Rfn
William Coleman
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1891 |
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Place of birth: Aughnacloy, County Tyrone, Ireland, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: Ballyloughan, Comber, County Down, Ireland, United Kingdom |
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Profession: Station Hand - Farm Hand |
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Religion: Presbyterian |
Army information
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Country: Verenigd Koninkrijk |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Rifleman |
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Service number: 17462 |
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Enlistment place: Comber, County Down, Ireland, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Royal Irish Rifles, 13th Bn. (1st County Down) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 16/08/1917 |
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Place of death: Somme - Wiesengut, Saint-Julien, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 26 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: V Row: H Grave: 14 |
Distinctions and medals 3
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1914-15 Star Medal |
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
William Coleman was born around 1891 in Aughnacloy, County Tyrone, Ireland. In 1911, he was living and working as a servant on a farm in Ballyloughan near Comber, County Down. William enlisted in Comber and served from October 1915 on the front as a Rifleman in the 13th Battalion (1st County Down) of the Royal Irish Rifles, part of the 108th Brigade in the 36th (Ulster) Division.
On 16 October 1917, the 36th (Ulster) Division took up positions just south of the village of Sint-Juliaan. The division advanced with two brigades: the 109th Brigade on the left of the divisional front and the 108th Brigade on the right. The 16th (Irish) Division was positioned to the right of the 108th Brigade. The battalions of the 108th Brigade involved in the attack were the 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers and the 13th Royal Irish Rifles; the 12th Royal Irish Rifles were in support, and the 11th Royal Irish Rifles were held in reserve.
The attack began at 4:45 a.m. The 13th Royal Irish Rifles advanced behind a creeping artillery barrage but could not keep pace due to the boggy terrain. The battlefield was covered with water-filled shell craters and flooded remnants of trenches. On top of that, the leading lines came under heavy machine-gun and rifle fire from bunkers near Somme Farm. The men managed to pass Somme but were unable to take it, forcing the companies to dig in nearby.
Supporting troops and reserves were sent forward to reinforce the attack, but their advance was halted by heavy machine-gun fire from Gallipoli, Hindu Cottage and Aisne Farm on the right, and from Pond Farm and again Hindu Cottage on the left. One hour after the attack began, the battalion withdrew to its original jump-off position. The survivors were regrouped. Reinforced by men from battalion headquarters, they made another attempt to take Somme — in vain. The attack was quickly broken up by intense German crossfire, and the troops withdrew once more. The battalions of the 108th Brigade were now scattered and intermixed along their original line. Officers reorganised the men and began consolidating the position. The 108th Brigade was relieved the next day by the 107th Brigade.
The attack was a complete failure. The two Irish divisions made little to no visible progress. No further attacks were carried out by the 36th (Ulster) Division on 16 October.
William, aged 22, was killed in action on 16 August 1917. He was initially buried near Somme. After the war, he was reburied at Tyne Cot Cemetery: Plot V, Row H, Grave 14.
On 16 October 1917, the 36th (Ulster) Division took up positions just south of the village of Sint-Juliaan. The division advanced with two brigades: the 109th Brigade on the left of the divisional front and the 108th Brigade on the right. The 16th (Irish) Division was positioned to the right of the 108th Brigade. The battalions of the 108th Brigade involved in the attack were the 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers and the 13th Royal Irish Rifles; the 12th Royal Irish Rifles were in support, and the 11th Royal Irish Rifles were held in reserve.
The attack began at 4:45 a.m. The 13th Royal Irish Rifles advanced behind a creeping artillery barrage but could not keep pace due to the boggy terrain. The battlefield was covered with water-filled shell craters and flooded remnants of trenches. On top of that, the leading lines came under heavy machine-gun and rifle fire from bunkers near Somme Farm. The men managed to pass Somme but were unable to take it, forcing the companies to dig in nearby.
Supporting troops and reserves were sent forward to reinforce the attack, but their advance was halted by heavy machine-gun fire from Gallipoli, Hindu Cottage and Aisne Farm on the right, and from Pond Farm and again Hindu Cottage on the left. One hour after the attack began, the battalion withdrew to its original jump-off position. The survivors were regrouped. Reinforced by men from battalion headquarters, they made another attempt to take Somme — in vain. The attack was quickly broken up by intense German crossfire, and the troops withdrew once more. The battalions of the 108th Brigade were now scattered and intermixed along their original line. Officers reorganised the men and began consolidating the position. The 108th Brigade was relieved the next day by the 107th Brigade.
The attack was a complete failure. The two Irish divisions made little to no visible progress. No further attacks were carried out by the 36th (Ulster) Division on 16 October.
William, aged 22, was killed in action on 16 August 1917. He was initially buried near Somme. After the war, he was reburied at Tyne Cot Cemetery: Plot V, Row H, Grave 14.
Sources 4
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13 Battalion Royal Irish Rifles (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/2506/3). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO372). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Census of Ireland 1901/1911 (The National Archives of Ireland, Dublin (NAI)). https://www.nationalarchives.ie/ Sources used |
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McCarthy Chris., Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account (London, Unicorn Publishing Group, 2018) 52-55. 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/462327 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=0f31714c-3038-49d2-834e-8938264095a0 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/890951 |