Pte
John Deakin
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1897 |
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Place of birth: Pipe Aston, Herefordshire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Day laborer |
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: 31996 |
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Enlistment place: Ludlow, Shropshire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Gloucestershire Regiment, 14th Bn. (West of England) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 22/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Houthulst Forest, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 20 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 73 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal — 13/09/1920 |
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Victory Medal Medal — 13/09/1920 |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Private John Deakin of 14th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment, 105th brigade, 35th Division fought in the Third Battle of Ypres, also known as the Battle of Passchendaele. On 22 October 1917, the latter stages of the offensive, the 35th Division was involved in operations following the First Battle of Passchendaele and in preparation for The Second Battle of Passchendaele.
John Deakin was born in 1897, in Pipe Aston, Herefordshire and had been a Farm labourer by occupation before enlisting for service. On 21 October 1917 he was at the Allied Front Linefacing Houthulst Forest, and preparing for the following operation. The 14th Gloucesters came under a heavy enemy barrage at 5.15am, which lasted for half an hour. Throughout the day German artillery was quite active with aircrafts flying low and firing at parties with machine guns. At 5pm German shelling increased and continued intermittently. Rain had fallen throughout the night but the Battalion are noted as having been in ‘splendid spirits’.
At 4:30 a.m. on 22 October the rum ration was issued and at 5:35 the Allied barrage opened with the leading corps moving under its cover. The 105th Brigade attacked with the 16th Cheshires and the 14th Gloucestershires. The 15th Sherwood Foresters were in support and the 15th Cheshires in reserve. The 14th Gloucesters fought to the left of the Brigade Line. The First Objective was reached by the left Company of 14th Gloucesters at 6:20 a.m. and they were met by heavy machine gun fire from Panama House. A small party was able to capture Panama House, although the majority of them fell whilst doing so. After this the 14th Gloucesters took its first objective but the right Company were unfortunate in losing their commander at the very beginning of their advance. As a result the Right Coy. lost touch with the rest but were able to reach their first objective line without difficulty. The Battalion then continued its advance to the final objective. The left Coy once again faced some difficulty at a German stronghold within Houthulst Forest, but by 7:20 a.m. the position was in Allied hands. The Germans on their immediate front offered little resistance and by 7:45 the two right Coys. had also reached their final objective, taking two pill boxes along the way, while the support companies and moppers up were consolidating the Panama Colombo Line.
After shelling the whole of the 35th Division’s newly achieved line, at 4:39 p.m., the Germans launched a strong counter-attack against the 16th Chesires and broke through forcing the survivors to fall back. The 14th Gloucester managed to maintain their original objective and the German attack was caught by artillery fire however the right flank of the Gloucesters had to drop back to form a defensive flank with the Cheshires.
Private Deakin was Killed in Action on 22 October 1917, aged 20. He is commemorated on Panel 73 of the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing. This means that his remains were either never found or could not be positively identified prior to official burial. Because of this it is difficult to determine the exact circumstances of his death. 75 men of the 14th Gloucesters died fell during the operation. They are all commemorated on the Tyne Cot memorial.
John Deakin was born in 1897, in Pipe Aston, Herefordshire and had been a Farm labourer by occupation before enlisting for service. On 21 October 1917 he was at the Allied Front Linefacing Houthulst Forest, and preparing for the following operation. The 14th Gloucesters came under a heavy enemy barrage at 5.15am, which lasted for half an hour. Throughout the day German artillery was quite active with aircrafts flying low and firing at parties with machine guns. At 5pm German shelling increased and continued intermittently. Rain had fallen throughout the night but the Battalion are noted as having been in ‘splendid spirits’.
At 4:30 a.m. on 22 October the rum ration was issued and at 5:35 the Allied barrage opened with the leading corps moving under its cover. The 105th Brigade attacked with the 16th Cheshires and the 14th Gloucestershires. The 15th Sherwood Foresters were in support and the 15th Cheshires in reserve. The 14th Gloucesters fought to the left of the Brigade Line. The First Objective was reached by the left Company of 14th Gloucesters at 6:20 a.m. and they were met by heavy machine gun fire from Panama House. A small party was able to capture Panama House, although the majority of them fell whilst doing so. After this the 14th Gloucesters took its first objective but the right Company were unfortunate in losing their commander at the very beginning of their advance. As a result the Right Coy. lost touch with the rest but were able to reach their first objective line without difficulty. The Battalion then continued its advance to the final objective. The left Coy once again faced some difficulty at a German stronghold within Houthulst Forest, but by 7:20 a.m. the position was in Allied hands. The Germans on their immediate front offered little resistance and by 7:45 the two right Coys. had also reached their final objective, taking two pill boxes along the way, while the support companies and moppers up were consolidating the Panama Colombo Line.
After shelling the whole of the 35th Division’s newly achieved line, at 4:39 p.m., the Germans launched a strong counter-attack against the 16th Chesires and broke through forcing the survivors to fall back. The 14th Gloucester managed to maintain their original objective and the German attack was caught by artillery fire however the right flank of the Gloucesters had to drop back to form a defensive flank with the Cheshires.
Private Deakin was Killed in Action on 22 October 1917, aged 20. He is commemorated on Panel 73 of the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing. This means that his remains were either never found or could not be positively identified prior to official burial. Because of this it is difficult to determine the exact circumstances of his death. 75 men of the 14th Gloucesters died fell during the operation. They are all commemorated on the Tyne Cot memorial.
Sources 3
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14 Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment, (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/2488/1). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14303 Further reference |
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Grist R., A Gallant County. The Regiments of Gloucestershire in the Great War, (Barnsley, Pen & Sword Military, 2018), pg. 214-215. Sources used |
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McCarthy C., Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Uniform, 2018), pg. 140-141. 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/1629695 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=202c15f7-ac99-4b13-aa97-a419c9c413b3 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/1156301 |