LEATHERHEAD WAR MEMORIALS - WWI
Lance Corporal John Whiten
1st Bn., The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
Town Memorial P6.R2.C1
L.Cpl J WHITEN
2nd Royal West [SDGW 1st Bn]
Surrey Regt
Ypres
Oct 13 1914 [CWGC 31 Oct 1914]
Taken, Not Given, Liam Sumption, L&DLHS
The CWGC record has a different date of death and unit to that shown on the Town Memorial and researched by Liam Sumption - 31st October 1914 v 13th October 1914 on the Memorial ....
Thus Liam's careful notes relating to 13th October 1914 no longer apply
about John Whiten's death.
In these he correctly recorded that at the time of his death John Whiten was in 1st not 2nd Queens'. Their War Diary did not record any casualties on the 12th or 14th October 1914, but on the 13th "Stood to Arms in cellars today, owing to enemy shelling. Casualties: Captain MV Fox killed. One Man killed."
Further research
WHITEN,
JOHN
Rank: Lance Corporal
Service No: L/8866
Date of Death: 31/10/1914
Regiment/Service: The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) 1st Bn.
Panel Reference: Panel 11-13 and 14.
Memorial: YPRES
(MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
Additional information: -
Soldiers Who Died in The Great War lists him as residing in
Paddington, Middlesex and having enlisted in Guildford:
Name: John Whiten
Birth Place: Leatherhead, Surrey
Residence: Paddington, Middx.
Death Date: 31 Oct 1914
Death Location: France & Flanders
Enlistment Location: Guildford, Surrey
Rank: L/Corporal
Regiment: Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
Battalion: 1st Battalion
Number: L/8866
Type of Casualty: Killed in action
Theatre of War: Western European Theatre
Findagrave.com has an image of his name on the Menin Gate Memorial.
Like Leonard, John Whiten has a date of death on the Town Memorial at variance with that provided by CWGC
For the last days of October in the 1st Queens' War Diaries the 28th and 29th have already been covered in looking at Leonard Penfold who was in the same unit. Moving on to the next few days:Two Coys KRR came up to support the Bn during the evening & entrenched themselves around farm (1).
At 7pm an attack on C Coy was repulsed.
31st GHELUVELT
Before dawn an attack was made on C, B [Coys] & the KRRs but was repulsed. The enemy dug in within 300x of our lines & occupied the trenches vacated by 2/Bn. At 7am our trenches were subjected to a very heavy bombardment which our guns were unable to reply to.
The enemy worked their way into the orchard at (3), & the platoon of KRR supported by 1 platoon Queen's under Lt Tanqueray were driven out. Col Pell DSO ordered a counter-attack but the attempt by KRR failed, thus the enemy got the orchard within 150 yards of our line. Major Watson went back for assistance, but none was available & he then returned to find Col Pell wounded and assumed command.
We were holding our own when B Coy about 10am were driven out of their trenches by machine gun fire from both flanks, & the reserve (2 platoons KRR) were sent for, but could not be found. It is believed that they moved towards D Co without orders.
Soon after this Capt Creek sent a message to say that he had heard the Welch had evacuated their trenches but he was quite all right & could hold on. Major Watson went to A Coy to arrange a counter-attack in the event of the enemy coming in from (1), & himself moved up to the ridge to see how the left was getting on.
When there he met a second messenger from D Coy. The situation then appeared to be thus - Germans about C Coy trenches (no report could be got from this Coy), B Cy trenches evacuated & men retiring from farm (1) with the Germans entering it. Orders were sent to D Coy to retire but before the order arrived the Germans were seen in the village behind D Coy. This orderly came back & said that the Germans were surrounding them.
Maj Watson & Lt Boyd then re-formed what men they could about the houses at (4) and the few men of the KRR went back to rally on their Bn. As the Germans were now in the village the above rallying party moved towards the KRR who were then actually moving back, owing it is said to a report that hostile machine guns were being brought up to enfilade them. There was thus nothing close by to rally on. The LN Lancs also moved back in their turn.
Major Watson & Lt Boyd then rallied men of different regiments & put them into trenches in K 20 (b).
The Guards of 2nd DIV recaptured GHELUVELT during the afternoon but the line of trenches was re-constructed on the W side of the village. About 20 men only were collected & the remainder were either wounded or missing.
It afterwards appeared that very soon after Maj Watson left the farm, that the Germans entered it.
