Monday 17th July 1916

Molliens-au-Bois

Rest and training continued.

During this period the weather remained dry, bright and warm. The Battalion was reinforced by a draft of 154 new men who arrived. The Brigade War Diary noted the new arrivals as being, “of a fair standard”; this was in contrast to recent reinforcements for 9^th Yorkshires who had been disparagingly reported as, “men of very inferior physique from a Bantam Battalion”. It was said that, overall, “the Battalion looks much better after the change”.

A number of men from this draft have been identified. Amongst them was L.Cpl. John Charles Rawnsley; he was a 19 year-old clerk from Bradford. L.Cpl. Thomas Edmund Troop had originally served with 2DWR before being transferred (date unknown) to 10DWR. He was 29 years old and from Rotherham, where he had worked before the war as a clerk. Ptes. Thomas McDonald (see 21^st March) and Albert Edward White (see 28^th May) were re-joining 10DWR having been in England since having been wounded in March. Most of the new arrivals had attested in December 1915 and January 1916 and had been called up in March and April for training with 11DWR at Brocton Camp, Staffordshire. They had been posted to France in June and early July and had originally been destined for posting to 2DWR but had been re-directed to 10DWR to make up the recent losses in action. L.Cpl. Herbert Parkin was a 36 year-old self-employed bootmaker and repairer from Meltham, near Huddersfied; he had been promoted while in training with 3DWR. He was a married man with three children. Pte. Ernest Ashness was a 23 year-old labourer from Huddersfield. Pte. Herbert Greenwood Audsley was a 29 year-old insurance agent from Ogden, near Halifax. Pte. Arthur Baxter was a 21 year-old clerk from Bradford. Pte. Ernest Binns was a 19 year-old baker from Halifax. Pte. Frederick Blackwell was a 29 year-old spinner from Yeadon; he was recently married but had no children. Pte. John Thomas Brady was a 27 year-old labourer from Bradford. Pte. Daniel Brennan was a 23 year-old dyers’ labourer from Bradford. Pte. Harry Briggs (19286) was a 20 year-old motor cleaner from Oakworth, near Keighley. Pte. Frank Brooks was a 25 year-old twister from Todmorden; he was married but had no children. Pte. Spencer Buckley was a 29 year-old shoemaker from Halifax. Pte. Peter Burns was a 26 year-old married man from Bradford. Pte. Frederick George Carlton was a 29 yrear-old ‘grease extractor’ from Crosshills, near Keighley. Pte. George Clegg was a 29 year-old textile worker from Halifax. Pte. Hubert Crabtree was a 29 year-old cabinet maker from Halifax. Pte. James Bentley Crosland was a 21 year-old warehouseman from Honley. Pte. Arnold Crossley was a 31 year-old cabinet maker from Halifax; on 24^th June, just ten days before departing for France, he had married Florence Mary Sperson. Pte. John Dalby was a 21 year-old joiner from Bradford. Pte. John William Dean was a 22 year-old grocer’s assistant from Yeadon. Pte. Dyson Denison was a 23 year-old clerk (working for Messrs. Firth and Marshall, Bradford) from Heaton, Bradford. Pte. Norman England was a 24 year-old woollen spinner from Huddersfield. Pte. Harry Exley was a 38 year-old textile worker from Yeadon. Pte. Sydney Exley was a 19 year-old dyers’ labourer from Guiseley; while in training he had spent six weeks in hospital being treated for a hernia. Pte. James Duncan Foster was a 28 year-old painter from Bradford. Pte. William Foulds was 23 years old and from Bingley. Pte. Albert Gardiner was a 30 year-old weaver from Huddersfield. Pte. Percy Geldard was a 21 year-old farm labourer from Bolton-by-Bowland. Pte. George Alfred Giles was a 22 year-old gardener from Bradford. Pte. Leonard Green was an 18 year-old grocer from Liversedge. Pte. Richard Greenwood was a 29 year-old textile worker from Bailiff Bridge, near Brighouse. Pte. James Edward Haley was a 28 year-old weaver from Halifax. Pte. Samuel Garside Hardy was a 19 year-old painter from Huddersfield. Pte. Fred Hargreaves (20214) was a 24 year-old carter from Bradford; he was married with two children. Pte. William Hassall was a 29 year-old shop assistant from Bradford. Pte. Jessiah Darricott Hey was a 28 year-old warehouseman (working for Messrs. Empsall and Firth) from Bradford; he was a well known cross-country runner and had been Assistant Secretary of Bradford Athletics Club. Pte. Leonard Hurley was a 23 year-old drayman from Cleckheaton. Pte. Clifford Import was a 19 year-old railway clerk from Bradford; he had worked at the City Road Goods Depot of the Great Northern Railway. Pte. George Ingle was a 29 year-old painter from Ilkley; he had been married just three months. Pte. John Jackson (19555) was a 29 year-old window cleaner from Halifax. Pte. Ernest Jellicoe was a 23 year-old waggoner from Greenfield, near Oldham. Pte. Arthur Julian was a 21 year-old farm labourer from Oakworth. Pte. Frank Mallinson was 24 years old and from Huddersfield where he had worked in the local textile mills. Pte. James Young McDonald was a 30 year-old dyers’ labourer from Bradford. Pte. Tom Midgley was a 20 year-old labourer from Bradford. Pte. John Anderson Mitchell was a 19 year-old butcher from Thackley, near Bradford. Pte. William Noble (20175) was a 25 year-old dyeworks warehouseman from Rastrick; he was married with one daughter. Pte. John William Procter was a 24 year-old weaver from Oakworth. Pte. Fred Rigg was a 20 year-old upholsterer from Bradford. Pte. Isaac Robinson was 20 years old and from Keighley, where he had been working as a labourer in a washing machine factory. Pte. Harry Simpson was a 29 year-old woolcomber from Thornbury, Bradford. Pte. Harry Squire was a 20 year-old cabinet maker from Brighouse. Pte. John Stenson was a 19 year-old bricklayer’s labourer from Birstall. Pte. Donald Stewart was a 20 year-old dyer’s labourer from West Bowling, Bradford. Pte. William Stokes was a 19 year-old woolcomber from Bradford. Pte. Matthew Stone was a 39 year-old iron moulder from Keighley; he was married with seven children. Having previously military experience in the territorials, he had been posted to France with 9DWR in June 1915 but had been in England since having been wounded in March 1916. Pte. James Stott was a 34 year-old married man from Rastrick; he had been working as a wood turner and had previously served in the Territorials before enlisting in August 1914, since when he had been with 11DWR. Pte. Mark Henry Sutcliffe was a 23 year-old grocer’s assistant from Bradford. Pte. Stanley Sykes was a 26 year-old compositor from Huddersfield. Pte. Bertram Stanley Temperton; known as Bert, he was married, 25 years old and had worked as a school teacher in Brighouse. Pte. William Henry Thornton was a 25 year-old railway booking clerk from Honley. Pte. Willie Tordoff was a 20 year-old weaving overlooker from Bradford. Pte. Charley Wadsworth was a 20 year-old warehouseman from Hebden Bridge. Pte. Ferrand Wilkinson was a 24 year-old warehouseman from Bradford; he was married with one daughter. Pte. Frederick William Wilman was a 19 year-old from Bradford; he had worked as a stablehand for the Home Yeast Company, Tea Merchants in Bradford. His employers had recommended him for the “Horse Transport, he having been with us for eighteen months, we have found him very reliable and trustworthy where horses are concerned”. Pte. Thomas Irvin Wood was a 24 year-old dyers’ labourer from Huddersfield; he had married May Atkinson just five weeks prior to being posted to France.

