Have You a Tiger In Your Family?

Rank : CQMS

Army Number : 200694

Unit : 2/4th Bn

Biography :

Served in the Regiment during WWI.

Regimental medal entitlement: 200694 - Jordan, William Henry 3219 2/4 Leics. R. C/Sgt - Victory & British War medals.

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Compiled by Mike Rudkin as family history and submitted to the database record February 2015.

William Henry Jordan 2/4th Leicestershire Regiment:

William Henry Jordan, (Billy), was born in 1889 to Thomas and Harriet Jordan in Aylestone, Leicester. The third of four children. Aylestone was regarded as a village at this time as Leicester had yet to reach out and grab it as it would in future years. Thomas was a warehouseman in the knitting industry, a career path that William Henry would follow in later years.

Billy had joined the Territorial Army before the outbreak of WW1 and, being a keen amateur footballer and shot he had already taken to army life taking part in army shooting competitions at Bisley winning a clock on one occasion.

The 4th August 1914 saw the ‘lamps go out over Europe’ as Britain and its Empire declared war and mobilisation began. The British Army, long the second fiddle in terms of government investment to the mighty Royal Navy sought to expand dramatically to fight a war that was to be unimaginable to those in authority, and to the public in its total involvement and barbarity.

On the 1st October 1914 saw Billy re-enlist for regular service with the rest of the 2/4th Territorial Battalion Royal Leicestershire Regiment. He was instantly promoted Sergeant. The 2nd October saw the Battalion practicing drill on the Leicester Fosse ground. The next day there was a switch of ‘codes’ as the new troops found themselves drilling and attending lectures on the Tigers ground. Company Sergeant Major Ross arrived to be senior NCO of the company as military organisation was established.

November 1914 saw further developments as Billy was appointed instructor to the service company for the first draft to the 1/4th Leicestershire Regt and December 10th saw the service company carrying out a 25 mile route march. Training was now in earnest! On December 16th Billy and the service company were occupying an empty farmhouse at Little Stretton as the service company had practiced trench digging. However, orders were received to return to Leicester and a 25 mile route march was carried out to achieve it!
January 9th 1915 - the training of the 1/4th Battalion Service Company was deemed satisfactorily completed and Billy returned to his company on the 11th.

January 29th 1915 saw the battalion moving south to Luton as part of the constituent parts of the 2/1 North Midlands Division. The Division was intended to be used for mobile coastal defence. The battalion continued training. There is a small side note that the company was issued with 24 rifles. Considering that a company at this time consisted of 160 to 200 men it can be seen that small arms were at a premium at this time. There’s a note stating similar issues in an unofficial history of the 2/5th Battalion which states that, in their case, surplus Japanese rifles had been temporarily issued. Quite where they came from is unknown!

March 8th 1915 saw an inspection by Sir Ian Hamilton. This is very interesting as Sir Ian had recently been appointed commander for British land forces in what would be the disastrous Gallipoli campaign. Was this a pointer to the future?

March 15th saw Billy attached to the ‘Musketry staff’ and there followed almost daily use of the rifle ranges around the Luton area. However, life wasn’t all bad if you were an NCO at least as visits from Hannah, his future wife, and May, his elder sister were allowed. When not training there was, of course guard duty, not only of military establishments, but also local public facilities. There’s a note regarding duty at Luton’s Hart Lane water, (which still exists), and also providing a night piquet for the town, which was probably pretty lively with a large number of troops in the area!

25th March. There is a small note that inoculations were carried out. Although Billy makes no speculation it may have been a further pointer that thought was being given to an overseas deployment. Was Gallipoli a possibility?

April saw intense training continue with the musketry staff busy on the ranges at Wardown and Dallow hill ranges. Then on the 12th April the Battalion was ordered to parade in full marching order at 0700 and was inspected by the G.O.C. in Stockwood Park. Was there something in the wind?

April 13th. The Battalion practiced ‘packing and leaving’ billets and a march started that was terminated after marching out 3 miles! The next day saw Bayonet practice which continued for several days interspersed with regular kit inspections as preparations were stepped up, but for what?

