111069 Pioneer William John Coaley, Royal Engineers

111069 Pioneer
WILLIAM JOHN COALEY
Royal Engineers
(later 290225 Private, Pioneer Corps)

William John Coaley was born in April of 1866 at Stoke Goldington, Buckinghamshire, the son of William John Coaley (1828-1891) and Elizabeth Coaley [née Haycock] (1840-1913). William John was the first born of William and Elizabeth Coaley, but the Coaleys had seven additional children. William John’s siblings were:[i]

Arthur Coaley (1871-?) born in Stoke Goldington.
NOTE: Charles and Arthur probably were twins who died at birth or in infancy.

As a young man William John Coaley lived with his parents in Stoke Goldington, Buckinghamshire and Horton, Northamptonshire until the 26^th of October 1885 when he married Ellen Tyso Pettitt (1862-1954), a spinster, in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire.[ii] William apparently did not have much of an education or training to allow him to work in a particular trade, so he became a general labourer. This line of work caused him and Ellen to move numerous times in order for him to go where the work was to be had.[iii]

From 1886 to 1887 they resided in Newport Pagnell where they were married. They probably lived with Ellen’s family.

In 1889 they were living in Horton, Northamptonshire, in 1891 they were residing in Olney, Buckinghamshire, and by 1893 they were back in Newport Pagnell.

Sometime before 1896 they left Buckinghamshire and moved to Middlesex where they lived in Perivale, in Brentford in 1900, in Ealing in 1901 and back to Brentford in 1904.

In 1907 the Coaleys were back in Buckinghamshire in the town of Wendover, but by 1911 they were back in Middlesex, residing in Harrow on the Hill. They had made eleven moves in 24 years - an unusual number for the average English family, but perhaps not that unusual for an itinerant labourer. Their move to Harrow probably resulted in some stability for the family, as it will be seen later in this narrative, where William apparently landed a more permanent job with a gas works.

Movement to many different towns between 1886 and 1907 did not seem to prevent the Coaleys from raising a rather large family, much like William’s mother and father had. Ellen Coaley gave birth to nine children between 1886 and 1907!!! Their first child, Maud was born in Newport Pagnell in 1886. Maud does not appear in Pioneer Coaley’s military service papers in 1915 as she was 29 years old by that time and probably married. Harriet also was born in Newport Pagnell, in December of 1887. She would have been 28 years old in 1915 and like her sister she does not appear in Coaley’s service papers, probably because she had married by then.

The Coaley’s first son, Alwin George C. Coaley was born in Horton, Northamptonshire in September of 1899. Unfortunately young Alwin only lived to the age of 11 years.

Violet Rose was born on the 28^th of September 1891 in Olney, Buckinghamshire, and like her older sisters she does not appear in Pioneer Coaley’s service papers, probably because she was 24 years old and married by 1915. Winifred May was born in July of 1893 in Newport Pagnell and again, like her other sisters, she does not appear in Coaley’s papers.

The next four children are listed on Pioneer Coaley’s Descriptive Report on Enlistment and except for one their exact dates of birth are listed. His name sake, William John Coaley was born in October 1896 at Perivale, Middlesex. He died in December 1965 at Brent, Greater London. Henry Thomas Coaley was born on the 6^th of August 1900 at West Ealing. He died in Paddington, London in March of 1922. Florence Ellen Coaley was born on the 22^nd of March 1922 at Brentford, Middlesex and their last child Alice Isabel Coaley was born on the 6^th of January 1907 at Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire.[iv]

Perhaps out of a sense of patriotism, or perhaps because it was difficult to find work as a general labourer and support his family, William John Coaley decided to join the Army about one year after the start of the Great War of 1914-1918. On the 3^rd of August 1915 he attested for short service at London for the duration of the war. He was 46 years of age at the time.

Coaley was living at 28 Parkfield Road in Roxeth, South Harrow, London at the time of his enlistment. At the time of his attestation he answered the following questions that normally were put to a new recruit:

· He was married. His wife’s name was Ellen Tyso Coaley and he had four children, listing the four noted in the last paragraph of the previous section.

