Description
Victory Medal, Territorial Force War Medal, Territorial Efficiency Medal, GV, 277 Private William Henry Janes, Dorset Regiment, and Machine Gun Corps.
VM officially impressed: “102816 Pte W.H. Janes. M.G.C.”
TFM Officially impressed: “277 Pte W.H. Janes. Dorset. R.”
TEM Officially impressed: “277 Pte W.H. janes. 4-Dorset. R.”
William Henry Janes was born on 6th February 1891 in Poole, Dorset.
Enlisted on 3rd April 1908.
Taken as a Prisoner of War serving with the Machine Gun Corps at Villers Guislain on 30th November 1917.
On this day that he was captured, the Germans had launched a major counter attack around Cambrai.
There was a major cavalry charge by the 2nd Lancers on the day, an account reads:
“The Lancers soon came under machine gun fire and fleeing Germans even returned to their positions as soon as the charge had passed them by. Lancers reached the crest of the hill and Kildare Post but could advance no further.
On their left, the remainder of the Inniskillings charged northwards from Peiziere towards VILLERS GUISLAIN. The leading squadron and the 11th MACHINE GUN SQUADRON stuck to their charge but were brought to a halt a kilometre short of the village. Few of them were seen again and the rear squadrons were forced to retire to Peiziere….”
The grand German Counter Attack was extremely successful, on 30th November alone, when the attack as launched, they took home 6,000 British Prisoners of War. Between 20th November and 8th December total losses of dead wounded and missing amounted to 44,207 men.
On 30th November 1917 the British Army suffered a significant number of high ranking casualties including, Lt Col Ralph Hindle DSO, Officer Commanding 4th Loyal North Lancs Regt, Lt Col Henry Gielgud MC, Officer Commanding 7th Norfolk Regt, Lt Col Kenneth Field DSO, Officer Commanding 38th Siege Bty, RGA and Brigadier General Roland Boys Bradford VC, Officer Commanding 186 Brigade HQ.
Discharged from the Army and awarded the Silver War Badge, citing Wounds received as the reason, on 3rd January 1919.
Weekly Casualty list dated 10th January 1919, states that Janes was a newly released Prisoner of War from Germany, arrived back to England.
