In Memory of

FRANK THEAKER

Private
22288
15th Bn., Durham Light Infantry
who died on
Saturday, 1st July 1916.


The following information is courtesy of Peter Fellowes, Volunteer Military Researcher. His email address is peter.fellowes@ntlworld.com .

 

22288 Private Frank William Theaker, 15th (Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry.
Born in Sheffield, Enlisted at Sheffield.
Killed In Action 1st July 1916, Age Unknown.
No record of any next of kin details
Remembered on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France. Pier and Face 14A and 15C.
 
Points of Note;
1) Again this Theaker has a 5 digit number and so as a rough guess this would put his enlistment period to perhaps around early to mid 1915.
 
2) Again there is no known grave as such and he is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial to the missing. Again it is difficult to say if he ever did have a grave that was later lost or not, but in this case it is my gut feeling that there may never have been a grave and his body was just lost.
 
3) I have been unable to locate any information as what age he was or any next of kin details.
 
The 15th (Service) Battalion was formed at Newcastle on Tyne in September 1914 as part of K 3 and moved to Halton Park to join the formation of 64th Brigade, 21st Division. In December 1914 they moved into billets in Maidenhead. In April 1915 they moved back to Halton Park and in July 1915 to Witley. On the 11th September 1915 they landed at Boulogne and remained in France and Flanders with the same formation for the rest of the war. At the end of the war they were located at Berlaimont, France.
 
During the war the Durham Light Infantry gained a total of 59 Battle Honours, 6 member's of the Regiment won the Victoria Cross, and the total casualties for the Regiment between August 1914 and November 1918 was 12,530 men killed.
 
From a pre war establishment of 2 Regular, 2 Reserve and 5 Territorial Battalions, by the end of the war the DLI had formed a total of 42 Battalions for war service.
 
At the time of Franks death the 15th (Service) Battalion was in the following formation, 4th Army, XV Corps, 21st Division, 64th Brigade and he would have been killed at some part during the Battle of Albert (1st -13th July).
 
The 1st of July 1916 was the first day of the Battle of the Somme (1st July - 18th November 1916). During the Battle the 21st Division took part in the following subsidiary attacks;
 
Battle of Albert 1st - 13th July
Battle of Bazentin 14th - 17th July
Battle of Flers-Courcelette 15th - 22nd September (* This was the first battle that tanks were used in).
Battle of Morval 25th - 28th September
Battle of Le Transloy 1st - 18th October
 
The XV Corps, commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Horne, consisting of the 7th, 21st and 17th Divisions had to attack the hinge of the German line at the Fricourt salient. The German defences between the villages of Fricourt and Mametz were particularly strong, a 1,200 yard deep maze of trenches, wire and fortified houses. However the Germans did not have enough troops to defend the position, with just 6 Battalions of the 28th Reserve Division. The 21st Division was to push east, take Fricourt and Mametz and press on up the axis of the "Willow Stream" towards Mametz Wood. By night it had taken ground north of Fricourt while the 7th Division had taken Mametz. Then however their attacks were held. The assault on Fricourt was halted after terrible losses. By the end of the day XV Corps could claim that it had made good progress on the flanks of the attack and had taken 1,500 prisoners. On the other hand, the Fricourt bastion was still unsubdued and XV Corps had lost a total of 8,791 men killed and wounded by the end of the first day, nearly half of them from the 21st Division. Firing from the German line ceased at dusk and the British stretcher bearers were then able to go forward and collect thousands of wounded men from in front of the German lines.
 
There is a museum and a book.
The book is called "Faithful, The story of the Durham Light Infantry" SGP Ward 1962. covers parts of WW1 with maps and all DLI Battalions.
 
Museum:
Durham Light Infantry Museum
Arkley Heads
Durham DH1 5TU
 
The museum holds various bits of information, some lists of names, reports from some Battalions, some copies of war diaries. However a phone call first to check

 

 

Commemorative Information

Memorial: THIEPVAL MEMORIAL, Somme, France
Grave Reference/
Panel Number:
Pier and Face 14 A and 15 C
Location: The Thiepval Memorial will be found on the D73, off the main Bapaume to Albert road (D929).

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