Wednesday 23rd August 1916

Huts along the Rue du Sac, near Pont d’Achelles

As the recent fine weather continued, it was reported that, “The Battalion is being practised in musketry, handling of arms, inspections of arms, equipment, gas helmets and iron rations”. All of this was in preparation for an early return to the front line.

The death of Acting Sgt. Albert Herd (see 22^nd August) necessitated a review of some of the NCO’s in Tunstill’s Company and Lt. Dick Bolton (see 22^nd August) recorded in his notebook that Herd was to be replaced as platoon sergeant by Lance Sgt. William Walsh (see 29th July), who in turn would be replaced by the promotion of Cpl. Charles Edward Parker (see 23rd February); Parker’s replacement would be Lce. Cpl. John Stewart (see 30^th July) and to complete the changes Pte. Maurice Bannister (see below) would be promoted L. Cpl. In place of Stewart.

Sgt. Albert Herd

Lt. Dick Bolton

Image by kind permission of Henry Bolton

L.Sgt. Charles Edward Parker (standing centre)

Image by kind permission of Henry Bolton

Maurice Bannister had been one of the Keighley volunteers added to Tunstill’s original recruits in September 1914. He had enlisted, aged 31, having been working as an iron turner and living with his widowed mother, Adelaide, in Hainworth Wood Road, Keighley.

L.Cpl. Maurice Bannister

Over the next two days the men were able to take baths and were occupied with some light physical exercise, training and inspection of kit in preparation for a return to the line. 

Sgt. Edgar Shuttleworth (see 21^st August) was admitted first to no.8 Casualty Clearing Station and then transferred to 69^th Field Ambulance; he was suffering from ‘synovitis’ (inflammation) of his right knee.

Pte. Amos Ibbotson (see 29^th July), who had left the Battalion three weeks previously, suffering from shellshock, was evacuated to England.

After spending three weeks under treatment at Northern General Hospital in Manchester for shrapnel wounds suffered in the actions near Pozieres, Pte. Clifford Midwood (see 29^th July) was discharged to a convalescent hospital. 

2Lt. John Redington (see 27^th July), who had left the Battalion six weeks earlier and had since been evacuated to England, appeared before a Medical Board, which found that, “This officer has been suffering from extreme weakness for the past six months in France. He was unable to march without pain, which was chiefly located in the left inguinal region. The pain is attributed to adhesions in the appendicular region.” He was granted one months’ leave before being re-examined.

Enquiries continued regarding 2Lt Roland Herbert Wyndham Brinsley-Richards (see 16^th August) who was officially reported ‘missing in action’ following the attack on Munster Alley. A statement was taken from Pte. Archibald Louis Norris (see 4th November 1915), who was then at the Lewis Gun School at Le Touquet. Norris had been in Brinsley-Richards’ platoon and reported that, “He was killed at what is now Munster Alley, Contalmaison at the end of August (sic.). He got through the Friday all right, but got “knocked” on the Saturday. He was killed outright by a bomb. His body was badly smashed I saw him go down. This occurred near the German parapet. I don’t know if his body was brought in. The 8^th Yorks., Durhams and Northumberland Fusiliers relieved us at this point and buried our dead. We were driven back from the ground where Mr. Richards fell, but it was recaptured soon afterwards.”

Aside from the obvious error in the month, Norris’ account, given that he was an eye-witness, seems perhaps the most reliable version of what happened to Brinsley-Richards. It is considerably different from several of the other accounts. Norris had enlisted in November 1914 and been posted to 10DWR. He would be wounded in December 1916 and, having recovered, was transferred to the Labour Corps until discharged in February 1918.

2Lt. Roland Herbert Wyndham Brinsley-Richards

Lt. Thomas Beattie, (see 8^th August) who had been wounded in the left shoulder by shrapnel three weeks earlier while serving with 9DWR underwent a third operation at no.2 Western General Hospital in Manchester. Beattie himself later reported that, “This operation was successful as all the shrapnel was extracted”.

2Lt. Eric John Lassen (see 25^th June), who had briefly served with the Battalion in June, was formally posted to join the Army Signals Service, a branch of the Royal Engineers.