Description
Territorial Force War Medal Trio, Territorial Efficiency Medal, 1701 Corporal William “Bill” Piper, 1/4th Devonshire Regiment.
Exter Express and Echo, 24th January 1963:
“SERVED WITH OLD CONTEMPTIBLES
The funeral Service for Mr William (Bill) Piper, of 178 Hamlin Lane, Heavitree, Exeter, was conducted at Heavitree Church by the Reverend J. Reed
Mr Piper was 75 years old, and served with the 1st/4th Devonshire Regiment “Old Contemptibles” and was a member of the Old Comrades Association. He had also been a member of the Royal Obsever Corps, and of his local Conservative Club….”
BWM & Victory Officially impressed: “1701 Cpl W. Piper. Devon. R.”
TFWM officially impressed: “1701 Pte W. Piper. Devon. R.”
TEM officially impressed: “200241 Cpl W. Piper. 4-Devon R.”
T.E.M awarded during 1924.
Medal rolls record that William Piper held the rank of Lance Sergeant by the end of the war, being disembodied on 13th April 1919.
It also notes that he served with the 1/4th Battalion Devonshire Regiment.
the 1/4th Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment was a Front Line Terrotorial Force Regiment that was mobilised for service in India on 24th September to relive “Regular” units for the Western Front.
The devons set off from Southampton on 9th October and landed at Karachi by 11th November.
Following some quiet service around India, the 1/4th Devons arrived in Basra Iraq (Mesopotamia) with the 41st Indian Brigade on 2nd march 1916.
The brigade would then do duty on the Lines of Communication, moving up the Tigris during the last failed attempt to relive the Siege of Kut.
After some quiet time being occasional shelled by the Turks holding their position, a new British Offensive was launched on 14th December 1916 with an advance across Hai River, then closing in on Kut.
On 1 February 1917 37th Brigade attacked the Hai Salient with 35th and 45th Sikhs, but they were driven back to their starting positions. A fresh attack by the 1/4th Devons and 1/2nd Gurkhas was cancelled because of the Sikh wounded congesting the trenches. 14th Division intended to renew its attack next day, but mist prevented artillery observation, so it was postponed to 3 February. A 10.40, after 10 minutes’ intense artillery preparation, the two fresh battalions attacked, 1/4th Devons on the left in eight waves on a frontage of 150 yards (140 m). They advanced ‘with great dash’ and within 10 minute had captured the two Turkish trench lines that comprised their objective. Several Turkish counter-attacks were broken up by artillery and rifle fire, the Devons and Gurkhas being reinforced by the 62nd Punjabis. The victory came at a price: out of 15 officers and 403 other ranks of the Devons who attacked, only five officers and 186 men came out unscathed; the battalion’s total casualties in the battle amounted to 283.
It was the battalion’s only major action: later in the month the reduced battalion was transferred to Corps Troops at Amarah for the Tigris defences and to work on the Lines of Communication. The survivors spent the rest of the war building roads, guarding prisoners and administering refugee camps.”
Following the end of the war, and having been demobbed, William continued on with the 4th Devons as part of the Territorial Force, to earn his Territorial Efficiency Medal during 1924.