Apr 16th saw a parade for bathing at Waller Street which was followed by yet more Bayonet training and then a route march to Harpenden. Rumour and discussion must have been rife!

April 20th saw a busy day! From early morning Billy was carrying out Musketry practice with A company until 2.00pm. Followed by a lecture until 4.30pm. A parade at 6.00pm followed by a night march to Church End.

April 21st 1915 sees a note. The impact of which can only be imagined. W. Bramley, a private of the 1/4th battalion had been killed in France. He had regimental number 3217. Billy was 3219 and they had obviously been friends. War and its bloody results must have suddenly seemed to have come much closer to home.

May saw more rifle training at ranges in the Luton area including one described as the Vauxhall range which was presumably adjacent to the Vauxhall motors works. Billy was allocated to various companies as Musketry instructor during this period and note is made of taking B,C, and D companies during this month, mainly practicing over 30 yards with ball ammunition.

May 13th 1915 saw orders given that. ‘But for ordinary parades, troops are confined to billets and must be ready to leave in 1 hours notice night or day’. What had caused this? There’s no evidence that the lower ranks were informed. However, the very next day this order appears to have been rescinded as there was a divisional route march to Toddington and Dunstable carrying 75 rounds live ammunition followed by a foot and sock inspection and.....Pay!!

We often forget that wireless communication was in its very early days as far as the British Army was concerned and the 15th May saw Semaphore signalling practice followed by the obligatory drill yet again at Stockwood Park.

Strangely perhaps to our eyes, at this time of hectic preparation, NCO’s were obviously allowed to have family visits as well as occasional leave. There's a note from the 16th May that Billy received a visit from, not only his own mother and father, (Thomas and Harriet Jordan). But also his future in laws! (William and Clara Breadmore). He would have had to have been on his very best behaviour! There is a further later note that Hannah had visited from Leicester accompanied by ‘'Sgt Smith's girl'. Of course, at the time, a woman travelling alone was not ‘the done thing’.

June 25th 1915 shows an entry that further Musketry training was carried out on the Dallow Rd range with a batch of recruits from the 3/4th Battalion.

July 9th 1915 saw the Battalion moved under canvas in Stockwood Park but then, in a move which appears quite considerate concerning the discipline standards of the time, the troops were allowed back into their billets on the 3rd August after heavy rain flooded many tents. Things would be very different in 1917!

Aug 6th saw the battalion march to Beech Bottom camp St.Albans where again they found themselves under canvas. However, the 20th saw Billy attending a School of Musketry course at Bisley which lasted until the 10th of September.

October saw a decision on the part of senior officers that the Battalion be moved back into billets for the winter and the troops seem to have been billeted over quite a wide area. This was almost certainly due to numbers at the time and there’s evidence that Billy was billeted in several houses in the area of Luton and Harpenden.

22nd January 1916 saw a major landmark for Billy as he married Hannah Maria Breadmore at All Saints Church, Wigston Magna. However, duty called and he was back with the battalion on the 25th January. This wasn’t so bad though as Hannah was allowed to join him on the 20th February. She would stay for three weeks before world events intervened.

Easter 1916 saw the ‘'Easter rebellion' begin in Ireland and an urgent need for troops to be sent to assist in a rapidly escalating crisis. The 2/4th Battalion became part of the 177th Brigade and was rapidly embarked at Liverpool at the end of April, (possibly the 28th), for Kingstown quickly marching to Dublin where street fighting was still taking place. Reports of the time say that the troops were welcomed in many areas of the city with soldiers being given Tea and sandwiches. However, fighting was vicious in other areas and some British units suffering significant casualties. On the journey to Liverpool the troops were reminded to write their wills. The billets of Luton must have seemed far away.

Billy was a part of the party sent to arrest the Countess Markievicz who, he reported, ’tried to attack them with a knife from behind a large curtain’. She had previously been involved in a shooting incident with a policeman in which it was believed he had suffered fatal injuries. Later he was also put in charge of the guard party that escorted the Sinn Fein leader, and subsequent prominent Irish politician, Eamonn de Valera to London. In a later part of the operations in Ireland he remarked on fishing with hand grenades after the battalion had moved to the West of Ireland finally ending up in Fermoy Barracks prior to being shipped back to the U.K. and Fovant barracks in Wiltshire.

