Name
Maurice Barnes
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
23/04/1917
34
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
14041
Bedfordshire Regiment
“D” Company, 4th Battalion
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
ARRAS MEMORIAL
Bay 5
France
Headstone Inscription
No Report
UK & Other Memorials
St May the Virgin Church Plaque, Clothall, Not on the Baldock memorials
Pre War
Maurice was born in 1890 (baptised 6 Apr 1890) in Clothall, the son of Arthur Barnes, an agricultural labourer and Eliza (nee Turner).
On the 1891 Census the family and Maurice were living at Hickman’s Hill, Clothall. The 1901 Census records the family still at Hickman’s Hill but with the additions of Ada, elder sister (born 1889) who had been living with an Aunt and Uncle in Weston, and Herbert, born in 1892. On the 1911 census Maurice (aged 21) and Herbert (aged 19) were still at home and working as farm labourers like their father. Their parents had been married for 26 years and had had 6 children in total though 3 had sadly died.
The men in the family worked for Clothall Bury Farm and their weekly wage is recorded in the farm wages book. (Kindly loaned from Simon Holtom) The last entry for Maurice is 29 Aug 1914.
Wartime Service
Simon’ Holtom’s story is that his mother remembers an ‘unusual (in those days) motor vehicle drove into the village and all the boys who were of the right age followed that soldier’s car into Weston to enlist’. Maurice enlisted in Weston as Private 14041 in the Bedfordshire Regiment and according to his medals entitlement card he went into the 1st Battalion. After training he went over to France on 12 May 1915.
The 1st Battalion war diary states:
In 1915 his battalion was heavily engaged during the Battle of Ypres 1915 (also known as the Second Battle of Ypres) in April and May, where they fought at Hill 60 during the initial capture and subsequent defence that saw them lose so heavily that they were effectively rebuilt twice during the fighting.
12 May 1915 - in dugouts near Hill 60. Bedfordshire Regt. moved to dugouts nearer the firing line. Lt. Colonel Griffith D.S.O. [Charles Richard GRIFFITH, CMG, DSO] took over temporary command of 15th Bde. Draft of 30 men arrived & posted to Companies. (This could be when Maurice arrived although normally date to France indicate Port landing).
5 Apr 1916 Lt. Rex [Ernest Alfred REX] & 3 O.R. wounded by one of our Rifle Grenades. Maurice received a wound to the thigh.
At some point he was transferred into D Company of the 4th Battalion to provide experience when they were deployed to the Front Line. His Service records have not survived which would have given more details. (60% 0f WW1 service records were lost in the enemy bombing in WW2.)
War diary extract of 4th Battalion:
22 Apr 1917 - front line facing Gavrelle Battalion moved to front line and occupied assembly trenches in front of GAVRELLE 189th Brigade on our right 7/R.F. on our left. Objective of Battalion - right boundary main road through GAVRELLE to the far side of the village. Left boundary GAVRELLE-OPPY system of trenches 200 yards North of GAVRELLE.
23 Apr 1917 [The Battle of Arras - the Second Battle of the Scarpe] Attacked at 4.45 A.M. captured village & reached objective. Shelled very heavily during the day and counter-attacked in the afternoon. Casualties - Killed 2/Lt Mulligan [Sidney Gerald MULLIGAN], 2/Lt Muir [Horace Wellesly MUIR] Wounded Capt Berry [Douglas H. BERRY], 2/Lts Primrose-Wells [James Bowen PRIMROSE-WELLS], Bridges [William Robert BRIDGES], LEWIS, THOMAS, Hunt [Frank HUNT], Knapp [Erling KNAPP, DSO]. Capt. Mills [Stephen Douglas MILLS, MC], 2/Lt North [Henry James NORTH], Brodie [Henry Ross BRODIE], Fishwick [Henry Charles FISHWICK], Morrish [Cyril George MORRISH]. O.Rs. 260.
Maurice was one of the O.R. Casualties. Maurice was posted missing and his death was presumed to have been 23 Apr 1917. His remains were not recovered and he is remembered on the Arras Memorial.
Additional Information
War Gratuity of £12 and arrears of £6 2s 10d was paid to his mother.
Acknowledgments
Neil Cooper
Adrian Pitts, Paul Johnson
