Front line trenches south of Le Sars
At dawn, three platoons from ‘A’ Company began their advance
against positions in the old German second line (OG2), also known to the
British as Flers Support. The two bombing parties advanced up saps close to
M.21.b.2.9, just west of the Bapaume road and initially the bombing parties
made good progress up the saps which were little more than three feet deep. L.
Cpl. Willie Waggitt (see 22nd September) led one
of the bombing parties, accompanied by a number of his pals, including Sgt. Bob Harrison (see 11th September), Cpl. Edwin Merrall (see 30th
July) and Pte. Reuben Smith (see 22nd September). Waggitt
used a shovel to break through three blocks in the sap and the platoon got
close to the German line before they were spotted by the enemy. In a subsequent
letter home, Edwin Merrall described what followed,
“Will spotted the Germans and in his jolly way passed it
down to us, ‘They are waiting for us’. Bombs were thrown and the Germans let us
have it, bombing us from the sides. One of the bombs dropped in the trench and
killed the second man and badly wounded Will. He was assisted back nearly to
our lines by Cpl (sic). R. Harrison,
another of Will's class of British blood. Bob was wounded along with many more.
The Company stretcher-bearers went to Will to look to his wounds, but he
refused them saying, "I will not last long, look to the others, they need
it more than me." His last words with a smile on his face were
"Cheerio, lads, the best of luck, I am going." Reuben Smith was among
the wounded and he also later wrote to his family, "A few lines to let you
know I am in hospital with a few wounds in my back and both my thighs and just
a little in my hand. They are bits of shrapnel. I am very lucky to be wounded,
for poor Willie Waggitt has gone under and the two behind him; then I came next
but luck would have it I was not to be killed. I thought my time had come - I
can tell you." Another of the men killed was Pte. Wilfred Lawson Oates; he
was not an original member of Tunstill’s Company, but had been with them for
the previous six months. In the face of such resistance the remainder of the
bombing parties were forced to retire to their own lines.
The third platoon, which had attacked over the top, fared
even worse. Immediately before the attack Cpl. Joseph Edward Preston (see 21st
September 1914) had told his cousin, Pte. Hugh Robinson (see 21st
August 1915), that Preston’s platoon were going “over the parapet to have a
‘do’ at the Germans”; Robinson never saw his cousin again and would be told two
days later that he (Preston) had been struck by a shell and killed instantly.
In fact the platoon only advanced about 10 yards before all but three privates
were rendered casualties.
Among those wounded in this first abortive assault was 2Lt. Fred Baume (see 7th September) According to his own later account,
“I was hit by the disc from a shell weighing 8ozs. After passing through four
thicknesses of clothing this inflicted a wound about two inches long and one
inch deep midway between the thigh and the knee and severely injuring the
muscles. The condition of the wound was further aggravated by the fact that I
was compelled to hobble and be dragged for six miles to Bazentin-le-Petit”.
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| L.Cpl. Willie Waggitt |
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| Pte. Reuben Smith |
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| Pte. Wilfred Lawson Oates |
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| Cpl. Joseph Edward Preston |
The failure of this first assault led to a reassessment of
the German defences. A report
by Acting Battalion Adjutant, Lt. Hugh
Lester (see 26th September),
timed at 12 noon, reported that a very careful inspection of OG2 (Flers
Support) made “with the aid of periscope and glasses” confirmed that it was
very strongly held. The trench had been considerably deepened and sentries
could be seen in reinforced "niches" in the parapet every eight or
ten yards. It also confirmed that there remained a good deal of uncut wire in
front of the trenches, especially close to the road. The observation also
confirmed that there was a machine gun positioned close to the road in the ruined
buildings of the village and that German snipers occupied a number of positions
among the buildings. Artillery support was called for ahead of any renewed
attempt to advance and the German positions were shelled on the afternoon and
early evening. A second attempt to gain a foothold in OG2 would be made at
dusk. The section to be attacked ran from the Bapaume Road at M.21.b.5.8. north-west
to M.15.d.2.3.
In preparation for the artillery barrage, and in
acknowledgement of the proximity of OG1 and OG2, it was ordered that all the
men of 10DWR, except for the attacking parties, who were to remain in dugouts,
were to be withdrawn from OG1 and “temporarily sheltered in 2nd
Flers Line, south of Bapaume Road”, currently held by 8th Yorks. It
was further ordered that, with men remaining in the underground dugouts, “one
sentry will watch at the entrance of each occupied dugout in the vacated line
to prevent entry of the enemy into 1st Flers Trench from the north”.