Also joining with the new draft was Pte. William Currey; he had originally been due to join 11^th West Yorks., but was now attached to 10DWR instead. He was a 20 year-old dyers’ labourer from Bradford. He had originally volunteered in June 1915 and had served with 18^th West Yorks., initially in Egypt, from December 1915, and then in France from March 1916 until being wounded on 2^nd July, as a result of which he had spent time in hospital in Le Havre.

Lt. Cecil Edward Merryweather (see 13^th July) who had been wounded on 5^th July, and subsequently treated in England was discharged from hospital. A medical board assembled at Caxton Hall granted him leave until 28^th August stating that, “he was wounded by a shrapnel bullet which struck him on the outward anterior aspect of middle third right thigh, making a superficial wound. The piece of metal did not lodge; no important structures were injured. Wound has almost healed”.

A Medical Board convened at 4^th London General Hospital reported on the condition of Lt. Paul James Sainsbury, (see 15^th July) who would later serve with 10DWR, and had been wounded on 1^st July. The Board found that, “he was knocked down by a piece of shell and whilst lying on the ground 3 or 4 large shells burst quite near him; he did not lose consciousness but he was dazed and light headed for 6 hours. He is suffering from shell shock. 12 months at the front, he complains of headache, dreams, startled by noise, lack of power of concentrating his attention. No other sign.” They found him unfit for general service for 3 months; and unfit for any service for 8 weeks.