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Lieutenant
ARTHUR HENRY LEEVES

Royal Engineers

by
Lieutenant Colonel Edward De Santis

Ó
2018.  All Rights Reserved.  

Figure 1.  Lieutenant Arthur Henry Leeves, R.E., c. 1940.
(Photograph courtesy of the Richards Family Tree)  

1.  INTRODUCTION  

            The principal references used in the preparation of this narrative were from a number of sources.  They include census records, official registries in the United Kingdom, medal rolls, army lists, division and unit histories and the London Gazette.  All sources are contained in the REFERENCE section at the end of the narrative and are cited throughout in the ENDNOTES.  Every effort has been made to accurately portray the life and military service of Lieutenant Arthur Henry Leeves, the main character of this research.

            In addition to Lieutenant Arthur Henry Leeves, R.E., details regarding the life of this brother, Frederick Horrocks Leeves, also have been included in this work.  Frederick was an infantry officer during the Great War of 1914 to 1918. 

            Where specific details regarding the service of both men have not been uncovered directly, the locations and service of their respective military units have been used to suggest where they might have been or what they might have been doing during the time that they spent in the Army and while serving in the Great War.    

2.  EARLY LIFE AND FAMILY INFORMATION  

            Martha Horrocks, the mother of Arthur and Frederick, was born in 1850.  Their father, Frederick William Cox Leeves, was born in Bristol in 1851.  Frederick and Martha were married in Manchester Cathedral on the 5th of June 1889.[1]  Their first child, Frederick Horrocks Leeves, was born in Rouen, France in 1891.  No information was uncovered during this research work to determine what Frederick and Martha were doing in France at that time.  Frederick’s occupation is described in various census returns as “mechanical engineer,” “traveler” and “salesman.”  Putting all three of these together might lead one to conclude that he was a traveling salesman involved in selling machine parts or mechanical devices of some kind.  

            The Leeves’s second child, Arthur Henry, also was born in Rouen, France two years after his elder brother. 

            The family had returned to England by the time of the 1901 Census.  The table below provides the information obtained from that census.  

Census Place: 77 Broad Oak Park, Worsley, Lancashire

Name and Occupation

Relation

Marital Status

Age

Sex

Birthplace

 

Frederick William Cox Leeves,
Mechanical Engineer

Head

Married

50

Male

Bristol,
Gloucester

Martha Leeves

Wife

Married

51

Female

Bolton,
Lancashire

Frederick Horrocks Leeves

Son

 

10

Male

Rouen,
France

Arthur Henry Leeves

Son

 

8

Male

Rouen,
France

Margaret Jane Thomas, Housemaid

Domestic Servant

Unk.

26

Female

Wrexham,
Wales

Winifred Evans,
Cook

Domestic Servant

Unk.

20

Female

Merionetshire,
Wales

             In 1910 Frederick Horrocks Leeves entered Manchester University with a view to obtaining a Master of Arts Degree.  He also participated in the Officers Training Corps while at the university.[2]

            The 1911 Census of England and Wales provides the following information regarding the Leeves family.    

Census Place: Broad Oak Park, Worsley, Nr. Manchester

Name and Occupation

Relation

Marital Status

Age

Sex

Birthplace  

Frederick William Cox Leeves, Traveler & Salesman(1)

Head

Married

60

Male

Bristol

Martha Leeves

Wife

Married

61

Female

Ainsworth, Nr. Bolton, Lancashire

Frederick Horrocks Leeves, Student

Son

Single

20

Male

Rouen,(2)
France

Arthur Henry Leeves, Electrical Engineers Apprentice

Son

Single

18

Male

Rouen,(2)
France

Lucy Delaney,
Servant

Cook

Widow

37

Female

Bolton,
Lancashire

CENSUS TABLE NOTES:

(1)   The form shows that he worked as a textile machinist.

(2)   Both sons were indicated to be British subjects.

