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Roll of Honour (Pattinson - Place)

Sergeant Harrison PATTINSON (30401)

Signals Coy. Royal Engineers

Born: 28 Feb 1885, Patterdale, Westmorland

Died: Abt May 1962, Ealing, Middlesex (Age 77)

Harrison Pattinson was the seventh of eight children born to Abraham Pattinson, a Gamekeeper of Grassthwaite How, and his wife Rebecca (nee Metcalf). Rebecca had originally married John Nixon of Cockermouth in 1868 but John died and she then married Abraham on the 1st June 1872 at St Patrick's Church. Harrison's siblings were; Joseph (1873-1873), Mary Jane (1874-), Eliza (1876-), Jessie (1878-), Abram (1880), John (1882-1882) and Glenthorne Jubilee (1888-1973). Harrison would have attended Patterdale School (he is described as a scholar aged 6 in the 1891 census). By 1901, the 16 year old Harrison was working as a “Hall Boy” at The Rectory in Arthuret, near Longtown. He must have been very good at and enjoyed life in service, as, by the time the 1911 census was taken, he was employed as a Valet to the Earl of Harewood at their London home in Belgravia (although he seems to have exaggerated his age - perhaps he thought a 29 year old valet would be regarded as more experienced than one of 26). Also, when he enlisted in January 1915, he stated his age as 33 and his occupation as a Valet (Groom of Chambers) to Lord Ashburton at The Grange, near Winchester (a building described as 'one of the most celebrated neo-classical mansions in Britain'.

In late July 1915, Harrison married Annie King, probably at the church of St Barnabas, in Linslade, Buckinghamshire (her home village). Banns were read at St Patrick's Church in June and July.

Harrison had enlisted into the Corps. of Royal Engineers (RE). We do not know much detail about his service as we only have copies of his discharge papers, which only contain limited details of his time in the army. After his initial training at the Depot in Purfleet where he was trained as a 'Lineman', he was posted to Egypt in February 1916 attached to a Signals Company, where he would have been responsible for laying telephone lines for command communications. His conduct record shows no offences and he rose through the ranks to become Company Quartermaster Sergeant (CQMS). Also, the London Gazette on 22nd January 1919, reported that he had been 'Mentioned in the Dispatch of General Sir E. H. H. Allenby', the commander of British Forces in Egypt and Palestine.

One interesting fact from his medical records was that he was a strapping six feet tall - which made him a giant compared to most of the men from the Dale who on average were at least 6-8 inches shorter! His medical records also tell us that he caught a bad bout of Influenza in February 1915 (whilst still in England), which, as he claimed several years later, had caused 'noises in his ears' (Tinnitus?).

Harrison was finally discharged in August 1919, giving his address as Birchwood, Albany Road, Leighton Buzzard (which is very close to Linslade where he married). However, by June 1921 he and his family had move to Winchester in Hampshire, where he was working as a Clerk at a local Engineering Works. In September 1939, they were living in Dover, where he was working as the Port Officer for the Automobile Association.

His medal card shows that he was awarded the Victory Medal and the British War Medal (to which he was entitled to attach the Bronze Oak Leaf to indicate that he had been mentioned in Dispatches). Harrison died in Ealing, Middlesex, around May 1962, aged 77, and Annie, around February 1967, aged 93, also in Ealing.

Research Documents:

Census Records Discharge Documents Medal Card

Driver Glenthorne Jubilee PATTINSON (M2/193357)

Army Service Corps

Born: 16 Dec 1887, Patterdale, Westmorland

Died: 5 Jan 1973, Winskill, Cumberland (Age 85)

Gunner John PATTINSON (161176)

Royal Field Artillery

Born: 1 Aug 1897, Hartsop, Westmorland

Died: 30 Apr 1917, Cartmel, Lancashire (Age 19)

John Pattinson was born on the 1st August 1897, the son of James Pattinson and his wife Margaret (nee Winder), who lived at Howe Green in Hartsop. John was baptised at St Patrick's Church on the 12th September 1897.

From his service number we estimate that John would have enlisted some time in early 1915 and, as he was only 17 years old, he would have been placed in a Territorial Brigade based in Britain until he was old enough to be posted overseas (at that time the minimum age limit for overseas service was 19 but it was reduced to 18 in May 1916). He therefore became eligible for overseas service in May 1916. Unfortunately, after heavy losses in France, the Regular 8thBrigade RFA was broken up on the 21st May 1916, so it looks as though John had to stay in the Reserve Brigade. A new 8th Brigade RFA was formed on the 12th January 1917 but they didn't leave Britain for Mesopotamia until August 1917. We do not know the circumstances of John's death (was it an accident or illness?) but he died in Cartmel on the 30th April 1917 whilst home on leave and was buried, on the 2nd May, in St Peter's Churchyard, Field Broughton, near Grange-over-Sands, where his recently widowed mother lived. This also explains why we have been unable to find a Medal Records card for John - he didn't meet the criteria for any. John had served with The Royal Field Artillery for around two years.

