Thanks for the email. Yes, feel free to use the pictures on your new site.
Best Regards.
Brent Whittam.
World War I Cemeteries.
The pages you have created re. the 4th Battalion are wonderfully
comprehensive, and must have taken an extraordinary amount of work.
I have placed a link for you.
Edward Nicholl.
Friends of the Green Howards.
Fantastic web site. What a good idea. I'm happy to add a link to it from my site the next time I do some changes.
Well done.
Guy.
50th Northumbrian Division.
You seem to have a well laid out and researched web site here. Well done.
A fine research tool for those with an interest in the Yorkshire Regiment and the 1/4th Battalion.
Regards Kevin.
Thornaby on Tees.
Excellent piece of work.
In fact, it's given me some ideas for a future project.
John Hartley.
More Than a Name - The stories of Stockport's fallen
War Memorials around Cheadle, Cheshire.
Nice piece of work.
I see you have included some material on Captain D.P.Hirsch VC.
I included his story in my latest book on Arras and have material which I can send you, if you drop me an email.
Paul Reed.
The Old Front Line. Battlefields of the Great War.
Passchendaele Remembered: my new site for the 90th Anniversary.
Fantastic! - very well done and a superb resource.
Mike Briggs.
Chesterfield Sherwoods on the Somme. 1st July - 18th November 1916
Well done,
I have some extra info on 9 men who served in the 1/4th Yorkshire Regiment, who are recorded on our website.
Send me an e-mail and I will give you the details.
Chris.
Cravens Part In The Great War.
A credit to you and the Yorkshires, well done.
Bob Coulson, Middlesbrough.
Good looking layout. well done.
Arm. Nr Rugby, Warwickshire.
21st Division 1914-18. Divisional History of the Great War.
Well done!
Bernard Lewis. Neath, W Glamorgan, Wales.
The Swansea Battalion (14th Welsh) in the Great War.
Nice Site and well laid out.
Shows me I have a long way to go with mine.
Andy.
The Leeds Pals. The 15th (Service) Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment
(Prince of Wales's Own)
Well done, a well laid out site.
I particularly like the brackets explaining terms and abbreviations after they occur, I've not come across this before.
A good idea.
Spike. Carlisle, Cumbria.
The Lonsdale Pals Battalion, 11th (Service)Battalion,
Border Regiment at the Battle of the Somme..
Excellent website.
I have taken Pte Harry Major, [Killed in Action on the 16th July 1917], under my wing for the past 15 years.
I found a rotting wooden Celtic Cross to him in a Darlington cemetery.
I got permission to remove it, cleaned it up and gave it to the Green Howards Museum.
I believe that it is his original grave marker, he is buried at Heninel.
I will advertise your website to the Cleveland Branch of the WFA at the next meeting, others may have information.
I have a feeling your website will get a little bigger.
Sean. Darlington.
Excellent website.
Here are most of the 17 men you have not been able to trace.
Andy. Location not known.
Andy sent a message via the Great War Forum clearing up all the missing burial sites etc that I had spent ages trying
to find.
Many thanks.
Grand website. Great labor of love - and tons of time I know.
The images used are great. They are a story in themselves.
County Monaghan History.
Can I just take the time to say what a wonderful tribute to the 4th Battalion you have put together.
As part of my research into my family history I received a copy of the War Diary from the Green Howards
Museum and you have expanded it wonderfully.
I could never have hoped to have had such a detailed document of 3 years of my Great Grandfather's life.
Andy Jackson, Guisborough, N Yorkshire.
Andy's Great Grandfather was CQMS William J Jackson awarded the Croix De Guerre for action on the 27th May 1918.
See page 60.
"The site is a credit to you. A lot of hard work on your part. You do their memory proud."
John Sheen, author of the following books - Tyneside Irish, Durham Pals, & Wearside Battalion.
[John is a knowledgeable collector of photographs of the First World War and has kindly contributed many valuable
additions to this site.
Most of these pictures belong to what I have referred to in the website as the "Wilf Thornton collection".
John's researches include that:-
Wilf Thornton was one of three Darlington brothers.
Frank Thornton served with the 4th Battalion and was killed at Kemmel on the 10th July 1916.
Another brother is thought to have commenced service with the Bn and then been transferred to the RASC.
Wilf Thornton, himself, rose through the ranks, as many did through merit and the constant loss of men.
He was commissioned on the 26th April 1917 and fought through the 1917 battles at Arras and Passchendaele, before being
taken prisoner in the German offensive called "Michael" on the Somme of March 1918.
