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687335 SGT. W. SPIBY, DCM, R.F.A.

(I am grateful to David Spiby, Bill’s great nephew, for providing me with a wealth of family and military background information and for allowing me to use the photographs.)

 

William (Bill) Spiby was born on 15 August 1886 in Preston.  His father was Thomas Spiby (b. 1861 in Leyland), a self-employed plasterer.  His mother was Eleanor Reynolds (b. 1865 in Withernsea, Yorkshire).  Thomas and Eleanor were married in Leyland in 1884 and moved to Preston the following year.  They had 9 children but lost two in infancy.  The survivors were: Laura (b. 1885), then William, then Lucy (b. 1890), Thomas (b. 1891), John (b. 1893), Gertrude (b. 1896), Martha (b. 1897), Mabel (b. 1902) and Ellen (b. 1904).  In 1911, the family was living at 39 St Walburge Street, Preston and William had joined his father and brother Thomas in the family plastering business.

 

William signed up as a volunteer in the 2nd West Lancs RFA on 7 April 1908 (by then the family had moved to Maudland Bank in Preston).  As a volunteer he participated in the annual training camps for the next 6 years and was discharged in April 1914.  He was recalled on the outbreak of War as an Acting Corporal, with service number 1851.  He was later promoted to Sergeant and his service number changed to 687335.  He landed in France with 276 Brigade, “C” Battery, on 30 September 1915.   

 William was engaged in the action at Givenchy/Festubert on the opening day of the Battle of the Lys – 9 April 1918.  For his bravery he was recommended for the award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal. 

687335 Bill Spiby.jpg

The commendation reads:

 

“For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty near GORRE on 9th April 1918.

This N.C.O. was acting as Sergeant Major at the gun position.

At 4.15 a.m. on the 9th April 1918 and throughout the day the enemy put down a very heavy barrage near the TUNING FORK (F.4.b.) two guns being put out of action by direct hits and finally the Battery Position came under heavy rifle fire from the enemy, only 100 yards away on the left flank.

Throughout the day this N.C.O. was indefatigable in his efforts to keep his guns in action. With absolute disregard for his own personal safety he went from gun to gun and by his coolness and splendid example, encouraged all ranks to further efforts.

He was finally wounded but refused to leave his guns and remained with them and took charge of the operation of moving the only gun still in action to a new position on the night of the 9th April.”

 

William was confirmed as Battery Sergeant Major and continued to serve until the end of the War.  In a sad quirk of fate, the day William was recommended for his DCM (13 April 1918) is the day his brother Thomas was killed 24km to the north at Vieux Berquin in the same German Offensive.  That day also, youngest brother John was fighting at the battle of Ayette 50Km to the south.

 

After the War, in 1920, William married war widow Mary Ellen Bruford (neé Leeming) and the couple had a son, Thomas, the following year.  William returned to work in the family building and plastering business (and was later joined by son Thomas).  He died in Preston in 1969, aged 82.

 

205094 PTE. W. BRUFORD.  LANCS. FUS.

 

Mary Ellen’s first husband was William Bruford.  Mary Ellen (neé Leeming) was born in Leyland in 1892.  William was born in Salford in 1890 but the following year his family moved back to Preston, from where they originated.  In 1911, William was living with his widowed mother and two uncles at 15 River Street, Preston, and working as a foundry labourer. 

 

After the outbeak of War, William volunteered to join the Lancashire Fusiliers and was given service number 205094.  He was posted to 2/5th Batallion which formed part of 197th (Lancashire Fusiliers) Brigade in 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division.  In the early part of the War, this Division was engaged in coastal defence in southern England but was eventually posted to France in February and March 1917.  They fought in operations along the Flanders coast between June and September that year and in October they were moved to engage in the Battle of Poelcapelle, a phase of the Third Battle of Ypres (or Passchendaele), 6-10 October.  William died of wounds on 8 October 1917 at Stationary Hospital 14 at Wimereux on the French Coast near Boulogne.  It’s not clear if his wounds were sustained at Poelcapelle or in the earlier engagements near Nieuport in Flanders.

 

Rank:  Private

Service No:  205094

Date of Death:  8 October 1917

Age: 27

Regiment/Service:  Lancashire Fusiliers, 2nd/5th Bn.

Cemetery/memorial reference: VI. C. 15A.

Cemetery:  WIMEREUX COMMUNAL CEMETERY

 

William’s brothers, Thomas and John, both also served in the War.

12715 PTE. T. SPIBY.  IRISH GDS.

 

Tom Spiby was born in Preston in 1892 and was a plasterer like his father and brothers.  In 1915 he married Clara Blackburn (b. 1893 in Preston) and shortly after their marriage he attested he was willing to serve in the Army and was posted to the Reserve.  (Sadly, Clara died in early 1917, aged 24.)  While in the Reserve, Tom worked as a munitions worker at Dick Kerr’s.  He had expressed a wish to serve in the RFA like his brothers but when he was eventually called up, on 19 July 1917, he was assigned to the Household Cavalry, with service number 3391.  He was later transferred to the Irish Guards, with service number 12715.

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Although Tom was transferred to the Irish Guards in January 1918, he didn’t actually land in France until 1 April.  From February 1918, the Irish Guards, 2nd Battalion were part of 4th Guards Brigade in 31st Division. This Division was engaged in the German Spring Offensive in 1918, both Operation Michael from 21 March and Operation Georgette from 9 April.  Tom joined his battalion in the field on 4 April, and 9 just days later, on 13 April, he was reported missing in action, presumed dead.  He was 26 years old.  His body was never recovered.  Casualties among the British and Australian forces were very high but their resistance prevented the Germans from reaching their objective (Hazebrouck).

 

Rank:  Private

Service No:  12715

Date of Death:  13 April 1918

Age: 26

Regiment/Service:  Irish Guards, 2nd Bn.

Cemetery/memorial reference: Panel 1.

Cemetery:  PLOEGSTEERT MEMORIAL

12715 Tom Spiby.jpg

L/24095 L/BDR. J. SPIBY. R.F.A.

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John Spiby (William and Tom’s brother) was born in 1893 and he worked in the family plastering business.  He enlisted in the RFA in Preston in May 1915.  He was initially posted to 171st Brigade but later transferred to D/165.  “D” battery was a howitzer battery and John was a driver.  He was in training in Britain until January 1916 when his Division was posted to the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force.  John appears to have been ‘fast-tracked’ in the Army, insofar as he has a service number in the range usually assigned to Regulars and the “L” prefix was used for men from the locally raised brigades of the New Army.

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D/165 was a howitzer battery in 31st Division.  In early 1916 they spent three months in Egypt in the defence of the Suez Canal but were then moved via Marseilles to the Western Front.  31st Division saw action at Serre during the opening days of the Battle of the Somme then relatively light action in 1916 and 1917, but it was heavily engaged in all the major actions in 1918, including both opening phases of the German Spring Offensive and then in the advance in Flanders.  He had two weeks’ leave in August 1918 but was back with his unit to join the Division’s advance across Flanders on 9 November when units forced a crossing of the River Scheldt.  At the time when the Armistice came into effect, the advanced units had reached Everbecque and the River Dender.  John returned home in May 1919 and was finally discharged almost a year later at the end of March 1920.  The following year he married and the couple had three children.  John died in 1982, aged 88.

24095 John Spiby.jpg
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