            Arthur Henry Leeves  entered Manchester University in 1913 and enrolled in the Officers Training Corps (O.T.C.) at the university.  In 1915, while he was still as student, Arthur was admitted to the Institution of Electrical Engineers.  During this period he continued to live with his parents at Broad Oak Park in Worsley.[3],[4]  On the 17th of July 1915 while still attending Manchester University, Arthur was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers as a result of his participation in the O.T.C.[5]  He graduated from the university with a Certificate in Technology in 1915.  Apparently he had not attended the university for enough time to receive a bachelor’s degree.  Presumably he was studying electrical engineering based on his being admitted as a student member of the I.E.E. and his subsequent assignment to the Royal Engineers Signal Service early in 1916.

            Arthur’s brother, Frederick, had entered Manchester University in 1910.  He also was a cadet in the Senior Division of the Officers Training Corps, but after five years of study he graduated with a Master of Arts degree.[6]  On the 25th of July 1915 Frederick was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the 1/4th Battalion, The Prince of Wales’s Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment).[7] 

3.  ASSIGNMENTS AND CAMPAIGN SERVICE

Lieutenant Arthur Henry Leeves, R.E.

            After his commissioning 2nd Lieutenant Leeves was posted to the 1st Field Company, East Lancashire Divisional Engineers in the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division.[8]  At the time of his commissioning his division and his company were in Gallipoli.  When Lieutenant Leeves joined the 42nd Division it commanded by Major General Sir William Flood, K.C.M.G., C.B., D.S.O.  The division’s Commander Royal Engineers was Lieutenant Colonel S.L. Tennant, R.E., and the Officer Commanding the 1st Field Company was Major J.H. Mousley, R.E.

            Precisely when Leeves joined the 1st Field Company is not known, but certainly he was at Gallipoli by the early August of 1915. During his time at Gallipoli his company was at the following locations on the dates shown.[9]

Gully Ravine:              20 August 1915

Bruce’s Ravine:           12 September 1915

Gully Ravine:              14 October 1915

Sarpi Camp:                29 December 1915

            Leeves’s company departed from Cape Helles on the 3rd of January 1916 and arrived at Mudros, Greece on the following day.  After a 10-day rest at Mudros, the company sailed on the 14th of January 1916 and arrived at Alexandria, Egypt on the 17th of January 1916.

Figure 2.  Major General Sir William Douglas, 42nd (East Lancashire) Division)
(Photograph courtesy of Lyddell Sawyer from the 42nd Division history)  

            2nd Lieutenant Arthur Henry Leeves was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on the 1st of June 1916.[10]  On this date he also was posted from the 1st Field Company to the Royal Engineers Signal Service, a posting that undoubtedly was influenced by his academic experience with electrical engineering.  Although the London Gazette did not specify the unit to which he was reassigned, it appears that he initially was posted to the headquarters of the 42nd Divisional Engineers.  The London Gazette of 24 June 1916 then indicates that he was to be a Temporary Lieutenant in the 42nd Division Signal Company, a posting undoubtedly influenced by his academic experience in electrical engineering.

            During his time in Egypt with the 42nd Division Signal Company, Lieutenant Leeves moved with his unit to the following locations on the dates shown.[11]

Rumani:           4-5 August 1916

Mazar:             25 December 1916

Rafah:             9 January 1917

            In February of 1917 the 42nd Division and all of its subordinate units left Egypt for France.  Lieutenant Leeves and the 42nd Division Signal Company took part in many of the major actions on the Western Front to include:[12]

Battle of Bapaume:   24-25 March 1918

Battle of Arras:         28 March 1918

Battle of Ancre:         5 April 1918

Battle of Albert:        21-23 August 1918

Battle of Bapaume:   31 August – 3 September 1918

Battle of Canal Du Nord: 27 September – 1 October 1918

Battle of Selle:            17-25 October 1918

            On Armistice Day, the 11th of November 1918, Lieutenant Leeves and his company were at Hautmont.  The casualties suffered throughout the war by the companies in which Leeves served are summarized here:

427th Field Company (formerly the 1st East Lancashire Field Company)  

Lieutenants:

3

2nd Lieutenants:

3

Sergeants:

4

Corporals:

1

2nd Corporals:

3

Lance Corporals:

3

Sappers:

39

Drivers:

5

            NOTE:  These are the total number of casualties, killed in action or died, during the entire war and do not indicate the men lost while Leeves was serving in the unit.

