Carel Archibald De Witt, Private 1260 Honourable Artillery Company, later Lieutenant 17th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment, and Tank Corps
Carel Archibald was born in Forest Gate, London on 6th April 1891. His parents were Carel Blad De Witt (1855-1928), who was Dutch, born in the Nederlands, and Helena Jane Gardner (1865-1933) who came from New Deer, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. His father was a General Merchant and Agent. In 1901 they were living in Greenwich and in 1911 at Charlton. His elder brother Ferdinand, who was a Mechanical Engineer who worked for the LCC (London County Council) Tramways Department, also served during the war in the Royal Artillery and was ‘an Army officer in the Engineers’ at the start of the Second World War. Carel Archibald was educated at the City of London School, Victoria Embankment 1904-1908 and after leaving school was a Clerk by profession and lived at 188 Victoria Road, Charlton.
He enlisted at Armoury House, Finsbury in the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) on 10th August 1914 as 1260 Private De Witt and was posted to No.2 Company at the Tower of London. He served with the 1st Battalion in France from 18th September 1914 to 1st January 1915 before returning to England for officer training. After successfully completing the course he commissioned into the 17th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment on 30th April 1915. The Bantams, as they were known, were initially billeted at Leeds, then at Ilkley before relocating to hutments at Skipton. In October 1915 they moved to Morham, under canvas, and then to hutments at Chisledon in Wiltshire before moving in November to No.3 Camp at Perham Downs near Salisbury Plain. Their final moved before going overseas at the end of January 1916 was No.12 Camp at Lark Hill. The Battalion sailed from Southampton on the Duchess of Argyle, arriving in France on 1st February. Carel became bombing officer and remained with the Bantams until 27th June 1916, when he was posted back to England to train the Reserve Battalions but later returned to the Battalion. He then transferred to the Tank Corps although it is not clear when, but was sometime after he held a bombing class for 15 men per Company 22/23rd March 1917. On 16th March 1918 he attended a medical board at Wareham in Dorset, but his service record does not specify the nature of his illness or injury. However, a note on his file, which was heavily weeded in 1930, suggests he was in receipt of a wound gratuity. At the time he was based at the Tank Corps Training Centre, Bovington.
His final unit before leaving the Army on 13th May 1919 was HR Depot, Tank Corps and he relinquished his commission on 1st September 1921. As an ‘Old Contemptible’ he was awarded the 1914 Star with clasp for overseas service with the HAC and the British War Medal and Victory Medal. The medals were sent his home address at 14 Elmfield Road, Bromley, Kent.
At the time of the 1921 census Carel, aged 30, was living with his parents at Bromley. Also residing at the property were his brother Ferdinand and sister in law Florence Annie Mable. Carel was assistant to his father’s business S B De Witt Merchant Agent at 32 Greatawer Street, London EC3 and in 1921 travelled to India on the ship Ghina, presumably on business.
He died at White Cottage, Burtons Lane, Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire on 2nd February 1929 at the age of 37, a year after his father. His funeral was held at Amersham Baptist Cemetery.
Sources:
The National Archives – Service Record, War Diary
Ancestry – Census Record, Probate Register, Passenger List and Medal Rolls
London Gazette – Appointments
Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Appointment announcement
The Bucks Examiner – Death notification
Researcher: David J Owen
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- All opinions and inferences are the researcher’s own.
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