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 with his brothers. He was married to Elsie who was living at 208 High Street, Brettell Lane, at the start of the war and worked for A. Moyle, the grocer. He volunteered in February 1915 and joined the 2/5th Battalion of the South Staffords. 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 with gas and suffered heavy casualties. Corporal Claude Pitt was seriously injured, possibly by gas, 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, Lye and Wollescote, 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.