Tuesday 14th November 1916

Front line trenches south of Sanctuary Wood

The weather became colder, but conditions remained generally quiet. However, a number of men were wounded by German shelling. Pte. Frank Oddy Waddington (see 6^th June) died of his wounds and was buried at Railway Dugouts Burial Ground. As was the case with L.Cpl. Hemp (see 13^th November), the War Diary makes no mention of his wounding or death.

Pte. Harold Schofield Hanson (see 6^th October) was also wounded, suffering shrapnel wounds to his right arm; he was treated locally in the first instance and then evacuated to no.8 Stationary Hospital at Wimereux. Pte. Leonard Nicholl (see 17^th October) had been with the Battalion for less than a month; he suffered a compound fracture to his right arm; the details of his immediate treatment are unknown.

Pte. George Andrew Bridge was appointed Lance Corporal. He was an original member of the Battalion; he was a 24 year-old weaver, originally from Ramsbottom but had been living in Earby when he enlisted.

Pte. Ronald Jeckell (see 17^th June) was appointed Lance Corporal.

Pte. Arnold Robson (see 9^th November) was re-admitted to hospital (details unknown); he would be discharged and return to duty one week later.

2Lt. Charles Archibald Milford (see 13^th November), who had been admitted the previous day, suffering from influenza, was now transferred from No.10 Casualty Clearing Station at Remy Siding, Lijssenthoek, to No.11 Casualty Clearing Station at Varennes.

There were promotions from Second Lieutenant to Lieutenant for two of the Battalion officers. 2Lt. Frank Redington (see 6^th October) was granted seniority and pay with effect from 6^th July (following the first series of actions around Contalmaison). 2Lt. Bob Perks, DSO (see 23^rd October), had been wounded on the Somme in July and was now serving with 3DWR at North Shields while recovering from his injuries; he was granted seniority and pay from 23^rd August (on that date there had been a number of promotions within the Battalion following recent losses in action).

Lt. Bob Perks

Image by kind permission of Janet Hudson

The same edition of the London Gazette in which news of the promotions appeared, also carried the citation for the award of the Military Cross to 2Lt. Maurice Tribe (see15^th October).

“For conspicuous gallantry. When five men of a machine gun team had been buried by a shell, he dug them out in the open under heavy fire. Had he waited for a lull in the shell fire, the lives of these men would certainly have been lost”.

Tribe had earned his award on 20^th September near Pozieres but had since been severely injured at Le Sars and was currently in hospital in England.

Pte. James Duncan Foster (see 17^th July), having spent a month at 25^th General Hospital at Hardelot, being treated for scabies, was posted to 34^th Infantry Base Depot at Etaples, en route back to the battalion.

Sgt. Herbert Lawton (see 29^th July) (he had lost his acting rank of CSM on having been wounded), who had been wounded on 29^th July,  was posted to Northern Command Depot at Ripon.

Pte. Jacob Sweeting (see 29^th July) was now sufficiently recovered from the wounds he had suffered on the Somme in July to be posted back to duty with 83^rd Training Reserve, based at Gateshead.

Sgt. George Clifford Sugden (see 3^rd August), who had spent the previous three months at 37^th Infantry Base Depot at Etaples having been wounded in June while serving with 10^th East Yorkshires, re-joined his Battalion. He would later be commissioned and serve with 10DWR.