Gunner Frederick James Green (Cranworth) 61st Battalion MGC KiA 21st March 1918

This photograph appeared in the edition of the Norwich Mercury dated Saturday May 18 1918 along with the caption : Gunner F.J. Green, M.G.C., son of Mr. and Mrs. G. Green, Cranworth, killed in France on March 21st.

 

Private GREEN, FREDERICK JAMES

Service Number:…… 119547

Died:………………………. 21/03/1918

Aged:……………………… 19

Unit:………………………….61st Bn. Machine Gun Corps (Infantry)

Commemorated:……..Pozieres Memorial

Son of George and Sarah Ann Green, of Cranworth Common, Shipdham, Thetford, Norfolk.

CWGC: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1581690/green,-freder...

 

Soldiers Died in the Great War records that Private 119547 Frederick James Green was killed in action on the 21st March 1918 whilst serving in France & Flanders with the Machine Gun Corps. He was born Letton, Norfolk, resident Thetford and enlisted Attleborough.

 

The Medal Index Card for Private 119547 Frederick J. Green, Machine Gun Corps, is held at the Nayional Archive under reference WO 372/8/124320

discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D6248016

 

His Service Records do not appear to have survived the incendiary attack during the Blitz on the Warehouse where all the Other Ranks Army Service Records were stored.

 

No match on Picture Norfolk, the County Image Archive.

 

No obvious Soldiers Will or Civil Probate for this man.

 

No obvious missing person enquiry received by the International Red Cross.

 

Frederick is remembered on the War Memorial to the men of Cranworth, Letton & Southburgh. His brother Lionel, who died serving with the 1st/5th Battalion, Norfolk Regiment on the 19th April 1917, (2nd Gaza), is also remembered.

www.breckland-rollofhonour.org.uk/cranworth.html

 

The two are also remembered on a family headstone in the churchyard of St. Andrew, Southburgh.

www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/215915/

 

 

1898 – Birth and baptism

 

The birth of a Frederick James Green was registered with the Civil Authorities in the District of Mitford in Norfolk in the October to December quarter, (Q4), of 1898. Mitford Civil Registration District included both the Civil Parishes of Cranworth and Letton.

 

The baptism of a Frederick James Green, born November 9th 1898, took place in the Parish of Cranworth with Letton on the 15th November 1898. His parents were George, a Horseman, and Sarah Ann. The family resided at Letton.

www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JQMQ-R5T

 

The most likely marriage of his parents occurred in the July to September quarter, (Q3), of 1882, when a George Green married a Sarah Anne E Tuttle in the Mitford District of Norfolk.

 

1901 Census of England and Wales

 

The 3 year old Frederic Green, born Letton, Norfolk, was recorded living in a dwelling on High Common, Cranworth, Norfolk. This was the household of his parents, George, (aged 45, Teamster on Farm, born Cranworth), and Sarah Ann, (aged 41, born Southburgh, Norfolk). As well as Frederic their other children living with them are:-

Bertie G…..aged 16…..born Cranworth..General Labourer

Maud……..aged 14…..born Cranworth

Arthur…….aged 11…..born Letton

Alice……..aged 8…….born Letton

Walter……aged 5…….born Letton

 

1911 Census of England and Wales

 

The Green family were still living at High Common, Cranworth. Parents, George, (52, Farm Teamster) and Sarahann, (49, now shown as born Cranworth) have been married 30 years and have had 8 children, all then still alive. Still single and living at home were “Authur”, (20, Farm Labourer), Alice, (17, Farm Labourer), Walter (14), Fred, (12), and Claude, (10,born Cranworth).

 

1915 Norfolk Register of Electors……

 

A George Green was recorded as entitled to vote in Parliamentary, County Council and Parish elections as he was the (male) householder of a dwelling house on High Common, Cranworth.

www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2HTN-JQR

 

 

On the day………………………..

 

As part of a wider re-organisation of the British Army which took place at the start of 1918, the old Machine Gun Companies – one per Brigade, (from which they took their numbers), plus one in the Divisonal Troops, were amalgamated into a Machine Gun Battalion, controlled at Divisional level.

 

Thus in this case 182nd Machine Gun Company, (from 182nd Brigade), 183rd Machine Gun Company, (from 183rd Brigade), 184th Machine Gun Company, (from 184th Brigade), and 267th Machine Gun Company, (61st Divisional Troops), became the 61st Battalion, Machine Gun Corps on the 1st March 1918, attached to the 61st Division.

