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111863
Pioneer
JOHN SAVAGE
Royal Engineers
(later 290517 Private, Labour Corps)
by
Lieutenant Colonel Edward De Santis
John
Savage was born in 1869.[1]
On the 15th of July 1902 he married Miss Annie Cane in the
Parish Church in Edmonton, London.[2]
No information has been found to indicate that John and Annie had any
children.
Although
he was a married man well into his forties, Savage attested for service in the
Royal Engineers at London on the 17th of August 1915.
His was a Short Service Attestation for the duration of the war.
In response to questions put to him by the enlisting officer at the time
of his attestation Savage indicated that:[3]
His home address was 5 Junction Road in Lower Edmonton.
He was a British subject.
He was 46 years of age.
His civil trade was Labourer.
He was married.
He had never previously served in His Majesty’s Forces.
He was willing to be vaccinated.
He was willing to enlist for General Service.
His wife’s name was Annie Savage (née Cane).
He
was given a medical examination at the time of this enlistment and the following
information was noted in his Medical History (Army Form B. 178):
Height: 5 feet 6 inches.
Weight: 136 pounds.
Physical development: Good.
Chest, fully expanded: 38 inches.
Range of chest expansion: 2 inches.
Distinctive marks: Small scar below the right breast; small scar on the
left kneecap.
Vision: Right eye, 6/18; Left eye, 6/24.[4]
Based
on the medical examination Savage was found fit to serve in the Royal Engineers
for the duration of the war.
On
the 18th of August 1915 John Savage was called up for service.
He was posted to the 2nd Labour Battalion, R.E. as a Pioneer,
Regimental Number 111863.[5]
Within a few days of his joining, the battalion sailed for France,
arriving at Havre on the 23rd of August.
The
War Diary of the 2nd Labour Battalion, R.E. (701st Labour
Company) contains no information regarding the movements or work of the
battalion for the remainder of 1915 except an entry indicating that the unit
moved from Havre to Doullens on the 28th of August.
The only mention of the unit in 1916 indicates that on the 2nd
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, railway
construction and railway maintenance in the rear area.
On the 5th of January 1917 the 2nd Labour
Battalion, R.E. lost its first and only man.
He was 111161 Acting Corporal Charles C. Scrivens who died of wounds.[6]
John
Savage was transferred to the 701st Labour Company in the newly
formed Labour Corps in early January of 1917.[7]
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.
Savage 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 111863 to 290517.
The
War Diary of the 2nd Labour Battalion, 701st Labour
Company, picks up in detail on the 15th of April 1917 showing the
movement and work of the unit as follows:
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15 Apr 1917:
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2nd
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
Savage’s company using the 2nd Labour Battalion
designation. The entries in
the diary did not begin referring to the unit as the 701st
Labour Company until September when the company officially was formed.
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10-12 May 1917:
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2nd
Labour Battalion moves from Fremicourt, apparently en route to Butte De
Warlencourt.
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25 May 1917:
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2nd
Labour Battalion ordered to move to 58th Group.
NOTE:
The Labour Corps consisted
of a number of “Groups” consisting of Labour Companies.
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26 May 1917:
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2nd
Labour Battalion moves to 58th Group, Fifth Army.
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30 May 1917:
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2nd
Labour Battalion at Fremicourt.
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1 Jul 1917:
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2nd
Labour Battalion working on light railways.
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1 Sep 1917:
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701st
Labour Company formed from the 2nd Labour Battalion.
The company is working on light rail construction.
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3 Oct 1917:
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701st
Labour Company working in IV Corps area.
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19-20 Nov 1917:
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701st
Labour Company moves to VI Corps area with Third Army at Mory.
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15 Dec 1917:
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701st
Labour Company at Mory working on light rail construction.
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3 Jan 1918:
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One
man in company wounded.
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24 Jan 1918:
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290138
Sergeant B. Deeley of the 701st Labour Company awarded the
Military Medal.
NOTE:
The company obviously was close
enough to the front line in January 1918 for one man to be wounded and
another to receive the Military Medal for “bravery in the field.”
