Friday 29th December 1916

Billets in the Cathedral, Hospice and Cavalry Barracks in Ypres.

The Battalion continued to be employed on working parties for the Royal Engineers and German shelling of Ypres continued.

The Brighouse Echo published a letter which had been written by Pte. Harry Squire (see 17^th July 1916); “It is a great pleasure to the chaps out here to know that the people of your old town are thinking of us at such a time. The parcel reflected great credit on the generosity of the town and also very good taste on the part of those responsible for packing them. I arrived in France in time to take part in the great advance in which our Battalion of the Duke of Wellington’s has played a great and creditable part. Now we are in the grip of winter and it is very cold and wet and the trenches are not the most comfortable places. We are having a short rest now but shall be in the trenches for Christmas so it will not be a very merry Christmas for us. We have just heard of Germany’s peace proposals so the time may not be long before we can once more have ‘peace on earth’. The pipe which our Mayor and Mayoress have so kindly sent will assist to pass the time on very nicely”. Amongst the other letters which had been received had been ones from Ptes. John James Cowling (see 17^th October) and Joseph Dent (see 29^th June), although no details are given for either of these.

The Bradford Weekly Telegraph reported news of Pte. Frederick Maltby (see 17^th August), stating that he “has been admitted to Glasgow Hospital with severe trench feet”. Pte. Maltby had been who had been wounded on 11^th July and had spent five weeks in hospital in Scotland. In the absence of a surviving service record it has not been possible to establish details of when he had returned to France or with which Dukes’ Battalion he had been serving.

Pte. John Roebuck (see 18^th December), who had been on ten days’ leave after being discharged from hospital, joined 83^rd Training Reserve Battalion in Gateshead. Pte. Henry Wood Thrippleton (see 4^th October), who had been in England since having been wounded in October, was also posted to 83^rd Training Reserve Battalion.

Lt. Robert Stewart Skinner Ingram (see 16^th September), who had been one of the original officers of Tunstill’s Company, but had transferred to the RFC, was posted, as Flying Officer (Observer) to 24th Training Squadron, based at Netheravon, Wiltshire.

2Lt. Tom Pickles (see 20^th December), formerly of Tunstill’s Company, but currently ill while on home leave from 9DWR, appeared before a Medical Board at Queen Mary’s Military Hospital, Whalley. Having been examined he was given a report certifying him unfit on the grounds of ‘muscular rheumatism of the lumbar and mid stomal region and weakening of the pectoral and erector-spinas muscles’. He was declared unfit for duty for one month after which his case would be re-examined. Pickles duly sent a copy of the report to his Battalion and again saw his own doctor.

The War Office confirmed that the amount of 11 shillings payable on the account of the late Lt. Harry Harris (see 26^th December) from his service with the Middlesex Regiment prior to his being commissioned had now been credited to his account.

Lt. Harry Harris

Pte. Albert Hoggarth (see 3^rd September), serving with 3DWR, was declared medically fit for service overseas.