Rfn
Herbert Ingham Armitage
Information about birth
|
Year of birth: 1895 |
|
Place of birth: Dewsbury, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
|
Last known residence: 28 Water Lane, Dewsbury, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom |
|
Profession: Messenger |
Army information
|
Country: Verenigd Koninkrijk |
|
Force: British Expeditionary Force |
|
Rank: Rifleman |
|
Service number: 371174 |
|
Enlistment place: London, England, England, United Kingdom |
|
Units: — London Regiment (Post Office Rifles), 2nd/8th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
|
Date of death: 30/10/1917 |
|
Place of death: Vanished Inn, France |
|
Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
|
Age: 22 |
Cemetery
|
Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: LX Row: F Grave: 19 |
Distinctions and medals 2
|
British War Medal Medal |
|
Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Herbert Ingham Armitage was born about 1895 in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, England. He was the son of John Brooke and Ellen (Jagger) Armitage and lived at 28 Water Lane, Dewsbury, Yorkshire. He had one brother and one sister: Alec Armitage (born about 1897) and Doris Armitage (born about 1903). Herbert worked as a postman. In 1915, Herbert enlisted in the British Expeditionary Force in London, England. During the war he served in the 2/8th Battalion London (Post Office Rifles) Regiment (174th Brigade, 58th (1/2nd London) Division).
On Tuesday 30 October 1917, the 58th Division with the 174th Brigade attacked at 5.50 am south-east of Poelkappelle with the 2/8th Battalion and a company of the 2/6th Battalion. The order was to capture Noble's Farm and the pillboxes south-east of it. The attack plan had been drawn up at short notice but the battalion was assembled with fewer than 20 casualties due to heavy German shelling and because of being deployed in unfamiliar terrain. As early as 11 pm, on Monday 29 October 1917, the Germans attacked the British positions with machine gun fire. Another German barrage came from the area between Brewery and Lekkerboterbeek between 3 am and 4.30 am on 30 October 1917.
The British barrage began at 5.40 am at their starting positions, which ran from Landing Farm to Gloster Farm. Their barrage, however, was not enough to stop the Germans and their machine-gun fire. According to the sources, the barrage was too weak and too rapid because of the condition of the ground. The German counter-barrage began at 5.44 am, which was also weak but still caused 20% of the total number of British casualties. The condition of the ground was very poor: it was covered with thick, sticky mud, in which the soldiers were up to their knees, thighs and waists. They also slipped in shell-holes, which caused extreme fatigue early in the operation. It was therefore impossible for the soldiers to stand up under their own barrage; anyone who stood up to go forward was exposed to machine-gun and rifle fire. The only posts the battalion was able to establish were south of Montroses Houses on the left and a few small posts above Montroses Houses and near Blanc Coulon on the right. None of the posts were consolidated due to the state of the ground, but they were retained until the battalion was relieved.
On 30 October 1917, the 2/8th Battalion suffered some 248 casualties, including Herbert Ingham Armitage, aged 22. He was buried near the Vanished Inn, just over the French border. He was reburied in Tyne Cot Cemetery (Plot LX, Row F, Grave 19).
On Tuesday 30 October 1917, the 58th Division with the 174th Brigade attacked at 5.50 am south-east of Poelkappelle with the 2/8th Battalion and a company of the 2/6th Battalion. The order was to capture Noble's Farm and the pillboxes south-east of it. The attack plan had been drawn up at short notice but the battalion was assembled with fewer than 20 casualties due to heavy German shelling and because of being deployed in unfamiliar terrain. As early as 11 pm, on Monday 29 October 1917, the Germans attacked the British positions with machine gun fire. Another German barrage came from the area between Brewery and Lekkerboterbeek between 3 am and 4.30 am on 30 October 1917.
The British barrage began at 5.40 am at their starting positions, which ran from Landing Farm to Gloster Farm. Their barrage, however, was not enough to stop the Germans and their machine-gun fire. According to the sources, the barrage was too weak and too rapid because of the condition of the ground. The German counter-barrage began at 5.44 am, which was also weak but still caused 20% of the total number of British casualties. The condition of the ground was very poor: it was covered with thick, sticky mud, in which the soldiers were up to their knees, thighs and waists. They also slipped in shell-holes, which caused extreme fatigue early in the operation. It was therefore impossible for the soldiers to stand up under their own barrage; anyone who stood up to go forward was exposed to machine-gun and rifle fire. The only posts the battalion was able to establish were south of Montroses Houses on the left and a few small posts above Montroses Houses and near Blanc Coulon on the right. None of the posts were consolidated due to the state of the ground, but they were retained until the battalion was relieved.
On 30 October 1917, the 2/8th Battalion suffered some 248 casualties, including Herbert Ingham Armitage, aged 22. He was buried near the Vanished Inn, just over the French border. He was reburied in Tyne Cot Cemetery (Plot LX, Row F, Grave 19).
Sources 6
|
2/8 Battalion London Regiment war diary (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/3006/3). http://nationalarchives.gov.uk Sources used |
|
British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO372). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
|
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG13). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
|
McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: The Day by Day Account (Londen: Arms & Armour Press, 1995), p. 155. Sources used |
|
Soldier's Effects records (National Army Museum, Chelsea (NAM) 1901-60; NAM Accesion Number: 1991-02-333). https://www.nam.ac.uk/ Sources used |
|
War Office and Air Ministry: Service Medal and Award Rolls, First World War (the National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 329). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
More information 3
|
Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/461759 |
|
Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=94c8cda0-eba5-4a64-bd51-29081885221b |
|
Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/62945 |