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Joseph Teaz
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 17/09/1886 |
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Place of birth: Burnfoot, Donegal, Ireland, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Grocer's assistant |
Army information
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Country: Ireland, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Serjeant |
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Service number: 7872 |
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Units: — Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, 8th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 16/08/1917 |
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Place of death: Borry Farm, Zonnebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 30 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 70 |
Distinctions and medals 3
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1914 Star Medal — 10/07/1918 |
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Joseph Teaz was a 30 year old grocer’s apprentice from Burnfoot, Ireland. Serjeant Teaz was part of the 8th Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, 49th Brigade, 16th (Irish) Division. In August 1917, his battalion took part in the Battle of Langemarck, a sub battle of the Battle of Passchendaele.
The starting point of the Division was east of the hamlet of Wieltje, with the 48th Brigade on the right and the 49th on the left of the front. The 49th Brigade attacked with the 8th Inniskilling on the right and the 7th Inniskilling on the left; the 7/8th Royal Irish Fusiliers were in support.
At 4.45 a.m., zero hour, the battalions moved east towards their objectives. They left just in time, because the German artillery put down a barrage on the jump off line, moments after the attacking battalions had left. Keeping close behind the allied barrage, the 8th and 7th Inniskilling reached their first objective within the hour, and captured the German strongpoint Beck House. The 7th Battalion moved forward to another German strongpoint at Delva Farm, and were able to capture it, before they were targeted by machine gun fire coming from a row of pill boxes in their rear, which they had failed to clear out. The 7th suffered heavy casualties.
The 8th Inniskillings were held up by heavy machine gun fire from the German strongpoint at Borry Farm, which led to a standstill. The attack of the 36th (Ulster) Division, on the left flank of the 16th (Irish) Division, and the advance of the Division on the right were also checked by the Germans. When the Germans launched a counterattack at 8.30 a.m., the Inniskillings, with both flanks in the air, had no other choice than to fight their way back to their original jump off line.
The attack of the 7th and 8th Inniskillings on the 16th of August had been very costly. Both battalions suffered heavy casualties. The losses had been so severe that both battalions could not be recruited up to strength again and the 7th and 8th Innsikillings ceased to exist, as they were amalgamated to the 7th/8th Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. On the 16th of August, the 8th Inniskillings suffered 384 losses, of which 16 officers. This led to the battalion’s diminishing of almost 80 percent.
Serjeant Joseph Teaz was one of the soldiers who went missing on the 16th of August. His body was never found. Today, he is remembered on Tyne Cot Memorial, panel 70.
The starting point of the Division was east of the hamlet of Wieltje, with the 48th Brigade on the right and the 49th on the left of the front. The 49th Brigade attacked with the 8th Inniskilling on the right and the 7th Inniskilling on the left; the 7/8th Royal Irish Fusiliers were in support.
At 4.45 a.m., zero hour, the battalions moved east towards their objectives. They left just in time, because the German artillery put down a barrage on the jump off line, moments after the attacking battalions had left. Keeping close behind the allied barrage, the 8th and 7th Inniskilling reached their first objective within the hour, and captured the German strongpoint Beck House. The 7th Battalion moved forward to another German strongpoint at Delva Farm, and were able to capture it, before they were targeted by machine gun fire coming from a row of pill boxes in their rear, which they had failed to clear out. The 7th suffered heavy casualties.
The 8th Inniskillings were held up by heavy machine gun fire from the German strongpoint at Borry Farm, which led to a standstill. The attack of the 36th (Ulster) Division, on the left flank of the 16th (Irish) Division, and the advance of the Division on the right were also checked by the Germans. When the Germans launched a counterattack at 8.30 a.m., the Inniskillings, with both flanks in the air, had no other choice than to fight their way back to their original jump off line.
The attack of the 7th and 8th Inniskillings on the 16th of August had been very costly. Both battalions suffered heavy casualties. The losses had been so severe that both battalions could not be recruited up to strength again and the 7th and 8th Innsikillings ceased to exist, as they were amalgamated to the 7th/8th Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. On the 16th of August, the 8th Inniskillings suffered 384 losses, of which 16 officers. This led to the battalion’s diminishing of almost 80 percent.
Serjeant Joseph Teaz was one of the soldiers who went missing on the 16th of August. His body was never found. Today, he is remembered on Tyne Cot Memorial, panel 70.
Sources 6
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Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com Sources used |
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CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/827304/JOSEPH%20TEAZ/ Sources used |
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Fox, Frank. The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in the First World War: a record of the War as seen by the Royal Inniskilling Regiment of Fusiliers, thirteen Battalions of which served. Londen: Constable & Company, 1928. 99-102. Sources used |
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McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: the day by day account. Londen: Uniform, 2018. 51-3 Sources used |
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Naval and Military Archive http://www.nmarchive.com 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/royal-inniskilling-fusiliers/ Sources used |