The Battalion remained in billets, finding large working
parties each evening to assist the Royal Engineers.
In a letter to his family, J.B. Priestley reflected, with
some bitterness, on the time he had spent at Jesus Farm and the rigour of the
working parties; “The ‘rest’ we are supposed to get when relieved from the
trenches is a ghastly fraud; I never grafted and sweated so much in all my
life. We were ‘supernavvies’ for a week. And that’s the rest”.
A/Sgt. Frank
Shackleton (see 23rd
August) reverted to the rank of (Acting) Corporal.
The Battalion was reinforced by a draft of 60 NCO’s and men
from the 11th (Reserve) Battalion (see 7th October). They were mainly veterans of service
with either 2nd Battalion in Flanders or 8th Battalion at
Gallipoli. These were fit and experienced soldiers and they brought the
Battalion up to a total strength of 29 officers and 982 other ranks.
Some of the members of this draft who had not previously
seen active service have been identified. Pte. Joseph Holmes was a 34 year-old wood sawyer from Bradford; he was married
but had no children. Pte. Herbert Ridley
was 22 years old and from Fulham; he was married with one son and his wife,
Helen, was pregnant with their second child. He had enlisted in April 1915 and
had been in training with 3DWR at Tynemouth. Pte. Michael Henry Rourke was 33 years old and from Huddersfield; he had
enlisted in July 1915 and had trained with 11DWR at Brocton Camp. Pte. Thomas Ward was a 21 year-old labourer
from Huddersfield; he had had just two months’ training with 11DWR before being
posted to France.
Pte. Robert William John
Morris (see 28th September),
who had been reduced to the ranks just three weeks previously, was re-appointed
Lance Corporal.
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