Merton Court History

Captain Phillip James Stanger

Dan Hill’s research, edited by Ellie Grigsby

Philip’s birth was registered in the district of Bromley, Kent. Born to Frank and Emily Constance Stanger in 1897. Using the 1901 National Consensus we find the Stanger family living in ‘Riverdale’ St. Mary Cray, Kent. We can also ascertain that Philip’s father’s profession was a ‘general warehouseman.’ Interestingly, Phillip is known by his middle name, James. A decade on, we find that the family have remained in the same property, but Phillip’s father had changed his occupation, then listed as a ‘general shopkeeper and house provider.’ The Stanger couple had five sons, all of whom are still living with their parents at this time. Phillip, is recorded as a 14-year-old scholar. After pursuing his higher education, an event that was to  define the 20th century erupted across the world stage in the summer of 1914 interrupting Stanger’s pursuits and impacting, his youth. Existing records of the London Gazette, just one month before the outbreak of The First World War, contained an announcement presenting Stanger’s commissioning into the 20th battalion London Regiment holding the rank of Lieutenant. Using Stanger’s medal index card we can ascertain that Stanger arrived in France on March 10th, 1915. Stanger’s medal index card affirms his awarding of the ‘1915 star,’ British War and Victory medals. Additionally to this we can see that Stanger went onto to be promoted to Captain with the same regiment.

The 20th London regiment (Blackheath and Woolwich battalion) were a territorial force (TF) battalion who were at the Holly Hedge House drill hall in August 1914, training at their annual summer camp, before being deployed to the Western Front upon declaration of war.  The London regiment were unusual. With the exception of the Guards, the Irish regiments, the King’s Royal Rifle Corps and Rifle Brigade, the infantry regiments all formed units of the TF, as did the Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers and the other Corps. Some regiments were exclusively TF and had no regular units at all: chief among these was the London Regiment. These units were structured into fourteen Divisions. The concept of the TF was for it to ensure home defence while a large part of the British regular army was deployed to Europe as an Expeditionary Force. Recruits did have a choice of regiment, but naturally the local nature of the TF meant that in general the man joined his home unit. On mobilisation in the event of war the units would form a central mobile striking force and coastal defence formations. The TF was mobilised for full-time war service immediately war was declared. This was known as being ‘embodied.’ Men enlisting into the TF were not obliged to serve overseas, although, they could agree to do so. This, is what Stanger and a lot of his battalion did. Enlistment into the TF did remain open throughout the war, but of course, to avoid a swarm of over subscription into enlisting for ‘home based service’  any new volunteers from September 1914 were expected to sign the ‘Imperial Service obligation’ which gave the army powers to send them overseas or transfer them to a different TF unit it required.

In March of 1915, Stanger and his battalion left the UK to encounter their first experience of modern industrialised warfare. Confirmed by the official recording of officers who came abroad with the London regiment, we can see Stanger arrived March 9th. By analysing the battalion war diaries which offer a basic commentary of their movements daily, we can ascertain a vague understanding of what life entailed for Stanger whilst serving in the biggest global conflict the world at that stage had ever seen. Upon arrival in France, the 1000 strong battalion were posted immediately to the front lines in the area around Bethune.  This region is now recognised as bearing the ‘scars’ of The First World War; it was an area that had borne witness to substantial fighting in the months previous to Stanger’s arrival.

Stanger first saw his major action in May at the battle of Festubert in the Artois region. The battle was in effect, a second phase of the recently failed attack on Aubers Ridge. Once again, the attack would take the form of a ‘pincer attack’ with two assault frontages : a northern one along the Rue Du Bois near port Arthur and Richebourg L’A Voue, and a southern one at Festubert. More than 16,000 casualties were sustained in the attack at Festubert in support of the much larger French offensive to the south, at Vimy Ridge. Following Festubert, the London regiment spent time rotating the lines at approximately 4-day intervals. Over the subsequent months, the battalion were forcibly learning to adjust to military life, learning the acutely necessary techniques in order to survive. A report, dated August 7th of 1915, details the casualties sustained since the arrival in France earlier that year. From this we can learn that  one officer was actually ‘accidentally’ killed, 2 wounded and 5 ‘sick.’ Of the NCOs, 25 were killed, 6 missing believed killing, 4 had died of wounds, and 150 were wounded whilst 5 were classed as sick.

