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WEST MIDLANDS POLICE GREAT WAR MEMORIAL SITE

 

 

JOHN F GARDNER

WILLIAM GARDNER

HENRY GEORGE THOMAS GERAGHTY

JOSEPH GIBBS

JOSEPH GILBERT

JOSEPH JEFFREY GILBERT

ALGY LEONARD GILES

ROBERT GILPIN                                                                                                                                                                            FULL REPORT
Northamptonshire Regiment cap badge ww1Robert was the son of Robert (1845-1914) and Ellen Gilpin (nee Ross, 1859-1935), of Black Island House, Annaghmore, Co. Armagh, born in 1894.  His siblings were James (1889-1954) Jane (Jinnie) born 1886, Henry (1898-1899) and Annie, born 1900.  Robert married Ellen Carrol (1889-1920), of Clonmain, Loughgall, Armagh and together they moved to Birmingham where Robert joined Birmingham City Police on July 17th 1914, as a 20 year old linen finisher. He served on the C Division, with warrant number 8506.
While he was granted permission to leave the police to join the army in May 1915, he didn't actually resign until 21st May 1918 to enlist with Royal Warwickshire Regiment at Birmingham, serving as a Warrant Officer Class 2.  He later transferred to the Northampton Regiment as Company Sergeant-Major with 6th Battalion.
In August 1918, during the German retreat, Robert was in action during advances being made against the Germans in the vicinity of Combles, 10 miles south of Bapaume.  The War Diary for 30th August recalls, "4.30am 11th Royal Fusiliers and 2nd Bedfordshire Regiment attacked through the battalion. A and D Companies then came into line on left of B and C Companies. 2nd Bedfordshire Regiment on the left were held up by hostile machine guns. The battalion dug in on these positions. Movement on the top was impossible owing to machine guns and snipers".  Robert was killed and is buried in Combles Communal Cemetery Extension.

DANIEL LEONARD GLISBEY

HENRY HARVEY GLOVER

HENRY GODSALL

HORACE GOODE

HERBERT HORACE GOODLEY                                                                                                                                                    FULL REPORT
Herbert Goodley was born in Thorpe Norfolk in 1887/8 he was the youngest son of William and Sarah Goodley and had five older sisters and two older brothers: Sarah, Margaret, John, Ellen, William, Lydia and Gertrude.  In 1891 the family lived at 104 New Road, Thorpe and his father was an engine driver.  Herbert served in the Grenadier Guards after school and, in 1909, he married Florence, nee Woulds, in Peterborough.  Florence came from Notttinghamshire.  By 1911 Herbert had left the army and the family, including two young daughters, Lydia and Margaret, were living at 17 Oundle Rd Peterborough with Herbert's mother, as his father had died, with Herbert and Florence running a hairdressers and tobacconist.
Herbert joined Birmingham City Police aged 25 years, on 13th October 1913, serving on the ‘C’ Division, with warrant number 8379, until he was recalled to military service on 4th August 1914.
His battalion went to France aboard the S.S.'Cawdor Castle' on Wednesday 12th August 1914 advancing to Spiennes where they clashed with the enemy for the first time on Sunday 23th August 1914. However Herbert, perhaps due to his young family, did not arrive in France until 23rd November.
On 22nd December 1914, Herbert's battalion advanced into Bethune and the following day took over the front line trenches at Rue de Cailloux, north east of Bethune, part of the German lines being only 25 yards away. On 23rd December, the Germans mounted an attack on the line, this being repulsed at a cost of 20 men killed, sadly including Herbert. The following day the battalion was relieved in the trenches to Le Touret by the 3rd Battalion, Coldstream Guards.  Herbert's body was not recovered and he is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial.

