John H Houlding 22nd London's, KIA Loos, Dec. 1915

[Tony]

1109 Private John Henry Houlding of "C" Coy. 1st/22nd Batl. The London Regiment, killed on 30.12.15 at Loos aged 19.

John was born in the first quarter of 1897, at the time of the 1901 census he was living with his parents, George Thomas (a fish monger) and Amelia Houlding and his sister Fanny, at 5 Rephidim St. in Bermondsey, London.

He enlisted in Bermondsey but at the time of his death his parents were living at 13 Mary St., Shadwell (just a quick walk through the Rotherhithe tunnel to the other side of the river).

His bayonet fighting award was presented to him in 1913, this award was found in Gallywall Rd., Bermondsey during the 1960s and given to me about 20 years ago.

31 other men of the 22 London?s saw their last sunrise that day in 1915. All were killed in action, the majority as a result of the blowing of five German mines north of Loos. All have no known grave except for Cpl. Rangecroft who is buried in Vermelles British Cemetery near Loos. The other men including John Houlding are remembered on the Loos Memorial. No officers of the 22nd were killed that day.

998 Pte. Charles Richard Simson Aplin age 22, from Bermondsey

3885 Pte. Sidney Brock age 29, from Bermondsey

889 Pte. Walter Chandler age 21 from Southwark Park Rd. Bermondsey

3821 Pte. Daniel Cook from Bermondsey

2861 Pte. John Cook from Bermondsey

1579 Pte. George James Dean age 19, from Tower Bridge Rd., Bermondsey

2121 Pte. Frank Walter East, age 20 from Bermondsey

1362 L/Cpl. Frederick Thomas Freeman, age 26 from Bermondsey

1550 Pte. John Gibson from Grange Rd, Bermondsey

2031 Pte. James George Jay from Bermondsey

2972 Pte. Charles James Kelehar from Bermondsey

3366 Pte. Henry Francis King, from Bermondsey

1091 Pte. Charles Kirby age 22, from Great Dover St., Bermondsey

681404, Pte. John Millar, from Bermondsey

2471 James Samuel Payne, from Bermondsey

2797 Drummer Henry Charles Thomas from the Old Kent Rd., Bermondsey

2075 L/Cpl. George Frederick West, from Bermondsey

2047 L/Cpl. Frederick George Worden, age 21, from 28 Cadbury Rd., Bermondsey

1907 Pte. William Wykes, from Bermondsey

2114 Pte. Henry Richardson, from Rotherhithe

3433 Pte. Joseph James Bolton, from Rotherhithe

2474 Pte. Arthur Brown from Rotherhithe, KIA

1937 Harold Victor Miller age 19, from 224 Lower Rd., Rotherhithe

1855 Cpl. Arthur Leonard Rangecroft from the Borough, Bermondsey Vermelles Brit. Cemetery

2532 Cpl. George Daniel Scannel, from the Borough, Bermondsey

2557 Pte. William Clare, from Nunhead

2958 Pte. Lawrence Charles Obbard age 18, from 38 Tappesfield Rd., Nunhead

2007 Pte. Edward Keys, aged 25 from 98 Mann St., Walworth

1810 Pte. William Edward Mortimer, from Finsbury

2054 Sgt. Ernest George Coleman, age 24 from Nazing in Essex

2298 Edward Power, aged 22 from New Church St. (don't know where that is, isn't in London)

[Tony]

The following is from the Battalion diary (I believe Curly Crescent should be Curley Crescent):

Place: C 2

Date: 29.12.15

Hour: 6.30am

22nd relieved 23rd Battalion in VERMELLES and CURLY CRESCENT.

9.30 am

22nd relieved 21st Battalion in C.2, front and support line trenches

Dispositions:

A, B & C Coys. in front line, A on left, B in HAIRPIN, C on right.

D Coy. in support ? 2 Coys. OBI, 2 Coys. OGI

HQ?s junction of STANSFIELD ROAD and OBI

Bombers in HAIRPIN

On our right ? 24 Battn.

On our left 141st Bgde.

Extent of Batl. Frontage ? G.5.D.1.3. ? G.11B.8.4.

HAIRPIN held as per rough sketch

Germans shelled frontline communication trenches during relief.

1 ? 3.30pm

Enemy shelled frontline communication trenches, our artillery retaliated.

Day spent in salvaging & clearing up

Place: C 2

Date: 30.12.15

Hour: am

Somewhat severe enemy shelling. 6 casualties. A B M.G. team 24th Battn) knocked out in A Coy. lines. 2 killed, 2 injured.