24th February 1917 saw the Battalion leave Fovant for France arriving the next day in LeHavre and setting out for Pont-du-Metz and Fouencamps, (just to the SE of Amiens), arriving at 1600 on the afternoon of the 28th February.

8th March 1917 the Battalion moved to the trenches at Belloy and on the 11th March, four men were killed by a shell. These are believed to be the first Battalion casualties in France.

21st March saw the Battalion returned for rest at Foucaucourt. One can only try to imagine the impression the horrors of their first introduction to the war in France had on the Officers and men of the Battalion. Billy often remarked on the unburied casualties lying in no-mans' land, particularly later when the battalion was in an area of the frontline previously occupied by a French unit. Also the terrible injuries to the Horses and Mules used widely for transport.

April saw the battalion back in action and on the 2nd 4 companies where involved in an attack on Fervaque farm. On approaching the objective it was found to be heavily wired and impossible to get through. Repeated attempts were made to cut through the wire and heavy machine gun fire opened up from the flank. At 1530 that afternoon the order was given to withdraw.

At this time the German forces were carrying out a tactical withdrawal to the Hindenburg line and the 2/4th were moved to relieve the 2/4th Lincolns and occupy a front stretching from Harigcourt to Grand Priel Woods South. Observation posts were pushed forward 700yds between Kaffir copse and Grand Priel Woods North.
The action continued and casualties mounted throughout the 59th division mounted as the cautious advance continued meeting determined rearguards, booby traps, and strong points. The 2/4th were moved to Bernes then later to Le Verguier to the north of Pieumel woods and then Ascension Farm. Finally being relieved by the Poona Horse on the 15th May.

There was a belief in higher levels that as a division, the 59th division had incomplete training as it had been split when units were sent to Ireland but the needs of battle made it very difficult to address this and the Territorial units of the Leicestershire regiment had at least experienced some of the terrors of active service having been included in those sent to Ireland in Easter of 1916, even if this had been nothing compared to the unimaginable experience of trench warfare in France and Belgium.

Trench Foot had begun to make an appearance as had lice infestation. Billy was astonished by huge Rats that appeared unafraid of humans. As usual, the men had tried to adapt to the destruction and one or two lucky individuals had apparently made themselves ‘ biscuit tin toilets however this had become considered as less of a good idea after one poor chap had fallen victim to a ‘ whizz bang whilst using it. It being considered to be better not to be isolated during shelling as a wounded man might not be found until too late.

The battalion was moved back into the front line during June in the area of Villiers-Plouich but this was a relatively quiet time. Many work parties were formed and even quiet areas were not immune to shelling and threat of gas attack.

On the 22nd the records show the Battalion living under canvas at Equanocourt prior to moving back to Banastre to be rested and re-strengthened prior to the planned battles later in the year of the 1917 Flanders campaign. Training of replacements and practice for open attacks was carried out but leave was available and visits to Amiens and organised sports were possible. However, the area around Banastre was in the centre of the Somme battlefield and was described as ‘a desert’, although this enabled live firing of rifles and machine guns without danger to civilians.

22nd August saw the 2/4th on the move by route march and partially by bus via Senlis, Winezeele, and Poperinghe to the North Ypres sector to relieve the Stafford Brigade. These moves were carried out with numerous stops as the build up for battle continued, the 2/4th finally arriving at the front on the 25th September. The company was in an area totally destroyed by previous artillery fire and was nothing but fetid water, craters and mud with a foul smell everywhere. However, the days had been clear but the nights reported as very cold for the time of the year.

