Lt. Leslie Guy
Stewart Bolland (see 4th
November) of ‘B’ Company was presented with the ribbon of the Military
Cross by Major-Gen Babington following his actions while on patrol in front of
the trenches near Fauquissart (see 4th
November).
Following the serious accident two days earlier at the
Brigade bomb school (see 13th
November) it was decided to withdraw from service “all bombs except numbers
3 and 5”.
Pte. William Knox (see 12th November) again wrote home to his wife, Ethel, reflecting on recent events and conditions. (I am most grateful to Rachael Broadhead and family for allowing me access to William’s letters).
“I hope these few lines will find you quite well as I am very pleased to say that it leaves me very well at present. I received your parcel dated 8.11.1915 and thank you very much for it. I have not had time to sample it as yet but will let you know next time I write to you how I like it. … We had a lively time of it last Friday as the Germans sent about 20 shells over the town where we were billeted and one of our chaps got hit. He had five wounds altogether and we have heard that he has died since. But they shelled it again on Saturday but we were out of that town and there were 32 killed and wounded, nearly all women and children. I saw Jim McMath (Pte. James McMath, see 23rd October) today. He has lost a lot of that fat that he put on while he as in the Sergeants’ Mess at Lichfield. I gave him his cigarettes and he thanks you very much for them. … My knee has got about right again. We had a good march on Sunday night; about 12 miles and we were all about done up. We were inspected by our General this morning and he presented one of our officers (Lt. Bolland, see above) with a Military Cross for bravery. He was out with a working party when the Germans caught sight of them and two of his men got shot but he fetched one of them although he was under heavy fire all the time. …
Pte. William Knox (see 12th November) again wrote home to his wife, Ethel, reflecting on recent events and conditions. (I am most grateful to Rachael Broadhead and family for allowing me access to William’s letters).
“I hope these few lines will find you quite well as I am very pleased to say that it leaves me very well at present. I received your parcel dated 8.11.1915 and thank you very much for it. I have not had time to sample it as yet but will let you know next time I write to you how I like it. … We had a lively time of it last Friday as the Germans sent about 20 shells over the town where we were billeted and one of our chaps got hit. He had five wounds altogether and we have heard that he has died since. But they shelled it again on Saturday but we were out of that town and there were 32 killed and wounded, nearly all women and children. I saw Jim McMath (Pte. James McMath, see 23rd October) today. He has lost a lot of that fat that he put on while he as in the Sergeants’ Mess at Lichfield. I gave him his cigarettes and he thanks you very much for them. … My knee has got about right again. We had a good march on Sunday night; about 12 miles and we were all about done up. We were inspected by our General this morning and he presented one of our officers (Lt. Bolland, see above) with a Military Cross for bravery. He was out with a working party when the Germans caught sight of them and two of his men got shot but he fetched one of them although he was under heavy fire all the time. …
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