Unusual postscript from the Commanding Officer for the 14 Btn York and Lancaster Regiment at the end of their diary.
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Lt. Col. W B Hulke in Command, states:
"This is the last Will & Testament of 2nd Barnsley Btn, 14th Y & L Regt. Born 30/10/14 Died 16/2/1918".
The Btn having been absorbed into the No. 4 Entrenching Battalion.
Page 519 – Profile page 958. Link: https://talk.operationwardiary.org/#/subjects/AWD00043b5
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by
cyngast
moderator
He must have felt bereft when the 2nd Barnsley Pals disbanded while the war was still ongoing. He had been with them since July 1915, took them to Egypt and then to France. Except for the first 5 months of 1917, he was their C.O. until the battalion was disbanded.
However, according to the First World War Infantry Battalion COs website http://www.ww1infantrycos.co.uk/yorklancs.html he got a promotion at that same time. So all was not lost for him.
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Lt Col W B Hulke – More information regarding him Link. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/4754/1/Hodgkinson14PhD.pdf
He was still in command when the battalion was disbanded in February 1918. He was promoted GOC 115 Brigade between 16 April and 3 August 1918.
Private F. Lindley, 14th York and Lancaster, described Lieutenant-Colonel W.B. Hulke as “a very unapproachable man. You couldn’t get near him”
Private O. Burgess of the 14th York & Lancaster wrote of Lieutenant-Colonel W.B. Hulke who took his battalion overseas: “He was a regular Army man and he knew his job”.
Walter Backhouse Hulke was a retired Regular Major in August 1914. He commanded 14th York and Lancaster between 9 July 1915 and 16 February 1918, being promoted to command of 115 Brigade on 16 April 1918 - 3 August 1918.
His brother, Lewis Iggleden Backhouse Hulke, (a Regular Major of 2nd Buffs in August 1914), commanded 3rd Yorkshire Light Infantry between 29 January 1917 and the Armistice.
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