Poppy

Military Record for Laurence Mears HEROD

From military sources
Name:Laurence Mears HEROD (link to CWGC)
Rank:Private
Birth place:Forncett, Norfolk
Residence:-
Service number:23822
Enlistment location:-
Regiment:Norfolk Regiment
Battalion:1st Battalion
Date of death:4 September 1916
Death location:France & Flanders
Type of casualty:Killed in action near Guillimont
Panel reference:III. E. 30.
Memorial:Combles Communal Cemetery Extension (link to CWGC)
Supplementary Notes:“HEROD, Pte. Laurence Mears,23822. 1st Bn. Norfolk Regt. 4th Sept., 1916. Age 20. Son of Henry and Amelia Herod of 5, Station Terrace, Runham, Vauxhall, Great Yarmouth. 3. E. 30.” from CWGC Grave Registration.
Other personal details
Birth:Civil Registration 1896 Q3 Depwade Norfolk Vol 4B Page 229
17 Jun 1896 - from baptism record; 17 Jul 1896 - from school admission record
Baptism:6 Sep 1896 at St. Mary’s Church, Tharston, Norfolk, home parish given as Tharston
Education:29 Apr 1901 - admitted to Northgate Infants School, Great Yarmouth, living at Acle New Road, Great Yarmouth
Census returns:1901 Runham, Norfolk; age 4 (RG13 1816 100 13)
1911 Runham, Norfolk, age 14; Railway Parcels Van Lad (RG14PN11108 RD220 SD1 ED4 SN2)
Union:23 Jan 1914 - joined the National Union Of Railwaymen, Great Yarmouth branch, job Van Lad for Great Eastern Railway
Family
Father:Henry George HEROD (10 Apr 1861 - ????)
Mother:Amelia MEARS (1859 - ????) - m. 1884
Known siblings:Albert (1884 - ????), Violet (1886 - 1961), Daisy (1888 - 1899), Frederick (1890 - 1959), Elsie (1891 - 1891), Henrietta (1893 - ????), Reginald Harry (1894 - 1978), Allan (1898 - 1977), Gladys (1899 - 1967), Hilda (1900 - 1901)
Documents (source and description)
CWGC:Grave Registration Reports ( 1 : 2 : 3 )
CWGC:Concentration of Cemeteries Records ( 1 )
CWGC:Family Verification Forms ( 1 : 2 )
CWGC:Headstone Documents ( 1 )
Miscellaneous
CWGC:Death Certificate CWGC
Photos

Norfolk Regiment, cap badge
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Laurence Herod, headstone (JB)
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Comples Communal Cemetery Extension, Combles
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Comples Communal Cemetery (JB)
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Comples Communal Cemetery (JB
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Comples Communal Cemetery (JB)
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Notes from talk by Nicholas Chapman (18 Oct 2023)

Pt Laurence Mears Herod was born in 1896 and enlisted into the 1st Bn Norfolk Regiment. Very little is known of him but he saw action in France and took part in the attack on Falfemont Farm where he was killed aged 20.

The attack was made by three battalions of 15 Brigade, 5th Division. The 1st Norfolks were immediately handicapped by the inability of the French on their right to leave their trenches. The right of the 1st Norfolks was therefore devastated by machine-gun fire from the Combles ravine (Oakhanger Wood). The attacks failed. However, on the left of the 1st Norfolks one company of the 1st Cheshires managed to work their way round to the north-western face of the farm enclosure under the protection of the spur's shelter. From the north-west the 1st Bedfordshires bombed their way down the German trench, capturing many Germans who were driven towards the 1st Cheshire's men. The 1st Bedfords captured 130 prisoners, mostly from the 164th Regiment, as well as a number of machine-guns.. By 4.00 pm the northern and western parts of the farm’s enclosure had been captured. A further attempt to storm the farm at 5:30 pm was a failure and it was then decided that the 16th Royal Warwicks would sap towards the farm overnight. Whilst this process, continued the 1st Norfolks pushed into the remaining parts of the farm not yet captured and then sent patrols to clear the area down towards Point 48 to the south-east. The farm was finally taken in the early hours of the 5th September.