Heavy artillery bombarded Le Sars periodically throughout the day, but from 6pm
until 7pm the shelling would be restricted to the northern part of the village
to protect the attacking troops from ‘friendly fire’. From 5.30 there was to be a
concentrated bombardment of the section of OG2 to be attacked with the shelling
to be “intense” from 6pm to 6.08pm, at which point the barrage was to lift
forward by 200 yards to allow the attack to go in. The assault by 10DWR was to
be “pushed home boldly and as quickly as possible. Parties are to be pushed
rapidly up to M.15.d.4½.5 and that point occupied if possible”. OG1 was to be
reoccupied by the other companies of 10DWR as soon as possible after the
assault commenced.
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| Image by kind permission of Scott Flaving |
At 6.03 pm ‘A’ and ‘D’ Companies went over the top and crept
up under the continuing British artillery barrage until it was lifted at 6.08
pm. ‘A’ Company was commanded by Lt. Harry
Harris (see 21st August)
and ‘D’ Company by Lt. Henry Kelly (see 12th September). The
distance between the trenches was only about 100 yards but the ground consisted
of ‘mud and mire of the most appalling description’ and there was still some
strong wire in a hollow which was very difficult to cut except by hand. The two
Companies advanced in three waves, with 80 yards distance between waves. The
first waves went forward right under the British barrage but when the barrage
lifted it became clear that owing to the state of the ground the progress was
exceedingly slow. They then attempted to advance under intense rifle fire and
traversing fire from at least three machine guns. The ground was so heavy that
it took them ten minutes to cover 50 yards. Some got to the German wire, which
was found to be practically intact; others as far as the German parapet which
was fully manned and where “the enemy had no difficulty in dealing with them in
their exhausted condition”.
Men from ‘A’ Company were among those who had made it as far
as the German parapet, where Lt. Harris and Sgt. John Hartley (see 11th July) were among
those killed. The surviving men of the Company had no option but to attempt to
make their way back to their own lines; an operation which was, in itself,
exceedingly slow and hazardous, despite the cover of darkness. CSM Billy Oldfield (see 30th July) described how, “I was one of the few who
got through the German wire, along with Sgt. James Davis (see 29th July). I
helped to bandage some wounded men, and then we started to make our way back.
All the time they were firing on us, we dare not get up to walk back, but had
to crawl out of one shell hole into another, helping the wounded along as best
we could. Altogether, it took me about two hours to get about fifty yards”. Oldfield
and Davis would both be awarded the Military Medal for their actions, as would
Sgt. William Eley (see 29th July).
A party of four from ‘D’ Company, led by Lt. Kelly did make
it into the German trenches and he, along with CSM Daniel O’Shea, Sgt. John Scott
(see below) and Pte. Thomas Thompson (see below) succeeded in maintaining their position for several
hours until all their ammunition, their own and a quantity of German bombs were
exhausted. Remarkably the party then succeeded in getting back to the British
lines. CSM O’Shea was hit in the head and blinded and Lt. Kelly carried him
back. For his gallantry in this operation Kelly would be awarded the Victoria
Cross and both Scott and Thompson would receive the Military Medal; Thompson
was also later awarded the French Medaille Militaire. A vivid account of
Kelly’s actions were later reported by an (unidentified) eye-witness,
“Capt. Kelly was popular with all ranks, because of his
fine, soldierly qualities, his thoughtfulness for his men and his utter
contempt for danger. The day he won the Cross we were in a devil of a hole. The
enemy pounded us unmercifully with their big guns and the strain put on our men
was so great that they began to waver. Capt. Kelly sprang forward and urged his
men to the attack under a blistering hot fire. They responded with cheers, and,
under his direction, they held a very exposed position for hours. Later, things
looked black once more, Capt. Kelly had been working like a nigger (sic.), getting things ship-shape, and
had certainly done as much work as any three men, besided directing operations.
