Wednesday 24th May 1916

Front line trenches west of Angres

The day began fine, but became showery. There were regular exchanges of rifle grenades and trench mortars along the Battalion front and from 1.30pm a somewhat more concerted German artillery bombardment of the sector. One man was killed in the shelling and another wounded. The man killed was Pte. Ernest Dawson (13541) of ‘D’ Company. He was a Keighley man and would likely have known some of Tunstill’s Company before the war, especially as the Keighley News would later report that he “was very well known in the town”. Dawson’s Company Commander, Captain James Christopher Bull (see below), wrote to Dawson’s mother the same day, with news of her son’s death: “I expect you will have heard from the War Office that your son was killed today by a trench mortar bomb, but I felt I must write to you personally to say how sorry I am for you in your trouble. I have known your son since October 1914 at Frensham, and he was always a hard-working and good soldier and we shall miss him a great deal. Mr. Marks (2Lt. Isidore David Marks, for whom, see 26^th March), his platoon officer, who was with him when he died, is partially trained as a doctor, and he assures me that your son suffered no pain. I hope that this fact and the knowledge that he died for his country may be some consolation, but please accept the sympathy of all the officers of this Company, for we all had a high opinion of your son’s soldierly spirit”.

Work progressed on improving the barbed wire defences and it was stated that the Brigade as a whole had, in the course of the night, laid “16 lines of wire, varying from 20 to 80 yards in length”, despite the fact that “Work hampered by enemy patrols and machine gun fire”.

There was no renewal of the attempt to recover the lost ground further south and it was concluded that the German intention had been primarily to gain control over a number of mine shafts and galleries which had been prepared by the British. In this it was acknowledged that, “he (ie the Germans) could claim success for his operation … but the extent of ground gained by the enemy in these operations had been small”.

Again, as at Loos in September 1915, the Battalion had found themselves on the fringes of-, and only partially engaged in -, a significant operation.

The continued shelling of Fosse 10 meant that all casualties at the main dressing station located there (see 19^th May) were moved into the cellars of the buildings.

Captain James Christopher Bull had been commissioned in September 1914 and posted to the newly-formed 10^th Battalion, taking command of ‘D’ Company. Born on 10^th May 1881 he had attended St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge, where he had been a member of the University Volunteer Corps, before graduating in 1903. Since then he had been teaching, firstly at Dunchurch Hall School for two years and then as an Assistant Master at Twyford School, Winchester, where he was in charge of physical training.

Acting Sgt. William Alfred Walmsley Gaunt (see 28^th March), at his own request, reverted to his previous rank of Lance Sergeant.

L.Cpl. Percy Simpson (see 18^th October 1915) began to be paid according to his rank, having previously held the post unpaid.

Sgt. Herbert Grayshon was admitted to 4^th Stationary Hospital at Arques, suffering from nephritis. He was an original member of the Battalion; he had been working as a coal miner in Drighlington and had enlisted aged 27. In the absence of a surviving service record I am unable to establish when he had been promoted.

Pte. Henry Vanderstein Joyce was admitted to 4^th Stationary Hospital at Arques, suffering from shellshock; he would be discharged to duty after six days. He was 34 years old, married with three children and from London where had had worked as a assistant foreman in a laundry. He had enlisted in the early Summer of 1915 having previously served eight years (1899-1907) with the York and Lancaster Regiment, including service in South Africa and India, and four years (1907-1912) on the Army Reserve.

Pte. Fred Wainman (see 14^th May) was discharged from no.4 Stationary Hospital, Arques, following treatment for ‘dental caries’, and re-joined the Battalion.

Six new subalterns arrived in France, en route to join 10DWR.

2Lt. Frederick Lowther Dawson Barker was just 18 years old and had been commissioned with 3DWR on 16^th August 1915. He was the elder of two sons (he also had two sisters) of William Grisdale Barker and his wife Florence. The family had lived in Guiseley and William had been the managing director of a brewery, but had died on 2^nd December 1914.

2Lt Roland Herbert Wyndham Brinsley-Richards was 29 years old (born 18^th January 1887). He was born in Austria, where his father, James Brinsley-Richards was correspondent for The Times in Vienna (he had also been correspondent in Berlin). Roland was educated at King's School Canterbury from 1894 to 1906. He went on to Queen's College, Oxford on an Open Classical Scholarship (1st Place) where he obtained first classes in Classical Moderations in April 1908. Later in 1908 he moved to Hertford College where he achieved Literae Humaniores in July 1910. He was a prominent speaker at the Union Society at Oxford, serving on its committee from 1908 and was Assistant Treasurer in 1909. In 1910 he had worked as a journalist for The Times for six months before taking up an appointment as a junior clerk in the India Office (Home Civil Service); he was appointed Resident Clerk at the India Office in 1912. In June 1913 he became an MA and became private secretary to the Permanent Under-Secretary for State in 1914. In early 1915 he received permission to undertake military service and on 7^th June 1915 he enlisted in the Inns of Court Officer Training Corps and on 10^th September 1915 he was commissioned 2^nd Lieutenant.

2Lt. Ernest Cyril Coke had been commissioned on 23^rd September 1915. He was 25 years old (born 18^th April 1891), the fourth of seven children of William and Mary Coke; his father was a surgeon and the family had lived in Kent. Ernest had attended Haileybury School, where he had spent two years in the OTC and had been a prize-winning marksman. He had then studied at the Crystal Palace Engineering School and had then worked for two years in Borneo as assistant engineer for the Rajah of Sarawak. In his application for a commission he had requested that he be commissioned into the Royal Engineers, or into another unit where he might apply his engineering skills.

2Lt. Charles Crowther Hart was 25 years old (born 17^th June 1890); he was the youngest son and one of nine children of Rev. Frederick Hart, Rector of Kimberley, Notts. He had attended Nottingham High School and had then spent two years in the USA before returning to England to take up his theology studies at the Medical Missionary Training College, Leytonstone. However, following the outbreak of war he had enlisted (on 25^th September 1914) as a Private in the Notts. and Derbys. Regiment (Sherwood Foresters). In June 1915 he applied for a commission and was formally discharged to his commission with 3DWR on 25^th August.

2Lt. John Selby Armstrong Smith was just 17 years old (born 28^th June 1898); the son of John and Isabella Selby Smith. His father had died when John was only an infant and he, along with his mother and two sisters, had lived for some time with his paternal grandmother. He had been educated at Manor House School in Clapham. He had applied for a commission on 30^th September 1915, at which time it was stated that he had, “passed the army entrance exam in two subjects out of four. He has a good general education”.

The sixth new officer, 2Lt. Henry Dawson, has not yet been positively identified beyond his name and rank.