Monday 10th April 1916

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

On a beautiful clear morning preparations began for the return to the front line trenches, with one officer and one NCO from each Company going in advance to take over trench stores. On this occasion the Battalion was to occupy the centre section of the Angres sector, with Tunstill’s Company this time stationed on the left of the Battalion front, with ‘B’ and ‘C’ Companies to their right (south) and ‘D’ in close support. However, a detachment of twenty bombers from ’D’ Company, under the command of Lt. Lavarack (see 30^th January, and below), the Battalion Bombing Officer, were to be stationed in Forest Alley trench, with twenty boxes of bombs and twenty sandbags. It had originally been ordered that gumboots (totalling 350 pairs in all) were to be collected en route, but this order was now rescinded, presumably on account of the recent improvement in the weather. The men were to carry sufficient rations for the following day and it was also stated that, “Officers will ensure that all water bottles are full. No water will be available in the trenches till 6am on the morning of the 11^th” and that “All vessels for drinking water will be distributed evenly between Coys. They will be marked with the letter of the Coy & numbered consecutively. No Coy will draw another Coys vessel and no Coy will draw more full vessels than it has returned empty ones”. The particular difficulties of supplying water in this sector had been noted on previous tours (see 19^th March).

The Battalion duly marched off from 6.45pm, with twenty-minute intervals between Companies and the relief was competed, without incident, by 10pm. Conditions remained quiet overnight. Immediately on arrival it was ordered that, “all steel helmets are to have the outside dipped in mud, which will be allowed to dry on. This will be repeated when necessary”.

One cook from each Company was left behind to clean and paint the Company cookers.

Cpl. Arthur Edward Hunt (see 12^th February) was admitted to 22^nd Casualty Clearing Station suffering from ‘dental caries’.

Prior to departure to relieve 9^th Yorkshires Battalion C.O. Lt. Col. Hugh John Bartholomew (see 28th March) had left the Battalion to return to England having been taken ill (details unknown). He would not re-join the Battalion, but would serve out the war and beyond in a variety of other posts. After recovery he was sent to Boulogne as A.A.Q.M.G. (Assistant Adjutant Quartermaster General) to General Sir Herbert Wilberforce, where he remained till he took command of 3^rd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment in April 1919. He was the awarded C.M.G. for services in France and was four times mentioned in Despatches. He relinquished command of 3^rd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment on 14th February 1920 and transferred to the reserve officers list on half pay. From 1920 to 1924 he was Officer Commanding Exeter District and Infantry Records. Colonel Bartholomew finally retired from the army on 9th December 1926.

Colonel Hugh John Bartholomew, C.M.G., D.S.O. died at Leominster; Hertfordshire, in April 1938 at the age of 66. He was buried with Military honours at Leamington, a bearer party of eight N.C.O.'s and a bugler from the Depot attending the funeral.

Col. Hugh John Bartholomew

Lt. Adolph Keith Lavarack was the fifth of six surviving sons of Hamlet Smith Lavarack and his wife, Fanny Louise (Owers) (another son had died in infancy in 1881). Adolph was born in 1893 and had attended University College School, Hampstead, as had his father. He also followed his father in working at the London Stock Exchange. Shortly after the outbreak of war he volunteered to serve as a Private with 10^th Royal Fusiliers. He remained with them for five months, during which period his father died (on 24^th December 1914), before being granted a commission with 10^th West Ridings on 20^th January 1915. One of his fellow officers, Lt. Harry Harris, one of the officers of ‘A’ Company (see 20^th November 1915), had been a contemporary of Lavarack’s at school. All five of Lavarack’s brothers also served as commissioned officers in the army.

Lt. Adolph Keith Lavarack

 

L.Cpl. Albert Simpson (see 21^st March), who had been wounded three weeks previously, was transferred from 4^th General Hospital at Camiers to 6^th Convalescent Depot at Etaples, en route to re-joining the Battalion.