Name
Herbert William Tansley
1895
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
27/09/1918
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
51641
Lincolnshire Regiment
1st Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
GRAND-SERAUCOURT BRITISH CEMETERY
VII. C. 10.
France
Headstone Inscription
None
UK & Other Memorials
Hitchin Town Memorial, St Mary's Church Roll of Honour, Hitchin, Not on the Ickleford memorials
Pre War
Herbert was born in 1895 in Ickleford, Herts. and his parents were Fred and Emily.
In 1901 the family were living at 4 Express Yard(*1), Hitchin. Present were both parents: Fred (37) and Emily (37), with Fred and working as a labourer in a tanyard. Their children were: Ethel (8), Herbert William (5) and Cyril Tansley (1).
*1 the census has ‘Express Yard’ clearly written, but it may have been Exchange Yard
By 1911 the family were living at 4 Exchange Yard, Hitchin. Present were both parents, Fred’s job was now recorded as a fellmongers labourer. The census recorded they had been married for 24 years with 4 children, all living. Herbert and Cyril were both present, Herbert at 15 and working as a errand boy
Herbert married Ellen Elizabeth Carter (b 24/11/1888) in 1916 and the had a daughter, Dorothey May in the same year and born in July.
As a lad he had been a houseboy to Mrs Clemens Usher, then by Mrs Waldock in Bucklersbury and still later at Foxholes and before his enlistment he was employed by J.A. Pirkis & Son of Sun Street, Hitchin.
Officially he was recorded as born in Ickleford, Herts. and enlisted in Hitchin.
Wartime Service
Please Note: Here Herbert as previously be recorded as formerly 23427, Suffolk Regiment in accordance with his details recorded in the SDITGW database, however this information has not been corroborated by other records and neither his Medal Rolls Index Card nor his Service Medal and Award Rolls confirm this information. However, both record his previous unit as the Bedfordshire Regiment and the latter records his Battalions as firstly the 1st Battalion, then 2nd Battalion, and by 1915 back to the 1st, then 8th Battalion (all Bedfordshire) and finally 51641 1st Battalion Lincolnshire. It would therefore seem unlikely that the reference to the Suffolk Regiment is correct.
He enlisted in Hitchin and joined the army in November 1915 and his known Bedfordshire Regiment is given above and we believe that he was in the Lincolnshire Regiment from sometime in 1917 with the service number 51641.
This Battalion was part of the 62nd Brigade of the 21st Division of V Corps in the 3rd Army. In May 1917 he was a Signaller with the Bedfords, was seriously wounded in action and eventually went to hospital in Napsbury, near St. Albans. He was wounded on two occasions, which may account for the changes of Regiment. He was taken prisoner in April/May 1918 and was in a prisoner of war camp at Friedrichsfeld, near Wesel at the time of his death. He died of bronchial catarrh in the great influenza epidemic which was sweeping across Europe at the time.
Herbert wrote to his wife while a prisoner of war in Germany; he asked for cigarettes, a bar of barbolic(sic) soap, biscuits, Quaker oats and a tin of golden syrup. He also mentioned that he'd made close friends with an Arlesey soldier in the camp at Friedrichsfeld, near Wesel, Rhineland. It was his first letter in seven months. The newspaper that reported this was dated October 1918 which would have been after Herbert had died but at that time his death was obviously unknown.
His body was moved from Marle Communal Cemetery, Marie in Germany to Grand-Seraucourt British Cemetery, France, during burial consolidations.
Additional Information
After his death £11 6s 10d pay owing was authorised to go to his widow, Ellen, on 29 July 1919. There is another figure of £22 13s 8d, with a note of ‘O.S.B.’ against it and dated 5 December 1919. This may be connected to his daughter.
His pension cards record Ellen Elizabeth Tansley as his widow and as his dependant along with their child Dorothey May (b 10/7/1916). They were living at 4 Exchange Place, Hitchin. They were awarded a pension of 28s 5d a week from 28 August 1919.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild, Adrian Dunne, David C Baines, Brenda Palmer, www.hitchinatwar.org.uk
