Lance Corporal 8386 Benjamin Hayes

Killed in Action on Tuesday, 18th May 1915, age 23.
Commemorated on Panel 21 and 22 of Le Touret Memorial, Pas De Calais, France.

1st Bn., South Staffordshire Regiment. 22nd Brigade of 7th Division.

Son of Mrs A. Nicklin, of Furnace Parade, Tipton; husband of Eliza Lowke (formerly Hayes), of 3, Hurst Lane, Tipton, Staffs.
Born: Tipton, Enlisted: Sedgley, Resident: Tipton.

First landed France & Flanders, 17th December 1914.
Medal entitlement: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal.
Soldier's Papers at National Archives did not survive.

Not commemorated on any Tipton memorial.
Commemorated here because identified as Tipton on 'Soldiers Died in the Great War'.

Link to Commonwealth War Graves Site: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/857649/

Genealogical Data

1901 Census
28 Old Cross Street, Tipton, Staffs.
John Hayes (37, Puddler, born Tipton), his wife Betsy Ann (37, born Tipton), and their son Benjamin Hayes (9, born Tipton).

1911 Census
28 Old Cross Street, Tipton, Staffs.
John Hayes (47, Puddler, born Tipton), his wife Betsy Ann (47, born Tipton), and their adopted son Benjamin Hayes (20, Colliery Horse Driver - below ground, born Tipton).

Personal Data

Commonwealth War Graves say Benjamin served with the 1st South Staffs, but newspapers say 4th South Staffs. The 4th South Staffs were the Extra Reserve Battalion of the South Staffs and did not go abroad until November 1917, so Ben was a Special Reservist transferred from the 4th to the 1st South Staffs as he first went to France on 17th December 1914.

Benjamin's younger half-brother John Nicklin was also killed in action in March 1917, with the 1/5th South Staffs.

Action resulting in his death

For most of 1915 the 1st South Staffs were in the trenches. The misery of trench warfare was broken up by the Battles of Neuve Chapelle (10-12 March), and Festubert (15-27 May). All three were British assaults on the German lines that sought to divert German attention away from French attacks. All three were planned and prepared meticulously, yet all three failed in their objectives. The outnumbered British troops made it clear that they could capture German positions, but it was impossible to hold them without greater manpower.

The attack on Festubert was made against a German salient between Neuve Chapelle to the north and the village of Festubert to the south. The assault was planned along a three mile front, and would initially be made mainly by Indian troops. This would be the first British army night attack of the war.

The battle was preceded by a 60 hour bombardment by 433 artillery pieces that fired about 100,000 shells. This bombardment failed to significantly damage the front line defences of the German Sixth Army, but the initial advance on May 15th made some progress in good weather conditions. The attack was renewed on May 16th, and by May 19th the British 2nd and 7th divisions had to be withdrawn due to heavy losses.

The 1st South Staffs were part of 7th Division withdrawn on May 19th, between the 16th and 19th they had lost 60 men killed. Benjamin Hayes was killed in action on the 18th May, he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial.

Newspaper Cuttings

Tipton Herald 12th June 1915
ANOTHER TIPTON HERO.
Lance-Corporal Benjamin Hayes of the 4th South Staffs is officially reported killed in action. Hayes was a Reservist, and at the outbreak of the war was employed as a collier at the Park Lane pits. He leaves a widow who resides at 4 Malthouse Road, Tipton.

Tipton Herald 19th June 1915
LANCE-CORPORAL BEN HAYES.
Lance-Corporal Benjamin Hayes of the 4th South Staffs Regiment has been officially reported killed in action. He leaves a widow who resides at 4 Malthouse Road, Tipton. He was a Reservist, and at the outbreak of the war was employed as a collier at the Park Lane pits. The deceased has three other brothers in the Army, and one in Navy. He is a son of Mrs Nicklin of Furnace Parade.

Tipton Herald 19th June 1915
FIVE SONS WERE SERVING THE KING.
Mr and Mrs John Nicklin, of 10 Furnace Parade, Tipton, have given five sons to the service of King and Country, four being in the Army. Unfortunately Ben, the eldest son, who is married, and a reservist of the 4th South Staffs Regiment was killed in action at Richebourg l'Avoue on May 18th. Samuel, the third son, who is twenty years of age, was an able-seaman on H.M.S. "Triumph", which came from China to take part in the war and was sunk by a submarine at the Dardanelles. He was rescued and transferred to the "Saturnia". Singular to say, this young sailor had formerly served on the "Formidable" and the "Turtle", and since leaving them both vessels have been sunk.

