Saturday 30th September 1916

Peake Wood

Although the weather remained cold, there was no rain. Orders were received for the Battalion to move forward to Gourlay Trench, east of Pozieres, next morning.

Pte. Ernest Ashness (see 13^th September) reported sick, suffering from myalgia, which would later be ascribed to rheumatic fever. He would be transferred via 5^th Casualty Clearing Station to 18^th General Hospital at Camiers.

Pte. Harry Briggs (19286) (see 18^th August) reported sick, suffering from PUO (pyrexia, or raised temperature, of unknown origin); he was admitted via 5^th Casualty Clearing Station to 11^th General Hospital at Etaples.

In another letter home to his wife, Brig. Genl. T.S. Lambert (see passim) gave an indication that he clearly expected vigorous action for his Brigade over the coming days:

“We shall probably shift again to quieter but rather less healthy scenes again soon but of course I do not know and could not say if I did. Anyway I anticipate a very strenuous few days before then in which anything may of course happen”.

(I am greatly indebted to Juliet Lambert for her generosity in allowing me to reproduce the letters here).

Brig. Genl. T.S. Lambert

Image by kind permission of Juliet Lambert

Pte. Thomas Robinson (16490) MM (see 14^th September), who had been in England since suffering suffered facial wounds six weeks previously, was discharged from Lord Derby’s War Hospital in Warrington and posted to 83^rd Training Reserve Battalion, based at Gateshead. 

Pte. Thomas Robinson (16490), seated.

Image by kind permission of Gary Robinson

The weekly edition of the Keighley News carried a report regarding Pte. Arnold Wakeling (see 22^nd July) who had been wounded in early July and also about his younger brother who was also in hospital; Clifford had been serving with 2DWR:

Private Arnold Wakeling, of the West Riding Regiment, brother of Lance Corporal Wakeling, was wounded in the thigh in the Somme fighting, and after treatment in a Glasgow hospital was removed to the Broomhills Convalescent Home, Dumfries.

Lance Corporal Clifford Wakeling, of the West Riding Regiment, son of ex-Police Constable John Wakeling, of Keighley, is in the Queen Mary Military Hospital, Whalley, Lancashire, suffering from shell shock. Lance Corporal Wakeling, who was wounded at the Dardanelles in August 1915, led his section over the top in one of the recent advances.

69^th Brigade War Diary recorded casualties for the Brigade for the month of September:

Killed                                     1 officer and 52 other ranks

Accidentally killed               0

Died of wounds                   1 officer and 1 other rank

Wounded                              8 officers and 185 other ranks

Accidentally wounded        1 officer and 7 other ranks

Missing                                 19 other ranks

10DWR’s casualties were recorded as:

Killed                                    3 other ranks

Accidentally killed              0

Died of wounds                  1 other rank

Wounded                           23 other ranks

Accidentally wounded       2 other ranks

Missing                                 0

These official casualty figures do not take account of the deaths of Ptes. Collinson (see 6^th September) or Foster (see 21^st September), both of whom died after being evacuated from the Battalion having been wounded in action.

The official cumulative casualty figures for the Battalion since arriving in France were now:

Killed                                  100

Accidentally killed                4

Died of wounds                    7

Wounded                           515

Accidentally wounded       47

Missing                                 74