonally across its front. Snipers from this trench had given trouble during the day, but in the evening Captain E. S. Holland and C Company made a most successful advance, reached a strong point at Point 85, three quarters of the way to Grandcourt Trench, and established a block there. Two nights later the 55th Brigade was relieved by the Sixty-First Division and withdrew to an area North of Abbeville.

The casualties of the 7th in this last action, by no means its least creditable exploit on the Somme, came to nearly 200; 2nd Lieut. Carter and 22 other ranks were killed, Lieut. Stevenson and 2nd Lieut. Fryer missing with 94 men, mainly of D Company, and 2nd Lieuts. Godley and Taylor wounded with 77 men. With the rest of the Eighteenth Division it could look back on the Somme with special pride. Hardly any other Division had been so frequently or successfully engaged and none had achieved more. It had established a great reputation as a fighting unit and the 7th R.W.K had proved as efficient and formidable as any battalion in the Division. Indeed of all the battalions of The Queen's Own engaged in the Somme offensive the 7th had perhaps the finest record; no one would claim for it that it had surpassed the others in devotion and gallantry and endurance, but it had been more often in action and always with success. The new drafts who had re[placed the old hands who fell in July had shown themselves inspired by the same zeal and high spirit as their predecessors. Certainly a high spirit and high standard of courage and devotion had been required, for the fighting had been very bitter. The 7th's losses during the period gives some clue to the intensity of the fighting and the great part it had played. Its "parapet strength" in the last week of June had been 36 officers and 837 other ranks; it had received drafts amounting to 28 officers and 955 other ranks, yet could only muster 20 officers and 529 men at the end of November.

The 7th RWK War Diary is available at The National Archives (reference WO 95/2049/2). The days immediately preceding/following George's death are transcribed (from a typewritten Army Form C.2118)) below:

13th November 1916: Relieved BERKSHIRE REGT. in front line, occupying the whole Brigade Battle Frontage. N.B. the attack on DESIRE TRENCH² was then timed for 15th November.

15th November: Attack on DESIRE TRENCH postponed till the 16th November.

16th November: Attack on DESIRE TRENCH postponed till the 18th November.

18th November: Attack on DESIRE TRENCH vide Appendice 17. Bombing attack on DESIRE TRENCH vide Appendice 18

21st November: Battalion relieved by the 2/5th GLOUCESTERSHIRE REGT.

The Appendices 17 and 18 referred to are detailed accounts of the events of the 18th November, the first on the overall attack by Major Cecil Clare (commanding 7^th RWK) and the second on the bombing attack carried out by No 4 platoon against "an obstinate German strong point".

Notes

1. Including from Wateringbury: Frederick Adams, William Cowlard, George Datlen, Albert Herbert, William Butchers, Lewis Newman and Frederick Latter). George is on Pier and face 11C.

2. DESIRE TRENCH is near Grandcourt and in the northern part of the Somme. This was the final battle, The Battle of the Ancre, of the Somme Offensive in which the main attacking force was the 5th Army advancing north and south of the Ancre. Beaumont Hamel was secured by the 51st (Highland) Division enabling Haig to proclaim a success when attending the commanders-in-chief conference at Chantilly on 17th November. George died on the last day of the Somme Offensive. The IWM has an audio tape (Catalogue 211 tape 3) of Alfred Irwin describing how he was shot in the thigh at Desire Trench on 18^th November.

3. Albert is a town on the River Ancre and just behind the British line.