Reuben Andrews
Reuben Andrews was the great (or great, great) uncle of the contributor, on his mother's side. He was born in Halesowen and joined the army there during WWI.
Reuben Andrews, number 266924, served in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment 2nd/7th Battalion. He was killed in action on 5th December 1917 at La Vacquerie, near Gouzeaucourt, France. The Battalion moved into trenches there from Arras. For days they were under heavy bombardment and held off repeated attacks. Andrews was killed during this defence. There is a narrative in the regimental diary (Royal Warwickshire Regiment). Andrews enlisted in the 2/7 in October 1914. After training on Salisbury Plain the battalion were eventually sent to France in May 1916, sailing on the 22nd and landing at Le Havre on 23rd May 1916. From there it took trains to Beisnettes, training near Bethane and holding trenches near Le Quesncy in June 1916. They then held trenches at Fauquissart near Laventre on 15th July. On the 19th July they attacked German trenches. The battalion captured 2 lines of trenches but was forced to withdraw; this was a diversion from the Somme. The battalion remained in this area. On the 27th October 1916 the battalion moved to Calonne, then trenches near Martinsart on 2nd December 1916. From April 1917 the battalion advanced on the Hindenburg line: Monchy-Lagache to St Quentin, attacking at Fresnoy-le-Petit on 8th April 1917. The battalion was involved in the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele), moving into trenches on the canal bank near Weiljte on 26th August 1917. The battalion was bombarded with mustard gas on 4th September 1917. After being relieved on 8th September 1917 the battalion moved to Arras; the Chemical Warfare trenches. They then moved from Arras to Gouzeaucourt and then to La Vacquerie where Andrews was killed. He is commemorated on the memorial at Cambrai, a few miles away, on Panel 3: Cambrai Memorial, Louverral
o known grave.
Photograph of Reuben Andrews
Photograph
Reuben Andrews, served with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, 2/7 Battalion, killed in action 1917
Reuben Andrews
Remembrance
CREATOR
Phil Rainey
DATE
1914-10 - 1917-12-05
LANGUAGE
eng
ITEMS
1
INSTITUTION
Europeana 1914-1918
PROGRESS
METADATA
Discover Similar Stories
Inches from non-existence: William Andrews' Helmet
8 Items
medals helmet || William Paul Andrews was my father. He received a military cross medal from from George V on 25/4/1917. He volunteered in Scotland in 1915 and was made an officer immediately. The helmet I brought has a piece missing, where Wiliam was hit with shrapnel. A quarter inch in either direction and me and my son Vincent would not be here. At the end of the war, my father was delighted to be offered a commission in the egular (peace-time) army; this was a considerable compliment, as only a fraction of those who had served were kept on. It was also a secure livelihood in a Britain where the prospects for returning soldiers were bleak. With the cheering prospect of a military career ahead of him, my father awaited his posting. When it turned out to be Ireland, he was pleased - until it became clear that he was being sent in order to suppress the unrest which had continued since the 1916 Rising, and would become the War of Independence. My father said it was impossible for him to undertake to fight against his own people; he could not accept the posting. It was pointed out to him that as a soldier he was obliged to obey orders; refusal to obey an order was treason, punishable as such; he had to go. He replied that he would resign. This was true patriotism (to Ireland!) as it was not a public gesture that would attract recognition, much less admiration. In the upshot his resignation was accepted. He returned to Ireland where he was out of work for some considerable period, perhaps 18 months. He went back for the Second World War where he was injured for 10 days from shrapnel. He suffered from pleurisy and died. William was awarded a bronze star medal for the US in WWII. || || This helmet belonged to my father, William Andrews, who joined up in 1915. He had an engineering degree from University College Cork, and served as a commissioned officer in the 128th Field Regiment of the Royal Engineers in France. At some point before April 1917, this helmet was damaged by shrapnel, saving his life. || William Andrews' helmet, damaged by shrapnel