CSM
Wilfred Harold Medland
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1885 |
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Place of birth: Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: 6 Castle Street, Newtownards, Ireland, United Kingdom |
Army information
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Country: Ireland, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Company Serjeant Major |
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Service number: 9259 |
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Enlistment place: Newtownards, County Down, Ireland, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Royal Irish Fusiliers, 9th Bn. (County Armagh) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 16/08/1917 |
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Place of death: Aisne Farm, Saint-Julien, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 32 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: IV Row: H Grave: 16 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Wilfred Harold Medland was born around 1885 in Cirencester, a picturesque town in the Cotswolds. Wilfred married and moved with his wife Margaret to Newtownards, County Down, Ireland.
Wilfred served as Company Serjeant Major on the Western Front with the 9th Battalion (County Armagh) of the Royal Irish Fusiliers, part of the 108th Brigade in the 36th (Ulster) Division.
During the Battle of Passchendaele, on 16 August 1917, the 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers assembled in an old trench running from Pommern Redoubt — the battalion headquarters — to Iberian Farm. Their objective was to advance towards the Zonnebeke–Langemark road, roughly 1.5 kilometres further on.
Moments after moving forward behind the creeping barrage, the men were held up at Hill 35. Despite sustained machine-gun fire from Somme and Gallipoli, the battalion managed to capture Hill 35. Meanwhile, contact with the 7/8th Royal Irish Fusiliers was lost, while the rolling barrage continued, increasingly exposing the men to German fire.
One platoon remained behind to consolidate Hill 35, while the attack continued. The Fusiliers pressed on until they encountered a double belt of barbed wire at Gallipoli, north of Hill 35. The wire had been destroyed in only one or two places, forcing the men to squeeze through. German machine-guns targeted these bottlenecks — from dugouts in Gallipoli, Aisne Farm, and Martha House north of Hill 35, and from Hill 37 to the east along the Zonnebeke–Langemark road. The consequences were devastating.
Further advance proved impossible. The battalion was forced to withdraw and consolidated its positions in a trench in front of Hill 35. But sustained machine-gun fire from Hill 37 made the position untenable. They withdrew again, this time to a trench on the southern slope of Hill 35.
This position linked with the lines of the 16th (Irish) Division on their right. But when that division was also pushed back by German counterattacks, the right flank of the Fusiliers was exposed. From Iberian Farm, south of Hill 35, they were enfiladed by German machine-guns. With no cover remaining on their right, the 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers were ultimately forced to retreat to their original lines. The attack was a complete failure.
Wilfred, 32 years old, was killed during the assault on Hill 35. He was initially buried in the field near Aisne. After the war, he received his final resting place at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Plot IV, Row H, Grave 16.
Wilfred served as Company Serjeant Major on the Western Front with the 9th Battalion (County Armagh) of the Royal Irish Fusiliers, part of the 108th Brigade in the 36th (Ulster) Division.
During the Battle of Passchendaele, on 16 August 1917, the 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers assembled in an old trench running from Pommern Redoubt — the battalion headquarters — to Iberian Farm. Their objective was to advance towards the Zonnebeke–Langemark road, roughly 1.5 kilometres further on.
Moments after moving forward behind the creeping barrage, the men were held up at Hill 35. Despite sustained machine-gun fire from Somme and Gallipoli, the battalion managed to capture Hill 35. Meanwhile, contact with the 7/8th Royal Irish Fusiliers was lost, while the rolling barrage continued, increasingly exposing the men to German fire.
One platoon remained behind to consolidate Hill 35, while the attack continued. The Fusiliers pressed on until they encountered a double belt of barbed wire at Gallipoli, north of Hill 35. The wire had been destroyed in only one or two places, forcing the men to squeeze through. German machine-guns targeted these bottlenecks — from dugouts in Gallipoli, Aisne Farm, and Martha House north of Hill 35, and from Hill 37 to the east along the Zonnebeke–Langemark road. The consequences were devastating.
Further advance proved impossible. The battalion was forced to withdraw and consolidated its positions in a trench in front of Hill 35. But sustained machine-gun fire from Hill 37 made the position untenable. They withdrew again, this time to a trench on the southern slope of Hill 35.
This position linked with the lines of the 16th (Irish) Division on their right. But when that division was also pushed back by German counterattacks, the right flank of the Fusiliers was exposed. From Iberian Farm, south of Hill 35, they were enfiladed by German machine-guns. With no cover remaining on their right, the 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers were ultimately forced to retreat to their original lines. The attack was a complete failure.
Wilfred, 32 years old, was killed during the assault on Hill 35. He was initially buried in the field near Aisne. After the war, he received his final resting place at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Plot IV, Row H, Grave 16.
Sources 6
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9 Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 95/2505/2). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO372). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG13). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Cunliffe, M., Passchendaele: The Royal Irish Fusiliers : 1793-1968. (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1970) 324-327. Sources used |
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Harris, H., The Royal Irish Fusiliers (the 87th and 89th Regiments of Foot). (London, Leo Cooper, 1972) 100-103. Sources used |
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McCarthy C., Passchendaele: The Day-By-Day Account (Londen, Arms & Armour, 2018) 52-55. Sources used |
More information 2
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/463930 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=f49194ec-cac6-4508-8ade-ae998b644c4f |