Tuesday 28th March 1916

Billets at Sains-en-Gohelle (Coron Fosse 10)

Another fine day, with working parties again provided for the Royal Engineers.

At 20^th General Hospital at Camiers, Pte. Arthur Halliday (see 20^th March) died of wounds; it has not been established exactly when he had been wounded but his wounds had resulted in the amputation of one of his legs. He was a 24 year-old labourer from Halifax.  A matron at the hospital would write, on the following day, to Pte. Halliday’s aunt, “Your nephew passed away at 9.30 last evening. He was quite conscious up to the end. I told him that his people were coming to see him and he said, “They’ll have to come soon for I can’t live long now”. He did not suffer so much towards the end but he was so sick and that worried him”. Pte. Halliday’s father had made the journey to France, but, having been held up by snow in the Midlands, had not reached the hospital by the time his son died. According to a subsequent newspaper report Pte. Halliday, “was not a strong youth but Army life hardened him, and, up to his injury, he had become strong and much better than ever before. He was a quiet lad, respected by all who knew him”. He would be buried at Etaples Military Cemetery.

LSgt. William Alfred Walmsley Gaunt (see 23^rd December 1915) was promoted Acting Sergeant.

Pte. James Broadbent (see 7th October 1915) was posted to 23^rd Infantry Base Depot at Etaples. A month after arriving in France (in October 1915) he had begun to suffer problems arising from an old fracture to his right hand resulting; it would later be reported that, “Since injury 16 years ago he used his left hand chiefly in his work. Since admission to the Army right hand has been painful and gradually lost strength. One month after arrival in France he was left off using his rifle because of powerlessness of right hand and has not used his hand much since then”.

Lt. Dick Bolton (see 24^th March), one of Tunstill’s fellow officers with ‘A’ Company, departed on one weeks’ leave to England.

Lt. Col. Hugh John Bartholomew, commanding 10DWR (see 26^th January), completed a formal report on the competence of 2Lt. William Neville Dawson who had now been with the Battalion for three months (see 27^th December 1915). Bartholomew expressed grave concerns about Dawson’s competence: “I do not consider 2/Lieut. Dawson is fitted for command of a platoon in the field. He does not possess the habit of command, and has no grip on his men. He is, moreover, very short sighted. This officer might be more suitably employed in the A.S.C., in the ranks of which he served for six months prior to receiving a commission in this Battalion.” The report was forwarded to 69^th Brigade HQ, with confirmation that “This report has been communicated to the officer in question”.

Pte. Herbert Ridley (see 20^th March) who had spent eight days at 4^th General Hospital at Camiers after being wounded was evacuated to England onboard the hospital ship St. David; on arrival in England he would be admitted to the Duchess of Connaught Canadian Red Cross Hospital at Taplow, Bucks.

Trooper Claude Darwin, who had spent the last ten days in Sohag Hospital, suffering from nephritis, (see 5^th March) was transferred to Assuit Hospital, Egypt. He was the brother of Tunstill recruit, Pte. Tom Darwin, who was currently at the Infantry Base Depot at Etaples, awaiting posting, after having been treated for ‘debility’ whilst serving with 10DWR (see 14^th February).