Description
Military Medal, GV, 1914-15 Star, British War and Victory Medal, 16259 Private Peter Callan, 7th Battalion Somerset Light Infantry.
MM Officially impressed: “16259 Pte. P. Callan. 7/Som: L.I.”
Star officially impressed: “16259 Pte P. Callan. Som: L.I.”
Pair officially impressed: “16259 Cpl. P. Callan. Som. L.I.”
Award of the Military Medal, announced in the London Gazette, 18th October 1917.
The MM Project attributes these schedule of MM awards primarily for the 3rd Battle of Ypres in August 1917. This lines up with the extensive action fought at Langemarck by the 7th Somersets on 16th August 1917. A Dawn attack launched on 17th August at 3.30am would last 2 days, by the end 4 Officers were killed and 8 Wounded, amongst the Other Ranks, 33 were Killed, 18 missing and 121 wounded.
Peter Callan was a Welshman, born in Amroth, Pembrokeshire circa 1885.
The son of William Callen of Crunwear and Elizabeth nee Phelps, of Amroth. His family were farmers in Amroth.
He first enlisted early into the war at Bargoed on 16th November 1914, he was a Collier 29 years old at the time.
Getting off to a somewhat rocky start in the Military, it was recorded in WO86/5 that on 19th May 1915, He was arrested by and tried by District Court Martial at Australian Camp on 19th June 1915, tried on the 2 charges of 1, Desertion and 2, Loss of Public Property and Equipment etc.
He was sentenced for this to 56 days of detention and stoppages of pay.
On the 1st April 1918 he received a severe wound in action, the medical assessment is all detailed in his service records being summarised as:
“Wounded in left buttock by Shrapnel, 1st April 1918”.
Disability case: Date of wound 1/4/1918, Place, France
“Wounded with high explosive shrapnel on above duty, he was sent to 10 General Hospital when the shrapnel was extracted, after 3 days evacuated to England Hospital there for 6 days, sent to Military Hospital for 10 weeks, being discharged afterwards.”
“Attributed to a Gun Shot Wound in action during the present war.”
The action that occurred during this time was a week long battle from 23rd – 31st March 1918 during the “German Spring Offensive”, where the 7th Somersets were almost obliterated.
The War Diary recalls the extensive losses as:
“Officers, 1 Killed, 3 Wounded, 15 Missing, 19 Total
Men, 10 Killed, 57 Wounded, 390 Missing, 547 total.”
The War Diary recalls from the 23rd March at Curchy:
“Enemy crosses canal below our right flank, capturing Jussy and Flavy which forces us to retire to the line at Ollezy-Annois, To Commanding Officer Lt Col C.J. Troyte-Bullock DSO was severely wounded, the acting Adjutnant Lt S.G. Berry was Killed, 2 Lieut P. Schambre wounded, the following officers are missing (7 Officers mentioned).
2nd Lieuts HW Gurnett and WAD Price, together with 87 Other Ranks formed division as re-inforcements.
24th March, Enemy captured HAM causing a general retirement until the 30th March 1918, the survivors of the Battalion held onto the Hangard Bridgehead.”
The battalion the hang on to the Hangard Bridgehead until relief by the 8th Batt Rifle Brigade on 1st April 1918, when it looks like finally Corpl Callan could get treated at the hospital.
Following this he was invalided and discharged to the Army Reserve on 17th August 1918.
He returned back home to Wales, shown on the 1921 Census assisting his father William at his Farm and later died in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire during 1949.
A copy of the Pembroke County and West Wales Guardian, dated 29th April 1949 has the following obituary:
“MR P. CALLAN, MONKTON
Mr Peter Callan, Short Mains, Monkton, Pembroke, has passed away at Haverfordwest Hospital on Wednesday, 13th April, where he had been a patient for 6 months.
The deceased, who was 64, had been in failing health for some time.
A former Corporal in the Somerset Light Infantry, Mr Callan won the Military Medal in the 1914/18 War and was employed for 17 years by the late Sir Frederick Meyrick of Bush. A member of the Monkton Church, he was held in high esteem in the Parish…”
The Aforementioned “Sir Frederick Meyrick” would appear to be Sir Thomas Frederick Meryrick, the 3rd Baronet of Bush (1899-1968), a Pembroke Local who was Deputy Lieutenant and High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire.
