Pte
Richard Dove Whittaker
Informationen zu Geburt
|
Geburtsjahr: 1886 |
|
Geburtsort: Skipton, Yorkshire, England, Vereinigtes Königreich |
Allgemeine Informationen
|
Beruf: Baumwollspinnereiarbeiter |
Informationen zum Armeedienst
|
Land: England, Vereinigtes Königreich |
|
Truppe: British Expeditionary Force |
|
Rang: Private |
|
Dienstnummer: 267013 |
|
Einberufung ort: Skipton, Yorkshire, England, Vereinigtes Königreich |
|
Einheiten: — Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment), 1/6th Bn. (Letzte bekannte Einheit) |
Informationen zu Tod
|
Sterbedatum: 28/02/1918 |
|
Sterbeort: Judge Subsector, Belgien |
|
Todesursache: Verwundet |
|
Alter: 32 |
Begräbnisplatz
|
Polygon Wood Cemetery Grabstelle: Unbekannt Reihe: G Grab: 3 |
Auszeichnungen und Orden 2
|
British War Medal Medaille |
|
Victory Medal Medaille |
Punkte von Interesse 2
| #1 | Geburtsort | ||
| #2 | Einberufung ort |
Meine Geschichte
Private Richard Dove Whittaker was born in 1886 in Skipton, North Yorkshire. He was the son of Edward and Ann Whittaker and he had two brothers and one sister. Before he enlisted in the army he was working as a warpdresser at Firth & Moorhouse textile mill. When he enlisted in 1916, he joined the Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment 1/6th Battalion, part of the 147th Brigade of the 49th Division.
During the most part of February, the 1/6th Battalion resided in the North of France. They moved to different towns, like Moulle, Broxeele and Hondeghem where they conducted target practice, had shooting competitions/practice, had drill competitions/practice and had overall a lot of training. On the afternoon of February 20th, the battalion departed Hondeghem and boarded a train heading east towards the front. At 5 p.m. they arrived at a camp named Belgian Chateau, a mile south-west of Ypres and spent the night in huts.
The battalion of Private Whittaker was at that point stationed at the front line in the Polygon Wood area. The front line was divided into three battalion sub-sectors. The one on the right was named “Reutel”, the central sub-sector was known as “Judge” (from the “Judge Cross Roads” and the ruins of “Judge Cottage”) and the one on the left was named “Noord. On February 22nd the battalion relieved the 2nd Canterbury Battalion of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the Centre Judge Sector, 4 miles of Ypres, with “A” and “B” Companies at the front and “C” and “D” Companies in support. On the 26th, the companies were rotated with “C” and “D” Companies relieving “A” and “B” at the front.
At 3 a.m. on 28th February the British artillery fired a barrage on the enemy lines which prompted a retaliation during which three men where killed, amongst whom Private Whittaker. He and another soldier where both hit by the barrage and died soon after of shrapnel wounds. He was 28 years old. He was buried at Polygon Wood Cemetery and lies in Row G Grave 3. As mentioned above, Private Whittaker had two brothers, Edgar and James Whittaker. Both of them also served during the Great War. Private James Whittaker served alongside his brother in the 1/6th Battalion of the Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment, but was killed in action on 3rd May 1918. His other brother, Edgar Whittaker, served as a gunner in the Royal Field Artillery and was the only one of the three who survived the war.
During the most part of February, the 1/6th Battalion resided in the North of France. They moved to different towns, like Moulle, Broxeele and Hondeghem where they conducted target practice, had shooting competitions/practice, had drill competitions/practice and had overall a lot of training. On the afternoon of February 20th, the battalion departed Hondeghem and boarded a train heading east towards the front. At 5 p.m. they arrived at a camp named Belgian Chateau, a mile south-west of Ypres and spent the night in huts.
The battalion of Private Whittaker was at that point stationed at the front line in the Polygon Wood area. The front line was divided into three battalion sub-sectors. The one on the right was named “Reutel”, the central sub-sector was known as “Judge” (from the “Judge Cross Roads” and the ruins of “Judge Cottage”) and the one on the left was named “Noord. On February 22nd the battalion relieved the 2nd Canterbury Battalion of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the Centre Judge Sector, 4 miles of Ypres, with “A” and “B” Companies at the front and “C” and “D” Companies in support. On the 26th, the companies were rotated with “C” and “D” Companies relieving “A” and “B” at the front.
At 3 a.m. on 28th February the British artillery fired a barrage on the enemy lines which prompted a retaliation during which three men where killed, amongst whom Private Whittaker. He and another soldier where both hit by the barrage and died soon after of shrapnel wounds. He was 28 years old. He was buried at Polygon Wood Cemetery and lies in Row G Grave 3. As mentioned above, Private Whittaker had two brothers, Edgar and James Whittaker. Both of them also served during the Great War. Private James Whittaker served alongside his brother in the 1/6th Battalion of the Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment, but was killed in action on 3rd May 1918. His other brother, Edgar Whittaker, served as a gunner in the Royal Field Artillery and was the only one of the three who survived the war.
Verwandte, die auch Soldat waren 1
|
James Willie Whittaker
Brother |
Quellen 6
|
Ancestry https://www.ancestry.co.uk/ Verwendete Quellen |
|
Barber, S., "Guiseley Terriers: A Small Part in the Great War, A History of the 1/6th Battalion, Duke of Wellington's (West Riding) Regiment", Barnsley, Pen & Sword Military, 2018, 160-162. Verwendete Quellen |
|
CPGW http://www.cpgw.org.uk/soldier-records/richard-dove-whittaker/ Verwendete Quellen |
|
CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/480082/whittaker,-richard-dove/ Verwendete Quellen |
|
The Long Long Trail https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/ Verwendete Quellen |
|
War Diary http://www.nmarchive.com/ Verwendete Quellen |