 

A search of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website shows that at least 23 men of this Battalion died on this day, and only one has a known grave. This was Serjeant 22644 T.W. Bubb whose body was found on the battlefield in an unmarked grave that included unknown British Soldiers, some of whom were subsequently identified as members of the 2/4th Oxs & Bucks Light Infantry, (who were part of 184th Brigade). The grave was found in the St. Quentin area in 1920 at map reference 62B.M34.c3.9. Bubb was still wearing his ID Disc.

(see the Concentration Report attached to the CWGC webpage for Serjeant Bubb).

www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/579767/

 

On 21 March 1918, the enemy launched what was intended to be a decisive offensive, attacking the British Fifth and Third Armies on the Somme in overwhelming strength. The 61st (2nd South Midland) Division was holding the forward zone of defences in the area northwest of Saint Quentin in the area of Ham and lost many men as it fought a chaotic but ultimately successful withdrawal back over the Somme crossings over the next ten days. In the initial clash, the South Midland faced three enemy Divisions and only began to retire on the afternoon of 22 March, when ordered to do so in consequence of the enemy’s progress at other parts of the line.

www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions...

 

The fifteen kilometre British sector in front of St Quentin was held by the XVIII Corps of General Sir Ivor Maxse and was made up of the 30th, 36th (Ulster) and 61st Divisions. To their north was the XIX Corps and to the south the III Corps covering as far as La Fère and the French Army.

 

From north to south the 61st were positioned between the villages of Gricourt and Selency. On their right was the 30th who continued the line as far as the village of Dallon. The right flank of the Corps was held by the 36th (Ulster) Division who occupied the front until just before Urvillers where the 14th (Light) Division of III Corps took over.

 

For the most part the Forward Zone was only lightly defended and the supposed support trenches in the Rear Zone were all but non existent. There had been neither the time nor the labour available to do much in the way of enhancing the defences.

 

The front was loosely held with eight redoubts in the forward zone with a further eight a little further back.

 

It has already been mentioned that Field Marshal Haig had been forced to reorganise his Army in order to bring his Divisions up to some sort of decent strength.

 

This had required disbandments of some battalions and the shuffling about of others.

Thus on 31 January 1918 the 1/5th Bn Gordon Highlanders found themselves posted from the 51st (Highland) Division to the 61st which in theory was supposed to be made up of units from the south Midlands.

 

The Highlanders were given the task on their arrival to occupy and defend the Fresnoy le Petit Redoubt and it can be well realised that they only had, at best, six weeks before the Germans launched their offensive. Not long in which to conduct a transfer, settle in and dig defences.

 

The offensive begins

At 0940 hours the German Stormtroopers commenced their advance, creeping through the fog and infiltrating much of the British Forward Zone with ease. Either they overcame resistance with grenade, flamethrower or bayonet, or if they couldn't they flowed around the problem.

 

The German training had worked on the theory that if they continued to advance wherever they could, then defenders who held out would become isolated, or, even if this was not actually the case, begin to worry about becoming cut off. Once the British defenders could hear fighting going on behind them they would only have two choices available: retire before it was too late or stand and fight until killed or captured.

 

The bombardment put down by Bruchmüller's artillery had done a superb job in destroying lines of communication and with the thick fog it was very difficult for the British to respond to events.

At Fresnoy le Petit the Highlanders had suffered badly from the shelling. Their position had been demolished and almost all of the battalion was dead or wounded. The Germans filtered in and through their lines capturing the survivors including Lt Colonel McTaggart the CO.

Just thirty men made it back to the rear lines.

 

Further south at the Ellis Redoubt the 2/8th Bn Worcestershire Regiment had profited from a raid in the small hours of the morning by their sister battalion the 2/6th. This had yielded a number of prisoners, all of whom talked of an offensive due to be launched within a few hours.

 

Despite the storm of shells which fell on their redoubt the Worcesters held on until 1730 when their ammunition ran out and the fall of the Enghien Redoubt on their left flank had left the Germans free to deal with them.

 

The Official History records that only 1 officer and 6 men made it back to Brigade HQs that evening.

www.webmatters.net/france/ww1_kaiser_06.htm

 

Mildly photoshopped to minimise impact of damage present on the original image.

 

 

Done