If ever man had earned a rest, he was that man but he never thought of resting
while there was duty to be done. So he up again and called on his lads to hold
fast for all they were worth. To show his contempt for the danger to which we
were exposed, he rose up and led the way towards another position. The men
followed. Later on he decided to have a cut at the enemy’s trench. He got hold
of a non-com and two privates belonging to the bombing section. With these he
entered the enemy trench and started to bomb the Boches out. They got a good
way along, driving before them an enemy more than big enough to eat up the
whole company. Then Fritz was reinforced and under the direction of a very
brave officer the enemy began to push back. The two privates were knocked out,
and Capt. Kelly had to make for home. Before going he picked up the
sergeant-major of our Company and carried him out of the German trench. He was
a first-rate target for the enemy when he showed up on the parapet, with the
wounded man on his back, and the enemy had many a pot shot at him. The shell
fire continued as well, and it is a miracle how he escaped. The Boches were
close on his heels, and could have rushed him at any minute. They must have
been in a blue funk all the time. Once they did come too close to be
comfortable. The captain just laid down his burden for a few minutes, and threw
a bomb or two at the pursuing Huns. They skulked back. Then he picked up his
burden and came marching back to us. All the way he was under heavy fire. Every
minute we expected to see him go under, but he came through all right. After
taking a look round to see how things were shaping, he found that three of our
chaps who had been fighting with great bravery were out in the open wounded.
Immediately he set off to find them. One by one he carried them into safety, in
spite of the furious fire kept up by the enemy. He’s a rare sport”.
Sgt. John Scott was
an original member of the Battalion and had been promoted Sergeant whilst in
France (date unknown) having been Lance Corporal when the Battalion had left
England. He was 25 years old and had been born in Burnley, but had lived for
some time in Silsden where he worked as a clog iron maker.
Pte. Thomas Thompson
was another original member of the Battalion. He was from Keighley, where he
had worked as builder’s labourer; he was 37 years old and married with three
children.
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| Lt. Harry Harris |
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Lt. Henry Kelly
Image by kind permission of Henry Bolton
|
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| Sgt. John Hartley |
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CSM Billy Oldfield
Image by kind permission of Henry Bolton
|
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Sgt. James Davis
Image by kind permission of Henry Bolton
|
Having resisted the British assault, the Germans then launched an immediate counter-attack which was repulsed by the remnants of ‘A’ and ‘D’ Companies, under the command of Kelly, supported by ‘C’ Company “with heavy loss to the enemy”.
It seems likely to have been
during this action, although it cannot be said with absolute certainty, that 2Lt.
Frank Redington (see 21st August) showed the
courage and initiative which would earn him the award of the Military Cross.
The official citation records that, “When the enemy attacked down a
communication trench he went forward down the trench by himself with a bag of
bombs and held up the attack for ten minutes, until assistance arrived, when he
drove the enemy back and established a block”.
In summarising the events of the day, the War Diary recorded that, “The two Coys which took part
in the attack behaved with the utmost gallantry, but owing to the state of the
ground and the enemy's wire being uncut in several places, their task being an
impossible one, they failed to take the trench and were decimated”. It was
acknowledged that, “The attack failed in spite of very gallant efforts, partly
owing to the ineffective artillery bombardment and the very bad weather and
state of the ground and partly owing to the fact that by that time the enemy
had strongly reoccupied the trench, which was in places well wired, and was
able to cover the approaches to it by machine gun fire”.
At the end of the day the Battalion officially reported
losses of 3 officers and 25 other ranks confirmed
killed in action, with a further 29 men reported missing; 4 officers and 80
other ranks were reported wounded. All the officers of both ‘A’ and ‘D’ Companies,
with the exception of Lt. Kelly had been either killed or wounded. The records
of the CWGC now indicate 3 officers and 39 men as having been killed in these
actions, which would suggest that around 15 of the men initially reported as
missing were subsequently accounted for as having been wounded or having been
absent under other circumstances.
The officers killed, in addition to Harris, had been 2Lt. Robert Main Graham (see 2nd September) and 2Lt. Henry Herbert Owen Stafford (see 21st August). It was
reported by a fellow officer (unidentified) that Harris “was killed while most
gallantly leading his Company in the attack … I can assure you the death of
your son is a great blow to the Battalion. He was beloved by us all … He died
as he lived; a gallant and true gentleman”. Graham had been with the Battalion
for only a month. One of Graham’s fellow officers (unidentified) later wrote to
his family with news of their son’s death, “We were hung up on the Boche wire,
and machine guns were turned on us and bombs were thrown as we were getting
through. Your son was a splendid officer, steady, cool and brave. He was given
charge of our left flank and he brought it forward splendidly. I regret
exceedingly the loss of so valuable an officer, which not only we, but the men
feel so keenly. He is missed and mourned by all”. Stafford was initially
reported missing in action, but it was clear from reports that he had been killed,
although the details were, not surprisingly, sketchy. All however were agreed
that he was killed close to the German parapet.