42nd Division Signal Company

Captains:

1

Lieutenants:

1

Staff Sergeants:

1

Corporals:

3

Lance Corporals:

2

Sappers:

19

Drivers:

4

Pioneers:

5  

NOTE:  These are the total number of casualties, killed in action or died, during the entire war and do not indicate the men lost while Leeves was serving in the unit.

            During the war Major General Douglas was replaced as the division commander by Major General A. Solly-Flood, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O.

Figure 3.  Major General Solly-Flood, 42nd (East Lancashire) Division.
(Photograph courtesy of Keturah Collings from the 42nd Division history)

            Leeves movements from Gallipoli to Egypt to and to France and Flanders can be summarized by the map in Figure 4 showing the movement of the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division during the war.

Figure 4.  Movements of the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division during the Great War.[13]
(Map from Coop’s History of the 42nd Division)  

            Arthur Henry Leeves returned home after the war and in 1919, while he was still in the Army, he was admitted as a Graduate to the Institution of Electrical Engineers.  He was demobilized on the 19th of July 1921 while still serving in the 42nd (East Lancashire) Divisional Engineers (Signals).  He resigned his commission on this date and was allowed to retain the rank of Lieutenant.[14]  

Lieutenant Frederick Horrocks Leeves, 1/4th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment

            On the 25th of July 1915, following his graduation from Manchester University, Frederick Horrocks Leeves was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the 1/4th Battalion, The Prince of Wales’s Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment).  His battalion already was in France when he was commissioned, having landed at Le Havre on the 13th of February 1915.  It was attached on its arrival in France to the 7th Brigade, 3rd Division.  The battalion already had been engaged in the first action at Bellewaarde and the battle at Hooge by the time that Leeves joined the unit.

            The 1/4th South Lancashires left the 3rd Division on the 9th of January 1916 to join the 55th (West Lancashire) Division as the division’s pioneer battalion under the command of Lieutenant Colonel B. Fairclough.  The pioneer battalion consisted of four companies with a typical establishment of 24 Officers and 860 Other Ranks.

            Mitchinson, in his book Pioneer Battalions in the Great War provides an excellent description of the organization and mission of the pioneer battalions.  Mitchinson writes that:-

            “. . .these units were designed to be equipped and trained as conventional infantry.  The difference was that they were intended to be more closely affiliated to the divisional Royal Engineers than with the brigades of infantry.  Consequently they were to be provided with a selection of technical stores, and would be given special training in entrenching, road-making, demolition and other work which could generally come under the description of “pioneering.”  Because it was envisaged that these units would spend much of their time digging, they were ordered to ensure that at least 50% of their strength should be composed of men who were used to working with pick and shovel.  The other 50% had to possess a recognized trade.[15]  The skills decreed as appropriate ranged from joiners, masons and bricklayers to those found in any of the metal trades.  Yet, because these units would be used at the front, even the skilled men were to be instructed in trench digging.”[16]

            “In addition to road making, demolition and entrenching, battalions were to be trained sufficiently to undertake technical work on railway embankments, to be able to construct wire obstacles and to bridge and to fell trees.  The technical instruction was intended to take place at the same time as battalions continued with their more conventional infantry training. . . . The role of these new units was defined as one of fighting infantry, capable of providing ‘organized and intelligent labour’ for engineering operations.”   

            Such was the unit which 2nd Lieutenant Frederick Horrocks Leeves was to join.  By the 26th of January Leeves was with his battalion in the vicinity of Hallencourt and was at Wailly-Bretencourt on the 16th of February 1916.[17]  Leeves was fortunate when he reported to his battalion, as the 1/4th South Lancashires was one of the few pioneer battalions that sent its Officers and NCOs to short courses to give them some idea of their new duties.[18]

                    

Figure 5. Major General Sir Hugh Sandham Jeudwin, K.C.B., Commander, 55th (West Lancashire) Division.