Extract from Philp Gibbs, one of Britain's greatest war correspondents witnessed numerous German Counter attacks…"Counter-attack!" came the order from the German staff, and battalions of men marched out obediently to certain death, sometimes with incredible folly on the part of their commanding officers, who ordered these attaches to be made without the slightest chance of success.

I saw an example of that at close range during a battle at Falfemont Farm, near Guillemont. Our men had advanced from Wedge Wood, and I watched them from a trench just south of this, to which I had gone at a great pace over shell-craters and broken wire, with a young observing officer who had been detailed to report back to the guns.

Presently a body of Germans came out of a copse called Leuze Wood, on rising ground, faced round among the thin, slashed trees of Falfemont, and advanced toward our men, shoulder to shoulder, like a solid bar. It was sheer suicide. I saw our men get their machine-guns into action, and the right side of the living bar frittered away, and then the whole line fell into the scorched grass. Another line followed. They were tall men, and did not falter as they came forward, but it seemed to me they walked like men conscious of going to death. They died. The simile is outworn but is was exactly as though some invisible scythe had mown them down.”

When Pt Herod was killed is not clear but from the CWGC records what is clear is that for sometime he remained unidentified and it was the painstaking work of the Graves Registration Unit is some pretty unpleasant conditions that did identify him and enable him to be laid to rest with a gravestone at Combles Communal Cemetery Extension.

The area around Combles was held by the Germans until it was taken by the French Army and British 56th (London) Division on 26 August 1916. The Germans took the area back on 24 March 1918 despite resistance put up by the South African Brigade at Marrieres Wood. Combles was retaken by the British 18th (Eastern) Division on 29 August 1918.

The cemetery was begun in October 1916 by French troops, but the 94 French graves made in 1916 have been removed to another cemetery. The first British burials took place in December 1916. From March 1917, to the end of May 1918, the Extension was not used. In June, July and August, 194 German soldiers were buried in what was afterwards called Plot I, but these graves, too, have been removed; and in August and September further burials were made by the 18th Division. Plots II, V, VI and VII and most of Plot IV were added after the Armistice by the concentration of 944 graves from the battlefields in the neighbourhood and from the following smaller cemeteries:-

The Combles Communal Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery Extension (also known as the Combles Communal Cemetery Extension) - The cemetery is located near the A1 and D172 roads, in the village of Combles. It is located approximately 13 kilometers south of Bapaume and 16 kilometers east of Albert, France.

After the end of the war, more graves were brought in from the surrounding area and from smaller cemeteries.

Former burial sites of soldiers now buried in Combles include:

Fregicourt Communal Cemetery was located in the hamlet of Fregicourt, between Combles and Saillisel. It contains four British soldiers who were buried in the winter of 1916–17.

Leuze Wood Cemetery, Combles, was located in the northeast corner of Leuze Wood. It contained the graves of eleven British soldiers and five French who fell between September 1916 and January, 1917.

Longtree Dump Military Cemetery, Sailly-Saillisel was located a distance south of the road from Morval to Sailly-Saillisel. 20 French soldiers and 12 British were buried here in December 1916 and February 1917.

Maurepas Military Cemetery was located in the southwest side of Maurepas village. 12 French soldiers, 9 British, and 1 German prisoner were buried here between December 1916 and February 1917. Maurepas was taken by the French I Corps in August 1916.

There 1508 casualties (1462 UK; 22 Aus; 1 SA and 7 CAN) buried in the cemetery, of which 535 are identified. 96 French graves and 194 German soldiers buried in the cemetery have since been moved to separate burial sites. Plots II, V, VI, and VII were added after the end of the war, and Plot IV was greatly expanded by an influx of 944 burials from the surrounding area and cemeteries listed above.

The cemetery covers an area of 5356 square meters.

The above text has been included by kind permission of Nicholas Chapman - © 2023.

Ralph HARWIN : LLOYD Frederick


Notes:

Page last updated: 4 Jan 2024
© Nigel Peacock 2024