The officers wounded, other than Baume (see above), were 2Lt.
Maurice Tribe (see 20th September), 2Lt. John Keighley Snowden (see 10th
September) and 2Lt. Stanley Currington
(see 30th July). Tribe’s
injuries were very severe; he had suffered significant head wounds which
resulted in the loss of an eye and a significant disfigurement to his forehead.
It was said that he had been “picked up as dead”. Snowden had been wounded by a
shell explosion, which left him deaf in his right ear, and with a series of
relatively minor injuries to his right ear and jaw and to his right calf. The
exact extent and nature of Currington’s injuries are unknown, but he was invalided back to England.
These abortive attacks on the German lines had taken a heavy
toll amongst ‘A’ Company, who had been heavily involved throughout the day.
Eight members of the original Company were killed and at least fifteen others
wounded. In addition to Sgt. John
Hartley and Pte. Joseph Preston
(see above), the men who had been
killed were Sgts. Arthur Bearpark (see 30th July) and Albert Edward Dury (see 25th December 1915); and Ptes. Robert William Bell (see 31st
August); Edwin Isherwood (see 24th May 1915); Frederick William Jesson (see 24th June 1915); Anthony Lofthouse (see 29th July) and Herbert
Rooke (see 29th July).
Little is known about the circumstances in which most of these men died. Bearpark
was reported to have been “killed instantaneously and suffered no pain” (as was
so often the message conveyed to relatives). The circumstances of Edwin
Isherwood’s death were briefly related by his pal Pte. George Whitfield (see 17th
September 1914): “We made a bombing raid on the Germans one morning. (I
cannot tell you the real date, but it was somewhere about the seventh of this
month). The Germans sent us back, and we lost a lot of men. Edwin and I got
through all right. But when night came we made another charge, but the enemy
sent us back a second time. When morning came, I found that poor Edwin had been
struck with shrapnel and killed”.
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| Pte. Robert William Bell |
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| Pte. Edwin Isherwood |
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| Pte. Anthony Lofthouse |
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| Pte. Herbert Rooke |
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| Pte. George Whitfield |
The condition of the original members of Tunstill’s Company
who are known to have been wounded varied considerably. The three men named as
having been wounded in the dawn bombing raid each suffered only relatively minor
wounds. Pte. Reuben Smith (see above) was treated at first at the
9th General Hospital, Rouen. In a letter home to his parents he told them, “I
am in hospital with a few wounds in my back and both my thighs and just a
little in my hand. They are bits of shrapnel. I am very lucky to be wounded,
for poor Willie Waggitt has gone under and the two behind him; then I came next
but luck would have it I was not to be killed. I thought my time had come - I
can tell you.” He was soon fit enough to re-join the Battalion. Sgt. Bob
Harrison (see above) and Cpl. Edwin Merrall (see above) were also soon back at duty.
Pte. Percy Hodgson (see 12th September 1914) was severely wounded and evacuated to no.2 General Hospital, Rouen. Signaller Arthur Herbert Procter (see 3rd March) was wounded by shrapnel in the chest and side. He was evacuated to England and eventually on to Aberdeen for further treatment. His injuries were such that he would not return to active service and would eventually be discharged from the army. L.Cpl. Maurice Bannister (see 23rd August) suffered wounds to his left shoulder and hand; he would be evacuated to 2nd General Hospital at Le Havre. Pte. George Moore (see below) was wounded, but the details of his injuries are unknown. Pte. Arthur Lindsay (see 16th September 1914) had been shot through the right shoulder. He was evacuated to England and would be treated at first at Eastleigh before being sent on to Leeds. He did recover sufficiently from his injuries to return to active service but joined 2DWR. Pte. George Green (13724) (see below) suffered wounds to his left thigh; he would be admitted to 2nd General Hospital at Le Havre and from there evacuated to England onboard the Hospital Ship Maheno. The details of his treatment in England are unknown. Pte. Frank Shuttleworth (see 16th September 1914) was shot through the left arm; the bullet passed through his forearm and out at his elbow, causing a compound fracture. He was evacuated for treatment to one of the base hospitals. Stretcher bearer, Pte. Mark Beaumont (see 12th February) was struck in the face by shell splinters; his injury was relatively minor and he soon returned to duty, although he would later claim that his vision had been permanently affected. Sgt. Frank Shelah Gilleard (see below), suffered a minor wound and soon returned to duty, as also did Pte. John Dinsdale (see 7th January). Pte. William Hoyle (see 21st May 1915) suffered only minor facial wounds and, after being treated locally, would soon return to duty. L.Cpl. James Walker (see 30th July) was recorded as suffering from shellshock; he had again distinguished himself by his conduct as he had in July and would be awarded the Military Medal. He was soon able to return to duty.
