Pte
Joseph Alfred Roberts
Information about birth
|
Year of birth: 1899 |
|
Place of birth: Saltney, Flintshire, Wales, United Kingdom |
Army information
|
Country: England, United Kingdom |
|
Force: British Expeditionary Force |
|
Rank: Private |
|
Service number: 38549 |
|
Enlistment place: Chester, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom |
|
Units: — Gloucestershire Regiment, 8th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
|
Date of death: 19/09/1917 |
|
Place of death: Klein Zillebeke, Belgium |
|
Cause of death: Died of wounds (D.O.W.) |
|
Age: 18 |
Cemetery
|
Elzenwalle Brasserie Cemetery Plot: 2 Row: B Grave: 3 |
Distinctions and medals 2
|
British War Medal Medal — 02/11/1920 |
|
Victory Medal Medal — 02/11/1920 |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
On Tuesday 18 September 1917 three companies of the 8th Gloucesters proceeded by bus to Sint-Elooi, a hamlet south of Ypres. They had to relieve units of the 13th Battalion Rifle Brigade in the frontlines near Klein Zillebeke.
The 19th Division moved to the front, where it would take part in the first days of the battle of the Menin Road Ridge. The Division would advance on the 20th of September. The 19th would move forward with two brigades, the 58th and 57th Brigade, including the 8th Gloucestershire Regiment.
Private Joseph Roberts would never take part in the push on the Menin Road Ridge. He died of his wounds on Wednesday the 19th of September. The War Diary of the 8th Gloucesters mentions that the Germans were fairly active on this day. It’s possible that Private Joseph Roberts was mortally wounded in the lines of the 57th Brigade, where the 8th Gloucesters where preparing for the attack of the following day. The lines of the 57th Brigade were at Klein Zillebeke, South of Shrewsburry Forrest and Southwest of Groenenburg Farm.
The 19th Division moved to the front, where it would take part in the first days of the battle of the Menin Road Ridge. The Division would advance on the 20th of September. The 19th would move forward with two brigades, the 58th and 57th Brigade, including the 8th Gloucestershire Regiment.
Private Joseph Roberts would never take part in the push on the Menin Road Ridge. He died of his wounds on Wednesday the 19th of September. The War Diary of the 8th Gloucesters mentions that the Germans were fairly active on this day. It’s possible that Private Joseph Roberts was mortally wounded in the lines of the 57th Brigade, where the 8th Gloucesters where preparing for the attack of the following day. The lines of the 57th Brigade were at Klein Zillebeke, South of Shrewsburry Forrest and Southwest of Groenenburg Farm.
Sources 2
|
8 Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/2085/1). https://nationalarchives.gov.uk Further reference |
|
McCarthy C., The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account (London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995) pg. 69-70. Sources used |
More information 3
|
Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/456078 |
|
Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=743a88de-3874-4543-9cef-76c4537b4dbb |
|
Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/3766749 |