Figure 6. Lieutenant Colonel B . Fairclough, C.M.G., D.S.O., Commander, 1/4th South Lancashires (Killed in Action in 1918).

            On the 28th of July 1916 Frederick Horrocks Leeves was appointed a Temporary Lieutenant in the South Lancashire Regiment.[19]  Two days later the 55th Division was concentrated in the vicinity of Guillemont and one company of the 1/4th South Lancashire Pioneers was in the front line.  Unfortunately no precise information concerning the company to which Leeves had been assigned has been uncovered during this research.  Mention will be made in this narrative regarding various companies of the battalion, but it must be understood that Leeves may or may not have been in the various actions that are mentioned.

            On the 8th of August 1916 during the battle for Guillemont  2nd Lieutenant Gabriel George Coury, 3rd South Lancashire Regiment, attached to the 1/4th South Lancashire Regiment (Pioneers) distinguished himself in an action that would earn for him the Victoria Cross.  The following is the citation accompanying Coury’s award:

            “For signal gallantry and devotion to duty, initiative, coolness, and the highest qualities of leadership displayed on the morning of 8th August , 1916, between Arrow Head Copse and the German Front Line, when in command of two platoons of the 1/4th S. Lan. R. (Pioneers).  The attack was delivered at 4-20 a.m.  2nd Lieut. Coury took his two platoons out at 4-22 a.m. to dig a communication trench from the old firing line to the new position gained by the attacking troops.  During the progress of the work, 2nd Lieut. Coury patrolled the line of the trench under heavy fire, and by his coolness and utter disregard of personal safety, kept the spirits and confidence of his men until the task was successfully completed. 

            Owing to the loss of most of the Officers, the attacking troops commenced to retire.  Lt.-Col. Swainson, 1/4th R. Lanc. R. went out to restore confidence, and ordered his men to dig themselves in at the end of the communications trench dug by the Pioneers.

            Shortly afterwards, 2nd Lieut. Coury, hearing that Lt.-Col. Swainson had been hit, immediately, in broad daylight, and in full view of the enemy, went out in front of the advanced position to find him and, having found him, brought him in over ground traversed by machine gun fire, to the new advanced trench, being met and assisted by Pte. Haworth of the 1/4th R. Lanc. R.  A sergeant of the 2/2nd West Lancs. Field Company, R.E. had previously been killed in rendering assistance to Lt.-Col. Swainson.  2nd Lieut. Coury not only successfully carried out the task assigned to his detachment, but assisted in rallying the attacking troops and leading them forward.”[20]

Figure 7.  2nd Lieutenant Gabriel George Coury, VC.
(Photograph courtesy of Lancashire Life)  

            The description of 2nd Lieutenant Coury’s actions at Guillemont may not be typical of the actions in which Leeves’s pioneer battalion found itself on a daily basis, but it certainly shows that the Pioneers could be heavily engaged in combat operations at the front.  In fact, it was not uncommon for Pioneers to find themselves fighting as infantry almost to the same degree as they found themselves working with the Royal Engineers to support the infantry and artillery on the front lines and in rear areas by performing field engineering works.  Their engineering tasks at Guillemont generally consisted preparing the ground in advance of the infantry assault, construction and repair of trenches and dugouts, filling of craters, clearing of enemy-place obstacles.  This work was accomplished with the assistance of and/or under the supervision of a Royal Engineers field company:

Figure 8.  Battle of Guillemont, 8 August 1916.

