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Facts and Events
Swinburn was baptised 25 December 1891 At St. Paul, Jarrow. The baptism record gives his birth date 3 March 1891, this is probably an error as the General Register Office give his birth registration as the first quarter of 1892, which would mean he was born just before the baptism.
In 1911 he was living with his parents at 11 Oaks Place, Newcastle on Tyne, Northumberland. He was employed as a miner, stone man.
War Commission records show that Swinburne Purvis from Jarrow age 24 died on the 21 September 1916 on service with the 6th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment, at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette which took place 15–22 September 1916. The 6th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment were supposed to be the reserve army, together with a Canadian Division, for the fourth army, but were probably called into action as losses mounted. He had already survived fighting at Gallipoli and Suez before arriving in France, see the Battalion history box below.
| 6th (Service) Battalion, (Pioneers) The East Yorkshire Regiment was raised at Beverley on 27 August 1914 as part of Kitchener's First New Army joined 32nd Brigade, 11th (Northern) Division. After initial training close to home, they moved to Belton Park, Grantham, to train with other units of the Division. In December 1914 the 6th East Yorks became the Pioneer Battalion to the 11th Division. On the 4th of April 1915 the Division assembled at Witley and Frensham for final training. They sailed for Gallipoli from Avonmouth via Mudros on the 1st of July 1915. They landed near Lala Baba at Suvla Bay on the 7th of August. On the 19th and 20th of December 1915 the Division was withdrawn from Gallipoli, moving to Imbros then to Egypt at the end of January. They concentrated at Sidi Bishr and took over a section of the Suez canal defences on the 19th of February. On the 17th of June 1916 the Division was ordered to France to reinforce Third Army on The Somme. They departed from Alexandria and landed at Marseilles on the 10 July 1916. By the 27th July, they were in the front line on the Somme and took part in The capture of the Wundt-Werk, The Battle of Flers-Courcelette and The Battle of Thiepval. In 1917 they were in action in Operations on the Ancre then moved north to Flanders for The Battle of Messines, The Battle of the Langemarck, The Battle of Polygon Wood, The Battle of Broodseinde and The Battle of Poelcapelle. In 1918 they were at Arras for The 1918 Battle of the Scarpe and The Battle of the Drocourt-Quant Line and fought in the Battles of the Hindenburg Line and The Battle of the Sambre including the passage of the Grand Honelle. At the Armistice the Division was on high ground east of Havay.
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References
- ↑ General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Birth Index. (London, United Kingdom: General Register Office, 1837-Present)
South Shields 10A Page no: 816, MAR 1892. - ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Grave/memorial reference, I.A.11, 1916.
Pozieres British Cemetery, Ovillers-La Boisselle, Somme, France
- ↑ Kingdom of Great Britain. British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920.
Soldier Number: 10709, Rank: Private, Corps: East Yorkshire Regiment
Archive reference WO372/16
Image link http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=D4748416
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