1914 Star.
L- 6396 Pte. L. Davies, 2nd Royal Sussex Regiment.
Lawrence Davies was born in Lambeth around the year 1883 and at the age of 17 years and 4 months attested for the 4th East Surrey Militia. His Papers describe him as having a fair complexion, dark brown eyes, black hair and a scar on his forehead. His address at the time was 108 Lambeth Walk and he was working as a costermonger. Lawrence served in the Militia for the best part of a year before deciding that full time soldiering would be more to his taste and attesting for the Royal Sussex Regiment at Dublin on 5th March 1901, agreeing to serve for seven years with the Colours and five years in the Reserve. His Attestation Papers describe him as 5' 5" in height, weighing 116lbs and with an anchor tattooed on his left forearm. His occupation was now given as labourer.
Lawrence joined the Royal Sussex at the Regimental Depot in Chichester and at the end of March and is recorded on the 1901 Census as single, 18 years old and residing in the barracks there. His early army career did not go completely smoothly; on 4th April 1901 he was absent from tattoo and found drunk and using obscene language in the town at 11.15pm; at the end of the month was found guilty of "overstaying his pass", both offences getting him periods of 10 days confined to barracks.
In May 1902, Lawrence was posted to the 1st Battalion of the Royal Sussex, which was in South Africa, engaged in the struggle against the Boers. He would stay five months there, during which time he was awarded his 1st Good Conduct Pay and earned entitlement to the Queen's South Africa Medal with clasps for "Cape Colony", "Orange Free State" and "South Africa 1902".
Following the end of the Boer War, Lawrence accompanied the 1st Battalion to India, where he would stay for the next six years. His relationship with military authority continued to be a difficult one. On 17th July 1905 at Ambala, he was absent from bugle practice and found guilty of not complying with an order, the result being the forfeiting of his Good Conduct Badge and 8 days confined to barracks. Two years later, in July 1907, he was again deprived of a Good Conduct Badge and awarded 8 days CB for being out of bounds, damaging property belonging to the station master at Barogh and assaulting natives.
In May 1902, Lawrence was posted to the 1st Battalion of the Royal Sussex, which was in South Africa, engaged in the struggle against the Boers. He would stay five months there, during which time he was awarded his 1st Good Conduct Pay and earned entitlement to the Queen's South Africa Medal with clasps for "Cape Colony", "Orange Free State" and "South Africa 1902".
Following the end of the Boer War, Lawrence accompanied the 1st Battalion to India, where he would stay for the next six years. His relationship with military authority continued to be a difficult one. On 17th July 1905 at Ambala, he was absent from bugle practice and found guilty of not complying with an order, the result being the forfeiting of his Good Conduct Badge and 8 days confined to barracks. Two years later, in July 1907, he was again deprived of a Good Conduct Badge and awarded 8 days CB for being out of bounds, damaging property belonging to the station master at Barogh and assaulting natives.
In December 1908, Lawrence was on his way back to England, where he joined the 2nd Battalion. In March 1909, he was transferred to the Army Reserve. His Transfer Papers describe his conduct with the Colours as "fair" but make the comment that there had been no instances of drunkenness in the last seven years. It is also noted that he ws a first class shot and had been an acting drummer for seven years. (The Regimental Band of the 1st Royal Sussex at Ambala in 1905 is shown in the photo above.)
Lawrence had re-engaged for the Army Reserve in 1913 and consequently was called up as a reservist on the outbreak of war in 1914. He rejoined the Royal Sussex Depot on 8th August 1914 and on 12th September was sent to France with a draft of reinforcements for the 2nd Battalion, thus earning entitlement to the 1914 Star and the proud title of "Old Contemptible".In September 1915, he suffered a gunshot wound to the neck, probably in the 2nd Battalion's attack at Loos on 25th, during which Sjt Harry Wells won a posthumous Victoria Cross (as described in a previous post). There followed a period of convalescence in England and duty with the 3rd Battalion at Newhaven. Here Lawrence continued to find himself on the wrong side of military authority. In May 1916, found guilty of being drunk in barracks and striking his superior officer, he received 14 days detention. Two months later, another case of drunkenness got him a further 8 days detention.
On 16th August 1916, Lawrence was posted back to France to join the 4th Army Base Depot, before rejoining the 2nd Royal Sussex on 19th September. Apart from June 1918, when he had a month's furlough in England, he would serve with the 2nd Battalion till the end of the war and after. Lawrence Davies was finally transferred to the Class Z Army Reserve on 30th April 1919.
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