            Following the action at Guillemont the 55th Division was taken out of the front line to rest and re-equip.  The division went back into line during the night of the 4th/5th September 1916 with two companies of the 1/4th Pioneers being sent to occupy a position between High Wood and Delville Wood.  On the 7th of September 1916 another company of the battalion was sent to a position to the southeast of Delville Wood.  Also during the month of September 1916 three companies of the battalion were employed laying duckboards near the Schuler Galleries.  An intense barrage of shells and machine gun fire erupted around them, but the men stuck to their task and won the praise of their colonel.[21]  In the Epéhy sector during this same period the battalion laboured at building dugouts and repairing trenches.  In October the 55th Division moved into the Ypres Salient.[22]   

            Frederick Leeves had been appointed a Temporary Lieutenant in July of 1916, probably to fill a vacancy in his unit in preparation for the Battle of the Somme.  On the 2nd of June 1917 he relinquished his temporary rank and reverted to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.[23]  On the 1st of July 1917 Frederick Leeves received a promotion to the substantive rank of Lieutenant and was seconded to the Royal Engineers Signal Service.[24]  It may be assumed that he was posted to the 55th Division Signal Company at this time, although this has not been verified by any official record; however, it seems likely that his service in the R.E. Signal Service while he was with the 55th Division would have been with the division’s signal company.  If this was the case, then Lieutenant Frederick Leeves saw a good deal of active service during the remainder of the war.  He and his company would have been involved in the following engagements:[25]

Battle of Pilckem:      31 July – 2 August 1917 (at Recques on 7 August)

Battle of Menin Road: 20-25 September 1917

Battle of Cambrai:    20 November – 3 December 1917 (at Flamicourt from 6-7 December and at Bomy on 14 December)

Battle of Estaires:      9-11 April 1918 (company at Hinges Chateau)

Battle of Hazebrouck: 9-11 April 1918.  

            Lieutenant Frederick Leeves was mentioned in the despatches of Sir Douglas Haig dated 7 April 1918.[26]  Based on the date of the despatch, it would appear that Leeves was recognized for valuable service performed in preparation for the Battle of Estaires.

            During the advance of the British Army and the pursuit of the German forces to Mons (28 September to 11 November 1918), the 55th Division Signal Company moved from Drouvin to Gosnay (23 September 1918) and then to Chappelle-a-Wattines where it was located on Armistice Day.  The company moved to Bois de la Cambre on the 14th of December 1918 to begin demobilization.

            The casualties suffered throughout the war by the units in which Frederick Leeves served are summarized here:

1/4th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment

OFFICERS

Killed or Died:

12

Wounded:

55

Missing:

1

OTHER RANKS

Killed or Died:

160

Wounded:

1,245

Missing:

45

55th Division Signal Company

OFFICERS

Killed or Died:

1

Wounded:

3

OTHER RANKS

Killed or Died:

9

Wounded:

58

Missing:

1

            Again, the casualties shown above are those suffered by the unit during the entire war and not just during the periods in which Leeves served in the units.

            It appears that Lieutenant Frederick Horrocks Leeves left the 55th Division Signal Company and was posted back to the 1/4th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment prior to his return to England.  On the 24th of July 1920 he was posted to the 5th (Earl of Chester’s) Battalion, The Cheshire Regiment, a Pioneer Battalion with its Drill Hall on Volunteer Street in Chester.  He left the Army shortly after this posting.

4.  MEDALS, AWARDS AND DECORATIONS  

            Both brothers were awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal for their service during the Great War of 1914-1918.  Frederick applied for his medals on the 8th of January 1926 and he received them on the 8th of February 1926.  At the time he was residing at Plas Gwylym, Old Colwyn, Colwyn Bay, Wales.  Arthur applied for his medals on the 30th of January 1926 and received them on the 15th of July 1926.  He was residing at the same address as his brother. 

Figure 9.  The British War Medal and Victory Medal Awarded to Lieutenant Arthur Henry Leeves, R.E.[27] 
Lieutenant Frederick Horrocks Leeves would have received the same medals with an Oak Leaf device on the Victory Medal to show his Mention in Despatches.  

Figure 10.  Mention in Despatches Oak Leaf on the Victory Medal Ribbon.           

            The Medal Index Cards showing their entitlement to these medals are presented below.

