Horace Thomas Russell
When Horace Thomas Russell was fifteen years old he worked as a clerk for the Great Central Railway in Nottingham. On the 19th of June 1912, as a result of youthful misjudgement, Horace ended up in trouble along with two other boys for taking some socks, two caps and a silk handkerchief from the parcels office (Frederick Harold Hutchinson and William Vernon, both were fifteen year old van boys), Their misdemeanour was reported in the Nottingham Evening Post and Horace was consequently placed on probation for a period of three years.
Member of 2nd Nottingham Company Boys' Brigade (Dakeyne Street Lads' Club).
- Family History
- Military history
- Extra information
- Photographs
Horace Thomas Russell was the son of William Russell and Elizabeth Russell née Taylor of 12, Ebenezer Square, Sneinton, Nottingham. His mother was born in 1852 at Worcester and she married William Russell in 1871 at Upton on Severn. They had 9 children, one dying in infancy or early childhood. His father was not at home when the 1891 Census was taken when the family residence was at 3, Garfield Terrace, St Mary, Nottingham. By 1901, they had moved to 19, Henry Street, Henry Square, Sneinton, Nottingham. On the 1911 Census, his 59 year old widowed, lace worker mother Elizabeth Russell was shown living at 12, Ebenezer Square, Sneinton, Nottingham. Also at the address was her 14 year old son Horace Thomas Russell, an errand boy.
In late 1914, early 1915, Horace Thomas Russell joined the 24th (2nd Sportsman’s) and arrived in France at Le Harve on the 1st of November 1915. The 24th Battalion Royal Fusiliers (RF) were part of the 5th Brigade 2nd Division, which also included the 2nd Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, the 2nd Highland Light Infantry, the 17th Royal Fusiliers, the 5th Machine Gun Company and the 5th Trench Mortar Battery.
In May 1916 Horace spent some time in trenches around Bully-Grenay Farm. In June he was around Camblain-l'Abbe and in July, at the start of the Somme offensive, he was in the Carency sector.
Whilst in the Carencey sector, he spent his 20th Birthday, the 11th of July 1916, in the trenches; the War Diary for that day suggests that he had a quiet birthday.
Having moved up from Happy valley on the 23rd of July, Horace was involved in action at Bernafay Wood on the 25th of July, Trônes Wood on the 28th of July and Delville Wood on the 29th of July.
The situation at Trônes Wood was particularly appalling with both sides having taken and retaken the wood in mid-July. The dead or severely injured of both sides, not being able to be moved out, were then subject to shelling by both sides, reducing the trees into shredded stumps and the remains of the fallen into slurry. Consequently, unimaginable scenes were evident due to the very hot weather that was recorded in July and August.
The Battalion War Diary records that they were in the front-line trench between Longueval and Waterlot Farm (in reality a small sugar refinery).
There was an unsuccessful attack on the 30th of July at 4.52am from the line at Waterlot Farm to the German (ZZ) trench, some 600 yards away towards Guillemont by 'C' Company, in which Captain Meares and 102 other ranks died on the German wire, it not having been cut by artillery bombardment - just one officer and eleven others survived the attack.
On the 31st of July 1916 they were relieved from the front-line trench by the 2nd Highland Light Infantry, and deployed to the reserve trenches. On the 1st of August, 'B' company 24 RF was held-up whilst assisting the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry at Angle Trench, intermittent shelling was recorded.
On the 2nd of August Horace and others made their way down Longueval Alley (another appalling spectacle) and were cutting through Bernafey Wood on their way back to Montauban when they got shelled. The War Diary for that day states the weather was very hot. It appears from the map co-ordinates for the original grave site on the CWGC Concentration report - that he was buried in the centre of the Bernafay Wood. He was buried with nineteen-year-old (4583) William Lucas Dransfield of 'D' company 24 RF and twenty four year old (3363) Charles Henry Crowle, also 24 RF.
In William Lucas Dransfield's obituary in the Manchester Evening News (there is a picture of him) it states that he was killed by a shell burst and that he was buried by comrades at the spot (via a letter to his mother and father from those involved). It seems likely that the shell burst that killed William also accounted for Horace and Charles. William was an apprentice mechanical Engineer and a chorister at Manchester Cathedral, and Charles was a Clerk at the Harbour Master's Office in Hayle, Cornwall.
In 1919, the bodies of Horace, William and Charles were exhumed and reinterred in Quarry Cemetery near Montauban-de-Picardie - where they remain together to this day.
(NB: the 2nd of August date is the date originally recorded at the grave site on the marker - the 3rd of August quoted in pension papers etc. is an administrative error.
Family research by Peter Gillings
Many thanks to Paul Needley, a relative of Horace Thomas Russell, for military and additional family research and photographs.
Horace Russell
Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone marking Horace Thomas Russell's grave at Quarry Cemetery, Mountauban, Somme Courtesy of Murray Biddle.
Horace Thomas Russell
Courtesy of Paul Needley & The Nottingham Evening Post
Dakeyne StreetBoys' Club
Courtesy of Paul Needley & The Nottingham Evening Post
Memorial now lost to Dako Boys killed during the Great War
Courtesy of Paul Needley
The Montaubin area of France
Courtesy of Paul Needley
Horace Thomas Russell & Friend (probably from 1915)
Courtesy of Paul Needley