1 Machine Gun, 1 SAA Carts, 2 Tool carts: captured."
In Appendix XV written on 6 November 1914, CF Watson, Capt & Bt Maj Comdg 1/Queens added:
Lt Boyd & myself left the farm L 22 c as the Germans entered it & tried to collect what men we could to rally on , but from the rising ground S of pt.55 I saw the left Coy surrounded & Germans pushing into GHELUVELT behind me. I ordered what men I could to reform behind the 60th Rifles & LN Lancashire Regt but these Regts were in turn enfiladed by machine guns from GHELUVELT & retired back together. If the left had stood firm I have no doubt that most of the Bn could have been collected.
Col PELL DSO was hit and had his leg broken, he was placed in a cavern in the farm yard with our Medical Officer as it was found impossible owing to the shell fire to take him away & when the farm was rushed he was captured.
That evening we collected about 20 men and put them in the trenches of the Welch Regt. Eventually 40 men were collected all that remained.
Sergt Major ELLIOTT did very good service in taking messages under heavy fire & arranging for ammunition supply.
Lt BOYD also behaved splendidly in a very trying situation. Lt BOYD & myself were the only officers who got away.
http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/war_diaries/war_diaries_home_new.shtml
His life
He was the first professional soldier (already serving in what we would call the Regular Army) from Leatherhead to die in WWI. Had he lived he would have been entitled to have been a member of the Old Contemptibles Association.
De
Ruvigny's Roll of Honour 1914-1924,Vol 2 p313
WHITEN, JOHN L.-Cpl, No.8866 Royal West Surrey Regt., s of A Whiten of
Paddington, London W.; served with the Expeditionary Force; reported
missing 31 Oct. 1914, and now assumed killed.
He is listed on the War Shrine now in the Parish Church Chapel of Remembrance as Jack Whiten Oct 1914 and on the Church Lads tryptich at All Saints'/BFree as Herbert John Whiten. He should have been listed among those who had given their lived for their Country on the Parish Magazine of May 1915 List of Those Serving, but is not there.
Herbert John Whiten was born on 25th March 1889 in Leatherhead, Surrey, England [Epsom District Q2 2a 29] to Albert James Whiten (1847-1913) and Helen Mary Whiten née Wall (1860-1901). He was baptised on 7th July 1893 at SS Mary & Nicholas, the Parish Church of Leatherhead.
His parents were on their second marriages.
They were married at St Marylebone Parish Church, Westminster, on 13th January 1896.
John's father was entered on the Parish Register as Albert James Whiten, 46, Widower, Stud Groom, resident of 58 Marylebone Lane. He signed 'the mark of'.
His mother was entered as Helen Mary Findlay (note surname spelling, also evident in her own clear signature), 36, Widow, same address. Albert's father was William Whiten, a Farmer and Helen's was Philip Wall, a Cab Proprietor.
In the 1891 Census the Whiten family were living in the High Street,
Leatherhead:
Albert [G] Whiten (40) Veterinarys Assistant. Note the spelling of
Findlay is now Findley:
Helen M Whiten (31)
Charles W F D Whiten (4)
Morgan P G Whiten (3)
Herbert [G] Whiten (3)
Bessie H Findley (13) Step Daughter
Nellie V Findley (7) Step Daughter
Harry P Findley (6) Step Son
Emily A Whiten (16) Niece
In the 1901 Census they were living at Providence Place, Fairfield,
Leatherhead:
Albert J Whiten (51) Vet Surgeon Assistant, born Elmstead, Essex
Helen M Whiten (41) wife, born London, Finsbury
Nellie V Findley (18) Step Daughter, Photographic Plate Factory Worker,
born Greenwich, Kent
Charles W Whiten (14), Butcher's Assistant, born Leatherhead, Surrey
Morgan P Whiten (13), born Leatherhead, Surrey
Jack H Whiten (12), born Leatherhead, Surrey
Sidney F Whiten (9), born Leatherhead, Surrey
Edith M Whiten (7), born Leatherhead, Surrey
A newspaper report several months after the Census is of his mother's death at home:
WHITEN, Helen Mary
wife of Albert James Whiten, a Butchers Horse Keeper, died 19.10.1901 at
Providence Place, Leatherhead UD.
In the 1911 Census John appears in the Return from the 2nd Battalion,
The Queens Regiment:
Return of all Commissioned Officers, Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned
Officers, Trumpeters, Drummers and Rank and File
John Whiten - Private - 22 - Single - 2 Bn The Queens - birthplace
Leatherhead, Surrey
In 1913 John lost his father in very sad circumstances:
West Surrey Times
Saturday 22 November 1913