Figures 11 and 12.  The Front (above) and Back (below) of the Medal Index Card of Lieutenant Arthur Henry Leeves, R.E.  

Figures 13 and 14.  The Front (above) and Back (below) of the Medal Index Card of Lieutenant Frederick Horrocks Leeves, South Lancashire Regiment.

 

 5.  MARRIAGE AND PERSONAL INFORMATION  

            The Leeves’s father, Frederick William Cox Leeves, died on the 11th of June 1931 in Denbighshire, Wales at the age of 80 years.  Their mother, Martha Leeves, died in June 1942 in Denbighshire at the age of 93 years.

Arthur Henry Leeves

            Arthur married Marjorie Gertrude Richards in Shrewsbury, Shropshire during the second quarter of 1939.[28]

Figure 15.  Marjorie Gertrude Leeves (née Richards)
(Photograph courtesy of the Holdsworth Family Tree)  

Frederick Horrocks Leaves

            Frederick married Marjorie Elizabeth Mary Miller in Thornbury, Gloucestershire on the 14th of October 1932.[29]  No information regarding Frederick’s life after leaving the Army was uncovered during this research, except that he died at 4 Tir Deganwy, Caernarvonshire, Wales on the 22nd of June 1965.[30]  His will was probated in Bangor, Wales on the 19th of August 1915, his effects to his widow amounting to £9,075 (about US $230,375 in 2018).  

6.  POST SERVICE LIFE  

            Following his demobilization after the Great War, Arthur Henry Leeves took up residence at Plas Gwylym, Old Colwyn, Colwyn Bay, Wales.

Figure 16.  A Map of North Wales Showing the Location of Colwyn Bay.
(Image courtesy of Wikipedia.com)  

Figure 17.  The Town of  Colwyn Bay.
(Image courtesy of Times Past Photographic Archives of North Wales)

            Arthur appears to have lived in Colwyn Bay at least until 1930.  In 1938 the London telephone book shows him as the senior partner in the firm of Leeves & Allen, Wireless Engineers, at 64 College Road in Bromley, Greater London.  Presumably his business made him leave Wales to take up residence in London sometime between 1930 and 1938.  The 1939 Register of England shows him living at Beaulieu, Shoal Hill, Cannock, Staffordshire in September of that year.

            Arthur Henry Leeves died in Shrewsbury, Shropshire on the 23rd of January 1985 at the age of 92 years.[31]  His address in Shrewsbury was Radfield, Kennedy Road.  This address is thought to have been that of the Radfield Residential Care Home at 13 Kennedy Road.  Arthur’s will was probated in Liverpool on the 12th of April 1985.  His effects amounted to £58,202 (about US $264,799 in 2018).

            Arthur’s wife, Marjorie Gertrude Leeves died in Shrewsbury, Shropshire in February 1993 at the age of 97 years.


ADDENDUM NO. 1  

            The information presented below regarding Arthur Henry Leeves was received from Robin Richards by way of a Family Tree connection on Ancestry.com.  This information adds considerably to knowledge of Leeves life after leaving the Army following the Great War of 1914-1918 and during his later years.

            Arthur Henry Leeves was married to one of Robin’s father’s 11 sisters (Marjorie Gertrude Richards) and he lived in Colwyn Bay during the 1940s and into the 1960s.  In 1939 he was registered as living at Robin’s grandfather’s home in Cannock, Staffordshire.

            During the 1950s and 1960s he resided at the Richard’s home in Cannock from Monday to Thursday, returning to Colwyn Bay (Old Colwyn) for the weekends. Leeves traveled using his own automobile, a silver and maroon Singer. He worked alongside Robin’s father's brother Philip Henry Richards at Criterion Stampings in Willenhall in the West Midlands. Criterion Stampings was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Richard’s family business, Charles Richards & Sons Ltd in Darlaston.           

