Pte
John Edward Fitzmaurice
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 15/07/1889 |
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Place of birth: Warwick, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Leatherworker |
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: 27687 |
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Enlistment place: Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Devonshire Regiment, 9th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 04/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Noordemdhoek, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 28 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 38 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place |
My story
Private John Edward Fitzmaurice was killed in action on the 4th of October 1917. The leather worker from Birmingham was married to Esther Ross and was the father of two sons; John Edward and Bernard Henry. The 28-year-old served with the 9th Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment, part of the 20th Brigade, of the 7th Division.
On the 4th October 1917 the 20th Brigade took part in the Battle of Broodseinde, with the hamlet of Noordemdhoek, on the crest of the Broodseinde Ridge, as its main objective. The 9th Battalion Devons remained in reserve at Hooge Crater, to which they had advanced on the evening of October 2nd. But John’s Battalion did spent most of the 4th and 5th in organising carrying parties and helping to bring down wounded. Circumstances were harsh. The whole place was an ocean of mud, in which every other feature seemed to have been obliterated except the pill-boxes. Movement in the British lines was often observed and shelled or was targeted by machine-guns of the opposing German forces.
John Edward Fitzmaurice died on 4th October 1917. He may have been killed while carrying wounded from the lines at Noordemdhoek to Hooge. John has no known grave and is remembered on the Tyne Cot Missing Memorial panel 38.
On the 4th October 1917 the 20th Brigade took part in the Battle of Broodseinde, with the hamlet of Noordemdhoek, on the crest of the Broodseinde Ridge, as its main objective. The 9th Battalion Devons remained in reserve at Hooge Crater, to which they had advanced on the evening of October 2nd. But John’s Battalion did spent most of the 4th and 5th in organising carrying parties and helping to bring down wounded. Circumstances were harsh. The whole place was an ocean of mud, in which every other feature seemed to have been obliterated except the pill-boxes. Movement in the British lines was often observed and shelled or was targeted by machine-guns of the opposing German forces.
John Edward Fitzmaurice died on 4th October 1917. He may have been killed while carrying wounded from the lines at Noordemdhoek to Hooge. John has no known grave and is remembered on the Tyne Cot Missing Memorial panel 38.
Sources 5
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"The Devonshire Regiment 1914-1918", Atkinson C.T., Eland Brothers, Exeter, Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co. Ltd., 1926, page 280 + 284 Sources used |
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Ancestry https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1543&h=246568&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=VVe21&_phstart=successSource Further reference |
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CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1632000/fitzmaurice,-john-e./ Sources used |
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The Long Long Trail http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/devonshire-regiment/ Sources used |
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War Dairy http://www.nmarchive.com/view-diary/hooge-crater/1656-1180/1578354 Further reference |