Tuesday 29th February 1916

Corps Reserve at Steenbecque

Having spent just two nights following their return to Steenbecque, the men were up at 4am, breakfasted at 5am and at 7am the Battalion was formed up and marched three miles south to the station at Thiennes. Here, “they shoved us onto a train – in cattle trucks of course – and after several hours travelling we landed in a town somewhere in the French lines!”  Their destination was in fact Calonne-Ricouart, twenty miles south of Steenbecque. The train arrived there at around 11am and the men then marched a further seven miles east, via Bruay, to Hesdigneul, south-west of Bethune, where they were billeted in purpose-built huts. J.B. Priestley found, “there are many factories and collieries around here, which makes the place look more like home to our fellows”.  Indeed, it was said that the Northumberland and Durham men of 68th Brigade ‘were not content till they had taken a turn at their old trade in the pits’.  

Pte. John William Addison was admitted to 22^nd Casualty Clearing Station, suffering from “I.C.T.” (Inflammation of the connective tissue) to his neck. Pte. Addison was an original member of the Battalion having enlisted in Halifax on 14^th September 1914; he was 20 years old and had been working as a labourer before enlisting.

69^th Brigade War Diary recorded casualties for the Brigade for the month of February:

Killed                                    4
Accidentally killed              0
Died of wounds                  0
Wounded                           24 (including 2 officers)
Accidentally wounded      3
Missing                                3; including 2Lt. Glover (see 13^th January).

10DWR’s casualties were recorded as:

Killed                                     0
Accidentally killed               0
Died of wounds                   0
Wounded                             4
Accidentally wounded       0
Missing                                  0

It should be noted that these casualty figures take no account of the death of Pte. Harry Iredale (see 25^th February), who had died of wounds sustained on 8^th February.

The official cumulative casualty figures for the Battalion since arriving in France were now:

Killed                                     18
Accidentally killed                 4
Died of wounds                     2
Wounded                              97
Accidentally wounded        37
Missing                                    3