Soldier Record
John Pitt
Contributed by: David Pitt, on 2008-11-10
| Rank | |
|---|---|
| First Name | John |
| Surname | Pitt |
| Year of Birth | 1884 |
| Year of Death | 1964 |
| Regiment | Worcestershire Regiment |
| Place of Wartime Residence | Kidderminster, Worcestershire |
John's Story
On the Somme early in July 1916 a party of the 3rd Battalion, The Worcestershire Regiment occupied a deserted German trench post overlooking the stronghold of Ovillers. Pte. John Pitt, with others, was ordered to defend the post but not to fire their rifles for fear of alerting the enemy a few hundred yards away. A German soldier approached the post along the trench leading from Ovillers and my Grandfather was forced to kill him silently in hand-to-hand combat. He was also forced to kill a second German in the same way minutes later. That night the Regiment arrived in force and the village was taken with a pincer movement from north and south. For his actions he was awarded the Military medal.
I believe he also took part in the enormously costly attack on Bellewaerd Farm near Ypres in June 1915.
He was wounded 3 times, finally being invalided out of the army before the end of hostilities.
Like many who suffered in WW1 he never spoke of his experiences.
I am his Grandson and recently stood in an ordinary ploughed field just off the Albert-Bapaume road overlooking Ovillers trying to imagine his experiences of that day in The Battle of The Somme.
No additional memories have been submitted