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 1899 - 1976 (76 years)
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| Name |
PEARCE, Wilfred John |
| Born |
5 Jun 1899 |
Whitchurch Canonicorum, Dorset, England  |
| Christened |
16 Jul 1899 |
Whitchurch Canonicorum, Dorset, England |
| Gender |
Male |
| Residence |
1901 |
Hooke, Dorset, England |
| Hooke Police Station (where father was Police Constable) |
| Residence |
1911 |
Bishop's Caundle, Dorset, England |
Now "Little Thatch"
537 Bishops Caundle
SHERBORNE
DT9 5ND |
| Occupation |
15 Nov 1916 |
Poole, Dorset, England |
| Gardener |
| Occupation |
16 Nov 1916 |
| Enlisted into British Army aged 17yrs and 5 months |
| Address |
22 Aug 1918 |
Meaulte, France |
THE HUNDRED DAYS OFFENSIVE, AUGUST-NOVEMBER 1918© IWM (Q 7301)
Battle of Amiens. Mark V (Female) tanks of the 4th Battalion, Tank Corps, passing through Meaulte on the day of its capture by the 5th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment (12th Division), 22 August 1918.
From Forces War Records:
Second Battles Of The Somme - Battle Of Albert - 22/08/1918
Location: Meaulte. Decisive Allied victory. In holding the German Spring Offensive, the Allies and particularly the B.E.F. took increased confidence in their ability to turn the tide of war in their favour.
Replacement troops, including newly-arrived Americans, and new equipment helped to rebuild after the losses earlier in the year and it was decided by the Allied command to go on the offensive. Third Army, still under the command of General Byng were to take and hold the alignment of the Arras to Albert railway.
Infantry were trained to work in co-operation with the armoured regiments (the new Whippet and Mk V tanks were much improved compared to their predecessors) and to coordinate with the RAF when air cover was needed. On 22nd August, Fourth Army, to the south of Third Army also recommenced its advance to support Third Army.
When the advance began 12th (Eastern) Division in III Corps, on the left flank of Third Army, were holding a position east of Morlancourt. Their objective on 22nd August was to advance east across the Morlancourt Ridge, south of Albert, 36th Infantry Brigade on the left and 35th Infantry Brigade on the right.
On the far left, 5th Royal Berkshire Regiment captured and cleared Meaulte with tank support. Following the capture of Meaulte the Division continued its advance across the old Somme battlefield, capturing Mametz and reaching Carnoy by 25th August.
Clearing Carnoy the Division continued east, clearing Bois Faviere (Faviere Wood) and capturing Hardecourt-aux-Bois before it was relieved on 29th August, an advance of 12 miles (18km). |
| Address |
22/Aug/1918 |
Meaulte, France |
THE HUNDRED DAYS OFFENSIVE, AUGUST-NOVEMBER 1918© IWM (Q 6987)
Battle of Albert. Ruins of Meaulte taken by the 5th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment (12th Division), on 22 August 1918 (23 August). The pontoons were left behind by the British in March. |
| Address |
22/AUG/1918 |
Meaulte, France |
THE HUNDRED DAYS OFFENSIVE, AUGUST-NOVEMBER 1918© IWM (Q 7302)
British tanks in Meaulte on same day as Wilfred Pearce was gassed there |
| Residence |
23 Aug 1918 |
Near Rouen, France |
Gassed by German troops and taken to the 55th Field Ambulance Royal Army Medical Corps. Suffered from chronic bronchitis since then https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/a-soldiers-life-1914-1918/the-evacuation-chain-for-wounded-and-sick-soldiers/field-ambulances-in-the-first-world-war/ http://www.1914-1918.net/18div.htm
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| Occupation |
14 Mar 1919 |
Dublin |
| Re-enlisted in British Army |
| Residence |
29 Jul 1919 |
Londonderry, Ireland |
| Residence |
18 Jan 1920 |
Delhi, India |
| Clerk at Army HQ India |
| Occupation |
1921 |
| Discharged from British Army 2nd Battalion Dorset Regiment |
| Occupation |
26 Sep 1925 |
| Bailiff |
| Residence |
26 Sep 1925 |
Hamworthy, Poole, Dorset, England |
| Residence |
1939 |
1 White Horse Drive, Poole, Dorset, England [1] |
| 1939 register TNA |
| Occupation |
Sep 1939 [1] |
| Builders Labourer |
| Died |
25 Mar 1976 |
Poole General Hospital, Poole, Dorset, England |
| Cause: 1a Bronchopneumonia 1b Chronic Bronchitis & Emphysema |
| Notes |
- Joined ? Staffordshire Regiment
Later Devon and Dorsets
Gassed during WW1
Served in Ireland and India
Private
Poole Hospital Heating Engineer
Death informed by Eva Pearce on 26/3/1976
- Military service As reported by Dorset Military Museum Dorchester. - Private 5719267 Wilfred John Pearce, 2nd Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment.
