Monday 29th May 1916

Reserve trenches east of Bully Grenay

British artillery resumed their duel with the Germans at 4am and the German response increased from 8am. Once again the focus of the German shelling was against reserve and rest positions, and on this occasion the Battalion transport lines were hit, with two men wounded. One of those wounded was Tunstill’s Man, Cpl. Christopher John Kelly (see 4^th December 1915), who suffered wounds to his left foot; he would be evacuated to one of the local casualty clearing stations (details unknown) before being transferred (30^th May) onboard no.4 Ambulance Train and admitted (31^st May) to 2^nd General Hospital in Le Havre. The second man wounded was Pte. James William Briggs; (see 14^th January); in the absence of a surviving service record I am unable to establish any details of his service beyond the fact that at some point (date and details unknown) he would be transferred to the Duke of Edinburgh’s (Wiltshire) Regiment.

Cpl. Christopher John Kelly pictured extreme left of front row, with other recruits to Tunstill's Company from Grassington in September 1914.

In the evening orders were received that the Battalion would be relieved next day. There was however an additional alarm at 11pm when the Battalion was alerted to be prepared for a possible use of gas by the Germans. The War Diary simply recorded that, “all the necessary precautions were taken”.

While still in the reserve trenches, J.B. Priestley wrote home to his family. The letter sounding an increasingly negative tone:

“We spent five days in a village just behind the trenches, went in again for four days, and are now in the reserve trenches until tomorrow. Curious you should mention the loss of trenches at (censored), as that is the terrible place we took over from the French three months ago (Priestley was doubtless referring to the Souchez area which the Battalion had first occupied in March, and where conditions had been especially difficult, see 8^th March) and we are only just on the left of it now. I have seen all the battles for the crest (when we were there the Germans had it and we were crouched in shell holes about 25 yards away and 6 inches of snow on the ground).

The village we were in last Sunday was shelled with armour-piercing Jack Johnsons, but we had only one man killed (see 21^st May), though there were many civilians killed and wounded. It was a ghastly day. All the roads leading to the trenches were shelled too, and there were mules and limbers going up in the air. They sent every kind of shell over – gas shells (it was quaint to see the French children with gas helmets on), tear shells (everybody’s eyes were watering and sore), incendiary shells, shrapnel, and last but not least, the enormous Johnsons. I tried to imagine Saltburn Place (Priestley’s home in Bradford) being shelled in a similar manner, but it was too horrible to think about. They crash through houses and roads and steel girders like paper. And the concussion! Our heavy batteries, just near, were thundering in response, and our stretcher bearers had to keep dashing down to the gun pits to bring out the wounded, poor maimed creatures – burnt, twisted, torn and many of them dazed beyond immediate recovery with the sheer noise. I’ve had some narrow escapes from rifle grenades and trench mortars this time in, but I’m all right and carrying on.

Ten months out here and no signs of a leave; it’s a shame! Some of the officers have been home three times. We are expecting large drafts of Derby men this time out (see 25th May), for, notwithstanding regular drafts mainly of men who have been out before, we have only a handful of men left. My Company is not the weakest in the Batt. And we have only a fighting strength of about 70 men instead of 260. People get the impression that we’ve ample men out here but that’s wrong. We’ve taken over such a lot of new frontage that the actual number of men per mile of trench seems less than ever. It’s a t the bases where you can’t stir for men – not in the firing line. As for food, when we were in the firing line this last time, we had a loaf for every four men for a day’s ration, and no fresh meat or even Maconochie, but just bully beef.

Now that you know where we are, you’ll be able to follow events in our part of the line with interest. It’s the star turn on the British front and second to none in hellishness. They say we go to (censored) the next time we go to the trenches. Send me another parcel soon, but it’s no good sending stuff to mix with water as there’s very little water. Some of mother’s homemade tuck would be very acceptable.

NB Enclosed are flowers plucked from the parapet, probably growing out of dead men; there are plenty in these parapets, it’s no uncommon sight to see a hand or foot sticking out”.

Priestley’s reflections on the flowers growing in the midst of the trenches were echoed in the official Divisional History which commented on the contrasts; “In the defences themselves even, as summer came on, relief to the ugliness of trench and parapet could be found in the mass of wild flowers which sprang up from the overturned chalk soil. The long Arras road communication trench was flanked on either side by a bright herbaceous border of poppies and other wild flowers. While, looking far out across and beyond the German line from the summit of the Lorette Spur, one could almost forget the war, till stumbling on some ghastly relic of 1915, one was brought back to the grim realities of the present”.

Pte. William Baxter (see 18^th March) was posted to 23^rd Infantry Base Depot at Etaples, having been found fit only for Permanent Base duties; he would serve first with 15^th Division Permanent Base Company, before being transferred to 8^th Division.

At the Regimental Depot in Halifax, Pte. John Beckwith (see 27^th May) who had been absent without leave for six days (22^nd-27^th May) was sentenced to 120 hours detention, on the orders of Lt. Col. Parsons.

A payment of £5 19s. 11d. was authorised, being the amount outstanding in pay and allowances to the late Cpl. Harry Wain (see 23^rd March), who had died of wounds in March; the payment would go to his widow, Ethel.

A pension award was made in respect of the late Pte. Tom Bradley (see 18^th March), who had died of wounds following an accident at the Brigade bomb school in November 1915; his mother, Mary, was awarded 10s. per week.