Friday 19th May 1916

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

Another fine, clear day. The Germans sent a number of shells into the village, killing a French man and a boy and wounding a young woman. The rest of the day then passed quietly until 9pm when the British artillery opened a bombardment against the German lines. As the evening progressed the bombardment became more intense and the Germans responded in kind. The details are described in the Battalion War Diary: “Our artillery commenced a bombardment upon the enemy lines. It commenced just to the left of the Arras road and was confined to a small portion of the front and continued for ½ hours; the portion bombarded was ablaze with Very lights. The bombardment was then extended to the left considerably and became most intense; the enemy replied with some weight. About 10pm it decreased in violence and developed into a big gun duel, our machine gun sending a few shots probably with the intention of harassing work, the smaller guns sending salvoes at irregular intervals. As far as can be judged the duel is over a 2½ to 3 mile front. The operation continued until midnight though occasional shots were exchanged throughout the night”.  

Pte. George William Keeling (see 6^th March) was admitted to 69^th Field Ambulance suffering from trench foot; he would be discharged to duty five days later.

Pte. Albert Saville (see 1^st June 1915) suffered what would subsequently be recorded as a “trivial injury” whilst carrying rations; it was formally recorded that Saville was not to blame and the injury, though “it occurred while he was in the performance of military duty … will not interfere with his future efficiency as a soldier”. Though considered trivial the injury would see him admitted (24^th May) admitted to 4^th Stationary Hospital at Arques for treatment for ‘synovitis to right knee’.

69^th Field Ambulance took over the medical arrangements in the sector and their report on conditions gives an insight into conditions:

Medical arrangements

Main dressing station at Fosse 10.

Three large schools capable of holding 500 patients easily. HQ, A (less bearers) and B sections there; A section open; B section packed. Cellars to hold 100 patients.

Advanced Dressing Station at house in Bully Grenay.

Personnel: 1 officer; 2 NCO’s, 26 men.
Accommodation:
Unprotected: Two receiving rooms on ground floor; three rooms on first floor; large room (soldiers’ club) in adjacent building which could be taken if required; large yard.
Protected: cellars in basement; bad approach, impossible for stretchers; could hold 6 lying or 20 sitting. In adjacent buildings, cellars to hold 45 sitting.
Transport: 1 Daimler ambulance and 2 wheeled stretchers.
Notes: the protected accommodation is bad.

I propose to add: 1 MO; 1 Ford car for urgent cases; 1 wheeled stretcher as soon as possible.

Advanced Post no.1: Morocco South

Personnel: 1 NCO; 4 men
Accommodation: Dugout; 2 good entrances but facing front line; could hold 8 lying or 20 sitting; splinter proof but not shell proof, even from small stuff.

Advanced Post no.2: the Rat Pit in Bovril Alley

Personnel: 3 men by day; 2 by night.
Accommodation: 3 sitting; impossible for stretchers; splinter and light shell proof.

Regimental Aid Post: between Bully Alley and Algiers Trench

Owing to bulging of sandbags entrance cannot be used; exit trench is not deep enough and therefore exposed. I made arrangements with OC 9^th Yorks to have these defects remedied at once.
Accommodation: 2 lying or 6 sitting; splinter proof.

Trenches

Up trench: Bully Alley; good going, wide enough for stretchers whole way.

Down trench: 1. Bully Alley from RAP to Morocco, as above; 2. Morocco North; bad going, awkward corners; 3. Bovril Alley; good going most of way but too narrow in many places, necessitating carrying of stretchers over shoulder high.

Time required for evacuation from RAP to ADS

Quick walking from ADS to RAP by Bully Alley occupies 40 minutes; back by Morocco and Bovril Alley, 60 mins. I estimate therefore time required for carrying, 90 mins by Bully Alley and 120 to 150 by Bovril Alley, owing to difficulty. Owing to Bovril Alley being the down trench and Bully Alley the up trench, the former must be used at present as the normal route. From a medical point of view it would be much better to have Bully Alley as the down trench: the one-wheel stretchers could be used all the way and a patient would be got from RAP to ADS in it in 60 mins. I doubt if this stretcher can be used in the present down route owing to the narrowness of Bovril Alley, but I propose to try today. Another advantage of using Bully Alley as a down trench is that extra protected accommodation could be obtained in Mechanics Trench (about 1/3^rd of the way back).

The one-wheeled stretchers were a solution which had been improvised in the Divisional workshops during the rest period, and they were illustrated in the Field Ambulance War Diary.

Brig. Gen. Lambert, commanding 69^th Bde., made a further report to Division in the case of 2Lt. William Neville Dawson (see 18^th May), who had been reported as being unfit to continue as a platoon officer. Following the recommendation by Lt. Col. Hayne that Dawson should be sent home, Lambert commented, “I have seen 2Lt. Dawson again. I am not purposed to recommend that his services be dispensed with at a time when every available man is needed. 2Lt. Dawson was an undergraduate at Oxford and has done his best to qualify as an officer but is not by nature fitted to take command of men in action. He has not specialized in any subject, military or otherwise, but was studying history and law and has had some experience, though not of any extended nature, in law work”. Lambert requested that Division find some suitable employment for Dawson in which to continue his service.

Pte. John Etchells (see 16^th March) was transferred from Northern Command Depot at Ripon to the Regimental Depot at Halifax.

Lance Sergeant Cyril Edward Agar, (see 10^th May), who had recently re-joined 9^th Yorkshires, after a period in hospital, was promoted Colour Sergeant and appointed Company Quartermaster Sergeant. He would later be commissioned and serve with 10DWR.

Cyril Edward Agar, pictured while serving with 10DWR
(Image by kind permission of Henry Bolton)

Cpl. John Robert Dickinson, (see 16^th March) serving in France with 18^th Royal Fusiliers, left his Battalion to return to England to begin his officer training with no.4 Officer Cadet Battalion, based at Oxford. Once commissioned, he would serve with 10DWR.

The weekly edition of the Craven Herald carried news of one of Tunstill’s Company who had been home on leave:

Home from the Front

Pte. S. Hoar (see 9^th May) has been spending a well-earned leave at home from the Front. He enlisted with Capt. Tunstill’s men in 10^th Duke of Wellington’s shortly after the outbreak of the war. Since going to France some ten months ago he has been engaged in transport work. He returned to the Front on Tuesday last.