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| Pte. Percy Hodgson |
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| L.Cpl. Maurice Bannister |
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| Pte. Arthur Lindsay |
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| Pte. Frank Shuttleworth |
Frank Shelah Gilleard
had been one of the Keighley volunteers added to Tunstill’s original recruits
in September 1914. He had enlisted, aged 28 and before the war had been working
as a ‘motor car trimmer’. He was Keighley born and bred and his father had been
for many years licensee of the Shoulder
of Mutton Inn.
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Sgt. Frank Shelah Gilleard
Image by kind permission of Andy Wade
|
George Moore had,
like Gilleard, been one of the Keighley volunteers. He had been living at 26
West Lane, Keighley, but beyond this I am, as yet, unable to identify him.
In addition to the original members of Tunstill’s Company,
several other local Craven men, who had enlisted later but had served with
their neighbours and friends, were also killed. One of them was Pte. Wilfred
Oates (see above) who had been killed
during the morning bombing raids. Another man killed, Pte. Edgar Whitaker, was,
like a number of Tunstill’s original recruits, from Grassington; he had been
called up in January and had been in France since May. Pte. Frederick George
Carlton, from Crosshills, had enlisted in February and had been in France for
three months; he was one of the men posted as missing and his fate was
described by Pte. George William Fletcher
(see 23rd March) in a
letter to Fred’s mother, “The other day we made a raid on a German trench. We
had several casualties, killed, wounded and missing. Your son, Fred, I am sorry
to say, was among those missing. None of the lads saw him after we went over,
so we cannot say whether he was taken prisoner of war, or whether he was killed
or not”.
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| Pte. Edgar Whitaker |
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| Pte. Frederick George Carlton |
Amongst those killed was Pte. Herbert Ernest Sutcliffe, who had been subject to a FGCM in November 1915 after accidentally wounding himself (see 9th November 1915). Pte. William Currey (see 25th September) was killed; he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. Pte. Albert Victor Hands was killed; he was a 24 year-old spinning overlooker from Haworth and had been an original member of the Battalion. News of his death was reported to the family by Cpl. Harry Benson (see below), who was serving in the Lewis Gun section along with Pte. Hands; "He was shot through the head by a sniper about 7am on October 4. It will be a relief to you to know that he suffered no pain, death being instantaneous. Albert was one of my closest friends, and it was a great blow to me losing the best of pals. He was one of the best men in the section on the gun, and he was acting lance-corporal in charge of a gun. He would have obtained this promotion as soon as we moved out of the trenches. We buried him as decently as possible. In closing I wish to convey to you the deepest sympathy of myself and all the boys in this section. I am sorry to say you may not have a letter from our officer, as he was seriously wounded on _____. May God give you his help in your great hour of trial”. Pte. John Whitaker Fennell was also killed; he was a 24 year-old wool comber from Keighley, married with one child. He had originally served with 8DWR; the date and circumstances of his transfer to 10DWR are unknown. Pte. William Henry Harris (see 17th September), who had been with the Battalion for less than three weeks, was also amongst those killed. Pte. John Holden (12384) (see 5th December 1915) was also killed; he is now buried at Adanac Cemetery, Miraumont. Pte. William Ogden was a 21 year-old cotton piecer from Royton.
I am unable as yet to make a positive identification of Harry Benson other than that he had
been an original member of the Battalion.
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| Image and additional information by kind permission of Andy Wade and MenofWorth |
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| Pte. John Holden |
Among the wounded on the day was Sgt. William Alfred Walmsley Gaunt (see
11th July), who suffered relatively minor wounds and was treated
locally. L.Cpl. Wright Firth (see 29th July) suffered
severe wounds which would result in the amputation of his leg; the details of
his treatment are unknown. L.Cpl. William
Stead Rycroft (see below)
suffered wounds to his right elbow; he would be evacuated to 2nd
General Hospital at Le Havre. Pte. Harold
Beighton suffered wounds to his chest and abdomen. He was a 28 year-old
weaver rom Marsden, near Huddersfield. His pal, stretcher bearer Pte. Richard Swallow (see 6th June) described what happened in a letter to
Pte. Beighton’s uncle, “Just a few lines as I thought it my duty as a great
chum of your nephew to write to you. He
was wounded on the night of the 4th October. No one was more sorry than I when he came back
over the parapet and said to me "Dick, I am hit." So I attended to him straight away but the
worst was then to come for as I was taking him to the dressing station which
was two miles away we had to go across open country owing to the condition of
the trenches. So we were exposed both to
the shell fire and machine gun fire and the Germans didn't forget to shell us
either. When we started from the
trenches with your nephew on the stretcher the shells were bursting all around
us and at the finish they covered us up with clay and I had to wriggle myself
from underneath and then free your nephew.