For other units the campaign in Flanders had already begun on the 23rd September as the battle of Menin Road ridge had begun. Arriving on the 25th the 2/4th Battalion had little time to prepare before being thrown into action at dawn on the 26th as the Battle of Polygon Wood began. The preliminary bombardment began at 0315 and increased in intensity. At 0550 the tactical bombardment on the battalion front began and C & D companies went over the top followed 100yds behind by B company the troops advancing behind a rolling barrage. Mercifully, at 0610 a message was received by runner that the battalion were half way to their objective and casualties were light. Ten minutes later the first German prisoners were sent back, many helping British wounded. The bombardment of German positions was recorded as ‘of an unprecedented intensity’ and continued all day. Further reports were recorded that ‘all emplacements were squashed by shellfire’ and battalion casualties were around 70 men. German artillery began to respond after the initial assault and British casualties started to mount. The 2/4th took their first objective and prepared for the expected counter attack.

The counter attack began on the evening of 28th September to the right of the 2/4th but was beaten back by the artillery barrage which was again reported as ‘ very intensive’. Artillery was very active all day on both sides. The German fire intensifying on the 29th around 1800 but an expected counter attack on the battalion front was reported as weak and easily beaten off. On the 30th the battalion was relieved by the New Zealanders (possibly the Otago Regt), and moved to call reserve at Vlarmertinghe. Casualties throughout the 59th Division had amounted to 2000. They were now regarded as too weakened to continue the offensive.

Both sides had employed aircraft on ground attack tasks during the battle, some attacks being completed even during night hours. The skill of pilots operating aircraft with very limited controllability, without any blind flying instruments is amazing considering the primitive state of aviation at the time. Billy remarked that one evening an RFC aircraft had force landed behind the trenches but appeared to be little damaged considering the state of the ground. He was astonished when, at dawn, the rising light of the sun revealed that an RFC engineering crew had completely stripped the aircraft leaving only the skeleton of the fuselage! Apparently absolutely nothing had been heard of them as they worked!

The battalion now moved to Thiennes, then to Beaumetz and Witenesse, finally arriving in Houdain. Fortunately these moves appear to have been completed by train and bus although the conditions on these modes of transport can only be imagined!

13th October saw the battalion moved to the Avion sector to relieve the 13th Canadian Brigade. The opposing front lines were reported as very close but conditions relatively quiet although occasional shelling and sniper activity carried on randomly. The neighbouring 2/5th Battalion reported a spate of gas attacks in this sector of the front, (Gouy Servins). ‘Quiet’ is a term used often in these situations during the Great War, but we can only imagine the constant random injury and death that would have preyed on the minds of those present.

9th November saw a German trench mortar attack on the 2/4th front line causing 8 casualties.
During this period and one of the gas alerts Billy recalled. ‘I put on my gas mask and we prepared for the attack but fortunately for us the gas didn't affect our trenches. When we removed our masks I was surprised to find that when I'd put it on one of the clear eye panels had fallen out!

Moves into support tasks and back to the frontline were made quite often during this period but there was always a work party task to complete or personal cleaning to be carried out.

On the 14th November the battalion carried out a route march to Souchez camp prior to the battle of Bourlon Wood. The 177th Brigade was to be used as a reserve and moved to the front in stages by march carried out at night to avoid enemy aircraft observation.

The line here was reported as a salient but there were numerous dugouts in the British positions, (this probably influenced one of Billy’s later decisions).

Here my records of the 2/4th Battalions activities are very thin but, on the 21st November the whole division was transferred to the 4th Corps to relieve the Guards at Bourlon Wood. The 30th November saw the Battalion at La Justice and under heavy bombardment by German artillery, including the use of gas which was followed by an SOS from the front line as German troops attacked from both flanks.

German aerial activity was intense and four German aircraft were observed to be shot down along the front of the 2/5th Battalion along with one British and one German observation balloon. At least the observers of the balloons were equipped with parachutes!

The fighting was vicious and a German attack on the 30th made dangerous gains that threatened to cut off a large number of British units, fortunately the 177th Brigade had not borne the brunt of this attack but their positions were untenable.

6th December 1917 saw a German attack from Bourlon Wood to Fontaine and the 2/4th battalion were stood too from 1430 until 1700. Fortunately for the Leicesters the attack was repulsed by artillery fire. By now the battalion was reported to be in the vicinity of Trescauclt.

23rd December saw the whole division withdrawn from the fighting for rest and refitting. A blessed relief as the forth Christmas of the Great War arrived in a world of mud and desolation.

