Friday 21st July 1916

Molliens-au-Bois

In the morning there was a presentation to a number of men for their conduct in the actions around Contalmaison. One of those was the stretcher-bearer Pte. John William Atkinson who had tended to several of Tunstill’s Men. He told his parents, “I expect you will have heard that I have won the Military Medal for good work in attending the wounded. The General has pinned the ribbons on my chest, but I shall not get the medal until later. The General shook hands with me and said he hoped that I would have the good luck to wear it. … We are still out of the trenches and we can do with staying out a bit after the work we have had. We have received some splendid congratulations on our work. Our troops are still advancing all along the line, so I don't think the war will last much longer”. Pte. Atkinson’s hopes of  ‘staying out a bit’ were not to be fulfilled. After the presentations, at 8.50am the Battalion marched eleven miles east, via Behencourt, Baizieux and Henecourt to Millencourt to prepare for their return to the line.  

Cpl. Wilfred Fletcher (see 10^th November 1915) was promoted Sergeant.

At Frensham Hospital, Pte. Thomas Rigby (see 20^th July) died of wounds sustained during the advance on Contalmaison. He had initially seemed to be making good progress having been evacuated to England, but “other symptoms set in” and he died around noon.

Pte. Thomas Rigby

Pte. Albert Bateson (see 28^th April), who had been in England since having been wounded in March and was serving with 11DWR at Brocton Camp, Staffs., was formally discharged from the Army as no longer physically fit for service on account his wounds; he was awarded an Army pension of 12s. 6d. per week, to be reviewed after six months.

As must have been the case across the country, some sense of the scale of recent losses must have begun to dawn on the residents of Craven when they read reports of local casualties in the weekily editions of the Craven Herald and of the West Yorkshire Pioneer.There were several references to men from Tunstill’s Company. In some cases, such as Ptes. Cartman and Rigby, the news proved to be tragically out of date; both were reported as wounded, but had subsequently died from their injuries.

LANCE-CORPL. C. GRAHAM OF HELLIFIELD WOUNDED

Lance-Corpl. C. Graham (see 8^th July), of the 10th Duke of Wellington's West Riding Regiment, and son of Mr. and Mrs. R. Graham, of Brook Street, Hellifield, has been wounded whilst in action in France. In a letter to his parents, Lance-Corpl. Graham writes:- "I know you will be looking forward to a letter from me. No doubt you will have got my card telling you I had been wounded. I am sorry to have to tell you that my wound has turned out more serious than was at first thought to be. Yesterday I had to have my right foot taken off just above the ankle. I am pleased to say that I am getting on fine now, so I don't want you to get troubled about me. There are scores of poor chaps less lucky. I hope to be over in England in about a week's time.

Lance-Corpl. Graham joined the colours in September, 1914, and went out to France in August, 1915. Prior to the war he was employed by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company as a platelayer. He has also another brother, Pte. E.G. Graham, who is attached to the 21st West Yorkshire Regiment Pioneer Co., and is at present in France. He was formerly employed on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway at Hellifield.

  

MORE SKIPTON CASUALTIES

Private T.B. Cartman (see 12^th July), whose parents reside in Brook Street, Skipton, has been wounded in action. Joining the forces soon after the outbreak of war, he has been at the Front eleven months and has been attached to the headquarters staff of the 10th Duke of Wellington's Regiment. He was formerly a shop assistant in the employ of Messrs. Lipton, Ltd., High Street, Skipton.

Pte. Tommy Cartman

EARBY CASUALTIES

Pte. James Tuddenham (see 10^th July), 10th Duke of Wellington's, who lodged at 72, Water Street, and worked at Grove Shed as a weaver, has been wounded and is now in hospital at Bradford.

SUTTON SOLDIER MAKES THE GREAT SACRIFICE

Mrs. Taylor of Sutton Lodge had an official communication from the War Office on Thursday week informing her that her son, Pte. Henry Taylor (see 5^th July), had been killed in the fighting in France on the 6^th (sic.) July. Pte. Taylor, who was one of Lord Derby's men, was called to the Colours in January last, and after about four months' training went with his battalion across the Channel. He was at the time of his enlistment engaged as a wool sorter at the mills of Messrs. T. and M. Bairstow, and was 20 years of age. He was a young man of a very pleasant disposition, and was very popular in the village.

