Commemorated: |
| 1. Memorial: | Rue-Petillon Military Cemetery | I. J. 14. Fleurbaix |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.138 |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 11C GQS |
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Awards & Titles: | Distinguished Service Order
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Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 4th Battalion London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) |
1/4th (City of London) Battalion (Royal Fusiliers) August 1914 : at Shaftesbury Street in City Road. Part of 1st London Brigade, 1st London Division. Moved on mobilisation to guarding the Basingstoke-Waterloo railway. 4 September 1914 : sailed with Brigade from Southampton to Malta, arriving Valetta 14 September. 2 January 1915 : left Malta, arrived at Marseilles on 6 January. 10 February 1915 : joined the Ferozepore Brigade in 3rd (Lahore) Division. 11 November 1915 : transferred to 137th Brigade in 46th (North Midland) Division. 15 November 1915 : transferred to 140th Brigade in 47th (2nd London) Division. 9 February 1916 : transferred to 168th Brigade in 56th (London) Division. |
| Action : France & Flanders |
France & Flanders covers all the dates and corresponding locations which are outside the official battle nomenclature dates on the Western Front. Therefore the actions in which these men died could be considered 'normal' trench duty - the daily attrition losses which were an everyday fact of duty on the Western Front.
| W H WEBSTER, 2/Lieutenant, 1/4 London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) The History of the 1/4 London Regiment offers some insights into the business of routine trench activity which highlights he name of 2/Lieutenant W H Webster. In 1916, before the Battle of the Somme, he was involved in a night trench patrol. During the evening patrols had again been despatched to investigate the enemy's wire and trenches, and this night greater success was achieved. The right patrol which approached the Bosche line in front of Farm- Farmyard was under 2/Lieut. W. H. Webster, who on looking over the enemy's parapet found he had selected a firebay containing a party of Bosche hard at work. Unfortunately the alarm was given and the presence of the patrol being disclosed by Very lights it was forced to withdraw. Later in November 1916 the Battalion is in trenches near Laventie; In the line the Battalion was busily occupied with its share of the works programme and in patrolling in which the infrequeney of encounters with the enemy in No Man's Land gradually led to the belief that his front breastwork was not occupied. This was probed further on the last evening of November (1916) when a fighting patrol of twenty men under 2/Lieut. W. H. Webster (Intelligence Officer) entered the enemy lines at the Wick Salient and found it untenanted, in a shocking condition of flood and affording ample evidence that no attempt was being made to repair the serious damage caused by our artillery fire. Sortly afterwards we hear how he won the DSO: An act of gallantry occurred during the first tour which must be recorded. During one of the enemy's midday bombardments a time-fuzed medium trench mortar shell fell on the parapet of our breastwork on the lip of Mauquissart crater, and lodged in the revetting hurdle at the side of the trench. The firebay happened to be crowded with men working on the defences, and heavy casualties must inevitably have been caused but for the bravery of 2/Lieut.W. H. Webster, who rushed forward and, seizing the shell, flung it over the parapet into the crater, where it immediately exploded. For this gallant action 2/Lieut. Webster was awarded the D.S.O. This probably hapened end January (relieved 26th Jan). Within a couple of weeks 2/Lt Webster met his end while he was in the Neuve Chapelle sector: On the right of the La Bassee Road the German trenches were about 100 yards distant, and it was soon found that the enemy snipers had been allowed to gain the ascendancy over the British, a state of affairs which all battalions of the Brigade promptly set to work to correct. The first day's occupation of this sector passed without incident, but on the evening of the 9th February, at about 7 p.m., the enemy opened a heavy trench mortar and machine-gun bombardment on the front line from Pioneer to Pope Posts, astride the La Bassee Road. The trench mortar fire was well directed, and the breastwork on the right of Pope Post was badly breached. At about 7.30 p.m. this preparatory shelling was followed by a heavy ' box ' barrage, and an enemy raiding party entered our lines between Pioneer and Pope Posts. An S.O.S. signal was sent up from the left company Headquarters, and our artillery responded promptly with a heavy barrage on the German front line and communication trenches. The raiders, about twelve in number, divided into two groups, of which one attacked Pope Post and the other Pioneer Post. The attack on Pope Post was driven off by the garrison, three of the raiding party being bayoneted by Sergeant Gardiner, whereupon the others turned and fled, being followed back to the German lines by the second group. Captain Rix, commanding B Company, accompanied by his Sergeant-Major (Shelton) and his runner, gallantly endeavoured to pass through the barrage on Hun Street in order to take control of affairs in the front line ; but all were unfortunately hit by the same shell, Shelton and the runner being killed outright while Rix died in hospital a few days later. The German raiders were successful in capturing 2/Lieut. Webster, D.S.O., who was with the Lewis gun post at Pioneer Post ; he is believed to have been mortally hit prior to his capture, and died in the enemy's hands the following day. His DSO was Gazetted 12/3/1917. He was also Mentioned in Despatches 25/5/1917 |
Masonic :
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
8th August 1916 | - | - |
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Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley
Last Updated: 2017-06-24 21:12:00
