Father Nm: James Amos P Garland 1870–1948
Birth 31 Oct 1870 • Harefield Middlesex
Death Oct 1948 • Ealing, Middlesex
Mother Nm: Minnie Attkins 1873–1955
Birth 19 AUG 1873 Uxbridge Middlesex
Death APR 1955 • Eton, Buckinghamshire
Marriage Dt: July 1915 • Kingsclere, Hampshire
K comments: Daughter Erica Florence served with the Princes Marys RAF Nursing Service in WW2
Spouse comments: Elizabeth Florence Blinco, RIN 4367, b. 15 Apr 1891, Eton, Buckinghamshire d. 14 Mar 1985, Hounslow, Greater London,
Children. Erica Francis Garland b.1918 Watford, Hertfordshire,
Florence Joan Garland b.1920 Marylebone, London
Henry James Garland b. 1922 Watford, Hertfordshire
Born 1894
28 APR 1894 • Uxbridge, Middlesex
1901 Census
Eton
James Amos Garland 30
Minnie Garland 27
Ellen Garland 9 William Garland 6
Alice Garland 5
Henry Garland 3
Hilda Garland 2
1911 CENSUS
2 Cape Villas, Cecil Road, Iver, Uxbridge, Bucks
James Garland 40
Minnie Garland 38 William Garland 17 Chauffeur Domestic
Henry Garland 14
Hilda Garland 12
Janes Garland 9
Florence Garland 6
John Garland 5
Doris Garland 3
Marjorie Garland 5/12
WW1
2nd Bn Royal Fusiliers
Royal Flying Corps
Royal Air Force
Garland James William, 1894, Uxbridge, 3429, 2nd Bn Royal Fusiliers, Corporal Mech. 104893, RFC,RAF
1914
Enlisted and joined the 2nd Battalion Royal Fusilers part of 86th Infantry Brigade of the 29th Division.
1915
16 March. The 2nd RF embarked from Avonmouth on two ships SS Aluania and the SS Mercian. While at sea the troops were drilled/
23 March. Reached Malta and disembarked. Then sailed for Alexandria in Egypt.
8-11 April. Departed Alexandria for the Island of Lemnos and arrived on the 11th .The invasion fleet assembled ready for the attack.
Map of the Turkish Forces on the Gallipoli Peninsula
Note: The plan was for the 29th Division to land at X beach Helles on the tip of the peninsula and then advance upon the forts at Kilitbahir.
25 April. “At X Beach the 2nd Battalion Royal Fusiliers were put ashore by lighters from HMS Implacable at Zero Hour, and it has often been referred to as ‘Implacable Landing’. The huge 15-inch guns from the battleship laid down devastating covering fire as the boats went in. She was assisted by HMS Dublin, as well. As 2nd Royal Fusiliers hit the beach, Turkish opposition here was weak and despite wire obstacles and a formidable cliff, the regulars were soon off the beach and making their way inland with only a few casualties. Once the landing site was secure, further boats brought in 1st Border Regiment and 1st Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. However, at the same time the Turks had now reacted to the landings at this point and artillery fire from the direction of Krithia saw a few shells drop on the beach. Advance parties from Implacable signalled back and the gun-fire was silenced by the ships guns. Meanwhile 2nd Royal Fusiliers moved inland, and in the afternoon secured Hill 114 with 1st Lancashire Fusiliers who had come up from W Beach. Lack of planning, and briefing, on the part of local commanders meant that these successful landings were not exploited, and although the Fusiliers dug in beyond the beach and Hill 114, they did not push on further. In some respect this single battalion was now stretched to full capacity, and although two others had come ashore at X Beach, there was a lack of sufficient reserves to carry on further; at least for now. As the front moved inland, X Beach was used extensively to bring in troops, equipment and supplies. A line of well made dugouts was constructed along the cliffs, known as ‘Officer’s Walk’, and an access road was constructed from the level of the beach up to the cliff tops.” from battlefields blog
Casualties were great especially amongst the 1st Munster and 1st Dublin Fusiliers they both lost so many men the two battalions had to be combined after the first day. Losses for the first 6 days of the landing for the 2nd RF were 142 men killed and many more wounded.
The next target once the 86th Inf had regrouped was to be Krithia Village which was to be a stumbling block for the British forces as this map of Aug 1915 shows the frontline held at Krithia.
X Beach and Y (Tully Beach) were rest places during rest spells for the 2nd RF
The sequence of the struggle for Krythia was four battles.
28 April. The First Battle of Krithia
2 May The Turkish night counter-attack
6 May The Second Battle of Krithia. The casualties of the 2nd RF in May were 66 men killed.
The casualties of the 2nd RF in June were 174 men killed showing that the fight was getting tougher.
Note: After this largely failed attempt the frontlines stabilised for the rest of the Gallipoli campaign of the 29th Division.
1916
2-3 January. Evacuated from Gallipoli and sailed to Mudros.
8 January. Arrived in Alexandria
21March. The 2nd Bn RF arrive in Marseilles from Egypt.