By the start of September, the 20th London battalion had moved a few miles southwards to the area of Loos in preparation for the attacks on the 25th, which we know today as the ‘Battle of Loos.’ On the 25th, Stanger’s battalion entered the trenches at 01:30am and were ready in position of assembly by 03:30am. The attack commenced at 06:30am and the first line of platoons left the trenches at either 06:34 or 06:39 (it is not entirely clear by war diarist’s handwriting. The objective of Stanger’s battalion was the ‘garden city’ of Loos, and subsequently the ‘Chalk Pit’ south-west of Loos ‘Crassier’ and the ‘Scrub’ or ‘Copse’ between the Chalk Pit and the ‘Lens Road.’ The Garden City was taken by 07:00am and A Coy, captured the Chalk Pit by half past seven. Two German field guns were ceased in the Chalk Pit. It was not however possible for the men to capture the ‘Copse.’ The captured positions by that time however, were held and maintained throughout the next few days. By the 27th, orders were received to try once more for a successful attack on the ‘Copse.’ A company of the 23rd London regiment with the grenadier platoon of the same battalion were sent to cooperate. The attack was pivoting on the protection from A Coy of Stanger’s battalion,  who were charged with forming ‘a barrage of fire’ with machine gun fire to the south and frontal flanks. The attack, which was to be launched at 16:50pm was to be preceded by three hours of intense artillery bombardment. The war diarist informs us that the attack was ‘successful in every way and the copse was in our hands’ by half past seven. The diarist is sure to specifically offer the commendation of the rifle men, stating they were ‘terrific.’ It appears in the panic and of course evacuation, the German’s left a ‘large quantity’ of equipment that was taken as well as 3 prisoners of war claimed. The captured position was consolidated throughout the night, so we are informed, and by the morning of the 28th through till the evening their positions were maintained and improved, taken over by Stanger’s regiment by midnight. By Wednesday the 29th, Stanger’s battalion had arrived after marching, to ‘N. Maroc’ at around 02:20am. By 17:00pm that evening, the battalion had moved to ‘Quality street’ arriving here by six o’ clock. By lunchtime the following day, Stanger and his men had moved to billets. Over the next month the battalion remained in the area of Loos, holding the line, as the German forces attempted to re-claim the territory lost in September through counter attacks. Early the following month, Stanger would have been told that his elder brother, Neville Bentlif, was wounded in action on the Hohenzollern redoubt (a German stronghold) and subsequently died of wounds at Etaples military hospital on October 5th.

Studying the battalion war diary for the month of November, it appears Stanger’s battalion rotated back into the trenches on Sunday the 7th to trenches in a very poor condition due to the ‘wet’ weather. By Tuesday, the continual bad weather saw the ‘continued collapse’ of the trench wall dugout. Stanger and his men were entrenched in what seems to be crumbling ditches after unforgiving exposure to the harsh elements. The entry for the Wednesday continues with notes on the wet weather but here is where we learn this is the day that Stanger tragically dies. We are only provided with six words as the final narration over Stanger’s life.

‘Captain Stanger killed by a pipsqueak.’

A pipsqueak, was a small calibre shell or rifle grenade, that was typically fired from close ranges but were far more effective in reaching longer distances with greater thrust than those close-range bombs that could b thrown by hand. It is said that the pipsqueak made a ‘pip’ sound when fired, and then a ‘squeak’ as they landed then detonated, hence the onomatopoeic coinage of the shell (perhaps also because of their small size). Nevertheless, never be fooled by the somewhat light humoured coinage of the shell; despite their smaller size, these shells had an incredibly high velocity and were deadly if struck by a direct or close proximity hit. This is what killed Stanger whilst on the right side of no man’s land, in his trenches.

Curiously, the Common Wealth War Graves Commission records that Stanger died on November 8th. The battalion war diary, for that day, reads: ‘Quiet day. Began to rain at night.’ In early 1919, A memo from Major General J. Burnett Stuart to the war office, dated 14th March 1919 records the start of the war dead exhumation process. The end of the war left uncleared recent dead, isolated graves, and a myriad of accidental inhumations. It was the task of the Graves Registration Unit (GRU) who went back to the scarred landscapes of the war where it is estimated 160,000 men lay in isolated graves, and up to over half a million bodies needed locating, identifying and reinterring. The GRU records also state upon discovery of Stanger’s body, that he died on the 8th. The report does provide the exact location at which Stanger’s body was found giving us the coordinates of ‘G24.a.51.’ After exhumation, Stanger was reinterred in Dud Corner cemetery, Loos, the date of his actual burial is un-clear, but we know it was probably just before or around the 23rd November 1920 when the report is dated of those reinterred at Dud Corner.

It was put in print that Stanger had written with a request for his friends at home to send out socks, scarves, and gloves for the men of his battalion. This was the last letter he sent to them.

 On the day Stanger was hit by the ‘pipsqueak,’ his battalion were relieved from the trenches. He was 19 years old when he died.