Figure 1. The Coaley Home at 28 Parkfield Road in Harrow (house on the right).
(Photograph courtesy of Google Earth)

On the same day as his attestation he was given a medical examination. As a result of this examination he was noted to be 5 feet 9½ inches tall, with a chest measurement of 36½ inches when full expanded and a range of chest expansion of 2 inches. His attestation papers also show that his religion was listed as Church of England.

The results of his medical examination indicated that he was fit for service in the Royal Engineers, although overage for assignment to a front line unit. On the 6^th of August 1915 he joined his unit at Southampton, “A” Company of the 2^nd Labour Battalion, Royal Engineers. His assignment to this unit was undoubtedly due to his age and maybe his experience as a labourer.

During June 1915 both Royal Engineers and infantry labour battalions had been formed in England and were being sent overseas for work in army areas, mainly on road maintenance work. These units were formed from men of the navvy class and from men who were over military age or from men who, because of wounds, injury or illness, were no longer fit for front line combat service. The overage personnel were enlisted at a special rate of pay of 3 shillings per day. William John Coaley certainly qualified for service in one of these battalions.[v]

The 2^nd Labour Battalion, R.E. departed from Southampton and landed at Havre, France on the 23^rd of August 1915.[vi] Coaley’s Medal Index Card (MIC), shown below, does not indicate the date of his entry into the Theatre of War as it normally did for men who served abroad. Another error in the card is the omission of his award of the 1914-15 Star Medal, which is listed in his service papers, and which he did indeed receive.

Figure 2. The Medal Index Card of William John Coaley, R.E. and Labour Corps.
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com)

Coaley acknowledged receipt of the 1914-15 Star as shown in this correspondence with the Labour Corps Record Office dated 9-12-1920.

Figure 3. Coaley’s Receipt for the 1914-15 Star.
(Image from the National Archives, London)

Omissions of this type, while not common, frequently can hamper research efforts when trying to obtain accurate data regarding the service of a solider during the Great War.

Coaley’s service papers contain an entry indicating that he was absent without leave during the period from the 21^st to the 22^nd of September 1915 while his unit was near Doullens. He was placed in open arrest, but no details beyond this are contained in his papers.

The War Diary of the 2^nd Labour Battalion, R.E. (701^st Labour Company) contains no information regarding the movements or work of Coaley’s battalion for the remainder of 1915 except an entry indicating that the unit moved from Havre to Doullens on the 28^th of August. The only mention of the unit in 1916 indicates that on the 2^nd of September the battalion was working under the supervision of General Headquarters in France and Flanders. It may be assumed that the battalion was working on general engineer works, road construction and road maintenance and railway construction and railway maintenance in the rear area. On the 5^th of January 1917 the 2^nd Labour Battalion, R.E. lost its first and only man. He was 111161 Acting Corporal Charles C. Scrivens who died of wounds.[vii]

Coaley was transferred to the 701^st Labour Company in the newly formed Labour Corps in early January of 1917. As with the Labour Battalions of the Royal Engineers, this Corps was manned by men who were either ex-front line soldiers who had been wounded or taken ill or men who on enlistment were found to be unfit for front line service because of ill health or because they were too old. Coaley certainly qualified based on his age of 46 years at the time of his enlistment. With this new posting his rank was changed from Pioneer to Private and his regimental number from 111069 to 290225.

The War Diary of the 2^nd Labour Battalion, 701^st Labour Company, picks up in detail on the 15^th of April 1917 showing the movement and work of the unit as follows:

15 Apr 1917:	2^nd Labour Battalion, working in the Fifth Army area moves from Bapaume to Fremicourt. The unit is employed on road construction work. NOTE: Although the Labour Corps had been formed in January of 1917 the unit war dairy still referred to Coaley’s company using the 2^nd Labour Battalion designation. The entries in the diary did not begin referring to the unit as the 701^st Labour Company until September when the company officially was formed.

10-12 May 1917:	2^nd Labour Battalion moves from Fremicourt, apparently en route to Butte De Warlencourt.

