|
John Elisha Grimshaw was born
on the 23rd January 1893 at Abram near Wigan Lancs.He was a miner in
Wigan Colliery and enlisted into the Lancashire Fusiliers in 1912,he
was then 19 years old. He was first posted to India, and by the time
of the Lancashire Landings at W beach Gallipoli, he was a L/Cpl signaller
in C Coy.His role was to maintain contact between the HQ on board HMS
Euryalus and the Units on the ground.
During the furious fighting
on the beach and for hill 114,C Company was reduced to 4 Officers and
83 men.
Among the survivors was L/Cpl Grimshaw.His pack and water bottle were
riddled by bullets and his cap badge was smashed by a bullet,but by
a miracle he was unharmed.He had remained calm and cheerful throughout
the
ordeal and frequently braved intense close range enemy fire to get his
signals through.
What is not widely known is
that although 6 men were nominated for the Victoria Cross,the rules
at that time did not allow for this to happen and only 3 of the 6 VCs
were awarded,the others were awarded other honours,L/Cpl
Grimshaw actually received a Distinguished Conduct Medal and it was
presented to him at Abram Parish School Church hall along with a gold
watch.
Following furious questions in the Houses of Parliament as to why bureaucracy
should be more important than bravery,the rules were changed and all
the nominated 6 were eventually awarded the VIctoria Cross.
Grimshaw had suffered frostbite
at Gallipoli and following recuperation he was posted to Hull in 1916
as a Sergeant instructor.He then went to France with the LFs and was
commissioned in the field.In 1918 he served with the 1/75th Carnatic
Infantry in India and rejoined the LFs in 1921. Various postings and
promotions followed, culminating in him being Chief Recruiting Officer
in Northumberland and later in East Anglia as Lt Colonel.
He died on the 20th July 1980.
What a man.
It may be useful at this point to show the make up of the 29th Division
at the time of Gallipoli,and some of the detail of how and where the
Division was made up.
The 29th Divisioncomprising 3 brigades of Infantry (86,87 and 88 Brigades)
and some Divisional supporting units, was formed at Nuneaton, Rugby,
Banbury and Stratford between January and March 1915, by bringing together
units of the regular army that were on overseas garrison and similar
duties around the British Empire when war began.(1LF were in India where
Private Grimshaw was taught to be a signaller and got his first stripe)
Training and
mobilization took place in the Midlands, in the area Warwick-Nuneaton-Rugby.
The Division was initially earmarked for the Western Front, but was
eventually selected for the attempt in the Dardanelles. Landed at Gallipoli
in April 1915. Served at Gallipoli until January 1916. Arrived in France
in March 1916. Served in France and Flanders until the Armistice.
Below is the Order of Battle
for the 29th Division:
86th(Fusilier) Brigade
2nd Bn, the Royal Fusiliers
(joined January 1915)
1st Bn, the Lancashire Fusiliers
(joined January 1915)
16th (Service) Bn (Public Schools),
the Middlesex (joined April 1916,
disbanded February 1918)
1st Bn, the Royal Munster Fusiliers
(joined January 1915, left April 1916)
1st Bn, the Royal Dublin Fusiliers
(joined December 1914, left October 1917,
rejoined April 1918)
1st (Service) Bn, the Royal
Guernsey (joined October 1917, left April 1918)
2/3rd (City of London) Bn,
the London Regiment(joined August 1915, left
January 1916)
87th Brigade
2nd Bn, the South Wales Borderers
(joined January 1915)
1st Bn, the King's Own Scottish
Borderers (joined January 1915)
1st Bn, the Royal Inniskilling
Fusiliers (joined January 1915, left February
1918)
1st Bn, the Border (joined
January 1915)
88th Brigade
1/5th Bn, the Royal Scots (joined
March 1915, left July 1916)
4th Bn, the Worcesters (joined
February 1915 )
2nd Bn, the Hampshire (joined
February 1915)
1st Bn, the Essex (joined February
1915, left February 1918)
2nd Bn, the Leinster (joined
April 1918)
The 1st Bn, the Royal Newfoundland
Regiment (joined February 1915, left
April 1918)
2/1st (City of London) Bn,
the London Regiment (joined August 1915, left
January 1916)
Divisional Troops
1/2nd Bn, the Monmouthshire
(joined as Pioneer Bn May 1916)
Engineer Units
2nd (Lowland) Field Company (joined Jan 15, left Feb 16, subsequently
renamed 410th Field Coy)
455th Field Company (joined
Mar 15, renamed from 1st (West Riding) Field
Coy)
497th Field Company (joined
Feb 16, renamed from 3rd (Kent) Field Coy)
510th Field Company (joined
Jan 15, renamed from 2nd (London) Field Coy)
Below is a time line of the 29th Division through World War1
16 March 1915 : sailed from
Avonmouth, landing in Egypt two weeks later
10 April 1915 : moved to Mudros
25 April 1915 : landed on Gallipoli, at Cape Helles
Battles for Krithia and the Achi Baba heights
The Division occupied positions on Cape Helles
2 January 1916 : withdrawn from Gallipoli and moved to Egypt
29 March 1916 : landed at Marseilles and proceeded to the Western Front
The Battle of Albert (first phase of the Battle of the Somme 1916)
The Battle of Le Transloy (eighth phase of the Battle of the Somme 1916)
(88th Brigade)
The First Battle of the Scarpe (first phase of the Arras Offensive)
The Second Battle of the Scarpe (second phase of the Arras Offensive)
The Battle of Langemarck (second phase of Third Battle of Ypres)
The Battle of the Menin Road (third phase of the Third Battle of Ypres)
The Battle of the Polygon Wood (fourth phase of the Third Battle of
Ypres)
The Battle of Broodseinde (fifth phase of the Third Battle of Ypres)
The Battle of Poelcapelle (sixth phase of the Third Battle of Ypres)
The Battle of Cambrai
The Battle of Estaires (first phase of the Battles of the Lys)
The Battle of Messines, 1918 (second phase of the Battles of the Lys)
(88th
Brigade)
The Battle of Hazebrouck (third phase of the Battles of the Lys) (less
88th
Brigade)
The Battle of Bailleul (fourth phase of the Battles of the Lys) (88th
Brigade)
The First Battle of Kemmel (fifth phase of the Battles of the Lys) (88th
Brigade)
The Advance in Flanders (took part in the Action of Outtersteene Ridge
)
The Battle of Ypres 1918
The Battle of Courtrai
On the morning of the 26th
April 1915 the 1st Bn Lancashire Fusiliers could
only muster 16 Officers and 304 men out of a total of 27 Officers and
1,002
men who had embarked for W beach.
|
