Ruins of Ypres.
[Picture courtesy of - "Photos of The Great War".].
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14 MAY
3020 Pte Barry Albert. Home at Oakhill in Bath, Durham. Born Bishop Middleham, Co Durham.
Enlisted Northallerton, N Yorks. Died of wounds. Buried at Boulogne Eastern [Hospital] Cemetery.
2315 Pte Scott Norman. Home at Middleton Tyas Yorks. Enlisted at Barton. Killed in action.
Age 21. Menin Gate Memorial Ypres.
17 MAY
2Lt William Percy Orde-Powlett was killed. Age 21. He was the son of 5th Baron Bolton of Bolton Hall, Leyburn,
N Yorks. Commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres and Wensley, Yorks
Memorial.
19 MAY
1946 Pte Hartas Thomas Henry. Home at West Tce, Stokesley, N Yorks, place of enlistment.
Born at Ampleforth, N Yorks. Died of wounds. . Age 28. Buried at Stokesley Church Burial Ground.
23 MAY The 50th Division was temporarily split up and attached to various others.
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The York and Durham Brigade was placed with the Cavalry Corps who were defending the line to the West of Bellewarde
Lake.
The 4th Yorks Bn section of this was with the 9th Lancers defending the position astride the Menin Road at Hooge.
The danger from German howitzers [guns that fire big shells in a looping trajectory] was constant.
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The Battle of Bellewaarde 24th/25th May 1915.
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The march through Ypres at night is described as:-
"an awe inspiring sight. One long street we passed through
going towards Cloth Hall was on fire on both sides of the road."
During the course of the War, Ypres was reduced to rubble and many troops hit while moving to and from the Front.
24 MAY
Whit-Monday. At dawn the Germans opened up with Artillery, machine guns and rifles.
[History of the 50th Division -"Ten months of the War had passed and still trench warfare was in its infancy.
The enemy better prepared for static warfare, was well provided with trench mortars, hand and rifle grenades and rifles
with telescopic sights for sniping. Our trench weapons were woefully inadequate. The trench mortars we were using
were either hastily improvised weapons or centuries old. Some were of iron, other of brass; all at first more
dangerous to the firers than to the enemy. Hand grenades were similarly primitive and of the several improvised patterns
the "jam-pot", "Battye Bomb" and "hairbrush" were most generally favoured. Recipe for "jam-pot" bomb. "Take a jam pot.
Fill it with shredded gun-cotton and ten penny nails, mixed according taste.
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The Site where the Menin Gate Memorial was built after the War, with the ruins of Cloth Hall in the
background.
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Insert a No 8 detonator and short length
of Bickford's fuze. Clamp up the lid. Light with a match, pipe, cigar or cigarette and throw for all you are worth".
The "Battye Bomb" consisted of a cast-iron cylinder about four inches in length and two inches in diameter, filled with
an explosive, generally ammonal, and closed by a wooden plug through a central hole in which a detonator and fuze were
inserted. The "hairbrush" was made by making fast a slab of gun cotton to a flat piece of wood of hairbrush shape,
It was ignited in the same way as the "jam-pot".]
Once more the Germans released their new weapon, chlorine gas that formed great clouds forty feet high and these
drifted with the wind onto the British lines.
It was said the gas was experienced some 20 miles behind the front and, as the Divisional
History says, what the effect was on those immediately opposite the release cannot be imagined.
Many were overcome by the fumes before they could fit their primitive respirators, but when the Germans attacked
they were met with a hail of rifle and machine gun fire that drove them back.
The bombardment continued until 7.30 am, but the line held.
The Battalion Diary recorded:-
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The 50th Division Memorial.
Situated near Wieltje, a village to the North East of Ypres. See map above.
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Lt H.W. Cummins and 2Lt E.F. Hutchinson were killed. [He had joined the Battalion only two days previously.]
CSM Myers again distinguished himself.
CSM Bainbridge was splendid.
Privates
Perry and Ekins also deserve mention.
One man got into the machine-gun emplacement of one of the Hussar
regiments, where he found only the officer,working the gun with him.