25 May 1917:	2^nd Labour Battalion ordered to move to 58^th Group. NOTE: The Labour Corps consisted of a number of “Groups” consisting of Labour Companies. Some research data indicates that there were only 40 Labour Corps Groups operating in France and Flanders[viii], however, Coaley’s service papers clearly indicate that there was a 58^th Group.

26 May 1917:	2^nd Labour Battalion moves to 58^th Group, Fifth Army.

30 May 1917:	2^nd Labour Battalion at Fremicourt.

1 Jul 1917:	2^nd Labour Battalion working on light railways.

1 Sep 1917:	701^st Labour Company formed from the 2^nd Labour Battalion. The company is working on light rail construction.

3 Oct 1917:	701^st Labour Company working in IV Corps area.

On the 20^th of October 1917 Coaley was authorized leave to England. He returned to his unit in France on the 27^th of October. While he was at home he apparently made some overtures to a local gas works in an attempt to get released from active service to take up employment with that firm. His wife’s health, after having nine children, also may have had something to do with this action. The manager of The Harrow and Stanmore Gas Company wrote the following letter to the Labour Corps headquarters in support of Coaley’s desire to leave the Army:

I understand that Mrs. Coaley is in delicate health and is anxious for her husband to be released from the Army. I think you have had the application forwarded from Chatham.

I should like to say that if it is possible for this man to come back I shall be very glad to employ him. He worked at this Works for some years before joining up, being, I believe over-age and not engaged on any important duties, you may find it possible to release him. If so, I can assure you that he can resume his old employment.

This letter sparked a good deal of War Office correspondence related to Coaley’s release from the Army and assignment to the Class P or P(T) Reserve. These reserve classes were for men whose services were deemed to be temporarily of more value to the country in civil life rather than in the Army. Given Mrs. Coaley’s ill health, Coaley’s age and the fact that he was to be employed at a gas works all worked in his favor. On the 18^th of March 1918 his transfer to the Class P Reserve was approved and the War Office sent a request to the Deputy Adjutant General, General Headquarters, 3^rd Echelon, France to release Coaley to work at The Harrow and Stanmore Gas Company. On the 14^th of April 1918 Coaley was posted to the London Corps Labour Centre from his unit that was at that time at Boulogne. On the 28^th of May he was transferred to the Class “P” Reserve and was discharged from the Army at Nottingham on the 30^th of January 1919.

William John Coaley received his 1914-15 Star on the 9^th of December while he was living at 28 Parkfield Road, Roxeth, South Harrow, London.[ix] He received his British War Medal on the 28^th of February 1921 and his Victory Medal on the 25^th of October while living at the same South Harrow address. Coaley’s Victory Medal is in the author’s collection.

Figure 4. The Victory Medal of William John Coaley.
(Photograph from the Author’s collection)

William John Coaley and his wife lived in Harrow from 1926 until his death in 1937. He passed away in December of 1937 at Hendon, Middlesex. His wife Ellen continued to live in Harrow where she died in September of 1954.[x]

Figure 5. Parkfield Road in South Harrow, Location of the Coaley Home.
(Map courtesy of Steetmaps.co.uk)

8. Letter from the Manager, Harrow and Stanmore Gas Company, Harrow, Middlesex to the Officer in Charge, Labour Corps Records, Nottingham, dated December 4^th1917, re: Early release from the Army of W.J. Coaley.

13. Letter from the Director of Mobilisation to the Deputy Adjutant General, GHQ 3^rd Echelon, France dated 18^th March 1918, re: Request to Release Coaley to work in the Harrow and Stanmore Gas Works.

22. The Work of the Royal Engineers in the European War, 1914-1919. Work Under the Director of Works (France). The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, Kent, 1924, p. 185.

23. The Work of the Royal Engineers in the European War, 1914-1919. Miscellaneous. The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, Kent, 1926, pp. 16 and 17.

[i] Reference 16.

[ii] Ibid.

[iii] Ibid.

[iv] Ibid.

[v] References 22 and 23.

[vi] Reference 24.

[vii] Scrivens had been born in Clerkenwell, Middlesex and was residing in Battersea, Surrey when the war broke out. He enlisted in the Royal Engineers at London.

[viii] Reference 26.

[ix] Reference 6.

[x] Reference 16.