            Charles Richards was established in 1870 when Charles Richards Senior joined a William Butler in his bolt and nut business which eventually became Charles Richards & Co. Robin’s father Sam (Arthur Samuel) Richards, his brother Charles (young Charlie) and grandfather Charles Richards Junior together with other near relatives ran the business throughout the 1930s to the 1960s. The younger men attempted to enlist in the military during World War 2 but were generally declined because they were needed to manage the manufacturing businesses.

            Arthur Leeves and Philip lunched daily in the Directors Rooms at the Charles Richards Company Canteen in Richards Street, Darlaston, Staffordshire throughout this period.

            Detailed information about the Richards family and the Charles Richards Company can be found at:      

 http://www.historywebsite.co.uk/articles/Darlaston/Richards.htm 


ADDENDUM NO. 2

            The documents below contain information regarding the service of Lieutenant Arthur Henry Leeves, R.E. The upper document appears to have been prepared on the 21st of August 1918.  The forms deal with Leeves’s service during the period from the 28th of February 1917 to the 13th of August 1917.  Although the entries on the forms are difficult to decipher, the entries on the upper form seem to indicate the following:

1.      Leeves may have been at the Euston Hotel in London on the 21st of August 1918 when the forms were prepared, assuming that they were being sent to him at that address.  This may indicate that he was not present at the Battle of Albert with his unit on that date.

2.      Leeves may have left Egypt on the 28th of February 1917 to go to Reading, which apparently was a reception center for men returning from abroad.  He arrived there on the 2nd of March 1917.

3.      He appears to have left Reading on the 11th of April 1917 to report to the Wireless and Observers School of the Royal Flying Corps at Brooklands, Surrey, where he remained until the 12th of April.  Whether he completed the course there is unknown due to health problems that he developed during this period (see discussion below).  

The lower form appears to record a period of recuperations from an injury or an illness during the period from the 4th of April 1917 to the 8th of May 1917 and another period from the 22nd of July 1917 to the 13th of August 1917 while he was in Egypt .  Although difficult to decipher it appears that:  

1.      Leeves was considered to be unfit for any service for one month on the 4th of April 1917 and that he was placed on the “War General List (?).”  Was he in Egypt at the time, or was he in England?

2.      On the 8th of May 1917 Leeves was declared unfit for General Service for three months, but was declared fit for Home Service.  He probably was in England at the time.

3.      The entry dated the 22nd of July 1917 appears to be “Retention (?) not desired,” although this interpretation is questionable.

4.      The entry dated the 13th of August 1917 appears to be “Joined Air Sig(?) Coy.”  Again, this interpretation is questionable.

5.      The bottom entry on the form appears to indicate “Returned to R(?) duty.

NOTE:  The entry “Air Sig Coy,” if accurate, may indicate that he was posted to a Royal Engineers Airline unit.

Where (?) are shown above it indicates that the entries are too difficult to decipher with any accuracy.  While these forms show that Leeves was away from his unit in 1917 and that he had been unfit for duty later in that same year, the forms add some knowledge to his service details, albeit, hazy details.


REFERENCES

Army Lists  

1.      Monthly Army List, November 1917.
2.   Army List, June 1919, pp. 823c, 844 and 1265a.
3.   Army List, December 1920, pp. 845a and 1109.

4.     
Monthly Army List, July 1921.  

Books  

1.  COOP, J.O.  The Story of the 55th (West Lancashire Division).  Daily Post Printers, Liverpool, 1919.
2.  GIBBON, F.P.  The 42nd (East Lancashire) Division, 1914-1918.  George Newnes, Ltd., London, 1920.
3.  A History of the East Lancashire Royal Engineers.  George Newnes, Ltd., London, 1920.  (Compiled by members of the Corps and Printed for private circulation).
4.  Manchester University Roll of Service.
5.  MITCHINSON, K.W.  Pioneer Battalions in the Great War: Organized and Intelligent Labour.  Leo Cooper, London, 1997.

Census Data  

1.      1861 Census of England.
2.     
1901 Census of England (RG13/3654).
3.     
1911 Census of England.
4.     
1939 Register

Family Trees
 

Richards Family Tree.  