For Research Documents and a more detailed biography, see his War Memorial Page Click Here

Sapper Herbert PATTINSON ( )

Royal Engineers

Born:

Died: (Age )

Work in Progress

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Private Alex PEARSON ( )

Border Regiment

Born:

Died: (Age )

Work in Progress

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Private Edwin PEARSON ( )

Border Regiment

Born:

Died: (Age )

Work in Progress

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Sergeant Edwin Hammond PLACE ( ? )

Scottish Rifles (The Cameronians)

Born: 20 Aug 1895, Glenridding, Westmorland

Died: Abt Nov 1972, Penrith, Cumberland (Age 77)

Edwin Hammond Place was the eldest of six children born to Matthew Place and his wife Anna (need Hammond). His father Matthew was initially employed as a Clerk at the Greenside Mine (where is father was the Lead Mine Agent) but by 1901 he had become the Company Secretary. Edwin's siblings were Louisa (1896), Nora (1898), Dorothy Jane (1900), Matthew Summers (1905) and John Richard (1908). When the 1911 Census was taken the family were living at Brown Howe in Glenridding; Edwin was still at school and Anna’s mother Mahalah was also living with them.

The Roll of Honour in Glenridding Public Hall records that he was a Sergeant in the Scottish Rifles (The Cameronians). It also, incorrectly, gives his first name as 'Edward', perhaps because he was known locally as 'Eddie'. Unfortunately, we cannot find any records relating to his military service. Many of the Scottish Rifles Battalions were formed in Hamilton (which is where he was working as a Local Government Clerk in 1923) so it's quite likely that he was also living there before the war and explains why he joined a Scottish Regiment. Several of the 'Hamilton' Battalions remained in Scotland, so even though he reached the rank of Sergeant, we cannot be certain that he served in a theatre of war and earned any medals.

After the war he returned to working in Local Government in Scotland but clearly visited Patterdale regularly, as, on the 18th of October 1923, he married Lilian Pears from Crookabeck Farm at the Wesleyan Chapel in Patterdale. Lilian gave her occupation as an 'Uncertificated Teacher' and Edwin as a Clerk working for the County Council in Hamilton, Lanarkshire. In 1945, Edwin was still working as a Local Government Officer. From at least 1970, Edwin and Lilian were living at 22, Barton View in Penrith. He died there around November 1972 at the age of 77 and his wife Lilian was still at that address in 1984 but died in Carlisle (perhaps in hospital) in January 1993 aged 95.

His father Matthew continued to work at Greenside Mine, became the Chair of the Parish Council and by 1925 had become a Justice of the Peace. He also continued his work as a Wesleyan Preacher and read the lesson at the unveiling of the Patterdale War Memorial in October 1921 (upon which was the name of his half-brother John Dewey Place who had emigrated to Canada in 1907; he returned to fight in the war but was severely wounded in August 1917 and died in Hospital a few weeks later). Matthew, Anna and daughter Dorothy were still living at Brown Howe in 1934 but later moved to 'Wyncarrol' in Beacon Square, Penrith which is where Matthew died on the 9th of October 1945 at the age of 79. Edwin's mother Anna also died in Penrith, around August 1947 aged 78.

Research Documents:

Photograph of Edwin Hammond Place - Aged 8 months Census Returns Parish Registers Matthew Place Probate - 1945

Edwin H Place Death Register - 1972 Lilian Place Death Register - 1993 Old BT Phone Directories

Private John Dewey PLACE (234188)

8th Bn. Canadian Infantry Regiment

Born: 26 Nov 1881, Patterdale, Westmorland

Died: 6 Sep 1917, Etaples, France (Age 33)

Born on the 26th November 1883, probably at number 3 Row Head in Glenridding, John Dewey Place was the youngest son of John Place Snr., a Lead Mine Agent, and the only child of his mother Mary Ann (nee Dewey) who had married the widower John Place Snr. on the 17th of January 1882. John had a much older half-brother Matthew (who was a Wesleyan Preacher in the village) and three half-sisters, Esther, Isabella and Jane.

It is very likely that his early education was at Patterdale School, however, his father died in September 1891 and his mother took him to live in London, where he finished his education at Tottenham Road School. In 1901 he was living in Islington with his mother and working as a Solicitor’s Clerk. He and his mother returned to the Penrith area where John became a Wesleyan Preacher with his half-brother Matthew, who was now Company Secretary of the Greenside Mine. His mother died in February 1906 and so John decided to seek a new life in Canada, probably with the support of the Wesleyans. He sailed from Liverpool in March 1907 for Halifax, Nova Scotia, stating his final destination as Toronto.

In 1916 John was working as a farmer in Lavinia, Manitoba but on the 7th March he travelled the 200 miles to Winnipeg to sign up for the war effort. He joined the 8th Battalion of the Canadian Infantry Regiment, who were already on the Western Front as part of the Canadian 2nd Brigade, so John would have been part of a reinforcement group, probably arriving in mid 1916. So quite likely that he took part and survived the legendary battle for Vimy Ridge. In early August 1918, orders came through that a major Canadian led offensive was to begin on the 15th August to take Hill 70 north of Lens.

The Battle of Hill 70 was a localized battle between the Canadian Corps and five divisions of the German Sixth Army. The primary objective of the assault was to inflict casualties and draw German troops away from the 3rd Battle of Ypres, rather than to capture territory. It lasted around ten days and there was extensive use of poison gas by both sides, including mustard gas. The 8th battalion itself had 400 men killed or wounded out of the 720 that took part. John was one of the wounded, with a bullet wound in his left leg, so was evacuated to the Canadian Military Hospital at Etaples on the French coast. He was initially reported as seriously ill but he never recovered and died in hospital, perhaps from Septicaemia, on the 6th September 1917 aged 33 years. No official record has been found of his medals but he would have been entitled to at least the Victory Medal and the British War Medal. He served in France for almost one and a half years.

For Research Documents and a more detailed biography, see his War Memorial Page Click Here