24 March. Entrained to Abbeville
26 April . Arrive at Mailly-Maillet via Beaval.
Abbeville to Mailly Maillet
May-June. Relatively quite time in Mailly and Lovencourt.
1 July . The Battle for the Somme. The 29th Division facing the enemy lines in the vicinity of Beaumont Hamel.
1 July. From the War diary which is describing the 2nd RF attack.
2nd Royal Fusiliers War Diary 1st July 1916
1 July. The Casualties for the1st July attack and the next two days as the fate of the wounded was decided, were very high. 185 men losing their lives. 2nd RF relieved by the 1st Bn Lancashire Fusiliers on the 3rd July.
7 -12 July. Acheux for rest. Then onto Mesnil by the 12th.
14-15 July. Working Parties at Mesnil incurred casualties.
21-23 July. Mesnil casualties from shell bombardments.
31 July. The 2nd RF entrained for Flanders and Poperinghe.
August. Relatively quiet time in Ypres sector.
19-23 September. Trenches at Potzies Woods, Casualties for the month19 men killed.
Fought over many times the Chateau and Woods at Potijze was by the end of the war reduced to this atark landscape
8 October Departed Belgium by train and began a journey back to the Amiens sector.
24-27 October . In trenches at Trones Wood and Switch Trench after battle of Le Transloy. Casualties for the month 22 men killed.
November. Moved to Corbie on the Somme and Reserve.
December in the Somme and some spells in the trenches
1917
February Front line at Sailly . Casualties for the month 86 men killed.
14 March. Sick in France or wounded, treated at 3 Canadian Gen Hosp. Boulougne
23 April. Invalided to Gt Britain and admitted to the War Hospital Huddersfield.
Note 9-23 April The battle of Arras. The 2nd RF were not in frontline combat and had no deaths in this period.
5 October. Transferred to RFC as Mech.2 . Note at this point RFc was made up of Army men who still in many cases wore their old regiment uniforms or a mix of RFC and army uniform.RFC workshop woman employed along with the men. Part of an album of Royal Flying Corps photographs which belonged to the Hobbs family. [Oshawa Community Museum & Archives reference: A001.6.18]Perhaps James had a spell of practical training on the Aircraft mechanicals in England and probably had to pass several exams to become qualified to repair equipment in the field.
1918
19 February. James is returned to France this time a mechanic with the with RFC. See this short video of mechanics at workThe RFC base at Sainte Marie Cappel, Western Front, late August 1917. A Nieuport 27c Scout of 60 Fighter Squadron, badly damaged outside a hangar, with mechanics removing a damaged wing. Three men working in a mobile repair shop (see the same scene in IWM 118 THE EYES OF THE ARMY). A new wing is fitted to a FE2d of 20 Night Bomber Squadron outside a hangar. A posed group of members of 60 Squadron: left to right Frank ‘Mongoose’ Soden (with dog), Captain William A ‘Billy’ Bishop VC DSO MC, Keith ‘Grid’ Caldwell, E W ‘Moley’ Molesworth, Spencer ‘Nigger’ Horn. Pan over a larger group of the squadron’s pilots. (Bishop left the squadron at the end of August, when it was moved from Filescamp Farm to Sainte Marie Cappel, and this may still be Filescamp.) An FE2d, serial number A6445 of 20 Squadron (indistinctly marked “Presented by the Sultan of Mysore” ?) is wheeled out of its hangar. Other FE2ds (one named “Ajmer”) of the squadron are armed, bombed up with 20-pounder and 112-pounder bombs, the pilot and gunner board one plane and the flight of five takes off. A Sopwith 1-1/2 Strutter of 45 Fighter Squadron is prepared for flight and the squadron takes off. The clear doped aircraft is A1083 and was usually flown by Geoffrey Cock. Just to the right can be briefly glimpsed the tail of Nieuport A6741. This aircraft was only on charge with 45 Squadron between 20 April 1917 and 6 May 1917 when it was returned to No1 Aircraft Depot, and thus dates this part of the film to that period. One 1-1/2 Strutter is shown stunt flying. Two FE2ds come in to land at Sainte Marie Cappel past a line of 1-1/2 Strutters.
April. The RFC becomes the Royal Air Force.
1919
21 February. Returns to England for discharge
27 March. Discharged to RAF Reserves
Medals
Awarded posthumously Awarded the 1914-15 Star the Victory and British War medals
William J Garland 45 Motor Mechanic
Elizabeth F Garland 48
Henry J Blinco 76 (Elizabeths father)
Death 1945
21 MAR 1945 • Brentford, Middlesex
Death notice states as a result of enemy action was this in ww1 and resulting wounds or in 1945 because of bombing etc.
Gallery
There are service records in the National archives for this person they can be viewed and download from their website https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
A New York Times Map of the Dardenelles from 1919 publication series of Rotogravures ~ 1914-1919
Two group photos of 2nd Royal Fusiliers from the time James was with the Regiment