Wilfred Pearce enlisted into the training reserve Battalion on 16th November 1916 at the age of 17, consequently he was transferred to the Army Reserve and began training in July 1917 following his 18th birthday.
He was trained as a soldier with the Somerset Light Infantry and his number was 40596. Upon completion of his training, he remained in the U.K. Eventually he embarked for France and at the infantry based depot, Wilfred was reassigned to the 5th Battalion of the Royal Berkshire regiment with the number of 48579.
He was wounded by a gas shell on the 22nd August 1918 and returned to England, and upon recovering transferred to the 3rd Battalion in Sutton Coldfield.
Wilfred was discharged from the army on the 18th of March 1919, he was probably serving in Ireland at the time of his discharge as he enlisted into the Dorset regiment in Dublin on the following day and was given the number of 5719267. He went to Londonderry and undertook training with the 3rd (training) Battalion of the Dorset regiment until he was drafted to the 2nd Dorset?s.
The 2nd Battalion was reconstructed following World War 1. The cadre that remained in June 1919 consisted of one officer and ten men. They left Port Said in Egypt on the 10th of June reaching Dover on the 3rd of July and immediately preceded to Portland.
On the 26 of September 1919 with 796 other men and 26 officers Wilfred entrained to Liverpool and embarked on the Anchor line ship ?Castella? for Bombay arriving on the 19th October. The Battalion entrained for Bangalore. ?B? Company detached to Madras and ?C? Company to Cannanore & Calicut, 40 men being taken to serve as clerks at various headquarters, and a dozen sent to Peshawar as motor drivers. 32 more sent for more active service in East Persia.
Ceremonial parades were frequent including an inspection in 1919 by the viceroy, Lord Chelmsford who had originally served in India in 1914 as a captain in the 1/4th Dorset?s.
146 NCO?s and men including Wilfred Pearce went home time expired at the end of 1920, the Battalion would have been much depleted had not the 1st Battalion at Londonderry begun to provide substantial drafts. Wilfred was discharged after 2 years? service upon termination of his period of engagement. His rank was Private and his character was ?Very Good?. Details of his service and antecedants are recorded in ?Enlistment Book 2? at the Keep Museum.
The 2nd Battalion had not quite completed 2 years in India when called into active service. Serious disturbances had again broken out among the Moplahs of Malabar. One of the chief leaders of the revolt was Kuniahmed Hajji who had originally been captured by the 1st Battalion of the Dorset's in 1994 but released on account of his age, 16 years. The 2nd Battalion caught and shot him before it left Malabar.
In 1922 after heavy fighting the 2nd Battalion left India and redeployed to the Sudan in Africa.
Wilfred Pearce was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal (below) in respect of his service in France with the Royal Berkshire Regiment. He did not receive a medal for his subsequent service in India, as he left the army prior to the fighting that took place.
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| Person ID |
I0009 |
Pearce |
| Last Modified |
20 Apr 2022 |
| Father |
PEARCE, Robert John, b. 02 Dec 1866, St James, Poole, Dorset ,England , d. last quarter 1940 (Age 73 years) |
| Mother |
WHITE, Rose Elizabeth, b. Jun 1871, Charminster, Dorset, England |
| Married |
14 May 1895 |
Holy Trinity Parish Church, Dorchester, Dorset, England |
| Family ID |
F004 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family |
READ, Eva Kate, b. 13 Mar 1902, Deptford, London, England , d. 17 Jun 1984, Poole General Hospital, Poole, Dorset, England (Age 82 years) |
| Married |
26 Sep 1925 |
St Marys Church, Longfleet, Poole, Dorset, England |
| Children |
| + | 1. PEARCE, David George, b. 24 May 1933, Poole, Dorset, England , d. Sep 2003, Bournemouth Hospital, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England (Age 70 years) |
| | 2. PEARCE, John Frederick, b. 7 Mar 1927, Poole, Dorset, England , d. 29 Jan 2013, Forest Hill House Nursing Home, Rushall Lane, Corfe Mullen, Wimborne, Dorset, England (Age 85 years) |
|
| Family ID |
F003 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
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| Event Map |
|
 | Born - 5 Jun 1899 - Whitchurch Canonicorum, Dorset, England |
 |
| Christened - 16 Jul 1899 - Whitchurch Canonicorum, Dorset, England |
|
 | Residence - Hooke Police Station (where father was Police Constable) - 1901 - Hooke, Dorset, England |
|
 | Residence - Now "Little Thatch"
537 Bishops Caundle
SHERBORNE
DT9 5ND - 1911 - Bishop's Caundle, Dorset, England |
|
 | Occupation - Gardener - 15 Nov 1916 - Poole, Dorset, England |
|
 | Address -
THE HUNDRED DAYS OFFENSIVE, AUGUST-NOVEMBER 1918© IWM (Q 7301)
Battle of Amiens. Mark V (Female) tanks of the 4th Battalion, Tank Corps, passing through Meaulte on the day of its capture by the 5th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment (12th Division), 22 August 1918.
