South Warwickshire Family History Society War Memorial Transcription Project |
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1s
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Military History |
| Theatre of War | Medals | Commonwealth War Grave or Memorial |
|---|---|---|
| France and Flanders | 1914-15 Star, British War & Victory Medals | Loos Memorial |
| Arrived in Theatre | Medal Citation (if app) | SWFHS Area Memorials |
| 9 Feb 1915 in France | ~ | Berkswell |
| Action, Battle or Other Reason Killed | Date and Place Enlisted | Other War Memorials |
| Battle of Loos | August 1914 at Coventry | ~ |
| Place of Death | Previous Regiments or Units | |
| Vermelles | ~ | |
Circumstances of Death
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Joseph is listed as being killed in action on 17 Oct 1917 at the end of the Battle of Loos. The war diary for that day is difficult to read and the following descriptions of the days events is provided below from an article in the Guards Magazine. Guards Magazine ArticleOn 17th October, the 2nd and 3rd Guards Brigades, including 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, were back in the front-line, preparing for an attack onto the Hohenzollern Redoubt. It began at 5am, supported by artillery and trench mortars. But in the face of intensive enfilade machine-gun fire, Lord Cavan called the attack off at 8am. The decision had clearly not been taken lightly. To quote the official history: ‘Some idea of the severity of the fighting may be obtained from the fact that the two Guards brigades between them made use of 15,000 bombs, while both brigadiers agreed that they had experienced no more heavy shell fire during the war than between dawn and midday on the 17th October 1915 From an article in the Guards Magazine History of Coldstream Guards extractOn the 17th the 1st Battalion co-operated with the 3rd Battalion, using their bombers; the attack progressed some sixty yards, but we had to retire to our original position owing to machine-gun fire. The enemy retaliated by shell fire whereby we lost sixty casualties. A further substantial advance did not seem possible, and a deadlock was again reached, with the final result that we had seized the main trench of the redoubt; but on the other hand, the Germans still maintained themselves in the important stronghold of Fosse 8—won by us on the 25th September but lost two days later—which dominated the redoubt and made their part of it tenable. The battle gradually slackened, and at the end of October normal conditions prevailed once more. Ross-of-Bladensburg, Lt. Col. Sir John Foster George. The Coldstream Guards, 1914-1918 Vol. I Verdun Press |
| Personal & Family History |
| Birth Date/Place | Baptism Date/Place |
|---|---|
| 11 Feb 1889 at Haseley | 17 Mar 1889 at Haseley |
| Parents Names | Abode |
| Joseph and Caroline (deceased) Court. | Oak House, Hob Lane, Berkswell |
| Stepmother Eliza Ann Court | |
| Schools | Colleges |
| ~ | |
| Address History | Employment History |
| 1889 - Haseley Knob | 1901 - School |
| 1891 - Hob Lane, Berkswell | 1911 - Gardener |
| 1901 - Hob Lane Berkswell | |
| 1911 - Hob Lane Berkswell | |
| 1915 - Oak House, Hob Lane, Berkswell |