AN OUTSTANDING
"BATTLE OF SCIMITAR HILL"
(Gallipoli Casualty) 1914-15 Trio & Plaque.


To: 17459. Pte W. VENNER. 9th Bn,WEST YORKS REGt.

KILLED-IN-ACTION. 22nd AUGUST 1915

William was lost at The Battle of Scimitar Hill, where during the catastrophic efforts after the Battle of Sari Bair & the Suvla Bay landings there were over 5,000 casualties. The unit's commanding officer Major A.H. Cuthell was also lost in action while rallying his men on the lower slopes of Green Hill.

[BIOGRAPHY]
William Venner was baptised in Ticehurst near Tunbridge Wells, Sussex on 24th July 1892. He was the son of William & Fanny Venner of Sheep Street Lane. One of four brothers, three of whom fought in WW1. His younger brother Victor was shot through the head and killed outright while in action as a bomber at Ovillers in the early hours of 3rd Day of the Battle of The Somme (3.7.16) serving with the Royal West Kents. William Venner arrived in the Balkans (Theatre 2B) on 11th July 1915 and was killed just six weeks later on 22nd August.

Interestingly, the local paper which on 28th July 1916 covered the loss of the two brothers gave Victor as being 20 years old at the time of his death. William was the elder at age 23. Prior to the war, both the boys were employed as Footmen by Lord Southampton at Chipstead Palace, Sevenoaks.

[The 9th (Service) Bn
WEST YORKS REGT]
West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own), was a Kitchener Battalion, raised at York on the 25th of August 1914, as part of 32nd Brigade, 11th (Northern) Division. After initial training they moved to Grantham in Lincolnshire, then on the 4th of April 1915 they moved to Frensham for final training. On the 3rd of July 1915 they sailed from Liverpool to Mudros. Their first action was the landing at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli on the 6th of August 1915. On the 19th of December 1915 they were withdrawn from Gallipoli and moved to Imbros and on to Egypt to take over defence of of a section of the Suez Canal. They were ordered to France to reinforce the British Army on the Somme, and on the 1st July 1916 they landed at Marseilles and travelled by train to the Western Front. They went into action on the Somme where they were to remain for the rest of the year. In 1917 they saw action on the Ancre, then moved to Flanders for the Battle of Messines and the Third Battle of Ypres. On the 13th of November 1917 they absorbed all 400 men remaining men of the 1/1st Yorkshire Hussars and became 9th (Yorkshire Hussars Yeomanry) Battalion. In 1918 they were in action at the Second Battle of Arras and on the Hindenburg Line.

WILLIAM VENNER is Commemorated with Eternal Honour on the HELLES MEMORIAL.













An historically important Gallipoli casualty grouping. With copy MIC & various papers, including censuses & details from the newspapers of 1916.

MEDALS & PLAQUE ARE MINT WITH MINT ORIGINAL RIBBONS.

£475