He stayed until he [the man] was killed.
During the day Major H G Scott drove round and round in the commandeered ambulance car picking up wounded and
gassed men who were straggling back to dressing stations.
At night the remainder of the garrison of our trenches were relieved and straggled back"
Casualties were 5 officers and 198 other ranks.
The following 20 men of the Battalion were killed in action on the 24th and are commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial.
Lt Herbert Waller Cummins Killed in action.
2163 Pte Andrew James. Born and address in Middlesbrough, N Yorks. Enlisted at Northallerton.
Age 19.
190 Pte Bargewell Clarence. Home at 155 Union St, Middlesbrough, N Yorks, town of
birth and enlistment. Age 22.
821 Sgt Baxtrem Francis. Born Grangetown, Middlesbrough, town of enlistment.
Age 28.
2076 L/Cpl Bunting Ernest R. Home at S Bank N Yorks, place of birth and enlisted at Middlesbrough.
Age 34.
2887 Pte Carter William. Home at Liverton Mines N Yorks.
288 Sgt Cooke Herbert. Born and enlisted at Middlesbrough, N Yorks.
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2187 Pte Cox Thomas William. Home in Middlesbrough, town of birth. Enlisted at Northallerton.
1568 Pte Earls William. Home at - 47 Mills St, Newport, Middlesbrough N Yorks, place of enlistment.
Born at Thornaby on Tees. Age 24.
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Sgt Herbert Cooke's War Medals.
[Photograph kindly donated by his Great Nephew, Steve Cooke.]
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478 Sgt Johnson Thomas. Home at 17 Milbank St, Skelton in Cleveland, N Yorks. Born at Stockton on
Tees and enlisted at Middlesbrough, N Yorks.
1488 Pte Lane Herbert. Home at 28 Ash St, Middlesbrough, N Yorks, place of birth and enlistment.
Age 20.
1235 Pte Murray Arthur. Home at 75 Commercial St, Middlesbrough, N Yorks, place of birth and
enlistment. Age 22. W" Company.
3172 Pte O'Grady Thomas. Home at 81 Parliament St, Stockton on Tees, place of birth. Enlisted at
Northallerton, N Yorks. Age 22.
2470 Pte Ord William. Home at Ryehill Yorks. Born at Nunthorpe and enlisted at
Northallerton, N Yorks.
2529 Pte Ryder John Erskine. Home at 143 Linthorpe Rd, Middlesbrough, N Yorks, place of
enlistment. Age 19.
996 Cpl Wallinger Richard George. Home at Urlay Nook, Yarm, N Yorks. Born at Seaton Carew
and enlisted at Yarm. Age 34.
1040 Pte Ryder Robert. Home at 10 Rose St, Middlesbrough, N Yorks, place of birth and enlistment.
Age 25.
1502 Pte Stant George Ernest. Home at Aran, Catterick, N Yorks, place of enlistment, Born at
Liverpool. Age 19.
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Lt E F Hutchinson.
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2414 Pte Stewart Jack. Home at 47 Corporation Rd, Darlington, Enlisted at Northallerton.
Age 22. W" Company.
1313 Pte Webb George William. Home at 8 Pearson St, Middlesbrough, N Yorks, place of birth
and enlistment. Age 21. A" Company.
2Lt Edgar Francis Hutchinson Age 24. Died of wounds. Son of James M. and Elizabeth Hutchinson, of Gilside House,
2, Victoria Rd., Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Yorks. He was a Solicitor before the War with M W and E F Hutchinson of Middlesbrough.
He volunteered as a Private in November 1914.
London Gazette. 12 March 1915. "To be Second Lieutenants. Private Edgar Francis Hutchinson, from the Inns of Court
Officers Training Corps."
Buried in Bedford House Cemetery.
[His photograph kindly contributed by Kevin Galloway of Thornaby on Tees.]
1230 Pte Vaughan Edward. Home at South Bank, Middlesbrough, N Yorks. Born at Maryport, Cumberland
and enlisted at Eston, N Yorks. Buried at Bedford House Cemetery.
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