| Other Info | Private Hartnells was a farm labourer from Rowney Green, Alveschurch near Redditch. He joined the army a few months before his 21st birthday, enlisting on the 27th January 1904 at Worcester and joined the 1st Battalion Worcestershire Regiment. He served with the 1st Battalion at Templemore, Ireland. In November 1904 he was posted to the 2nd Battalion and joined them at Columbo, Ceylon and later move to the camp at Diyatalawa. In December 1906 he sail with the 2nd Battalion, on s.s. Soudan, to India disembarking at Bombay on the 19th December 1906. The battalion then made their way to Ahmednagar arriving on the 21st December 1906. In January 1912 he transferred to the 1st Class Army Reserves. He was mobilised at the start of the war in August 1914 and posted to the 3rd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment and landed in France with the the 3rd Battalion on the 12th August 1914. On the 25th November 1914 he went absent without permission, he was absent for 71 days. On the 4th February 1915 he was charged awaiting General Court Marshal. On the 24th February 1915 he was sentenced to 1 year imprisonment hard labour, but this was commuted to 3 months in March 1915. Shortly after his release in June 1915 he went absent again on the 15th June 1915, but this time he was listed as a deserter. He was recaptured and again tried by General Court Mashal and this time he was found guilty of desertion and sentenced to be shot. Hartnells was shot by firing squad with 4 other deserters from the 3rd Battalion on the ramparts of Ypres on the 26th July 1915 at 4.0 a.m. in the morning. He was 32 years of age. After his death his personal effects which include a knife, pipe, 2 photos and a letter were sent to his father William Hartells. The common law wife of Private Bert Hartells also contacted the Ministry of Pensions stating she was living as the wife of Private Hartells for the past 4 years and that they had two little boys age 3 and 2. She also stated that they had failed to formalise the marriage. When war was declared they published the bands for marriage but that as he had no leave so that they could not put the matter right. She was finally awarded a pension in May 1918. He was originally buried at the Ramparts Cemetery but was later transferred to the Aeroplane Cemetery, Belgium which is 3.5 Km northeast of Ypres town centre (Grave number II.A.6/7). |
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