Pte
Wilfred Holditch Bristow
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 28/07/1884 |
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Place of birth: King's Lynn, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Farmer |
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: 2049 |
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Enlistment date: 04/05/1915 |
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Enlistment place: Hounslow, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — King Edward's Horse, 1st Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 30/10/1917 |
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Place of death: No. 61 Casualty Clearing Station, Dozinghem, Westvleteren, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Died of wounds (D.O.W.) |
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Age: 33 |
Cemetery
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Dozinghem Military Cemetery Plot: XI Row: A Grave: 6 |
Distinctions and medals 3
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1914-15 Star Medal — 30/08/1920 |
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British War Medal Medal — 30/08/1920 |
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Victory Medal Medal — 30/08/1920 |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Wilfred Holditch Bristow was born in King’s Lynn, Norfolk. He was the son of Henry Barnes Bristow, British consul in China. Before the War Wilfred Holditch immigrated to Alberta, Canada, where he had bought a farm. In 1915 Wilfred returned to England to enlist in the British Expeditionary Force. Wilfred Holditch Bristow joined the King Edward’s Horse. Most of this Cavalry Regiment’s officers and men were Britons who had settled or seen service in the colonies of the Empire. During the Third Battle of Ypres Wilfred Holditch Bristow served as a private in the King Edward’s Horse 1st Battalion, which was attached to XVIII Corps.
During the month of October the 1st King Edward’s Horse was stationed in the village of Watou. As the terrain didn’t allow and the situation didn’t require mounted patrols, the men were frequently deployed as dispatch riders or were employed on traffic control duty. On the 4th of October 1917, during the Battle of Broodseinde, troops of the 1st King Edward’s Horse were ordered to deliver dispatches for the 48th Division and the 11th Division, who attacked between Poelkapelle and Passendaele. From the 16th onwards the troops were ordered to regulate traffic on the crowded roads to the frontlines. These supply routes were well known by the Germans and were frequently shelled by their artillery.
It’s plausible that Private Wilfred Holditch Bristow was wounded while delivering dispatches from the front or that he sustained wounds while being employed on traffic control duty. Private Wilfred Holditch Bristow was evacuated to No. 61 Casualty Clearing Station in the village of Westvleteren, where he died of his wounds on the 30th of October 1917. He was buried in Dozinghem Military Cemetery.
During the month of October the 1st King Edward’s Horse was stationed in the village of Watou. As the terrain didn’t allow and the situation didn’t require mounted patrols, the men were frequently deployed as dispatch riders or were employed on traffic control duty. On the 4th of October 1917, during the Battle of Broodseinde, troops of the 1st King Edward’s Horse were ordered to deliver dispatches for the 48th Division and the 11th Division, who attacked between Poelkapelle and Passendaele. From the 16th onwards the troops were ordered to regulate traffic on the crowded roads to the frontlines. These supply routes were well known by the Germans and were frequently shelled by their artillery.
It’s plausible that Private Wilfred Holditch Bristow was wounded while delivering dispatches from the front or that he sustained wounds while being employed on traffic control duty. Private Wilfred Holditch Bristow was evacuated to No. 61 Casualty Clearing Station in the village of Westvleteren, where he died of his wounds on the 30th of October 1917. He was buried in Dozinghem Military Cemetery.
Sources 2
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Corps Troops: 1 King Edward's Horse , (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/737/1). 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. 101. 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/620013 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=ff3a44df-8191-40a4-b002-d49cd79edbdb |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/505200 |