Leadgate Community History Club
LEADGATE FALLEN 1916
Verdun and the Somme
News From The Front
Significant Engagements 1916
1916 Grinding Battles of Attrition: Verdun and the Somme
The year 1916 witnessed two of the most notorious battles of attrition in the Great War, resulting in thousands of casualties for both the Allied and German Armies on the Western Front
German Attempt to Break the French Army
BATTLE OF VERDUN
Map of the Verdun Battlefield
The Battle of Verdun (21 February - 18 December 1916) was the longest battle in the First World War, lasting for almost a year. Verdun held a special place in French history, it was the main bastion of French resistance during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. The German commander on the western front saw that France would defend Verdun at all costs, it was hoped that it would be a place where the French Army could be bled dry. General Petain was quoted as saying "On ne passe pas" or in English "They shall not pass".
Franco-British Offensive on the Somme Front
The first Battle of the Somme in 1916 was as much about relieving the pressure on Verdun as it was about gaining territory. The first day of the advance 1st July 1916 saw the biggest losses in the history of the British Army; 57,470 casualties, including 19,240 fatalities.
Map showing the Somme Battlefields
Battle of the Somme 1916 comprised several phases as:
The Battle of Albert (1 - 13 July 1916)
The Gommecourt Salient subsidiary attack (1 July 1916)
The Battle of Bazentin (14 - 17 July 1916)
The Attacks at High Wood (20 - 25 July 1916)
The Battle of Delville Wood (15 July - 3 September 1916)
The Battle of Pozières (23 July - 3 September 1916)
The Battle of Guillemont (3 - 6 September 1916)
The Battle of Ginchy (9 September 1916)
The Battle of Flers-Courcelette (15 - 22 September 1916)
The Battle of Morval (25 - 28 September 1916)
The Battle of Thiepval (26 - 28 September 1916)
The Battle of Le Transloy (1 - 18 October 1916)
The Battle of the Ancre Heights (1 October - 11 November 1916)
The Battle of the Ancre 1916 (13 - 18 November 1916
In Remembrance
The Leadgate men who fell in 1916
GEORGE SMEATON
(Cornsey in 1911 then moved to Derwent Cottages) b:1880 d:27/05/1916
12th (Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry Buried / Commemorated
Bois De Noulette British Cemetery Aix Noulete Memorials: Medomsley
THOMAS McGRATH
(180 BOTTLE BANK (193 Sunderland Street)) b:1879 d:31/05/1916
6th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment Buried / Commemorated Courcelette British Cemetery
Memorials: Durham Road: St Ives: Brooms Calvary
EDWARD H LEE
(16 Tindale Street (507 Tin Street)) b:1885 d:06/06/1916
12th (Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry Buried / Commemorated Arras Memorial
Memorials: Durham Road: St Ives: Leadgate Club
ISAAC TINKLER (Lived Front St Leadgate, 10 Percy Terrace (Next to Black Bull)) b:1880 d:07/06/1916 (at home) Tyneside Scottish
Memorials: Durham Road: St Ives
JOHN W KIRKPATRICK
(3, Watson's Yard, George St., Whitehaven. Moved to Iveston 1911-1914) b:1894 d:09/06/1916
15th (Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry Buried / Commemorated Dartmoor Cemetery, Becordel Becourt
Memorials: Durham Road: Iveston
T. MURPHY
(4 Fern Terrace Derwent Cottages) b:1879 d:13/06/1916 15th (Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry
Buried / Commemorated Corbie Communal Cemetery Extension
Memorials: Medomsley
HERBERT WARD HAGGERSTON
(19 North Cross Street (Lived 308 North Cross Street )) b:1899 d:19/06/1916 1st/4th Battalion Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry Buried / Commemorated Aveluy Communal Cemetery Extension
Memorials: Batley
PETER CASTLING (1 Nelson Street) b:1881 d:01/07/1916 27th (Tyneside Irish) Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers
Buried / Commemorated Thiepval Memorial
Memorials: Burnopfield
FRANCIS LOVE TELFORD
(17 West Street) b:1883 d:01/07/1916
15th (Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry Buried / Commemorated Thiepval Memorial
