The Barry Hobbs Collection of Great War Medals

Seven: Warrant Officer Class 2 W. Waterhouse, 1st Battalion, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, who was wounded and Mentioned in Despatches during the Boer War, and was also Mentioned for services on the Aisne during the Great War, prior to being taken prisoner of war on 31 October 1914 Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Defence of Kimberley, Orange Free State, Transvaal (4929 Pte. W. Waterhouse, 1: L. N. Lanc: Regt.); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (4929 Corpl: W. Waterhouse. L. N. Lanc: Regt.); Mayor of Kimberley’s Star 1899-1900, reverse hallmark with date letter ‘c’, reverse engraved ‘Sergt. Waterhouse. L. N. Lancs.’, lacking integral top riband bar; 1914 Star, with clasp (4929 C.S.Mjr. W. Waterhouse. L.N. Lan: R.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves (4929 W.O. Cl.2. W. Waterhouse. L.N. Lan. R.); Army L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (4929 C.Q.M. Sjt.: Waterhouse. L.N. Lanc: Regt.) QSA and KSA nearly very fine, the rest good very fine (7) £600-£800 --- M.I.D. London Gazette 20 August 1901: ‘For good service during attack on convoy to Ventersdorp, 23 May 1901.’ M.I.D. London Gazette 19 October 1914 Walter Waterhouse was born in 1875 at Accrington, Lancashire, the son of David and Isabella Waterhouse. He attested for the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment in 1895 at Preston and embarked for Ceylon with the 1st Battalion in October 1896, gaining promotion to Lance Corporal in March 1898. His battalion was posted to South Africa in February 1899 and he served there for the entirety of the Boer War. Waterhouse was among the four companies of the battalion that were sent to Kimberley on 20 September 1899 and did important work during the siege of that town between 12 October 1899 and 15 February 1900. He then gained advancement to Corporal in March 1900 and was mentioned in despatches and wounded on 23 May 1901 at Kalfontein whilst in defence of a convoy which was heavily attacked whilst en-route for Ventersdorp. Returning home to England in September 1902 Waterhouse was promoted to Corporal in 1904, Sergeant in 1906, Colour Sergeant in 1912, Company Quarter Master Sergeant in 1913 and Company Sergeant Major in June 1914. He was awarded his Army L.S. & G.C. medal per Army Order 99 in 1914. Following the outbreak of the Great War, Waterhouse served on the Western Front from 12 August 1914 and was Mentioned in Field Marshal Sir John French’s Despatch of 8 October 1914 from the Aisne. He was one of 4 officers and 5 men of the Battalion mentioned in this Gazette in which the mentions relate to ‘services rendered from the commencement of the campaign up to the present date [8 October 1914].’ Given that the 1st Loyal North Lancs took no real part in the fighting at Mons or Le Cateau and were held mostly in reserve at the Marne, Waterhouse’s Mention is therefore almost certainly in connection with services on the Aisne where his battalion’s attack on Troyon, on 14 September 1914, resulted in over 500 officers and men of the battalion being either killed, wounded or missing. On 18 October 1914, Waterhouse’s battalion moved up to take part in the bitter fighting around Ypres, taking part in a successful charge with fixed bayonets to clear enemy trenches near Pilckem on 23 October - 600 prisoners were taken. However, later in the month heavy casualties were sustained, particularly at Gheluvelt on 31 October. Company Sergeant Major Waterhouse was captured on 31 October 1914 and taken prisoner of war, spending the remainder of the war in Germany. He was advanced Warrant Officer Class 2 on 29 January 1915 and finally repatriated on 18 November 1918. He was discharged on the termination of his engagement on 19 April 1921.