Pte
Walter Fred Cutting
Informations sur naissance
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Année de naissance: 1898 |
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Lieu de naissance: West Stow, Suffolk, Angleterre, Royaume-Uni |
Informations service militaire
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Pays: Angleterre, Royaume-Uni |
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Force armée: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rang: Private |
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Numéro de service: 41705 |
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Incorporation nom de lieu: Watford, Hertfordshire, Angleterre, Royaume-Uni |
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Unités: — South Staffordshire Regiment, 1st Bn. (Dernière unité connue) |
Informations sur décès
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Date de décès: 26/10/1917 |
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Lieu de décès: Hamp Farm, Belgique |
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Cause du décès: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Âge: 19 |
Mémorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panneau: 90 |
Distinctions et médailles 2
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British War Medal Médaille |
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Victory Medal Médaille |
Points d'intérêt 3
| #1 | Lieu de naissance | ||
| #2 | Lieu d'enrôlement | ||
| #3 | Lieu du décès (approximatif) |
Mon histoire
Walter Fred Cutting - a young man from Slough, Buckinghamshire - was killed during the Battle of Passchendaele. At the time of his death he served in the 1st South Staffordshire Regiment, part of the 91st Brigade, of the 7th Division.
On October 26th, the 7th Division attacked Geluveld with two brigades; the 91st Brigade and the 20th Brigade.
The 91st Brigade’s objective was to advance over the Tower Hamlets Ridge and capture Geluveld. The 1st South Staffordshire’s were positioned at the right, the 21st Manchester’s at the centre, and 2nd Queen’s on the left. The South Staffordshire’s starting position was near Bitter Wood.
The Divisionary attack was to cover the right flank of the Second Army’s front, which focused their advance on the Passchendaele ridge. Major General Shoubridge, commanding officer of the 7th Division, thought the attack to be suicidal, when he was notified of the plans. The 7th Division had already tried to capture the village twice, but their attempts had been in vain. Shoubridge’s concerns were of course of no importance to the high command and the 7th Division would launch an attack on the heights of Geluveld. Making sure the Germans were occupied at Geluveld, in order to prevent them from reinforcing the Passchendaele Ridge.
At Zero hour, 5.40 am, the attack was launched. Heavy machine-gun fire immediately opened on the Staffords line. The South Staffordshire’s however reached their first objective, a mound south-west of Hamp Farm. “C” company on the left was halted in front of Berry Cottages. They were targeted by machine-gun fire coming from Berry Cottages an Lewis House. The Company had been reduced to one officer and twenty men. The remains of the Company hid in shell holes, until they could retreat under the cover of darkness.
“D” Company - in the centre - met strong opposition from Hamp Farm, suffering heavy casualties. Almost no headway could be made and the men fell back to the original front line. “B” Company - on the right - was better off then the former Companies. They were more or less protected by the lie of the terrain and were able to launch an attack on their objective, the Mound. After heavy fighting “B” Company managed to capture the German positions on the Mound. The position was consolidated, and messengers were to report on the situation. However, all runners who were sent out became casualties, and headquarters were never notified on “B” Company’s success. The Mound was heavily shelled by the British artillery and “B” Company was forced to retreat.
The attack had been an utter failure. Only the 1st South Staffordshires had reached their first objective, but when they pushed on to Hamp Farm they were mowed down by the Germans. Eventually all gains were abandoned and the Division’s artillery started shelling positions in front of the troops, in order to prevent a German counterattack and cover the infantry’s retreat. During this occasion the Mound, with on it “B” Company, was heavily shelled.
Private Walter Fred Cutting was one of the 111 other ranks from the 1st South Staffordshire Regiment who were accounted missing after the attack. He was later presumed to have died on that same day. Walter has no known grave and is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
On October 26th, the 7th Division attacked Geluveld with two brigades; the 91st Brigade and the 20th Brigade.
The 91st Brigade’s objective was to advance over the Tower Hamlets Ridge and capture Geluveld. The 1st South Staffordshire’s were positioned at the right, the 21st Manchester’s at the centre, and 2nd Queen’s on the left. The South Staffordshire’s starting position was near Bitter Wood.
The Divisionary attack was to cover the right flank of the Second Army’s front, which focused their advance on the Passchendaele ridge. Major General Shoubridge, commanding officer of the 7th Division, thought the attack to be suicidal, when he was notified of the plans. The 7th Division had already tried to capture the village twice, but their attempts had been in vain. Shoubridge’s concerns were of course of no importance to the high command and the 7th Division would launch an attack on the heights of Geluveld. Making sure the Germans were occupied at Geluveld, in order to prevent them from reinforcing the Passchendaele Ridge.
At Zero hour, 5.40 am, the attack was launched. Heavy machine-gun fire immediately opened on the Staffords line. The South Staffordshire’s however reached their first objective, a mound south-west of Hamp Farm. “C” company on the left was halted in front of Berry Cottages. They were targeted by machine-gun fire coming from Berry Cottages an Lewis House. The Company had been reduced to one officer and twenty men. The remains of the Company hid in shell holes, until they could retreat under the cover of darkness.
“D” Company - in the centre - met strong opposition from Hamp Farm, suffering heavy casualties. Almost no headway could be made and the men fell back to the original front line. “B” Company - on the right - was better off then the former Companies. They were more or less protected by the lie of the terrain and were able to launch an attack on their objective, the Mound. After heavy fighting “B” Company managed to capture the German positions on the Mound. The position was consolidated, and messengers were to report on the situation. However, all runners who were sent out became casualties, and headquarters were never notified on “B” Company’s success. The Mound was heavily shelled by the British artillery and “B” Company was forced to retreat.
The attack had been an utter failure. Only the 1st South Staffordshires had reached their first objective, but when they pushed on to Hamp Farm they were mowed down by the Germans. Eventually all gains were abandoned and the Division’s artillery started shelling positions in front of the troops, in order to prevent a German counterattack and cover the infantry’s retreat. During this occasion the Mound, with on it “B” Company, was heavily shelled.
Private Walter Fred Cutting was one of the 111 other ranks from the 1st South Staffordshire Regiment who were accounted missing after the attack. He was later presumed to have died on that same day. Walter has no known grave and is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
Sources 5
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Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com Sources utilisées |
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CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/842200/cutting,-walter-fred/ Sources utilisées |
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Mc Carthy C., Passchendaele Day-by-Day account, Unicorn Publishing Group, 2018, London, pp.142-143. Sources utilisées |
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Naval and Military Archives http://www.nmarchive.com Sources utilisées |
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The Long Long Trail http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/ Sources utilisées |