Although Savage’s Labour Company was not a front line unit, he
certainly must have come under fire, probably artillery fire, during his
time in France and Flanders.
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22 Mar 1918:
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701st
Labour Company moved from Mory to Bucquoy.
Working on light railways.
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24
Mar 1918:
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German
Offensive. The 701st
Labour Company at Bucquoy working on maintaining a light railway under
shell fire.
NOTE:
This entry was made during the
period of the large German offensive in the spring of 1918.
From the entries that follow it appears that the company had to
make numerous moves to the west as a result of the German advance.
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27 Mar 1918:
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701st
Labour Company at Posseux.
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29 Mar 1918:
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701st
Labour Company moves to Lucheux to do forestry work.
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31 Mar – 1 Apr
1918:
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701st
Labour Company moves to Fosseux to do light railway work.
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18 Apr 1918:
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701st
Labour Company moves from Fosseux to Herissart to do forestry work.
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24 Apr 1918:
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701st
Labour Company working on construction of defensive works.
NOTE:
Further evidence of the
company’s change of mission during the German offensive is its switch
from railway and forestry work to the construction of defensive
positions.
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13-14 May 1918:
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701st
Labour Company moves from Herissart to Louvencourt to construct
defensive works.
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1-22 Jul 1918
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4
men accidentally injured in the 701st Labour Company.
NOTE:
During this period of almost a
month the company had four men injured accidentally.
Labour Corps units and Royal Engineers units frequently lost men
to accidents because of the often dangerous nature of the work that they
performed.
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7 Aug 1918:
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701st
Labour Company moves from Louvencourt to Puchevillers and Toutencourt
for light railway work.
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20 Aug 1918:
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701st
Labour Company moves from Puchevillers to Coigneux to work on a broad
gauge railway.
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22 Aug 1918:
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701st
Labour Company moves to Saulty, then from Bouqoy to Larbret.
Engaged with railway work.
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27 Aug 1918:
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701st
Labour Company moves from Saulty to Aveluy.
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28 Aug 1918:
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701st
Labour Company working on bridging.
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On
the 29th of August 1918 Private Savage left France for leave
in England. He returned to
his company on the 12th of September.
On this date the 701st Labour Company was nominated to
maintain the GHQ Defence Line during the winter since it was an old R.E.
battalion and also due to the age of men and the fact that they have
been too long in the Forward Area of the Third Army.
The War Diary then picks up again outlining the movements of the
company.
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19 Sep 1918:
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701st
Labour Company moves from Hamel to Marieux.
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12 Oct 1918:
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701st
Labour Company moves to Pas, Puchevillers, Saulty and Nergnies, then to
Cambrai.
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14 Oct 1918:
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701st
Labour Company moves to Awoingt for rail work.
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25 Nov 1918:
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701st
Labour Company moves to Cambrai.
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14 Dec 1918:
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701st
Labour Company at Rieux.
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On the 7th of February 1919 Private Savage was posted home to
the London District Labour Centre.[8]
He was admitted to hospital on the 14th of February with
lumbago.[9]
He obviously was suffering from pains in the muscles and joints of the
lower back, undoubtedly due to the strenuous work he was required to perform at
age 50. He was released from the
hospital on the 22nd of February in preparation for demobilization.
Although
he had just been in hospital, he was required to undergo a medical examination
in preparation for his demobilization from the Army.
This medical examination was performed in London on the 5th of
March 1919 and his medical category was determined to be B1.
Medical category B1 indicated that he would be able
to march 5 miles, see to shoot with glasses, and hear well.
Based on the visual acuity test given to him when he enlisted and this
medical category, it may be assumed that Savage wore glasses.
His
Protection Certificate issued to him during the month of March 1919 prior to
demobilization contained the following entries:
Regiment or Corps: London
District Labour Centre.
Pay Office: Nottingham.
Theatre of War or Command: London.
(This, of course was his last unit and not
the one that he served in
during the war).
Year of Birth: 1869.
