Prescot Roll of Honour

Service Details

Following some research by Brian Renshall of Rainhill Civic Society, the official date of death of Private Welsby has come into question.

The 1st Battalion of the Tank Corps were involved in heavy fighting around Maricourt in late March 1918. The German Spring Offensive had pushed the allies back and they were now fighting over the same ground which they had won in the Somme campaign of 1916

The Tank Corps suffered over 40 casualties on 24th and 25 March. But 1st Bn report 5 men killed; 4 on the 24th and one (Welsby) on the 25th. But the fact that they are all commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial confirms that they have no know grave, so COULD beg the question as to how the date of death is known. Also note on his Register of Soldiers Effects entry, it states 'death accepted', which means that it was not certain.

Further, one of the men who died on 24th was the Tank Commander, 2/Lt Walter Bradney. One account states,

'Two tanks under 2Lt Matthews advanced to the ridge North of the Bois de Hem. One, commanded by 2Lt Bradney was knocked out by a trench mortar, the crew joined the infantry but then went missing; 2Lt Bradney was killed. The second tank commanded by 2Lt Bennet got into contact with the enemy, then broke down, the crew fired all the tanks ammunition then destroyed the tank and withdrew'

I would suggest that the statement 'then went missing' relates to 24th, the day on which Bradney died, and so it is quite conceivable that Welsby also went missing (note again 'death accepted') on the 24th.



Samuel's Medal Index Card, shown below, confirms his entitlement to the British War Medal and Victory Medal.