Memorials: Eastbourne Methodist Church Darlington
BERNARD TURNER
(24 Church Street) b:1887 d:01/07/1916 15th (Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry
Buried / Commemorated Thiepval Memorial
Memorials: Brooms Calvary: Medomsley
HENRY WILSON
(25 Valley View (34 Plantation Street)) b:1879 d:01/07/1916 15th (Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry
Buried / Commemorated Thiepval Memorial
Memorials: Durham Road: St Ives
BENJAMIN ROBERT WILSON
(50 Durham Road) b:1895 d:01/07/1916
15th (Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry Buried / Commemorated Gordon Dump Cemetery, Ovillers La Boisselle
Memorials: Durham Road: St Ives: Leadgate Club
FRANCIS JOSEPH TURNER (175 Bottle Bank) b:1893 d:01/07/1916
27th (Tyneside Irish) Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers Buried / Commemorated Thiepval Memorial
Memorials: Durham Road : St Ives: Brooms Calvary: Leadgate Club
ANDREW ROBSON COULSON
(35 Valley View) b:1894 d:01/07/1916 97th Coy Machine Gun Corps (Infantry)
Buried / Commemorated Thiepval Memorial
Memorials: Belmont
THOMAS DONNELLY
(206 Green Street) b:1882 d:04/07/1916
13th (Service) Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers Buried / Commemorated Thiepval Memorial
Memorials: Durham Road: St Ives: Brooms Calvary
JAMES MILBURN
(16 Tindale Street(507 Tin Street)) b:1897 d:04/07/1916
15th(Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry Buried / Commemorated Corbie Communal Cemetery Extension Memorials: Durham Road: St Ives: Leadgate Club
WILLIAM CRISP
(Johnsons Cottages Iveston) b:1891 d:08/07/1916 A Company 17th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers
Buried / Commemorated London Cemetery and extension Longueval
Memorials: St Aidens Blackhill
THOMAS SIDEY
(14 PLEASANT VIEW) b:1890 d:08/07/1916 12th (Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry
Buried / Commemorated Thiepval Memorial
Memorials: Medomsley
JOHN SCOTT
(13 Park Terrace) b:190? d:10/07/1916 13th (Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry
Buried / Commemorated Thiepval Memorial
UK Memorials: Durham Road: St Ives
JOHN WILLIAM BARRON
(20 Valley View (274 Railway Street)) b:1898 d:17/07/1916
17th (Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry Buried / Commemorated Leadgate (St. Ives) Churchyard
Memorials: Durham Road: St Ives: Leadgate Club
EVAN THOMAS WEBB
(6 Garden Place) b:1880 d:22/07/1916
20th Battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps Buried / Commemorated Thiepval Memorial
Memorials: Methodists
ALBERT DOVER
(48 Valley View (13 Railway Cottages/Terrace)) b1893 d:24/07/1916 87th Brigade Royal Field Artillery
Buried / Commemorated
Quarry Cemetery, Montauban Memorials: Durham Road: St Ives
PATRICK REDDY
(37 Valley View (43 Plantation Street)) b:1883 d:27/07/1916
66th Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery Buried / Commemorated La Neuville British Cemetery Corbie
Memorials: Durham Road: St Ives: Leadgate Club
JOHN THOMAS PATTERSON
(7 Church Street) b:1881 d:03/09/1916
27th (Tyneside Irish) Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers Buried / Commemorated
Thiepval Memorial Memorials: Consett : Mentioned on gravestone in Benfieldside
ADAM FREDERICK BALLENTINE (12 Plantation Street) b:1890 d:03/09/1916
24th (Tyneside Irish) Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers Buried / Commemorated Serre Road Cemetery No2
Memorials: Durham Road: St Ives
THOMAS LIDDELL
(39 North Cross Street (366 North Cross Street)) b:1896 d:03/09/1916
1st/6th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers Buried / Commemorated Thiepval Memorial
Memorials: Durham Road: St Ives
NORMAN J. ANDERSON
(475 North Cross Street) b:1893 d:17/09/1916
1st/6th Battalion Durham Light Infantry Buried / Commemorated Thiepval Memorial
Memorials: Durham Road: St Ives: Leadgate Club: Methodists
ALEXANDER McGREGOR
(Durham Road) b:1884 d:15/09/1916 6th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment
Buried / Commemorated Lonsdale Cemetery Authuille