Medical category: B3. (Medical
category B3 indicates that the soldier was only suited for sedentary work.
This appears to have been a re-evaluation of his physical condition based
on his problem with lumbago).
Place of rejoining in case of emergency: Luton, Surrey.
Dispersal area: Crystal
Palace.
On
the 8th of April 1919 John Savage was assigned to the Class “Z”
Army Reserve on his demobilization. He
was demobilized at Nottingham, the Headquarters Depot of the Labour Corps.
His character on leaving the Army was rated as “Very Good” and his
intended place of residence was given as 5 Junction Road, Lower Edmonton in
London. This is the address that
appears on many pages of his military service document and probably was the
address where his wife lived while he was on active service.
The
photograph below shows the buildings that exist in the area of 5 Junction Road
in 2019. Number 5 is probably the
building with the blue shop front. The
structure appears old enough to have been there in 1919.
The
Savage home at 5 Junction Road, Lower Edmonton, London.
(Photograph
courtesy of Google Earth)
Map
of Lower Edmonton Showing the Location of 5 Junction Road.
(Map
courtesy of Streetmap.co.uk)
The Savage home in Lower Edmonton was located near the intersection of
Junction Road and Croyland Road near the cross above the letter E in the word
LOWER.
John
Savage was issued the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal for his
service during the Great War of 1914-1918. His
1914-15 Star is in the author’s collection.
He received this medal on the 18th of November 1920.
The medal is named as follows in impressed upper case lettering;
111863
PNR.
J. SAVAGE
R.E.
The
medal receipt form shows his Labour Corps regimental number 290517, but the
medal shows 111863 and Royal Engineers.
Savage
received his British War Medal on the 28th of February 1921[10]
and his Victory Medal on the 26th of October 1921.[11]
The whereabouts of both of these medals is unknown.
The Medal Index Card and 1914-15 Star Medal of 290517 Private John Savage, Labour Corps
(formerly 111863 Pioneer, Royal Engineers.
(Image
courtesy of Ancestry.com) (Medal from the author's collection)
REFERENCES
1.
Short Service Attestation, Army Form B. 250.
2.
Descriptive Report on Enlistment.
3.
Military History Sheet.
4.
Statement as to Disability.
5.
Army Form B. 122.
6.
Service and Casualty Form (Part I) (Army Form B. 103-1 Part 1).
7.
Medical History (Army Form B. 178).
8.
Hospital Admission Form.
9.
Protection Certificate (Army Form Z. 11).
10.
Report of Transfer.
11.
Casualty Form – Active Service (Army Form B. 103).
Most information illegible.
12.
Medal Receipt Form (Army Form B. 5112) – Victory Medal.
13.
Medal Receipt Form (Army Form B. 5112) – 1914-15 Star.
14.
Medal Receipt Form (Army Form B. 5112) – British War Medal.
15.
Statement of Services.
16.
DE SANTIS, E. Royal Engineers Labour
Battalions, 2019.
17. 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.
18.
War Diary of the 2nd Labour Battalion, R.E. (701st Labour
Company).
19.
Medal Index Card.
20. Soldiers Died
in the Great War. The Naval & Military Press Ltd., Heathfield, East
Sussex, 1998.
21. Google Earth.
22. Street Maps UK.
23. Ancestry.com
ENDNOTES
[4]
The Snellen Visual Test.
The figures 6 / 18 or 6 /24 are how the result of a Snellen visual
test are written. The first number given is the distance in metres from the
chart you sit when you read it. Usually this is a 6 (for 6 metres) but would
be 3 if you were to sit closer to the chart (3 metres away).
The second number corresponds to the number of lines that you are
able to read on the chart. The biggest letters, on the top line, correspond
to 60. As you read down the chart, this number gets smaller as it
corresponds to the lines with smaller letters. Someone with standard vision
can read towards the bottom of the chart. Standard vision can be referred to
6 / 6 vision. Obviously
Savage’s eye sight was not “standard” as he could only read down to
lines 18 and 24.
[6]
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.