Reginald Clifford Holton
1895-1918
Father Nm: Albert Holton born 2 Oct 1873 Northampton died 4 Jun 1953 Northampton
Mother Nm: Ada Mary Blincow [886] b 31.12.1870 c 23.4.1880 Long Buckby a twin died 11.10.1959 Long Buckby Oldest Known Ancestor; John Blinco 1660 Whilton
Marriage Dt:
K comments: Brother Percival Howard Holton served with the RAMC from 1915-1919
Spouse comments:
Children:
Research GRO
- Albert Holton Head Married Male 27 1874 Shoe Manufacturers Clerk
- Ada M Holton Wife Married Female 30 1871 – Long Buckby
- Percival H Holton Son – Male 8 1893 – Northamptonshire
- Reginald C Holton Son – Male 5 1896 – Northamptonshire
- Lily M Holton Daughter – Female 0 1901 – Northamptonshire
Birth
6 September 1895 Northampton
1901 Census
- Albert Holton Head Married Male 27 1874 Shoe Manufacturers Clerk
- Ada M Holton Wife Married Female 30 1871 – Long Buckby
- Percival H Holton Son – Male 8 1893 – Northamptonshire
- Reginald C Holton Son – Male 5 1896 – Northamptonshire
- Lily M Holton Daughter – Female 0 1901 – Northamptonshire
1911 Census
- Albert Holton Head Married Male 37 1874 Shoe Manufacturers Clerk
- Ada M Holton Wife Married Female 40 1871 – Long Buckby
- Percival H Holton Son – Male 8 1893 Plumbers Mate- Northamptonshire
- Reginald C Holton Son – Male 15 1896 Shoe Manufacturers Clerk – Northamptonshire
- Lily M Holton Daughter – Female 11 1901 – Northamptonshire
- Sidney Holton Son- Male-6 1906 Northampton
WW1
Holton Reginald Clifford, Private, 20092, “D” Coy. 2nd Bn. Northamptonshire Regt.
1915
- 27 June. Enlisted at Northampton and placed into training and then Reserves. Note Reginald was held longer (18 months) in England before being sent to the front and one wonders, was this because of his skills as a Clerk and was he used in administration. The need for more men at the front would mean he was to be put into a front line role.
1916
- December. Embarked to France and ultimately to join 2nd Bn. Northants Regiment. While the photograph below doesn’t give any clues to his Regiment the one at the beginning of the page does. His uniform is of a Pioneer battalion of the Northampton Regiment and his other army records confirm this was the 2nd Battalion.
1917
- From Great War Forum, a member gives us a clue to Reginald’s possible movements prior to March 1917 ” I know some men with very close Regimental numbers embarked to France via Folkestone & Boulogne on 1-12-1916 and joined 17th Infantry Base Depot at Etaples before being posted to 2nd Battalion on 2-12-1916 physically joining the battalion on 12-12-1916, but there would likely have been some others in subsequent drafts to the Regiment.
The 2nd Northamptons took part in an attack near the village of Bouchavesnes during operations to capture ground on the Moislans Ridge on 4th March 1917.” - 4th Mar. The 2nd Northants. Attack on Moislans Ridge. The 2nd Bn. took part in an attack near the village of Bouchavesnes during operations to capture ground on the Moislans Ridge. Casualties were huge with 67 men being killed in this attack. Before the Bn. was relieved by the 2nd Devons at 03:00 hrs on the 5th Mar. six more men were killed.4,5
- 11-15th Mar. Trenches. The 2nd Bn. relieved the 2nd Berks in the North Bouchavesnes trenches and on the 11, 12th carried out work on the trenches (the weather was very bad) by the 13th the front that had been abandoned was regained and consolidated. On the 15th relieved by the East Lancs.4
- 2nd Apr. Moved to the outpost at Heudicourt 8 km to the north-east of Moislans.4
- 6th Apr. The Bn. moved to a line from Fins-Gouzeacourt Rd and map reference 57 SE W12 C (2.5 km west of Villers Guislan). This was followed by spells in trenches before Gouzeacourt until the 15th Apr. thereafter in billets at Sorel-le-Grand until the 24th of April. (see trench map).4
- 23rd-24th May. In the evening The Bn. relieved the 2nd Middlesex and 2nd Devons in the line. in front of Villers Guislan. The Bn front extended from map ref. X11 a.45.50 to X4 a.1.4. Enemy Artillery heavy on our posts and on the village. The diary mentions nothing else but Casualties very high 7 killed 23rd 5 on the 24th we presume from shelling.4
- 27th Jul. The 2nd Bn. was in the line at Zouave Wood in their last tour in the line before preparing for the offensive on 31st July 1917.4
Zouave Wood sector. The battalion continued to hold the line, suffering spasmodic bombardment. At about 14.30 hrs, battalion headquarters were hit and an 8″ shell pitched straight into the mess. One Officer killed and three were wounded. The commanding officer was wounded but remained at duty.