Tipton Herald 26th June 1915
TIPTON'S PATRIOTISM.
Five Sons serve King and Country.
Mr and Mrs John Nicklin, of 10 Furnace Parade, Tipton, have given five sons to the service of King and Country, thereby setting a noble example of self-sacrifice. We believe that this, so far, is the best record for Tipton. Unfortunately, Ben, the eldest son (24), who was a Lance-Corporal in the 4th South Staffs Regiment, was killed in action at Richebourg l'Avoue on the 18th of May, and a photo of him appeared in our last issue.
John, the second son, 22 years of age, is a machine gunner in the 1/6th South Staffs Regiment. He has now been fighting in the trenches for four months.
Sam, the third son, 20 years of age, was an able-seaman on H.M.S. "Triumph", which came from China to take part in the war and was sunk by a German submarine. Fortunately he was rescued, and is now on the "Saturnia". He had formerly served on the "Formidable" and the "Turtle", and since leaving them both vessels have been sunk. He forwarded an interesting letter home to his parents describing the sinking of the "Triumph", and this was sent to his brother in the trenches, and who has since been killed.
The fourth son, Arthur, who is 18 years of age, has returned from Jersey on account of his health, and he is now stationed with the South Staffords at the Lichfield Barracks, where he is employed in the Officer's Mess deployment.
Bert, the fifth son, was not sixteen when he joined the Army, and his present address is No.2 Section, 14th Platoon, "D" Company, 15th Battalion Sherwood Foresters.
The son who was killed was married, leaving a widow. He was a Reservist at the outbreak of war, and the other three brothers in the Army have joined since the outbreak of war. The parents only had the five sons of military age, a younger brother being a schoolboy. The son in the Navy joined when he was 17. The father of the boys - John Nicklin - is employed at Messrs. Freakley's "cracker" as it is termed.
The sailor son has been home for a few days furlough this week. He says that when the torpedo struck his ship he was lifted six feet into the air by the explosion, and hardly knew anything for a minute of two. He saved himself by swimming, and was picked up by a torpedo destroyer. He had accumulated a little store of curios which he had intended to bring home, but these went down with the ship. He and his fellow seaman on the "Triumph" saw the famous French battleship blown up, and the crew of his own vessel threw wooden articles overboard, but the ship sank so rapidly that only about 26 out of a crew of 800 were saved. The messages reeled off to the engine room followed in rapid succession: "French ship struck by torpedo", "French ship sinking", "French ship sunk".

Tipton Herald 9th June 1917
FIVE SONS JOINED THE FORCES.
TIPTON MOTHER LOSES SECOND SON.
Mrs John Nicklin, of 10 Furnace Parade, Tipton Green, who had her five sons with the forces at the outbreak of war, has lost her second son in the Great War - Private John Nicklin, who had been wounded twice. He had been attached to the machine gunners of the Staffords. He was last home on furlough about September.
The parents received the following letter from the Captain of the Company:- "It is with deepest regret that I have to inform you that your son was killed in action on the 13th. He was universally liked by all in the company, and his loss will be keenly felt. It may be some consolation to you to know that he died bravely fighting for King and country. Please accept my heartfelt sympathy in this, your hour of trouble."
The eldest son, Lance-Corporal Ben Hayes, of the 4th South Staffords, was killed in action two years ago. The third son, Sam was and able-bodied seaman on H.M.S. "Triumph", which was sunk by a German submarine over two years ago. The fourth son, Arthur, (also of the South Staffords), is serving at Lichfield. Bert, the fifth son, was not seventeen when he joined the Army, and after being posted to the 15th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters, was sent home owing to his age. He has this week attained his 18th birthday, and has received his "papers" to join up.

Tipton Herald 16th June 1917
THE NICKLIN FAMILY.
In last week's issue we referred to the patriotism of the sons of Mr and Mrs John Nicklin, of 10 Furnace Parade, five of whom were with the forces within a few weeks of the outbreak of war. Two of the sons have been killed (John Nicklin and Ben Hayes), and a third, Corporal Arthur Nicklin, has been three times wounded, and recently returned to France bearing the honourable scars of his wounds now healed. In our last issue we inadvertently said he was at Lichfield.