At this stage my records peter out but I know Billy suffered a wound from shell splinters at some stage but this doesn’t appear to be the reason he was given his discharge from service which occurred on the 11th June 1918. His record is one of many lost during the WW2 blitz on London and he never mentioned this to me. However it appears that sickness was also involved and he was awarded a ‘Silver War badge’ for honourable discharge for a service which had commenced before the Great War and lasted until its final year. He left the Army as a Colour Sgt but his final tasks had been carrying out the company quartermaster’s task as well as other NCO responsibilities.

Peacetime saw Billy back working for the Leicestershire knitting firm of Paton & Baldwin as a popular foreman in the finishing department, and later in a similar position with Pool, Lorimer & Tabberer. Like most ex WW1 soldiers he was a habitual smoker and was rarely seen without his pipe and St Bruno tobacco tin.

3rd of September 1939. The lugubrious voice of Neville Chamberlain announced to Britain that, yet again, Britain was at War with Germany. No doubt with pipe firmly in mouth, Billy walked down his large garden and picked up with a spade where he had left off in 1918. By the time Hannah had returned home he had dug a dugout that would contain the family to protect his wife and daughters against air raid. He regarded this as much better protection than Anderson and communal shelters as he’d got practical experience of what high explosive could do! Unfortunately when his wife saw it she was not impressed and as she wouldn’t use it he was forced to fill it in!

Billy volunteered to become a fire watcher and spent many nights on the roof of his place of work, a very dangerous place to be during air attack, and helping out with air raid precautions in South Wigston which appeared to mostly involve manning a stirrup pump or carrying buckets of sand which would be used to extinguish incendiaries. There were in fact at least two occasions on which German aircraft did release munitions on South Wigston. One involved incendiaries in the vicinity of St.Thomas’s church and another involving a stick of bombs being dropped mainly across field between South Wigston and the Leicester City boundary. The bombing may have been an attack on Glen Parva barracks as the stick ended with a bomb detonating in the garden of a house on Saffron lane which unfortunately resulted in the death of one person and a horse being covered in oil on Gamble’s Farm. The horse being otherwise uninjured. The horse had become a victim of a German incendiary device known as a ‘Flammenbombe’ but had survived the experience.

During the numerous occasions that Luftwaffe aircraft passed over his home in Glen Parva, the family had now to use the communal shelter on the edge of South Wigston. Billy had been told that German aircraft could see any light from altitude and a total blackout was mandatory. Concerned that his obligatory lighted pipe could bring down the wrath of the Luftwaffe he decided the best course of action would be to continue to smoke but with the pipe bowl turned upside down. Unfortunately, during one alert, he left his house and then hesitated at the front door just long enough for a following family member to bump into him forcing his pipe into his throat and nearly choking him! Needless to say, this didn’t stop him smoking it!

Billy was a very keen gardener and particularly specialised in Chrysanthemums and Tomatoes. We also appreciated the gorgeous plumbs he produced from an old but fruitful tree that he nurtured.

Billy also enjoyed painting in water colours and continued with a peaceful life which was in stark contrast to the horrors he’d witnessed. His only link to his army years being when I would bring my Air Rifle to his house. He would put out a blanket and from prone position, target shoot down his long garden for as long as the ammunition lasted.

Late in life, during the 1960’s, my father received an unusual telephone call from Billy’s policeman neighbour requesting that he pop up to see his father in law. This was unusual but my father went and a short while later returned with a very unusual report. Apparently Billy had got up that morning feeling discomfort in his knee. Looking at the painful area he’d spied what appeared to be a foreign object under his skin. This was at a time when the older generation didn’t use Doctors and it would need something of the scale of a severed leg to get them to a surgery! He could sort this himself. In a way not described to me the foreign object was removed and turned out to be a small piece of shrapnel! My father reported it was beautifully clean!
Billy passed away peacefully in 1973. An ordinary Leicester man who had experienced extraordinary times.

Date of Birth : 24.9.1889

Date of Death : 13.2.1973

Period of Service : 1910s

Conflicts : WWI

Places Served : France & Flanders