SOLD! WW1 British Army Death Plaque to Herbert Akester, 3rd Battalion Coldstream Guards, KIA Somme

A WW1 British Army Death Plaque to Herbert Akester,  3rd Battalion Coldstream Guards - from Frodingham LINCOLNSHIRE

Herbert Akester (14441)

3rd Battalion Coldstream Guards (Frodingham Lincolnshire)

Herbert was born around 1892 in Frodingham, Lincolnshire, to Francis and Jane Akester, He joined the army on the 27th July 1915, a short time before his brother, Frank Arthur Akester, was killed in action on the 13/10/1915.

Herbert joined the 3rd Battalion, Colstream Guards, where he served in the Battles of Albert and Bazentin Ridge in July 1916, as well as the battle of Pozieres in September.

On the 14th September, he took up positions near Ginchy for the beginning of the battle of Flers Courcelette as part of the Somme Offensive. The 2nd & 3rd Coldstreams were to capture the Green Brown and Blue lines, an advance of 2500 yards in 2 hours between 6.20-8.20am. It didn't work out that way though. The 2 battalions came under intense machine-gun fire from the Flers-Ginchy sunken road and were mown down. Sadly he was killed in action during the first day of this offensive on the 15th September 1916, near Ginchy. The war diary for this date reads:

11-14th: Bivouacs at CARNEY. At 7:50pm on the 14th, moved trenches to near GINCHY, relieving the 2nd Grenadier Guards about midnight. The Battalion took up positions for assault.

15th: At 6am the KOYLI (King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry) tanks advanced on our left to clear our flank where at 6:20am the assault was launched. The Battalion went over in 3 company waves at 50 pace intervals. The attack was met with great opposition from the Sunken Road about 300 yards from our trenches. After this had been overcome the GREEN LINE was taken without much opposition. Here the Battalion reorganised, then pushed forward to the BROWN LINE, which the enemy had evacuated. Consolidation was begun.About 6pm the enemy made a counter-attack which was easily repulsed. After dark rations, water and ammunition were brought up.

Total Casualties: Officers- 11, Other Ranks- 414

Herbert is remembered on the Thiepval memorial on Pier and Face 7 D and 8 D.

Herbert's brother Frederick was also killed in the war a year earlier - one of the pension documents shows both brothers.

Supplied with a number of pages of research including the page from the war diary for the attack in which he died