GREATWAR-L Archives

From: Iain Kerr <>
Subject: Re: [WW1] Soldiers Died in the Great War
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001 05:35:53 +0100
In-Reply-To: <8d.c53afc6.28cff939@aol.com>

At 19:33 11/09/01 -0400, wrote:
>SNIP
>James Pavitt died on the 3rd of May, 1917 while on active duty in France.
>
>If any has the CD and can easily locate this ancestor I'd love to know more.
>
>Linda

Linda,

"Soldiers Died in the Great War" reveals that:

41099 Private James PAVITT, 2nd Battalion, The Essex Regiment (formerly
20809 in The Norfolk Regiment); born South Ockenden, Essex, enlisted Grays,
Essex; Killed in Action on 3 May 1917 in France and Flanders.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission web site at URL:
http://www.cwgc.org/ reveals the following

41099 Private James PAVITT 2nd Bn., Essex Regiment who died on Thursday,
3rd May 1917. Age 37.
Additional Information: Son of Robert and Lydia Pavitt, of South Ockendon,
Essex; husband of Ella May Pavitt, of 67, Kenneth Rd., Chadwell Heath, Essex.

Commemorative Information: Memorial: Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France;
Panel Number: Bay 7

Location: The Arras Memorial is in the Faubourg-d'Amiens Cemetery, which is
in the Boulevard du General de Gaulle in the western part of the town of
Arras. The cemetery is near the Citadel, approximately 2 kilometres due
west of the railway station. The Memorial commemorates almost 35,000
casualties of the British, New Zealand and South African Forces who died
between Spring 1916 and 7th August 1918, with the exception of casualties
of the Battle of Cambrai in 1917, and who have no known grave. The design,
by Sir Edwin Lutyens, consists of a cloister, 25 feet high and 380 feet
long, built up on Doric columns and faces west. In the broader part of the
site the colonnade returns to form a recessed and open court, terminated by
an apse in front of which is the Arras Flying Services Memorial. The names
of the casualties are carved on stone panels fixed to the cloister walls.

He was almost certainly killed during the Battle of Arras (9th April - 16th
May).

My notes on his regiment are:

The Essex Regiment raised 30 battalions during World War I from its pre-war
establishment of two regular, one reserve and five territorial
battalions. The regiment was awarded 62 battle honours and one of its men
was awarded a Victoria Cross. The Essex Regiment lost 8,860 casualties
during the Great War.

The 2nd Battalion, The Essex Regiment was based in Chatham, Kent on the
outbreak of war on 4 Aug 1914, as part of 12th Brigade in 4th Division. It
was then deployed to Cromer, Norfolk and Harrow, Middlesex. On 24 Aug 1914
the battalion landed in France at Le Havre. The battalion as part of 12th
Brigade was transferred to 36th Division from 5 Nov 1915 to 3 Feb 1916. The
battalion was also attached to 109th Brigade. The 2nd Battalion ended the
war on 11th Nov 1918 in 12th Brigade of 4th Division at Artres, south of
Valenciennes, France.

{Source: "British Regiments, 1914-1919"; by Brigadier E A James; published
in two volumes in single volume 4th Edition in 1993 by Naval and Military
Press, London; ISBN 0-90630403-2.}

In 1964, together with eight other East Anglian and East Midlands infantry
regiments, the Essex Regiment became part of one of the first "large"
regiments - The Royal Anglian Regiment.

For more on unit history, try:

Regimental Museums

The Essex Regiment Museum, Oaklands Park, Moulsham Street, Chelmsford,
Essex CM2 9AQ; phone: (01245 260614); e-mail at
. It has an enthusiastic keeper in Ian Hook,
and one of his projects is a database of 'Essex Regiment Men', which now
has over 20,000 entries. He would be pleased to hear from anyone whose
ancestors were with the Essex Regiment or its predecessors the 44th and
56th Regiments of Foot. Anyone writing should enclose SAE or IRC. If the
Museum comes up with useful information, a small donation would be a good
gesture. There is (or was) a scheme to register surname interests for a
fee, and the Museum will notify anytime fresh information is received.

The Royal Anglian Regiment Museum, Imperial War Museum, Duxford Airfield,
Duxford, Cambridgeshire CB2 4QR.

But neither the Royal Anglian Museum nor the RHQ have detailed personnel
records or archives. These are to be found in the War Office archives in
the Public Record Office, Kew, Surrey.

WWI Regimental Histories:

The more-or-less-official accounts of the regiment's activities in the
Great War were told by John William Burrows, FSA, in a series of books
published by John H Burrows & Sons of Southend-on-Sea, Essex, in the 1920s
and 1930s. They had the series title "Essex Units in the War
1914-1919". Volume 1 covers the 1st Battalion (originating in the 44th
Regiment of Foot); Volume 2 the 2nd Battalion (originally the 56th Regiment
of Foot - the 'Pompadours'); Volume 3 The Essex Yeomanry; Volume 4 The
Essex Militia (the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion); Volume 5 the 4th, 5th,
6th, 7th and 8th (Cyclist) Battalions (Territorial Force); and Volume 6 the
9th, 10th, 11th, 13th and 15th Service Battalions. There were some other
battalions, including 1st and 2nd Garrison Battalions, but none saw active
service. All the books have long been out of print. However, Essex and
Southend public library services do have several sets and these should be
available elsewhere through the Interloan service.

Yours aye,

Iain Kerr in Windsor, Berkshire, United Kingdom
Web Page at: http://home.clara.net/iainkerr/index.htm
RootsWeb Sponsor and Listowner for the WORLDWAR2 Mailing List.

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