In the evening the battalion was relieved by the 1st Worcester’s and moved into the deep dugouts in Ritz trench.4 - 31st Jul. The Battle of Pilckem (Third Battle of Ypres).The allied troops climbed out of their trenches along the whole front line, from Boesinghe in the North to Le Gheer in the South. The 24th Brigade attacked (some 11 km south of Pilckem Ridge) and advanced from an area close to and between the hamlet Hooge (on Menin Road ) and the infamous Railway Wood, and reached their objectives some distance more northeast of these (between the (now gone) railroad Ypres-Roeselare (Roulers) and Menin Road.
- The 2nd Bn. Northants and the 24th Brigade attacked at zero hour with two Brigades, the 24th Brigade (consisting of the 1st Worcesters, the 2nd Bn., 2nd East Lancashire’s and 1st Sherwood Foresters) the 1st Worcesters and 2nd Bn. advanced to their first objective. The enemy’s first line was quickly taken (the Germans had adopted the scheme of defence-in-depth, which consisted of a thinly defended front line of machine-gun outposts and strongly more heavily defended support line) and the British pushed forward about one mile before meeting much stiffer resistance. Later in the afternoon the advance was stopped and pushed back in places by a carefully coordinated counter-attack by specially trained troops.1
Note: It was at this point that distant cousin William Blencowe 1887 from Northampton was wounded and evacuated home.
- July. The 2nd Bn. were in Flanders in the Ypres Sector
- 31 July. The Third battle of Ypres.
- In a successful Attack the 2nd Bn. target of the blue line was captured and about 60 German POW’s were taken the casualties where substantial.
- 16-18 August. The Battle of Langemarck
- The results of this advance were less decisve with failure of the overall attack and counter attacks by the enemy inflicting casualties.
- In a successful Attack the 2nd Bn. target of the blue line was captured and about 60 German POW’s were taken the casualties where substantial.
1918
- March. The 2nd Bn. were behind the lines in training in the St Omer area. On 22nd March they were ordered south to the Amiens sector . The German spring offensive had begun on 21 March.
- 23 March. The Bn. and the entire 8th division was rushed to the front. They arrived at Nesle on the train and the next day took over the front line at Pargny.Defending the banks of the Somme River. The attack was massively in the Germans favour and overwhelmed the 8th Division . Some troops on the east side of the Somme were stranded when a brdge was blow up by Royal engineers.
- The war diary extracts indicate that Reginald’s D Company was the worst affected by the attack.
- The Records show that Reginald was captured at Licourt so on the west of the river and likely in retreat and overwhelmed.
- Reginald is among many men captured and in the war diary reported as 128 missing and 8 wounded missing . War diary entry
- For Reginald there now was a extreme hardship of being transported possibly wounded across France to Stendal POW Camp in Saxony. This journey probably entirely on foot was even today on good roads 759km and best time 156 hrs of walking time. However this wasnt the case for the hundreds of POWs taken at Licourt , the prisoners were to tranverse countryside devoid of clear walkways where famine was rampant and as enemy soldiers not given even there international rights to fair treatment and food.
Note: This journey had many casualties this is one such story. Friday 15 November 1918 The Western Times
Mr and Mrs Stiling of Fenny Bridges have had the sad news of their youngest son, Gnr Fred Stiling, the Red Cross Committee having had official report from Germany, stating that Gnr Fred Stiling died on the road to Stendal of general debility on 6 June 1918. He was taken prisoner on 21 March and was 24 years of age - IRCC card indicates that as late as 27 May he is negatif-envoye ‘missing’ It also shows the family were inform by the Red Cross on 7 September 2 months after his death.
- July. After goodness only knows what he experienced on the way Reginald arrived in Stendal in July it is assumed and died at the hospital on 13th July, malnutrition and exhaustion a likely cause.
Burial
Südwestfriedhof der Berliner Synode Military
Stahnsdorf, Landkreis Potsdam-Mittelmark, Brandenburg, Germany
MEDALS
SOURCES
- Ancestry and BFA database
- Lyn Kightley Ancestry member and wife of Lily May Holton’s grandson provided photographs and familiy info.
- 2nd Battalion Northamptonshire War Diaries
- Long Long Road website
- The Great War Forum website
Commemoration
Reginald is remembered at the United Reformed Church, Long Buckby on his mothers gravestone the inscription reads
(Flat stone)
In memory of ADA MARY HOLTON, died 11th Oct. 1959, aged 88 years.
(Right kerb)
In loving memory of LILY BLINCOW who died July 7th 1903, aged 32 years.
(Left kerb)
In loving memory of REGINALD C. HOLTON who died in captivity in the Great War July 13 1918, aged 22 years.
United Reformed Churchyard
Long Buckby, Daventry District, Northamptonshire, England
GALLERY
Two photographs of sister Lily May Holton provided by Lyn Kightley