L/Cpl
Herbert (Bert) Gwilliam
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1896 |
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Place of birth: Coleford, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: Coleford, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom |
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Profession: Student |
Army information
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Country: Wales, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Lance Corporal |
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Service number: 260289 |
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Enlistment place: Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Gloucestershire Regiment, 12th Bn. (Bristol) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 04/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Cameron House, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 21 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: LXIII Row: B Grave: 3 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place |
My story
Lance Corporal Herbert (Bert) Gwilliam was the 2nd son of eight and was a good sportsman and student. His dream was to become a school teacher but first he enlisted the 12th Gloucestershire Regiment, part of the 95th Brigade which was part of the 5th British Division at that moment.
He was born and raised in Coleford, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, in Wales.
During the Battle of Broodseinde, on the 4th October 1917, the 5th Division on the right of X Corps successfully occupied Cameron Covert at the head of the Reutelbeek re-entrant.
Broodseinde was also a severe test for 12th Gloucesters, in reserve to 1st East Surreys for the attack by 95th Brigade which began at 06.00 a.m.
Conditions were beastly, with heavy rain. The barrage was too far ahead of the advancing troops and the German machine guns were free to fire on the companies as they struggled forward.
The Brigade on the left had advanced eight hundred yards and captured a number of German pillboxes within the re-entrant.
At 06.40 a.m. the 12th Gloucestershire Regiment, less A Company, moved forward to occupy the line that had been held by the East Surreys, during which time they suffered heavily from German artillery. Later in the morning, C Company was sent to reinforce 1st Devons, and this led to more casualties.
It was during these events that Lance Corporal Herbert Gwilliam, aged 21, was killed in action.
His body is buried in Tyne Cot Cemetery, plot LXIII, row B, grave 3.
He was born and raised in Coleford, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, in Wales.
During the Battle of Broodseinde, on the 4th October 1917, the 5th Division on the right of X Corps successfully occupied Cameron Covert at the head of the Reutelbeek re-entrant.
Broodseinde was also a severe test for 12th Gloucesters, in reserve to 1st East Surreys for the attack by 95th Brigade which began at 06.00 a.m.
Conditions were beastly, with heavy rain. The barrage was too far ahead of the advancing troops and the German machine guns were free to fire on the companies as they struggled forward.
The Brigade on the left had advanced eight hundred yards and captured a number of German pillboxes within the re-entrant.
At 06.40 a.m. the 12th Gloucestershire Regiment, less A Company, moved forward to occupy the line that had been held by the East Surreys, during which time they suffered heavily from German artillery. Later in the morning, C Company was sent to reinforce 1st Devons, and this led to more casualties.
It was during these events that Lance Corporal Herbert Gwilliam, aged 21, was killed in action.
His body is buried in Tyne Cot Cemetery, plot LXIII, row B, grave 3.
Sources 9
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"A Gallant County, The regiments of Gloucestershire in the Great War", Grist R., Pen & Sword Military, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK, 2018, page 210 - 211 Sources used |
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"Gallantry Awards to the Gloucestershire Regiment 1914 - 1918", Littlewood P.R., Spink, London, 2005, page 148 Sources used |
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"Passchendaele, The Day-by-Day Account", McCarthy C., Unicorn Publishing Group, London, 2018, page 109 Sources used |
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"The Fifth Division in the Great War", Hussey A.H., Inman D.S., Nisbet & CO.Ltd, London,1921, page 178 - 179 Sources used |
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Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/search/categories/39/?name=Herbert_Gwilliam&death=1917-10-4&count=50&keyword=260289&location=3257.3250&name_x=ps_s&priority=united-kingdom Further reference |
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CGWC https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/search-results/?Surname=Gwilliam&Forename=Herbert&Initials=&ServiceNum=260289&Regiment=&WarSelect=1&CountryCommemoratedIn=null&Cemetery=&Unit=&Rank=&SecondaryRegiment=&AgeOfDeath=0&DateDeathFromDay=1&DateDeathFromMonth=January&DateDeathFromYear=&DateDeathToDay=1&DateDeathToMonth=January&DateDeathToYear=&DateOfDeath=&Honours=null&AdditionalInfo= Sources used |
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Map: "Passchendaele, The Day-by-Day Account", McCarthy C., Unicorn Publishing Group, London, 2018, page 108 Sources used |
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National Archives https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7352296 Further reference |
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The Long Long Trail http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/5th-division/ 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/462999 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=id=23195617-daec-4621-8020-456a368f3fe4 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/1505349 |