Internet Web Sites  

1.  55th (West Lancashire) Division.  https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/55th-west-lancashire-division/
2.  The Prince of Wales’s Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment).  https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/the-prince-of-waless-volunteers-south-lancashire-regiment/
3.  The Comprehensive Guide to the Victoria Cross and the George Cross.  http://vconline.org.uk/gabriel-g-coury-vc/4586271548
4.  Times Past Photographic Archives of North Wales.  http://www.anglesey.info/colwyn_bay_photograph_archive.htm

London Gazettes

 

1.  The London Gazette, 24 July 1915, p. 7293.
2.  The London Gazette, 18 August 1915, p. 8249.
3.  The London Gazette, 24 June 1916, p. 6312.
4.  The London Gazette, 9 August 1916, p. 7865.
5.  The London Gazette, 1 June 1917, p. 5416.
6.  The London Gazette, 19 October 1917, p. 10754.
7.  The London Gazette, 24 November 1917, p. 12293.
8.  The London Gazette, 21 May 1918, pp. 6095 and 6096.
9.  The London Gazette, 23 July 1920, p. 7830.
10.  The London Gazette, 18 July 1921, p. 5711.

 

Medal Index Cards (Ancestry.com)  

1.      1.  Medal Index Card of Lieutenant Arthur Henry Leeves, Royal Engineers.
2.     
Medal Index Card of Lieutenant Frederick Horrocks Leeves, South Lancashire Regiment.

 

Medal Rolls (Ancestry.com)

 

1.  British War Medal and Victory Medal Roll for Lieutenant Arthur Henry Leeves, Royal Engineers.
2.  British War Medal and Victory Medal Roll for Lieutenant Frederick Horrocks Leeves, South Lancashire Regiment.

Periodicals  

1.  Journal of the Institution of Electrical Engineers, 1915.
2.  Battle Honours of the Royal Engineers.  The Royal Engineers Journal, Chatham, Kent, 1925-1935.

Registers  

1. England and Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005.

2. England and Wales Death Index, 1916-2007.
3. England Select Marriages, 1858-1973.
4. England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005

 ENDNOTES

[1] England Select Marriages, 1858-1973.

[2] Manchester University Roll of Service, p. 188.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Journal of the I.E.E.

[5] London Gazette, 18 August 1915.

[6] Manchester University Roll of Service, p.188.

[7] London Gazette, 24 July 1915.

[8] This company would subsequently be redesignated as the 427th Field Company, R.E.

[9] GIBBON.

[10] This promotion was somewhat delayed in being announced.  The London Gazette of 24 November 1917 announced his promotion on the 1st of July 1917 with precedence from the 1st of June 1916.  It is not known whether Leeves was made aware of this promotion sooner or whether he received back pay from the date that his promotion took effect. 

[11] GIBBON.

[12] Ibid.

[13] Ibid.

[14] London Gazette, 18 July 1921.

[15] Each pioneer battalion was to have 16 carpenters and joiners, 16 blacksmiths, 16 masons and bricklayers, 8 tinsmiths and 4 engine drivers and fitters.  These 60 tradesmen were to be distributed equally among the four companies.  In addition, other men with the same trades were to be included, if possible, up to 50% of the total establishment. (Re: Army Council Instructions 282 of 1914 – see Mitchinson, p. xiii.

[16] MITCHINSON, p. x.

[17] 55th Division.  Long Long Trail web site.

[18] MITCHINSON, p. 37.

[19] London Gazette, 9 August 1916.

[20] COOP, pp. 169 and 170.

[21] MITCHINSON, p. 134.

[22] COOP.

[23] London Gazette, 1 June 1917.

[24] London Gazette, 19 October 1917 and the Monthly Army List, June 1919, p. 1265a.

[25] COOP and Battle Honours of the Royal Engineers.

[26] London Gazette, 24 May 1918.

[27] These medals are in the author’s collection.

[28] Richards Family Tree

[29] England and Wales Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005.

[30] Richards Family Tree.

[31] 1985 Probate Calendar.