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Stuart Leo Wilson

A Private with the 1/1st Battalion, Stuart died on 31st of July 1917 at the age of 20. 

Stuart was born at Lowestoft in 1897, a son of Frederick Charles and Miranda Wilson, and twin brother of Elvin. In 1911 the family lived at 78 Morton Road, and, by 1915, at 4 May Villas, Church Road, South Lowestoft.

In 1911 Stuart, and his brother Elvin, got into trouble for stealing pigeons. 

Stuart enlisted into the Army at Bury St. Edmunds at the same time as his brother Elvin. They joined the Cambridgeshire Regiment on 17 August 1916, Elvin being numbered 7859, and Stuart 7860. They were posted to the 3/1st Battalion. On 2 January 1917 they arrived in France and joined 15 Infantry Base Depot. They were posted to the 1/1st Battalion and joined the battalion in the field on 26 January. Around March 1917 they were renumbered: Elvin as 329163 and Stuart 329164. 

On 31 July 1917 the 1/1 Battalion began their advance as part of the Third Battle of Ypres. At 5.30 a.m. the battalion advanced and by 6.00 a.m. reached Wilson’s Farm and came under shell fire. At 6.15 a.m. they reached Boundary Road. By 7.45 a.m. they had reached Bellevue Farm and despite enemy shelling they had only sustained eight casualties. At 8.55 a.m. the advance resumed and about 9.15 a.m. the enemy shelling became much heavier. At 10 a.m. they reached Corner Cot under a very heavy high explosive barrage: at this point casualties numbered about 35. At 10.25 they crossed over the Hanebeek and now came under rifle fire. By 11 a.m. they were consolidating their positions, which included Border House. At 11.20 a.m. neighbouring battalions were seen to be retiring and, at 11.35 a.m., the battalion were ordered to make an attack to relieve the pressure on nearby units at St. Julien. The enemy counter-attacked ay 12.12 p.m. and this was repelled but was followed be another attack at 12.40 p.m. and at 1.15 p.m. a further enemy attack was made. The battalion was now running short of small arms ammunition. By this point the battalion’s casualties numbered about 10 officers and 135 men. Before 2 p.m. protective machine-gun and artillery barrages were laid down ahead of the battalion’s positions. At 4.10 p.m. and further enemy advance threatened to envelope the battalion and a hostile barrage was laid down. The battalion continued to hold their positions and by 6.15 p.m. the battalion’s losses were around 16 officers and 250 men. The situation was exacerbated because the British artillery were also firing on the battalion’s positions. Between 7 and 8 p.m. the battalion withdrew. 

The battalion’s casualties were:
Officers: six killed, two died of wounds, ten wounded
Other ranks: 30 killed, 26 missing, 2 wounded and missing, 215 wounded

Stuart was reported wounded and missing on 31 July, later he was presumed to have been killed in action on that date. His brother Elvin was badly wounded in the arm on 31 July and was discharged because of his wounds.     

Lived at

Stuart Wilson
4 May Villas
Church Road
Lowestoft
United Kingdom

52.484505, 1.7478668

CountryOfService
United Kingdom
BranchService
Army
Regiment
Cambridgeshire Regiment
ServiceNumber
329164
Burial/Memorial
Belgium
YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
Panel 52.

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