YEO Herbert Charles James 2/Lt

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Surname: YEO;

Forename(s): Herbert Charles James;

Initials: HCJ;

Rank: 2/Lt;

Born in: Birkenhead;

Previous Battalion: 1/10 of;

Previous Regiment: Liverpool Regt;

MGC Branch: Infantry;

MGC Unit: 135 Coy;

Other MGC Unit Served (1): 135 Coy;

Other MGC Unit Served (2): 7 (Ind) Bn;

Awarded: MID;

Other Data: name traced on Embarkation List ex-Mesopotamia 1917
with 135 Coy in 7 (Ind) Bn 30/4/1918 - war diary

Herbert Charles James Yeo 20.1.1892 Born, son of William Henry Baker Yeo (died 1926/8 ?), of 11 South Hill Road, Oxton, Birkenhead
Educated at Claughton Higher Grade School
Played football for Birkenhead YMCA
Played football for Tranmere Rovers
Married
18.3.1914 Enlisted as 2861 Private 'Y' Company, 1/10th King's Regiment (Liverpool Scottish), South Lancashire Brigade, West Lancashire Division. Resident at Cavendish Drive, Birkenhead.
2.8.1914 Liverpool Scottish went to Summer Camp at Hornby
3.8.1914 Liverpool Scottish ordered to return to Liverpool due to European situation.
7.8.1914 All ranks Liverpool Scottish called to HQ (7 Fraser Street, Liverpool) and mobilised (A-F Companies billeted at Liverpool Stadium; G&H Companies at Shakespeare Theatre).
13.8.1914 Entrained for Edinburgh (Forth Defences). Billeted at King's Park Camp.
Billeted in Marine gardens, Portobello.
10.10.1914 Entrained for Tunbridge Wells. HQ at The Dell, Ferndale Road.
1.11.1914 Entrained for Southampton. Embarked on SS Maiden with 1/16th Londons.
2.11.1914 Arrived at Le Havre.
3.11.1914 Disembarked and billeted at No1 Rest Camp.
4.11.1914 Entrained for St Omer.
5.11.1914 Arrived St Omer and billeted at Blendecques.
20.11.1914 Went to Hazebrouck
21.11.1914 Went to Bailleul. Reorganized into 4 company unit.
25.11.1914 Joined 9 Brigade, 3 Division, BEF at Westoutre.
27.11.1914 Began duty in trenches in Kemmel Sector. (Trenches were 35- 200 yards from the Germans. See Ann Clayton 'Chavasse Double VC' for details)
30.11.1914 Relieved and returned to Westoutre.
12.1914 Continued to serve for periods of duty in the front line.
14.12.1914 Liverpool Scottish held the line during the 8th Brigade' attack on Petit Bois.
The Liverpool Scottish suffered many casualties through sickness during the winter of 1914-15, mostly through frostbite. Of the 26 officers and 829 others ranks serving on 27.11.1914, only 370 all ranks were still serving by the first week of January. Only 32 of the casualties were the result of enemy action.
5.2.1915 Left BEF (after applying for commission ?)
25.9.1915 Commissioned as Temporary 2Lt in 12th (Reserve) Battalion,
The Welsh Regiment, after serving 1 year and 51 days mobilised in the ranks of a Territorial Force unit 12.3.1916 Ceased to be Temporary 2Lt
13.3.1916 Appointed Temporary Lt
Attached 2nd Battalion, The Welsh Regiment
25.6.1916 Attached to Machine Gun Corps (Infantry)
10.10.1915 Went to Mesopotamia (It seems likely that this was with 134th, 135th or 136th Company MGC. These units went to Mesoptamia in September 1916 as part of 7th (Indian) Division, and then to Egypt in January 1918. The 7th Division units were : 21 Brigade : 2 Black Watch, 1/8 Gurkhas, 20 Punjabis, 9 Bhophals, 135 MGC; 19 Brigade : 1 Seaforth Highlanders, 134 MGC; 28 Brigade : 2 Leicesters, 51 Sikhs, 56 Punjab Rifles, 136 MGC). 4.1917 Wounded in right arm, while serving with MGC (see Birkenhead News', 5.5.1917, page 2). 4.1917 Received treatment in Basra Hospital. 5.1917 Left Basra Hospital.
8.7.1917 Commissioned as 2Lt in Welsh Regiment, with seniority from 25.6.1916
2.11.1917 "Despatch addressed to the Chief of General Staff India, by Lt General Sir Stanley Maude KCB, commander-in-chief, Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force : General Headquarters, Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force, 2 November 1917 "...whose distinguished and gallant services and devotion to duty I consider deserving of special mention... Yeo, 2nd Lt HCJ (MGC)." (London Gazette 12.3.1918)
28.12.1917 Returned from Mesopotamia (to Egypt)
29.12.1917 Joined Egypt Expeditionary Force
31.10.1918 Left Egypt Expeditionary Force
12.3.1918 Mentioned in Despatches
24.12.1917 Ceased to be Temporary Lt
25.12.1917 Promoted Lt in Welsh Regiment
31.3.1921 Ceased attachment to Machine Gun Corps
1.4.1921 Attached to Tank Corps
2.12.1921 Second son, Eric Herbert, born in Birkenhead. (Godfather Bt Lt. Colonel PCS Hobart.)
31.8.1923 Ceased attachment to Tank Corps
1.9.1923 Lt in Royal Tanks Corps
1.2.1928 Promoted Captain
3.2.1930 Appointed Adjutant (of 2nd Royal Tank Regiment)
1931 Adjutant of 2RTR under Hobart in first experimental tank brigade (ref 'The Tanks Vol 2', BH Liddell Hart)
1.8.1937 Promoted Major, Royal Tank Regiment (with seniority from 1.1.1933)
Awarded India General Service Medal with clasp for North West Frontier 1936-7
1938 Officer commanding 6 Light Tank Company, Royal Tank Regiment, in India
Trained and commanded 44 Royal Tank Regiment, formerly 6th (Territorial) Battalion, Glostershire Regiment
Commanded 44 RTR in North Africa *
3.5.1939 Appointed Temporary Lt Colonel, Royal Tank Regiment
20.1.1942 Ceased appointment as Temporary Lt Colonel RTR
12.2.1942 "Mentioned in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the Middle East during the period November 1941 to April 1942 : Major (Temporary Lt Colonel) HCJ Yeo" (London Gazette)
25.2.1942 Award of Distinguished Service Order to : Major (Temporary Lt Colonel) HCJ Yeo (11664) RTR, RAC (Bristol) (London Gazette)
9.2.1943 "Major (Temporary Lt Colonel) HCJ Yeo DSO (11664) RTR relinquishes temporary rank of Lt Colonel (granted 3 May 1939) 20 January 1942. (Substituted for not'n in Gazette (Supplement) dated 12 May 1942" (London Gazette)
26.4.1943 Promoted (war substantive) Lieutenant Colonel (with seniority from 26.4.1942) and Temporary Colonel**
31.12.1945 Appointed Temporary Brigadier General
1.1.1947 Appointed Assistant Chief Superintendent, Ministry of Supply

