2nd Lt
John Ignatius Gill
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 04/01/1894 |
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Place of birth: Outwood, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Student |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Second Lieutenant |
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Service number: 16/1162 |
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Enlistment place: Bradford, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own), 11th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 07/06/1917 |
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Place of death: Just west of Battle Wood, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 23 |
Memorial
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Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial Panel: 21 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal — 07/02/1920 |
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Victory Medal Medal — 07/02/1920 |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place |
My story
Second Lieutenant John Ignatius Gill served with the 11th Battalion in the Prince of Wales’s Own West Yorkshire Regiment, part of the 69th Brigade in the 23rd Division. The 23rd Division was designated to be one of the three attacking Divisions of the Xth Corps leading the attack on the starting day of the Battle of Mesen (Messines) from 7th June until the 14th June 1917.
At Zero hour, 3.10 a.m., Sir Douglas Haig dispatched the 23rd Division in the frontline south-west of Battle Wood. The Battle started with the detonation of 19 mines underneath the German frontline followed by an intense bombardment of the German lines. The 11th Battalion West Yorkshires where Second Lieutenant John Gill served had to attack the Hill 60 sector. The frontage attack allotted to the 69th Brigade was from Windy Corner (I.35.a.o.2.) to the Snout (I.29.d.3.7.).
At 5 a.m. a runner from the 11th Battalion reported to the Brigade Headquarters of the 69th that the Battalion had captured the Red Line in conjunction with the 8th Yorkshire Regiment. The German barrage had now become so severe that but few runners were able to reach the Headquarters with more news. However, at 7 a.m. the 11th West Yorkshires had occupied the Blue Line from Imp (Impact) Avenue to Impartial Lane. These trenches were situated just west of Battle Wood and the Caterpillar, south of The Dump. Neighbouring Battalions had also reached the Blue Line. At the same time the second phase of the attack was launched and the 12th Durham Light Infantry passed through the 11th West Yorkshires positions to assault the Black Line. Casualties amongst the officers of the 11th west Yorkshires were heavy that day. During the long halt at the Blue Line the German shell-fire became increasingly heavy. On that day and the following days the Battalion’s trenches and especially the left flank were swept by German shell-fire. The 11th Battalion was eventually relieved in the night of the 9th/10th of June 1917.
Second Lieutenant John Ignatius Gill was killed in action on the 7th of June 1917, the first day of the Battle near Mesen. He is not listed under confirmed killed officers in the War Diary but he might well be the officer mentioned in the West Yorkshire Regimentbook as “wounded and missing, believed killed”. In any case, Second Lieutenant John Gill was killed in action during the attack on the Mesen Ridge, just west of Battle Wood-Caterpillar and south-west of Hill 60. His remains were never recovered or never identified and he is commemorated at the Ypres Menin Gate.
At Zero hour, 3.10 a.m., Sir Douglas Haig dispatched the 23rd Division in the frontline south-west of Battle Wood. The Battle started with the detonation of 19 mines underneath the German frontline followed by an intense bombardment of the German lines. The 11th Battalion West Yorkshires where Second Lieutenant John Gill served had to attack the Hill 60 sector. The frontage attack allotted to the 69th Brigade was from Windy Corner (I.35.a.o.2.) to the Snout (I.29.d.3.7.).
At 5 a.m. a runner from the 11th Battalion reported to the Brigade Headquarters of the 69th that the Battalion had captured the Red Line in conjunction with the 8th Yorkshire Regiment. The German barrage had now become so severe that but few runners were able to reach the Headquarters with more news. However, at 7 a.m. the 11th West Yorkshires had occupied the Blue Line from Imp (Impact) Avenue to Impartial Lane. These trenches were situated just west of Battle Wood and the Caterpillar, south of The Dump. Neighbouring Battalions had also reached the Blue Line. At the same time the second phase of the attack was launched and the 12th Durham Light Infantry passed through the 11th West Yorkshires positions to assault the Black Line. Casualties amongst the officers of the 11th west Yorkshires were heavy that day. During the long halt at the Blue Line the German shell-fire became increasingly heavy. On that day and the following days the Battalion’s trenches and especially the left flank were swept by German shell-fire. The 11th Battalion was eventually relieved in the night of the 9th/10th of June 1917.
Second Lieutenant John Ignatius Gill was killed in action on the 7th of June 1917, the first day of the Battle near Mesen. He is not listed under confirmed killed officers in the War Diary but he might well be the officer mentioned in the West Yorkshire Regimentbook as “wounded and missing, believed killed”. In any case, Second Lieutenant John Gill was killed in action during the attack on the Mesen Ridge, just west of Battle Wood-Caterpillar and south-west of Hill 60. His remains were never recovered or never identified and he is commemorated at the Ypres Menin Gate.
Sources 2
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11 Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment , (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/2184/4). Further reference |
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Wyrall E., The West Yorkshire Regiment int he War 1914-1918, Volume 2, (London, John Lane The Bodley Head Ltd., 1924-1928), pg. 73-83. 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/930874 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=8ed3f5b2-b484-4979-8d1f-f9b0a0ef2770 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/1762280 |