11.00 am

7 sailors from Grand Fleet arrived for 24 hours stay. Sent to companies to look round generally.

3.45pm

CO went up to front line.

4.20pm

Enemy blew up 5 mines under and around the HAIRPIN. Most of bombers and 2 B Coy platoons are casualties. Simultaneously a terrific bombardment of our front line, support and communication trenches. No attack on our front line trenches but enemy occupied crater and LOVERS LANE.

Organisation of counter attack impossible owing to:

Decimation of bombers

Decimation of B Coy

Intensity of enemy bombardment

After first 5 minutes of amazement at explosion, men and officers settled down and stood bombardment well. Very severe casualties.

6pm

CO returned from front line to Br. HQs.

All telephone communication with front line cut off in first 2 minutes of bombardment.

7.30pm

Adjutant went to see how things were in front line. Found trenches very badly knocked in; in places level with ground. B Coy. only 15 men left in trench. D Coy. had come up to reinforce. Bombers ? 6 men left. Many dead and wounded. C Coy. about 12 casualties. A Coy ? nil. D Coy about 10 casualties. The men were holding on well and keeping cheerful but of course were considerably shaken.

9.30pm

B.G.O. came to see CO for counter attack. Idea was abandoned on Adjutants report of front line conditions.

11pm

G.O.C. Brigade arranged for 23rd to relieve 22nd before dawn. 2 Coys. 23rd battn. already come up to reinforce 22nd in front line.

Still enemy shelling though quieter now. Communication by wire with front line not regained before Battn. was relieved.

31.12.15

1.30am

Guides reported at Battn. HQs and went to bring down rest of 23rd Battn. from CURLEY CRESCENT to front line.

Meanwhile evacuation of wounded going on and repair of the battered trenches.

VERMELLES TRENCHES

31.12.15

7am

Relief of 22nd Battn. By 23 Battn. completed. Relief had been badly held up by the numbers in the C.T.s, and also of the bad state of the trenches.

Whole of 22nd Battn. (about 240 men) went back to CURLY CRESCENT.

1pm

Party of 100 men under Lt. Tomlin went to VERMELLES to fetch bombs and carry up to O.G.I.

NOYELLES

5pm

A weary Battn. relieved by 2 Coy?s 21st. Battalion went back to billets at NOYELLES.

Total casualties 30th and 31st December:

Killed 12

Wounded 68

Missing 36

Total 116

Signed by Lt. Col. N.A. Hoon commanding 22nd Battalion The London Regt. The Queen?s

The number of casualties in the 22nd Battalion?s diary doesn?t quite tally with those known to have been killed that day. I would imagine a number of the missing were later found alive somewhere.

A trench map section of the area showing Curley Crescent and roughly the position where I took the following photos. Each square represents 500 yards.

Edited April 20, 2006 by Tony

[Tony]

The original (copy of the) sketch from the battalion diary.

[Tony]

The following pictures show the battlefield today, just over 90 years since John Henry Houlding was killed.

The front towards the left and right, parallel to the front line.

[Tony]

Looking towards to the Hohenzollern Redoubt (northwards, just off the map) and back to Le Rutoire.

[Tony]

Dud Corner British Military Cemetery and one of the many panels stretching along the walls of the cemetery with the names of 20633 men killed between 25 September 1915 and October 1918 who have no known grave. The panel with John?s name was, I think, number 135.

[Tony]

Looking towards Curley Crescent from Dud Corner Cemetery. The front in December 1915 was about 3km from the cemetery.

[Tony]

22nd London Regiment memorial outside the drill hall down Jamaica Road (now old Jamaica Rd.) in Bermondsey.

[Tony]

Reference to their losses in the South London Press, January 1916.

[Wodger536]

Hi, I thought I'd let you know John Houlding was my Great Great Uncle, I am currenty with my daughter reseaching him as part of a history project.. A little piece of information I have from a family member, My Great Grandfather William Barnes was John's best friend in the London Regiment and gave a shilling to buy the blanket for Johnny to be buried in. He returned from the war to marry Fanny, John's Sister.

Thank you for all the information you have provided. If I find any more I will apphend

[Graham Stewart]

Brilliant research - well done. Just goes to show how one item can lead to something more defining when researching British Army personnel. Their regimental numbers are also of interest and in most cases can assist researchers too. In this case we know now that he would have enlisted sometime between 1908 and 1913 and we know this because most old Volunteer Battalions began renumbering their men from number '1' onwards on the creation of the Territorial Force in 1908.

Edited November 16, 2010 by Graham Stewart

[leigh kitchen]

Great stuff Tony, it's wonderful when so much can be gleaned from a little siver medalion.