Name
Tom Weston
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
31/07/1917
23
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
265084
Hertfordshire Regiment
1st Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
NEW IRISH FARM CEMETERY
XIV. A. 11.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Royston Town War Memorial, Hertfordshire Regimental Memorial, All Saints Church, Hertford
Pre War
Son of Thomas and Eliza Ann Weston, of Royston, Herts.
Wartime Service
Tom was almost certainly wounded on 19 November 1914 as the name 'Weston' appears in a lengthy article published in a local paper on the 5 December 1914, with variations on other local papers later. it was based on an interview with a wounded Letchworth soldier, Arthur Garner, part of which describes the death of ‘Pelly’ (Pulley *1).
“On Thursday the cold became more intense, and snow began to fall until about three inches lay on the ground and on Thursday, at dinner time, their acquaintance with shelling began. Some of the shells would bury themselves in the ground and burst, hurling the earth in all directions and burying the men in dirt. They knew when they were coming by the whiz they made through the air, and they all went down and waited until safe. The noise of their bursting deafening them for five or ten minutes. Then a shell burst in their midst, he was knocked over and felt a sharp pain in his right arm and knew he had been hit. At the same time Weston(*2) and Stoughton, of Royston, and Foster, of Hitchin were wounded, and Pelly(sic), of Royston, was killed. He (Arthur Garner) looked round and saw one man literally covered from head to foot with blood; another man, Cross, of Hertford, had his jaw broken. They lay in various states of injury, until about six o’clock, when the ambulance men came with stretchers and conveyed the worst cases to hospital. He was able to walk. The men, wounded or not, were all in high spirits. There was very little rifle firing, but he saw one man “pot” three Germans and another, a Royston man, pick off one as clean as a whistle.”
*1 Private 1911 Frank Pulley.
*2 Probably Private Tom Weston who was killed on 31 July 1917.
Tom was killed on 31 July 1917, at that time the 1st Hertfordshire Battalion were in support of an attack on the Langemarck Line at St Julien. A general bombardment of the German lines commenced at 3.45am on the 31st July 1917 and the planned assault began. It had three objectives to achieve known as Blue, Black & Green and units of the 116th Brigade easily captured the first two objectives, preparing the way for the forward companies of the Hertfordshire battalion, to take the third objective.
They had marched from Vlamertingue to their assembly position arriving by midnight on the 30th/31st July 1917. A general bombardment of the German lines commenced at 3.45am on the 31st July. At 05.00am the Hertfordshires left their assembly positions to attack their objective, which lay over the crest of a ridge.
As they made their way forward, they came under heavy fire from both German machine guns and snipers but after eliminating a German strongpoint moved up towards St. Juliaan, which was only lightly held. The Battalion crossed the Steenbeek with some difficulty and two of its supporting Tanks became bogged down in the mud. Things then went from bad to worse. A pre-arranged artillery barrage never materialised due to the guns being unable to move forward over the muddy terrain and the German barbed wire defences, which were fifteen feet deep in some places, were found to still be intact. It was soon realised that ground could only be won by section "rushes" supported by the unit’s own fire.
The Cheshire Regiment were on the right of the battalion but the Black Watch, who were due to cover the left flank, had been seriously delayed. This left the Hertfordshire Regiment seriously exposed, the Germans exploited this by bringing a hurricane of fire down upon the stricken troops. This was followed by a German counterattack and by 10.30am it was clear that the objective could not be achieved. Casualties were very heavy with 459 men being killed, missing or wounded. This was 100% of its Officers and about 75% of its Other Ranks.
Acknowledgments
Paul Johnson, Jonty Wild