Amazingly, Wilf took and brought home a collection of photographs of his colleagues and even brought back odd ones of his
time in a German POW camp.
He made it back home and served in the Second World War as an Officer in the Glosters.]
From Christopher Weekes of Horley, Surrey.
"Thanks.
My great uncle was Frank Maltby. He served with 5th battalion the Yorkshires from 30/8/1916 to 19/7/1917.
He was killed in the Arras sector after the second battle of the Scarpe.
As the 4th and 5th battalion were part of the 150th brigade in the 50th division, your website gives me a great insight
to his War story, for which I am very grateful.
I have visited his grave in the Heninel Communal Cemtery Extension, in which there are 28 Yorkshire Regt graves relecting
the severe fighting around this village in 1917.
When I revisit the cemetery I will take pictures of each grave and send them to you as you will be able to identify the
4th battalion men.
Thanks again."
From Ken Durkin of High Wycombe.
"I have just found your excellent website for the 1/4th Batt. of the Yorkshire Regiment. My Grandfather, Charles Francis
Durkin, joined on 4th September 1914. He was wounded 3 times the final time being 9th April 1918. Looking at your website,
this probably saved his life as he was in the UK by the time the final German offensive occurred.
Unfortunately he was left blinded in both eyes but survived until 1969 still finding small pieces of shrapnel coming
out of his skin.
Luckily his Casualty forms and joining and discharge records survived as does a photo of him being
taught to touch type at St Dunstans in 1919. He is being watched by Princess Victoria and the Queen of Spain!"
I added this photograph to page 56 and a piece about Charles.
"Excellent, thank you. It has brought tears to my eyes."
From Paul Nixon, India, who has created a fascinating website about some of the men who were wounded in the First War and
hospitalised in the UK.
Chailey 1914-1918.
Congratulations on a nice website.
I've just added some links to your site from mine and these will be updated shortly.
George Cecil Davidson Walburn, who appears on my site, was an early recruit to the 1/4th Yorks Battalion and was wounded in
April 1915. Fortunately his service record survives.
You can read about L/Cpl Walburn of Redcar, N Yorks
here.
Three Constantine brothers of Harlsey Hall, Northallerton were Officers in the Battalion throughout the War.
I have received photographs and additional information about them from Simon Barnard, their Great Nephew and
Christopher Constantine, the Grandson of Lieut Colonel William W Constantine.
"I would like to express appreciation from the William Whitesmith Constantine side of the family for your splendid work on
the 1/4th Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment. WWC is my grandfather whom I remember well and I still have a few of his
regimental things. Some of the photos are via me but others are a great insight and surprise. Like many from WW1, my
grandfather's experiences were too horrific to discuss with anyone unless they had been there. Despite all this I was
surprised that he went back into the TA straight away. He later was in the Home Guard. I have a few things that could be of
interest."
I am the Great-Grandson of 496 Pte Harold Clarkson, killed in action on the 29th December 1915. I am presuming
fairly close top Vlamertinghe Cemetary, where he is buried. Family oral history has it that he was a cook and that they
were playing cards and he went to stir the soup, and was the only one killed when a shell exploded in the vicinity.
I still have his medals, his son's (my Grandfather) medals, and his brother-in-laws medals (12th Yorks) displayed in
my study. Apart from the usual 1914-15 Star, Victory Medal and General Service Medal. He was also awarded the
Territorial Force Efficiency Medal, displaying the head of King Edward the Seventh, so was awarded pre-1910. I also
have one photo taken presumably on the 1913 camp at Redcar where I was born and the majority of Harold's family still
live. I would be happy to share this photo with you if you like. I notice you refer to him as Harry. At the family level
I have always heard him referred to as Harold as was one of his 4 sons. Your site is excellent and certainly does justice
to the brave men of the 1/4th Battalion who fought and gave their lives in the Great War. Keep up the good work.
...There is also a rather grainy picture of the 4th Yorks marching through Redcar. I had always assumed
that it was at the start of the Great War, but now I believe it could have been during the 1913 camp. I have talked to
my Mother a bit more and my Grandfather, Harold's son, told her that Harold was in the cookhouse. I had always taken
that to mean that he was a cook, however my Mother feels that may not have been the case and he could have just happened
to have been there at the time the shell landed. My feeling when I visited his grave in 1997 was that he could well
have been wounded and taken back to Vlamertinghe and died there.
I also have a picture of the grave and also an almost illegible letter that he wrote to his sister in Bolton, signed
"your loving brother Harold"
Regards, Stuart Hall. [Geelong, near Melbourne, Australia.]
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