Memorials: Meadowfield
GEORGE P GARDNER (17 Tindale Street (491 Tin Street)) b:1887 d:01/10/1916
1st/9th BnDurham Light Infantry Buried / Commemorated Thiepval Memorial
Memorials: Durham Road: St Ives
EDWARD THOMPSON COULSON (35 Valley View) b:1892 d:05/10/1916
15th (Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry Buried / Commemorated Heilly Station Cemetery
Memorials: Unknown
JACOB CRABB
(Durham Road) b:1895 d:10/10/1916 21st Battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps
Buried / Commemorated Caterpillar Valley Cemetery Longueval
Memorials: Cornsay: Quebec
JOSEPH HOWARD (18 Church Street) b:1889 d:05/10/1916 2nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry
Buried / Commemorated Etaples Military Cemetery
Memorials: Durham Road: St Ives
ANDREW T SNAITH
(2 South Cross Street (3 Bantling Castle and 335 South Cross Street)) b:1889 d:07/10/1916
13th (Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry Buried / Commemorated
Thiepval Memorial Memorials: Durham Road: St Ives: Leadgate Club
JOHN WILLIAM ALDERTON
(?) b:1888 d:09/10/1916
2nd (Garrison) Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers Buried / Commemorated Ahmednagar Government Cemetery (India)
Memorials: Unknown
WILLIAM ALBERT BESSFORD
b:1892 d:13/10/1916 "A" Company 15th (Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry
Buried / Commemorated
Leadgate (St. Ives) Churchyard Memorials: Durham Road
JOHN ELLIOT VIPOND
(478 North Cross Street) b:1895 d:14/10/1916
13th (Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry Buried / Commemorated Dernancourt Communal Cemetery Extension
Memorials: Durham Road: St Ives
GEORGE POSTLE
(173 Bottle Bank) b:1881 d:04/11/1916
13th (Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry Buried / Commemorated Railway Dugouts Burial Ground
Memorials: Durham Road
RICHARD SHAW
(Durham Road?) b:1892 d:13/11/1916 2nd R.M. Battalion Royal Naval Division Royal Marine Light Infantry Buried / Commemorated Thiepval Memorial
Memorials: Stanley
STANLEY BROWN
(Masons Arms Iveston) b:1883 d:24/11/1916 22nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry.
Buried / Commemorated Guards Cemetery, Lesboeufs
Memorials: Durham Road: Iveston
THOMAS WILSON
(Burn House Iveston) b:1892 d:13/12/1916 11th (Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry
Buried / Commemorated Thiepval Memorial
Memorials: Durham Road St Ives: Iveston
FREDERICK HATTAMS
(54 Front Street (Lived 81 Front Street 1911 then moved to Lanchester)) b:1886 d:27/12/1916
Army Service Corps Buried / Commemorated Acton Cemetery
Memorials: Lanchester
JOHN BRANNIGAN
(16 Plantation Street) b:1892 d:27/12/1916
1st/8th Battalion Durham Light Infantry
Buried / Commemorated St. Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen
Memorials: Lanchester
Naming Conventions for Units in WW1
Units with a single Battalion number and no suffix would have existed in the Regular Army at the time of the outbreak of the War.
Amalgamated units (mainly Reserve Forces or Territorial Army) would be named for their original units e.g. 1st/6th Battalion. From late 1917 onwards some units were amalgamated in theatre, these amalgamated units would reflect all the units in their titles.
Units raised under Lord Kitchener's New Army were named as Service Battalions often referred to as Pals Battalions due to the fact that they would have been recruited in a small area, even sometimes from a particular trade.
Acknowledgements
Leadgate Community History Club would like to thank Andy Plant for his research in creating the original database.
Copyright Notice
Leadgate Community History Club do not claim any copyright over the photographs on this page. They remain the copyright of the source site and, in some cases, the copyright owners, they are referenced here for educational purposes, and when attributable, proper attribution has been given. Please do not use or reproduce without attribution and/or acknowledgement to the original copyright owner.
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