John Ablitt

John Ablitt MM DCM (1890-1961) was a three-times decorated sapper in the 21st Divisional Signals Company, Royal Engineers, during the Great War. His Distinguished Conduct Medal was awarded for action in the face of the enemy on 7th November 1918, three days prior to the Armistice.

Early Life
John Ablitt was born on the 19 July 1890 at 19 Wendon Street, in the Ecclesiatical Parish of St Mark's, Bow and Bromley, London. He was the son of Thomas Ablitt (1852-1932) and Susan Ellen Richards (1853-1903). In 1896, the family moved to 1, Stanley Grove, Sparkbrook Birmingham. John volunteered for Army Serive on 4 May 1915 at Suffolk Street Army Recruiting station, Birmingham. His Short Service Attestation Document and Record of Service lists his occupation as skilled tinsmith, and at that time he was in the employ of J. & R. Oldfield Lampmakers of Mill Lane Deritend, Birmingham.

Army Service
97711 Spr Ablitt disembarked in France on 9 October 1915, joining the Expeditionary Force as a member of the 21st Divisional Signals Company, attached to 64th Brigade. This attachment remained the same for the duration of the war. The 21st Division saw action in the majority of the major offensives on the Western Front. On 1st July 1916, the first day of the Somme Offensive, Ablitt was a linesman in the Fricourt sector of the front, and maintained communications between the Brigades and Divisional HQ from within the captured Fricourt Chateau. Other notable areas in which Ablitt saw action at the front were;


 * 1) Hohenzollern Redoubt (Loos) and Cuinchy (Bethune); October 1916 - February 1917
 * 2) Polygon Wood (Arras); 29 September 1917 - 8 October 1917
 * 3) Broodseinde (Ypres); November 1917
 * 4) Messine, Wytschaete and Voormezeele (Ypres); April 1918.
 * 5) In the final phase of the war (4-11 November 1918), at the end of the 100 days advance, Ablitt maintained communications between forward parties of the advancing 15th Durham Light Infantry (64th Brigade), as far as Limont-Fontaine, and Brigade HQ at Berlaimont.

Ablitt was promoted Lance Corporal on 1 November 1918, and according to annecdotal evidence from his daughter and comrade-in-arms Archibald Smith (1897-1998) Ablitt repeatedly refused promotions prior to this date and vehemently refused to be detached for Officer Training.

Decorations
In addition to the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal, Ablitt was awarded the Military Medal, with Bar and the Distinguished Conduct Medal. Unusually, specific references to the dates of the MM and Bar are recorded in the Unit War Diaries. The first award of MM was on 19th July 1917 (Ablitt's 27th Birthday) for an action (unspecified) at Moyenville, Arras, and whilst Ablitt's name is incorrectly spelled "Ablett" by the OC, his Service Number is correctly recorded. The Bar to MM was awarded on 30 June 1918, for an action in the Aisne Sector, Somme. Neither MM awards carries a citation, as is normal practice for this award.

The DCM was awarded on 7 November 1918 for an action at Limont Fontaine, Maubeuge. The citation reads;

"97711 Spr. J. Ablitt, M.M., 21st Div. Sig.Coy., R.E. (Birmingham). On 7th November, 1918, he personally laid all lines between brigade headquarters and units of the brigade at Limont Fontaine. This was done under continuous and heavy shell and machine-gun fire. He then took charge of the forward maintenance party and remained on the lines for 18 hours, keeping them through when they were being frequently broken by shells. It was chiefly owing to his fine example of energy, grit and determination that the lines kept through all day and night. He rendered valuable service."

The Action relating to the DCM
During the night of the 6-7 November 1918, the 64th Bgde marched from their billet at Berlaimont, across the Sambre River by the town bridge, and then across country via Aloyne to Bachant. That is about 10km (6.25 miles) from billet to destination, with the march starting at 0415 hours. Forward Parties of the 15th Durham Light Infantry, under Captain Arthur Moore Lacelles VC, along with Ablitt and a forward Signals maintenance party from Division, then crossed the railway lines and advanced to Limont-Fontaine. However, heavy resistance was encountered at the ‘red line’, approximately 2km west of Limont Fontaine at 0815 hrs, with significant Machine Gun fire from the left and an enemy artillery bombardment. The forward parties made good a trench-line 500m to the west of Limont Fontaine at about 1000hrs. Limont-Fontaine, along with Eclaibes to the south-east, were taken by 1650 hrs. The lines which Ablitt maintained ran from Brigade HQ 500m east of Bachant, across the railway line, and then across flat, open, ground to 15 DLI forward positions outside Limont Fontaine, a distance of some 5km. Given the rapidity of the advance, the communications would have been by ground cable, laid by the "Fast Cable" method involving a minimum of 4 men. Notoriously susceptible to damage and failure, ground cable would have required continual maintenance throughout the action, as noted in the citation.

Capt. Lascelles was mortally wounded during the Limont Fontaine action, and was originally buried there. In 1919 his body was moved to Doullers Community Cemetery Extension.

Ablitt's Medal Group is of interest because there were only 5796 bars to the MM awarded during the Great War, out of a total number of 229,434 gallantry awards. The MM and Bar, coupled with the DCM, and all three campaign medals, makes this an exceptionally rare medal group. The medals are currently in the possession of Ablitt's family.