FREDERICK JOHN GOODMAN

WILLIAM GILBERT GOUGH

THOMAS GOULD                                                                                                                                                                           FULL REPORT
Grenadier Guards
Thomas was born in 1890 in Pershore, Worcestershire, the son of Miles and Jane Gould.  Miles was a farm labourer and in 1901, when Thomas was 11, he had older brothers, Charles (16) and William (15), an older sister, Fanny (13) and a younger brother James (8).   Thomas joined the Army, serving in the Guards, before leaving in 1912 to join the Birmingham City Police.  He served on the ‘D’ Division, with Warrant number 8161, until the outbreak of war, when he was recalled to the colours.
Thomas rejoined the Grenadier Guards on 4th August 1914, but did not go to France until July 1915, suggesting he remained in England to train new recruits initially.
Thomas served in France from July 1915 until the German Spring Offensive of March 1918.  During the night of 22/23 March, the 2nd Guards Brigade to which Thomas's battalion was attached moved forward and relieved the 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards on the left of the line to the east of Boyelles.  Although not directly assaulted, the lines were bombarded by German artillery and machine gun fire, fatally wounding Thomas, the only casualty during this period.  He was taken to 8 Casualty Clearing Station at Duisans, 6 miles from Arras, where he succumbed to his wounds on 23 March.  He was buried in Duisans British Cemetary, Etrun.

STEPHEN GOULD

ARTHUR GREATWICH

FREDERICK JAMES CHARLES GREEN

JAMES WILLIAM GREEN                                                                                                                                                    FULL REPORT
James William Green was born in Langley, Oldbury, Worcestershire in 1883, the son of Charles Green and Mary Ann (nee Skett).  He had 4 sisters, Lucy, Lizzy, Ada and Mary Ann.  The family resided at 25 Titford Road, Oldbury (1891 census), and 27 Old Park Road, Oldbury (1901 census) and in 1901 James was working as a wagon works labourer.  He subsequently served in the Coldstream Guards, before returning to civilian life as an iron turner.  He joined Birmingham City Police on 16th December 1907 aged 24, serving on the ‘B’ Division with warrant number 7963 and the 1911 census shows him as a boarder at 24 Victoria Road, Stirchley.
James was recalled to the 2nd Battalion of the Coldstream Guards on 4th August 1914 and served through to the 1916 Battle of the Somme.  On 12th September 1916 James's battalion moved from Meaulte, via Bernafay Wood, into the Givenchy sector. At 6.20 am on Friday 15th September 1916 the battalion made an attack towards Lesboeufs but received heavy casualties from withering German machine gun fire in the sunken Gincy-Flers Road. Notwithstanding the casualties the battalion surged forward and entered the German front line at about 7.15 am. Further advances were then made and the positions successfully held against German counter attacks at 6.30 pm and 7.15 pm. The following day the Germans continually bombarded the battalion's positions, a relief not taking place until nightfall when the survivors were relieved to Citadel Camp. Casualties over the two days amounted to 440 men killed, wounded or missing, including James.  He has no known grave and is commemorated in the Thiepval Memorial.

JAMES GREEN

THOMAS GREEN

ALBERT GREENLAND

GEORGE THOMAS GREENWAY

CHARLES GREGG                                                                                                                                                                      
Charles Gregg
Charles Henry Gregg was born on 17th January 1879 in Balham, Kent.  On applying to join Birmingham City Police in February 1900 Charles was residing at Bridge Lane, Wellington, Hereford and was working as a porter at Leonard Evans Stores, a grocer in Bodenham, Leominster.
Charles married Sabina on 27th October 1903 and they had a son, Arthur John Gregg.
On 9th February 1915 Charles resigned from the police to join the Military Mounted Police, going to France on 2nd October 1915.  Charles remained in the MMP for the duration of the war, being discharged and returning to Birmingham City Police in May 1919.
Charles had begun drinking, possibly as a result of his experiences during his 3 years in France, and the following years are interspersed with disciplinary action for drinking or being drunk on duty until he resigns from the police in 1925, aged 46.  His continued problems with drink resulted in his wife leaving him in 1927 and his son disowning him.  An attempted suicide in 1934 and subsequent hospital admissions reflected a disturbed individual however, by 1940, Charles had turned his life around, given up drinking and was working for Birmingham Garages.  He died in 1952, aged 73, as is buried in Witton Cemetery.

JOHN THOMAS GRIFFIN

EDWARD GRIFFITHS

JAMES ALFRED GRINNELL

THOMAS GRINNALL