PITT, Claude Arthur

Claude Pitt was one of the three sons of Henry and Phoebe Pitt who lived at 2 Hall Street, Oldswinford. He attended Oldswinford C of E school and by 1914 was married to Elsie and living at 208 High Street, Brettell Lane, Amblecote, He was working for A. Moyle, the grocer when he volunteered in February 1915 and joined the 2/5th Battalion of the South Stafford Territorials. They went to Dublin in the aftermath of the Irish Rebellion of 1916, moved to Flanders in Autumn 1917 and then to the Hindenburg Line close to Cambrai. They were not involved in the successful breakthrough on November 20th but were responsible for the just as important attempt to check the strong German counter-attack. The Staffords were in the Bourlon Wood sector and had to sustain a heavy German barrage, together with mustard gas. Corporal Claude Pitt was seriously affected and transferred to the base hospital at Rouen. Here he died of wounds on the 20th December 1917 and is buried at St. Sever, Rouen, Cemetery (PV F 5B). He was 24 years of age and is commemorated on the Stourbridge, Wordsley, Oldswinford church, and Oldswinford C of E school Memorials. His brother, William, one of the early volunteers, died on the 26th October 1917 during the Third Battle of Ypres. Another brother was in the Motor Transport section of the Army Service Corps but survived the war.