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Auction: 22103 - Orders, Decorations and Medals VII - e-Auction
Lot: 286

A 1914 'Hartlepool Bombardment' Great War Bronze Memorial Plaque attributed to Private W. Rogers, 18th (Durham Pals) Battalion, Durham Light Infantry, who died of wounds sustained in the valiant defence of Heugh Battery on 16 December 1914

Great War Bronze Memorial Plaque (Walter Rogers), in card envelope of issue the envelope somewhat distressed, the plaque good very fine

Acquired from an online auction site, listed there as acquired from the family, one of nine plaques named as such.

Walter Rogers was born at Bishop Auckland and enlisted at Spennymoor, County Durham. Posted to the 18th (Durham Pals) Battalion, Durham Light Infantry, soldiers from this unit were garrisoning the Heugh Battery at Hartlepool. A squadron of the German High Seas Fleet arrived off the coast of Britain on 16 December 1914, it was not immediately clear that they were hostile and the defenders did not realise they were under attack until the shells began to fall. Despite being hopelessly outgunned the crews of the three British guns defending the town open fire in response but were hampered by the smoke of the bombardment.

The first German shell killed four members of the D.L.I., Theophilis Jones- often noted as the first British soldier to die of British soil for 200 years- and wounded several others including Rogers. Two medical orderlies, Gunner Houston and Gunner Spence ran from cover to bring them in only to be killed by another shell which landed in almost exactly the same spot. Heavy fire managed to cause the cruiser Blucher caused some damage but they were unable to stop the Battlecruisers Seydlitz and Moltke from advancing on the town.

The German ships fired over 1,000 shells into Hartlepool, causing appalling damage and killing an estimate 112 civilians with 200 more suffering injury. The garrison lost seven men dead and another twelve wounded, Walters is buried at Bishop Auckland Cemetery; sold together with copied research including Commonwealth War Graves details, M.I.C. as well as extracts from several blog posts and articles notably The Day it Rained Shells.

Further entitled to the British War Medal 1914-1920.

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Sold for
£55

Starting price
£10