Pte. Henry Taylor

A BROUGHTON SOLDIER KILLED

Private David Kendric Collins (see 5^th July), of the West Riding Regiment, formerly a gardener at Broughton Hall, near Skipton, has also been killed in action. His parents reside at Peterborough. Deceased was a member of the Skipton Baptist Church and was in the same Company of the 10th West Ridings as Pte. J.W. Atkinson (see above), another Skipton Baptist. At the Baptist Church, Skipton, on Sunday, sympathetic reference was made to his death by the Rev. J. Greenwood (pastor), and at the evening service Mr. W. Whitaker played the Dead March in 'Saul'.

DENT - DEATH OF LOCAL MAN AT THE FRONT

On Monday last Mr. and Mrs. J. Davidson, of Laning, Dent, received the sad news that their eldest surviving son, John Bruce Davidson (see 14^th July), who volunteered for active service at the commencement of the war, and since then has served in the Duke of Wellington's West Riding Regiment, had died from face wounds in hospital at Rouen. Deceased was a man of estimable character and a general favourite with all who knew him. Great sympathy is felt for his father, mother, sisters and brothers in their bereavement.

Pte. John Bruce Davidson

SAWLEY

Private Tom Rigby (see above), third son of Mr. Thos. Rigby, farmer, Sawley, is lying in a Surrey Hospital suffering from wounds received in the recent fighting in France. Rigby is about 23 years of age, and joined with Mr. H. Tunstill's party in the Duke of Wellington's West Riding Regiment.

The Todmorden & District News reported the death of L.Cpl. Albert Henry Nutter (see 5^th July);

“The news of the death of Pte. Albert Henry Nutter (Pall Mall) adds another – making four on the Mytholmroyd honours list – who have been officially reported killed within a week. The first intimation that anything was amiss was received through a letter sent by a Heptonstall soldier to his brother, in which he states that he was quite close to Nutter when he was killed. Another letter to a Hebden Bridge man was to the same effect. These statements made the family very anxious and they addressed an enquiry to the War Office last weekend and the reply was that they had no information that he had been killed. Their anxiety was set at rest on Wednesday morning when they received an official postcard stating that Pte. Nutter was killed on the 5^th of July, coupling with the announcement an expression of sympathy and regret. In the evening of the same day Pte. Nutter’s wife received a letter from L.Cpl. J.W. Booth, who is in the convalescent camp at Rouen, in which he conveyed on behalf of himself and the other lads in the battalion their great sympathy with her in the loss of her husband. The writer testified that he was a good soldier and faced the duties cheerfully and did them like a soldier and a man. He was killed by a bomb during the great advance. He was in charge of some of the bombers and visited the German trenches. He died without any pain. He and Albert had been pals ever since they enlisted. “Accept the greatest sympathy from the whole of the battalion and give our greetings and sympathy to his family” was the closing sentence.

Pte. Nutter was well known and very much respected in the village of Mytholmroyd. At the time he joined the West Riding Regiment he was an attendant at the Storthes Hall Asylum. He had been in France nearly twelve months and had seen some hard fighting. His letters home were of a bright and cheerful character. He married a Halifax lady last September. Whilst resident in Mytholmroyd he took great and active interest in football and cricket. In the former game he was goalkeeper for the village Association Club, a position which he filled with more than ordinary ability. He went on trial to the Burnley club on one occasion. He was an all-round cricketer and his services at both games were much appreciated. Much sympathy is felt for his wife, family and relations.

He was an old member of the Church Lads’ Brigade and had attended both the Parish Church and the Wesleyan Sunday Schools. On Sunday morning a memorial service with respect to Pte. Nutter and the other soldiers who have recently fallen will be held in the Parish Church.

L.Cpl. Albert Henry Nutter