Pte
Stuart John Webb
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1896 |
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Place of birth: Luton, Bedfordshire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Engineer |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 42359 |
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Enlistment date: 02/03/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Luton, Bedfordshire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Manchester Regiment, 2/7th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 23/10/1917 |
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Place of death: No. 26 General Hospital, Étaples, Pas-de-Calais, France |
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Cause of death: Died of wounds (D.O.W.) |
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Age: 21 |
Cemetery
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Étaples Military Cemetery Plot: XXX Row: F Grave: 21A |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Private Stuart John Webb served in the Manchester Regiment 2/7th Battalion, part of the 199th Brigade, of the 66th Division. On the 9th of October 1917, the 66th Division participated in the Battle of Poelcapelle, a phase of the Third Battle of Ypres.
The 66th Division attacked with two brigades; the 198th Brigade on the left and the 197th Brigade on the right. The 197th Brigade’s attack was to be carried out by four Battalions of the Lancashire Fusiliers. But owing to weather conditions and the ghastly state of the terrain the 3rd/5th Lancashire Fusiliers were unable to get to their assembly positions on time. Consequently the 2nd/7th Manchester Regiment was ordered to take the place of the 3rd/5th Lancashire Fusiliers and was attached to the 197th Brigade.
At 5.20 a.m. the attack began. The 197th Brigade advanced along the Ypres-Roulers railroad from positions between Hamburg redoubt and the railway. The task of the 2nd/7th Manchesters was to mop up the last German resistance, in and around Tyne Cot Cemetery, after the first waves had passed through it. “A” Company of the 2nd/7th Manchesters silenced the last pockets of German defenders at the Cemetery, capturing 19 prisoners. The Battalion remained at the Red Line near Tyne Cot Cemetery. During the afternoon a heavy German counter attack developed forcing back the entire 197th Brigade to the Red Line. The Manchester Regiment 2/7th Battalion was relieved in the front line on the following day.
Private Stuart John Webb was probably wounded while mopping up Tyne Cot Cemetery or while holding the Red line near the cemetery. He was subsequently evacuated to the 26th General Hospital at Étaples, in northern France, where he died of his wounds on the 23rd of October 1917. He is buried at the Étaples Military Cemetery.
The 66th Division attacked with two brigades; the 198th Brigade on the left and the 197th Brigade on the right. The 197th Brigade’s attack was to be carried out by four Battalions of the Lancashire Fusiliers. But owing to weather conditions and the ghastly state of the terrain the 3rd/5th Lancashire Fusiliers were unable to get to their assembly positions on time. Consequently the 2nd/7th Manchester Regiment was ordered to take the place of the 3rd/5th Lancashire Fusiliers and was attached to the 197th Brigade.
At 5.20 a.m. the attack began. The 197th Brigade advanced along the Ypres-Roulers railroad from positions between Hamburg redoubt and the railway. The task of the 2nd/7th Manchesters was to mop up the last German resistance, in and around Tyne Cot Cemetery, after the first waves had passed through it. “A” Company of the 2nd/7th Manchesters silenced the last pockets of German defenders at the Cemetery, capturing 19 prisoners. The Battalion remained at the Red Line near Tyne Cot Cemetery. During the afternoon a heavy German counter attack developed forcing back the entire 197th Brigade to the Red Line. The Manchester Regiment 2/7th Battalion was relieved in the front line on the following day.
Private Stuart John Webb was probably wounded while mopping up Tyne Cot Cemetery or while holding the Red line near the cemetery. He was subsequently evacuated to the 26th General Hospital at Étaples, in northern France, where he died of his wounds on the 23rd of October 1917. He is buried at the Étaples Military Cemetery.
Sources 2
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2/7 Battalion Manchester Regiment , (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/3145/2). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14303 Further reference |
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McCarthy C., The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995), pg. 105-106. Sources used |
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/506909 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=585e4af9-c02a-4bdb-b50f-1216ad97f242 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/4674830 |