No. 27242, Private, Bert POOLEY
Aged 26
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Burt POOLEY was born in Worlington (Mildenhall Q1-1894 4A:802), baptised in Worlington on 4th March 1894. He was the son of John William and Minnie Elizabeth
POOLEY (née REDGRAVE).
1901 census... Aged 7, he was at 3 The Street, Worlington with his father John W POOLEY [41] agricultural labourer, born Worlington; his mother Minnie E [32] born Barton Mills; brother John W [9] and sister Ivy E [5] both born in Worlington, and grandmother Jane [79] born Eriswell. 1911 census... Aged 17, he was a farm labourer, at The Street, Worlington, living with his parents, brother John William and sister Ivy Eleanor. He is variously Bert or Burt. He must have joined the Territorials by 1914 to have been awarded the T.F.M. as he apparently did not go overseas before 1st Jan 1916. ( see award criteria below) He was the younger brother of John William Pooley see here who was killed in 1916. |
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He enlisted in Mildenhall. The yellow/green ribbon is of the Territorial Forces Medal: Awarded to members of the Territorial Force and Territorial Force Nursing Service who were: a) Members of the Territorial Force on the 4th August 1914 or b) Members who had completed four years or more service prior to the 4th August 1914, and rejoined prior to 30th September 1914 and 1) volunteered prior to the 30th September 1914 to serve outside the United Kingdom. 2) actually served outside the United Kingdom between 4th August 1914 and 11th November 1918. 3) were not eligible for the 1914 Star or 1914-1915 Star. The action on 4th May 1917 was at Bullecourt. At 4am a heavy German bombardment hit the 2nd Royal Warwickshire and 20th Manchesters while they formed up ready to advance. The death toll was very heavy. Of the 22 Manchesters killed, 2 have known graves, but of the 104 of the 2nd Warwicks who died that day,it was also just 2 with known graves. All the unknown are commemorated at Arras. It is not always appreciated that the average daily death toll at this stage of the war was worse than the Somme in 1916. |
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