Lieutenant George Benjamin Garnham

 

George Benjamin Garnham was born on 29 September 1885 in Ipswich, Suffolk, one of at least nine children of corn merchant's clerk James Garnham and his wife Sophia Matilda Garnham (née Church). Educated at the Ipswich Endowed School and Ipswich Municipal Secondary School, at the time of the 1911 Census he was living at 10 Key Street, Ipswich, with his widowed father and seven of his siblings, and working as an accountant in a shipping company.

Garnham enlisted at Chelsea in the 3/1 County of London Yeomanry (No. 4126) on 13 May 1915. He gave his address as 92 Barcombe Avenue, Streatham SW. On 6 July he was promoted to lance corporal; on 12 July to acting corporal; and on 23 November to acting sergeant. In February 1916 he attended a rifle course at Dollymount, Dublin, qualifying as a 1st Class Instructor in Musketry and passing as 'Distinguished'.

On 6 April 1916 he applied for a commission in the cavalry, with a preference for the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons. Posted to the No.1 Cavalry Cadet School at Netheravon, on 28 November he was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant and posted to the 2nd Reserve Regiment of Cavalry at Aldershot. On 17 February 1917 he was posted to the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons Service Squadron. joining it in the field at Boeschepe on 10 May.

At the time, the squadron was part of the 2nd North Irish Horse Regiment, which was serving as corps cavalry to X Corps. In September 1917 the regiment was disbanded, with most of its officers and men transferred to the 9th (Service) Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers – renamed the 9th (North Irish Horse) Battalion. Garnham joined the battalion on 8 November but left eight days later, returning to England to transfer to the Tank Corps at Bovington.

On 19 December 1917 he embarked for France with J Battalion of the Tank Corps – soon after renamed the 10th Battalion.

The battalion saw action during the German Spring Offensive on 25, 26 and 27 March, and 5 April 1918. According to its war diary, on 27 March all available tanks were divided into two sections under 2nd Lieutenant Garnham and Lieutenant McLeod, successfully recapturing Rossignol Wood.

On 28 May 1918 Garnham was promoted to lieutenant.

On 15 July, while on leave in England, he married Mabel Catherine Littlejohns in the All Souls Parish Church, Hastings, Sussex.

He was made acting captain while in command of a section from 2 to 17 August.

From 8 to 10 August the 10th Battalion was heavily involved in the Battle of Amiens, Garnham serving in C Company alongside fellow former 2nd North Irish Horse Regiment officers Larter and Lane-Bayliff.

On 8 August the twelve tanks of C Company were to support the 58th Division's attack to secure Chipplily Spur. Garnham's tank, J35, was in the centre section. He later reported:

On arrival at Breaking off point my Tank developed mechanical trouble with brake and gears. The defects were remedied and proceeded at 5.0 a.m. On reaching the top of ridge, could not ascertain how far Tanks had reached, this was owing to thick fog. This being first opportunity I decided to put spare petrol into Tank. The Mist looked like lifting and what information I could get was very vague so waited for a few minutes. Unfortunately during this time one man was hit by bullet and remainder of crew were not feeling at all fit. On being examined by an M.O. one man was sent to Hospital with shock – one sent back suffering from effects of Gas, also another man for the same reason. This did not leave sufficient men to take Tank into action and after trying to get information, for some time, as to position of other tanks – decided to return to rallying point. Later I reported to O.C. Coy and was instructed to bring Tank back for repairs same being mechanically unfit.

Two days later, with only four tanks available for action, Garnham was section commander, assigned to the left sector in tank J35:

Received orders to go into action at 6 p.m. on 10th inst. and started fit. After proceeding approximately 1000 yards my tank was hit by a large shell, the right sponson being very much damaged. This unfortunately killed 3 men and wounded 1. Two others more or less suffering from shock were reported missing – one has since turned up. The Tank was left behind our front line ad 62DNE.K.4.d central. I returned with one man to Coy Hdqrs arriving at 11.30 p.m.

On 21 August 1918 at the opening day of the Battle of Albert, sixteen tanks of the 10th Battalion went into action at Bucquoy. Eleven would receive direct hits from the enemy, with sixteen officers and 53 other ranks as casualties.

Garnham (in Tank J47), Larter and Lane-Bayliff commanded tanks in the right section. According to Garnham's report:

Started No.2 from right in Right Section accompanied by Hoods (RND). After proceeding about 500 yards hostile M.G. posts on left were met and silenced. Proceeded and reached objective. On returning an Infantry officer asked for assistance to deal with M.G. posts about and in huts between Achiet le Petit and Achiet le Grand. This assistance was rendered and these posts demolished. The Tank then made for the south of Achiet-le-Petit encountering small bodies of retreating enemy.

J47 then sustained five direct hits from field guns and was knocked out. Two crew were killed, Garnham and two others were wounded, one was missing and the others shaken.

Garnham had received nine wounds – to the shoulder, right arm, hand (twice), leg, neck, right foot and left foot (twice). He was evacuated to England on 27 August and admitted to the the Countess of Pembroke’s Hospital at Wilton House, Salisbury. On 31 March 1919 a medical board found him unfit for any further military service.

On 3 April 1919 he wrote to the authorities from his home at Monica House, Ardleigh, Essex, seeking a pension:

I was wounded, whilst in a tank, on 21st Aug. 1918 & discharged, by [a medical] board, on 31st March 1919 as permanently unfit. The wounds, 9 in number, were in various parts of legs, arm & neck but those affecting me now are:-
Left foot. Have lost the use of front part & can only use heel as regards walking. Can only walk slowly & when outside have to use a stick. Stairs are a great inconvenience.
Neck. This wound has healed but the feeling of part of the face has gone. It has also left me partially deaf & the right eye is affected in strong light so that I have to wear glasses.
My civil occupation is Secretary to a Limited Company in London & the foregoing injuries, especially not being able to get about quickly, will bar me very much.
My nerves also are shaken, insomuch that if unexpectedly addressed or disturbed it takes me a minute or so to get over the surprise. This will naturally be taken for lack of confidence in myself.

It is not known whether the request was approved, but it is hard to imagine that it was not.

Garnham relinquished his commission on account of ill-health caused by wounds on 1 August 1919.

At the time of the 1921 Census he was living at Rutland House, Folkestone, Kent, with his wife, their young son Robert, and his sister Mabel Jane Pallant (widow of Captain Herbert Charles Pallant). At the time of the 1939 Register the couple was living at 4 Weymouth Road, Ipswich, with their three children, George working in the revenue section of the Department of Taxation. He died in the East Suffolk Hospital (Heath Road Wing), on 1 August 1965.

 

At least two of Garnham's brothers also served in the war: William Frederick in the Royal Marines, and Percy Walter in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.

 

This page last updated 23 October 2023.