Monday 12th June 1916

Trenches north of Souchez

The weather remained poor, with torrential rain during the evening, and there were further exchanges of rifle grenades and trench mortars. Orders were received for the Battalion to be relieved next day, as part of the relief of the whole of 23^rd Division by 47^th Division. However, the men of the Anson Battalion, were relieved overnight, 12^th/13^th and were re-united with their other Companies at Barlin.

Pte. Tom Darwin (see 9^th June), who had been absent without leave for four days, returned to the Battalion under circumstances which are unclear. It was ordered that he should be detained, awaiting trial on charges of desertion and losing his equipment.

L.Cpl. John William Dickinson (see 26^th January) was admitted via 6^th London Field Ambulance to 18^th Casualty Clearing Station at Lapugnoy suffering from ‘pyrexia’ (raised temperature).

Pte. William Kershaw (18282) joined the Battalion. He was a 20 year-old ‘cotton doubler’ from Millbank, near Huddersfield and had enlisted in December 1915 and trained with 3DWR before being posted to France on 24^th May.

Battalion Adjutant, Capt. Charles Bathurst (see 5^th September 1915), was invalided back to England and his post was taken up temporarily by 2Lt. Hugh Lester (see 5^th May), although his appointment would not be confirmed for some time.

Pte. Eli Bradley (see 13^th May) was transferred from a Convalescent Depot also in Rouen to 6^th General Hospital in Rouen; he was suffering from debility.

A further statement was taken regarding the disappearance of 2Lt. Samuel Lawrence Glover in January (see 30^th May). The informant on this occasion was Pte. John Edward Dolan, who had been wounded only a few days previously (see 9^th June) and was being treated at no.2 General Hospital, Le Havre: “Lieut. Glover went out on patrol with four others, and one of them tore up the barbed wire. They got to the German trench and when on the parapet Lt. Glover was seen by the Germans and had to fire his revolver. They shot him and three of the others. One man got back next day and told us. I cannot remember his name, but for two days he was off his head and then recovered. He is still alive and with the Regiment, but I don’t know if he is still with B Company. This happened at Armentieres”.

2Lt. Samuel Lawrence Glover

Seven days after leaving Alexandria, the troopship, “Ivernia” arrived at Marseilles. Among the men aboard was Pte. Joseph Bell (see 5^th June), serving with 51^st Battalion, A.I.F. He was the elder brother of original Tunstill recruit Pte. William Irving Bell.

Lt. Col. Ernest Newton Heale died of blood poisoning in hospital at Le Treport; he was the elder brother of Lt. George Reginald Charles Heale (see 5^th May).

A payment of £3 7s. 2d was authorised, being the amount outstanding in pay and allowances to the late Pte. Matthew Teasdale (see 1^st April), who had been killed in action in April; the payment would go to his widow, Elizabeth.