Private 22781 William DAY

South Warwickshire Family History Society War Memorial Transcription Project

The Fallen Men of South Warwickshire - World War One

Private 22781 William DAY - 2nd/5th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment

Killed in Action on Thursday September 6th 1917 aged

Military History


Theatre of War	Medals	Commonwealth War Grave or Memorial
France and Flanders	British War & Victory Medals	Tyne Cot Memorial

Arrived in Theatre	Medal Citation (if app)	SWFHS Area Memorials
After 1 Oct 1916 in France	~	Warwick (Eleanor Cross) War Memorial
		Warwick St. Nicholas
Action, Battle or Other Reason Killed	Date and Place Enlisted
Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele)	After 7 Sep 1916 in Kenilworth

Place of Death	Previous Regiments or Units	Other War Memorials
SE of St. Julien	~	~

Circumstances of Death

William is listed as being killed in action on 6 Sep 1917, the 2nd/5th Battalion war diary entries for 5th and 6th Sep 1917 and a precis of the Operational Order (Appendix 2) for those days are transcribed below.

Operational Order 80 - Appendix 2

1. The Battalion (plus one Company of 2/8^th Warwicks) will be ready any time after midnight 5^th/6^th inst. to relieve 2/6^th Warwicks on the line Pommern Castle _Somme and at zero tomorrow attack the gun emplacements on Hill 35 area, in conjunction with troops on our right flank only, whose objective is Iberian [Trench].

2. One company of the 2/6^th Warwicks will be at Plum Farm and Uhlan Farm. They will get into touch with the Artillery lamp there and on receipt of the code word “COME” from Battalion HQ will move the two platoons from plum farm to dust trench, the Coy H.Qrs and one platoon at Uhlan Farm taking their place at Plum Farm.

3. The assault on Hill 35 will be carried out by C Coy supported by A Coy. C Coy will assemble in the trench between D19.a.6½ .5 and D.19.a.5¾.7 A Coy will assemble in the trench between D.19.a.5.4 and D.19.a.4½ .7. One guide for each company from B Company with report to them tonight.

4. Companies will assault on a frontage of one platoon to cover the whole front of 120 yards, each platoon being in two lines. Distance between lines 25 yards; between waves 75 yards. A Coy will move in columns of sections if possible. Extensions should be about 8 paces.

5. The positions will at once consolidated and a line dug in front of it. Patrols of Lewis Guns will be pushed forward towards Gallipoli to cover consolidation. Connection will be established with the troops taking Iberian on the right and a party detailed to clear the line of shell holes towards Iberian. B Coy will arrange to fill any gap on the left and D Coy on the right.

War Diary 5th/6th Sep 1917

Bank Farm 5/9/17: Battn & one Company of 2/8^th Warwicks relieved 2/6^th Warwicks in front systems (Somme-Hill 35 area). Relief complete at 2.20am (6^th). Appendix 2

Bank Farm 6/9/17: Battn unsuccessfully attacked Hill 35 at 7.30am. Reorganised and again attacked at 9pm, unsuccessfully. 1½ Companies of 2/8^th R War R and 1 company of 2/6^th R War R came up to hold the line during second attack. Appendix 2. END

Personal & Family History

Birth Date/Place	Baptism Date/Place
Apr Qtr 1894 at Stow on the Wold

Parents Names	Abode
William and Jane Day	3 Friars Street, Warwick

Schools	Colleges
	~

Address History	Employment History
1894	1911 - General Farm Labourer
1901 - Back Walls, Stow
1911 - Shottery, in Stratford-upon-Avon
1914 - 3 Friars Street, Warwick (pension card)
1918 - 35 Clemens Street, Leamington (mother)

Warwick War Memorial Project Biography

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