William Pitman


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William Pitman
Lee Cobb’s Grandfather

RfA hat badge

Royal Field Artillery hat badge

My grandfather William Pitman was a Lance Bombardier in 14th Light Division, D Battery, 47th Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery and according to his medal record he joined up on 19th April 1915.medal-record

Citation

Citation

On 3rd June 1919 grandfather was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal and the following citation appeared in the Third supplement to The London Gazette on Tuesday 9th March 1920: 1017 L/Bdr. W Pitman, D/47th Bde. FA (Bristol).

He served continuously in the Battery and has served in France for more than three and a half years. During that time he has always been a splendid example under fire, and has the reputation of being afraid of nothing. During the March offensive, he was one of the last to leave his gun after all ammunition was exhausted, having put his gun out of action he then joined the infantry with a rifle.

Captured QF 4

Captured QF 4

At the time of the First World War the RFA was responsible for the medium calibre guns and howitzers deployed close to the front line and was organised into brigades. ‘A’ brigade was the tactical unit of the RFA and it comprised a number of Batteries. The 14th Light Division served on the Western Front throughout the war.

_MG_0950dcmMy uncle has grandfather’s medals but my mother has a set of small replica medals and she had these put into a frame along with grandfather’s cap badge and his Distinguished Conduct Medal citation.

I didn’t know my grandfather, he died before I was born. My mother told me that when she went round to tell her father that she was expecting her second baby, me, she was greeted by the news that he had that day taken his life by walking into and drowning in the village pond.

The original exhibition display: William Pitman