Private, 10th Bn. West Yorkshire Regt. (Prince of Wales’s Own) Service No: 64176.
Early life:
Binns was born in Oakworth in 1886, registered in Keighley in the second quarter of the year. Parents Benjamin and Alice Wilkinson. In 1891 he was five years old and living at Lower Laithe Farm with his parents, three brothers and one sister. His father Benjamin was a farmer.
In 1901 he was fifteen and living on Victoria Road in Oakworth with parents, one sister and two brothers. His father was now a road labourer and Binns was an apprentice printer. In 1911 he was twenty-five and boarding at Arthur Street, Sough Bridge in Kelbrook and he was working as a Tailor (maker).
He was back living in Oakworth in 1915 at 11, Victoria Street. He married Edith Forrest in the same year, and their marriage was registered in Keighley, in the first quarter of the year.
War service:
Binns enlisted at Keighley with the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, service number 44810 and was later transferred to the 10th Battalion West Riding Regiment when serving abroad in France. He was killed in action on April 25, 1918.
War diary extract for 10th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment August 1918:
[General description of the war diary account of a battle on this day]
April 24.
The battalion had crossed the river ANCRE and were attacking the German trenches at Thiepval Ridge.
They were reaching and consolidating their final objectives in the COMMON LANE area. They captured 7 German officers and 240 other ranks along with fifteen machine guns.
Temp Lt J. C. Braithwaite MC led his company through our own artillery barrage and ended up behind the German lines. He then led his company in an attack from behind the German line, taking them by surprise and capturing 120 prisoners. Later POZIERES was taken and a counter attack was repulsed. A later counter attack with artillery, mortars and machine guns proved too much and our forces withdrew to a stronger trench line.
April 25. The 51st Infantry Brigade passed through our Battalion and became the new front line, with our Battalion becoming the reserve line. We were ordered to maintain a defensive flank in support of the right flank of the 51st Divison, should the need arise.
[Private Binns Wilkinson died on this day.]
Post war:
Binns was posthumously awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal for his war service.
His older brother, Private Luther Wilkinson also served and died in the war.
Edith was resident at 13, Halstead Lane, Barrowford, Nelson after the war.
Remembrance:
He is buried in grave 6, row A, plot II of Pozieres British Cemetery, Ovillers-La-Boiselle. The family inscription reads: “In God’s Keeping.”
Locally, he is remembered on the main Oakworth War Memorial at Holden Park in Oakworth and on the Slack Lane Baptist Chapel war memorial in Oakworth Village Hall. His name is also inscribed on Oakworth’s Great War Centenary roll of honour at Oakworth Community Hall.