I shall never forget that day - it was hell on earth”. Pte. Beighton
would be admitted to the South Midland Casualty Clearing Station at
Dernancourt. Pte. Alfred Bogg (see 6th June) suffered a
gunshot wound to his right arm; he would be evacuated to 2nd General
Hospital at Le Havre and from there evacuated to England onboard the Hospital
Ship Maheno. The details of his
treatment in England are unclear.Pte. Harry
Bradley (see 29th July)
suffered severe wounds to both hands and to his right arm and shoulder; he
would be evacuated to 2nd General Hospital at Le Havre. Pte. John Thomas
Brady (see 5th September)
suffered minor wounds and was treated locally before returning to duty. Pte.
John Broadbent (see 14th January) suffered relatively minor wounds and
would remain with the Battalion. Pte. Edgar
Johnson (see 17th
September) suffered severe wounds to his left leg. Also wounded was Pte. George Hayes (see 14th March); he suffered relatively minor wounds to
his right arm and shoulder; he would be evacuated to 2nd General
Hospital at Le Havre and from there to England, travelling onboard the Hospital
Ship Maheno. Pte. Whittaker Hird (see 31st August); he suffered wounds to his back and
chest and would be evacuated to 2nd General Hospital at Le Havre and
from there evacuated to England onboard the Hospital Ship Maheno. Pte. George William Keeling
(see 19th May) suffered a minor facial wound and returned
to duty after three days’ rest. Pte.
Thomas Lloyd (see 16th September), who had only recently re-joined the
Battalion after being wounded in July, suffered wounds to his left arm; he
would be admitted to 20th General Hospital at Camiers. Pte. James Stott (see 17th July) suffered a minor shrapnel wound to his
back; he would be admitted to 15th Division Rest Station, but would
re-join the Battalion after five days. Pte. Henry Wood Thrippleton (see
29th July) suffered wounds to his left arm; he would be
evacuated to 2nd General Hospital at Le Havre and from there to
England, travelling onboard the Hospital Ship Maheno. Pte. Walter Robinson
(15117) (see 29th July); he
suffered wounds to his scalp and would be evacuated to England on 17th
October. Pte. Albert Senior; the details of his wounds are unknown. He was a 28 year-old dyers' labourer (working for Aykroyd & Sons) from West Bowling, Bradford. Cpl. William
Swift (see 10th July); the details of his wounds and
treatment are unknown but he would subsequently be commissioned Second
Lieutenant and serve with 1st/7th DWR.
Pte. Frank William Rabjohn
(see 13th September) was also
wounded, suffering a bullet wound to his left hand; however, his wound would be
noted as ‘self-inflicted’. He would be evacuated to 2nd General
Hospital at Le Havre and from there to England, travelling onboard the Hospital
Ship Maheno.
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L,Cpl. Wright Firth
Image by kind permission of the Earby and District Local History Society
|
To the east of the Albert-Bapaume road 8th Yorks.
had had more success. There, a platoon of ‘C’ Company and the battalion bombers
attacked Flers Support and succeeded in occupying the line, which was then
consolidated and blocked. Three German counter-attacks were driven off during
the course of the evening.
Pte. Frank Watson of 10DWR, though not from Tunstill’s
Company, died of wounds at one of the Cassualty Clearing Stations based at
Dernancourt, south of Albert; it is not clear when he had been wounded. He is
buried at Dernancourt Communal Cemetery Extension.
Pte. Sam Tinkler
(see 22nd September), who
had spent the previous two weeks in hospital having been kicked on the left
knee by a horse, was evacuated to England for further treatment. He would be
admitted to Bradford War Hospital to be treated for a fractured left femur.
 |
| Pte. Sam Tinkler |
L.Cpl. George Holmes (10794) (see 29th July) was discharged from 2nd Convalescent Depot at Rouen, following treatment for shellshock, and was posted to 34th Infantry Base Depot at Etaples.
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