LiveTheirStory

When I started researching my family history for the first time some 15 years ago, I was curious to know whether either of my grandads served in the military (not that I’m much into military history, but it’s one line of inquiry). This was before a lot of the relevant material was online, and when I received a (very helpful) letter back in 2010 confirming that no service records were held by the Army Personnel Centre, I figured that was that.

Fast forward to this year, and mentioning to my cousin that I was researching again, she confirmed that the grandad I never knew, Joseph Lees, DID serve in WWI but that it wasn’t talked about much. A bit of online digging gave us both a real surprise when we discovered he, along with many others from the 8th Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps, had been captured at St Quentin on 21 March 1918, and held as a POW at the notorious Langensalza camp in central Germany. The German record of his capture survives. A quick purchase from the National Archives brought us Joseph’s medal card (the family still has his two medals) and in addition the battalion’s war diary (WO-95-1985-2). Here is the entry for March:

It is impossible to give any connected or detailed information of the doings of the Bn for this month as none of the officers or men in the line came out of the March 21st Battle.

From letters that have since been received from Germany it appears that the Bn was quite prepared [sic] for the Boche when he attacked and that the various posts held out until their ammunition was expended.

Major Barber commanding ‘A’ Coy writes to say that his Coy held out for four hours and having no ammunition left started to try to force a way back, the only people to come out were two men of this company, who have since gone, their evidence corroborates this account.

All the Bn records were lost, Captain Pope the Adjutant has written to say that they burnt the lot and blew up the typewriter before they were captured. All Bde stuff was lost therefore no disposition can be given.

In the line round URVILLERS

20/3/18

The Bn was in the front line system. ‘A’ and ‘C’ companies holding the actual front line, ‘B’ in support along the Route Nationale 44 and ‘D’ in various strong points around URVILLERS. A strong report reached the Bn that the enemy were about to attack the following morning, these reports however were of frequent occurrence. Nothing unusual happened during the night.

21/3/18 (Hearsay Evidence)

The morning was very misty. Our gunners put down a barrage at 4.45am, on the strength of last nights reports. At 5am the enemy opened up his fire, shelling right away from the front line to Divisional HQ which was at CLASTRES. He used large quantities of gas shell [my emphasis].

Of the entire Bn in the line, only two reached the transport camp. Their story is that owing to the thick mist the Boche was able to get right round them, through a gap he had made in the 36th Division on our left, without being seen. They say that the enemy were at Bn HQ before they reached our own front line. We have since heard from an Officer who was taken prisoner (Major Barber cmdng A Coy) that his company was completely surrounded and fought for four hours before their ammunition was expended.

While this was going on in the front line, all men at the transport camp were organised into a body under Capt TETLEY, for the defence of the canal crossing at JUSSY. Here they engaged the enemy and fought a vanguard action to FLAVY, where they held the enemy for a short time. During this fighting Capt Tetley’s bravery was extraordinary. From this time until the 27th, various oddbodies were formed, and no record can be given for the fighting during this period.

Given he was gassed, and then incarcerated, it’s no surprise that Joseph, like many of his generation, preferred to get on with life once freed and repatriated rather than dwell on the War and its horrors. He married, worked for the Corporation of London’s sanitation department, acted as a fire watcher and decontamination worker in WW2, and died in 1968, aged 70. The hunt goes on for his service record, though I suspect it, like many, was destroyed in 1940’s blitz, and I’m not sure now we really need it…