Notes: Awarded 1914 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal

Played for Tranmere Rovers as a amateur before the Great War

Went into hospital just after the capture of Bardia in January 1942, and was subsequently promoted to command 10 Army Tank Brigade in the UK (ref 'The Tanks Vol 2', BH Liddell Hart) - 10th and 11th Armoured Brigades formed 42nd Armoured Division in 1941. In 1942 reorganisation both brigades left the Division and became independent Tank Brigades. The 10th Brigade comprised 108 RAC (formerly 1/5 Lancs Fus), 109 RAC (formerly 1/6 Lancs Fus) and 143 RAC (formerly 9 Lancs Fus). 10 Tank Brigade was disbanded in December 1943.

Retired between August and December 1947

* 44 RTR equipped with Matilda II Infantry Tanks. Re-equipped with Matilda 'Scorpion' flail tanks for clearing mines during Battle of El Alamein. 44 RTR became a Territorial Army unit after the war. In 1955 it amalgamated with the North Somerset Yeomanry to form the North Somerset and Bristol Yeomanry. In 1967 the North Somerset and Bristol Yeomanry ceased to be an armoured unit and was renamed the 6th (Somerset and Cornwall) Battalion, The Light Infantry. The successor to that unit is the Rifle Volunteers.

** Posted out of 44 RTR prior to Operation Husky (invasion of Sicily) July 1943.

Photograph, in group, at wedding of Lieut CA Sim, "The Machine Gunner" Nov 1920, P 16
address 1946:Brigadier DSO, Pinecroft, Blakehill Crescent, Parkstone, Dorset;

Other Notes: MID: LG 12/3/1918 MESOPOTAMIA (to be dated 15/10/1917);

END OF RECORD.

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