Tuesday 19th September 1916

Reserve trenches east of Pozieres

The wet weather continued and Brig. Genl. Lambert, for example, declared that “the state of the ground was awful”. There was also frequent German shelling of the Battalion’s positions, “causing a few casualties”; one of the wounded men died of his injuries. Pte. Tom Emmott died of his wounds whilst being treated in Contalmaison and was buried close to the ruined chateau, in what became known as Contalmaison Chateau Cemetery; two of his brothers had already been killed (see 26^th January). Also killed on the day was Pte. Myer Freedman MM (see 14^th September), who was on attachment to the Brigade Trench Mortar Battery. According to Capt. G. F. Sulman, writing to Pte. Freedman’s family, “We were suddenly shelled and I regret to say that among other casualties your son was killed. I enclose herewith a letter which I found in his paybook addressed to you. I am also sending you his Military Medal ribbon which was presented to him the day before for good work in this battery some months ago. I am sure you will prize the decoration he won”. Freedman was originally buried near Contalmaison, close to where Lt. Isidore David Marks (see 10^th July) and Pte. James Kettlewell (see 28^th July) had been buried, but, like Marks, his remains were exhumed in July 1919 and he was re-interred at Gordon Dump Cemetery near Pozieres. Among the wounded was Pte. Archibald Louis Norris (see 23rd August); he suffered wounds to his right buttock and would be treated in France (details unknown).

Contalmaison Chateau Cemetery in 1916

L.Cpl. George Mitchell (see 25^th July) was granted “Class I Proficiency Pay”, which would see him paid an additional 6d. per day on top of his standard 1s. per day. Proficiency pay could be awarded on the basis of long service or in relation to particular skills or qualifications; the details under which Mitchell received his award are not stated.

A Medical Board assembled at 4^th London General Hospital considered the case of Capt. Gilbert Tunstill (see 16^th September) who had been injured in a fall from his horse and evacuated to England. The Board found that the injury was relatively minor and likely to improve with rest; “between Amiens and Coissy … while going from station to billets he fell from his horse twisting the right knee. He was evacuated to 24^th General Hospital at Etaples with synovitis and abrasion of right knee. On September 17^th he was admitted 4^th London General Hospital with slight swelling of right knee and no effusion. Advised manage.” Tunstill was deemed to be likely to be unfit for five weeks from the date of the injury and consequently granted four weeks’ leave, to 17^th October, at which point he would attend a further medical board. Whilst on leave he would stay with his parents at their home at Thornton Lodge, Aysgarth, North Yorkshire. 

Capt. Gilbert Tunstill

Image by kind permission of Henry Bolton

Lt. John Charles Brison Redfearn (see 15^th September 1915) who had originally served with Tunstill’s Company but had been commissioned and joined a battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment, left his battalion in France for medical treatment, suffering from the symptoms of trench fever.