From Forces War Records:
Second Battles Of The Somme - Battle Of Albert - 22/08/1918
Location: Meaulte. Decisive Allied victory. In holding the German Spring Offensive, the Allies and particularly the B.E.F. took increased confidence in their ability to turn the tide of war in their favour.
Replacement troops, including newly-arrived Americans, and new equipment helped to rebuild after the losses earlier in the year and it was decided by the Allied command to go on the offensive. Third Army, still under the command of General Byng were to take and hold the alignment of the Arras to Albert railway.
Infantry were trained to work in co-operation with the armoured regiments (the new Whippet and Mk V tanks were much improved compared to their predecessors) and to coordinate with the RAF when air cover was needed. On 22nd August, Fourth Army, to the south of Third Army also recommenced its advance to support Third Army.
When the advance began 12th (Eastern) Division in III Corps, on the left flank of Third Army, were holding a position east of Morlancourt. Their objective on 22nd August was to advance east across the Morlancourt Ridge, south of Albert, 36th Infantry Brigade on the left and 35th Infantry Brigade on the right.
On the far left, 5th Royal Berkshire Regiment captured and cleared Meaulte with tank support. Following the capture of Meaulte the Division continued its advance across the old Somme battlefield, capturing Mametz and reaching Carnoy by 25th August.
Clearing Carnoy the Division continued east, clearing Bois Faviere (Faviere Wood) and capturing Hardecourt-aux-Bois before it was relieved on 29th August, an advance of 12 miles (18km). - 22 Aug 1918 - Meaulte, France |
|
| Address -
THE HUNDRED DAYS OFFENSIVE, AUGUST-NOVEMBER 1918© IWM (Q 6987)
Battle of Albert. Ruins of Meaulte taken by the 5th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment (12th Division), on 22 August 1918 (23 August). The pontoons were left behind by the British in March. - 22/Aug/1918 - Meaulte, France |
|
| Address -
THE HUNDRED DAYS OFFENSIVE, AUGUST-NOVEMBER 1918© IWM (Q 7302)
British tanks in Meaulte on same day as Wilfred Pearce was gassed there - 22/AUG/1918 - Meaulte, France |
|
 | Residence - Gassed by German troops and taken to the 55th Field Ambulance Royal Army Medical Corps. Suffered from chronic bronchitis since then https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/a-soldiers-life-1914-1918/the-evacuation-chain-for-wounded-and-sick-soldiers/field-ambulances-in-the-first-world-war/ http://www.1914-1918.net/18div.htm
- 23 Aug 1918 - Near Rouen, France |
|
 | Occupation - Re-enlisted in British Army - 14 Mar 1919 - Dublin |
|
 | Residence - 29 Jul 1919 - Londonderry, Ireland |
|
 | Residence - Clerk at Army HQ India - 18 Jan 1920 - Delhi, India |
|
 | Residence - 26 Sep 1925 - Hamworthy, Poole, Dorset, England |
|
 | Married - 26 Sep 1925 - St Marys Church, Longfleet, Poole, Dorset, England |
|
 | Residence - 1939 register TNA - 1939 - 1 White Horse Drive, Poole, Dorset, England |
|
 | Died - Cause: 1a Bronchopneumonia 1b Chronic Bronchitis & Emphysema - 25 Mar 1976 - Poole General Hospital, Poole, Dorset, England |
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| Pin Legend |
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 : City/Town
 : County/Shire
 : State/Province
 : Country
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