Monday 22nd January 1917

Front line trenches in Sanctuary Wood (I.24.b.2½.8½ to I.24.b.8½.3½)

In the continuing freezing weather little work could be done, but conditions remained generally quiet.

Pte. George Wilson Thompson (see 8^th October 1916) died at no.17 Casualty Clearing Station and would be buried at the adjacent Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery. In the official records he is simply recorded as having ‘died’, rather than as ‘killed in action’ or ‘died of wounds’ as is usually noted; given this, and the fact that it was subsequently recorded that one man had been killed accidentally during January, it is possible that Pte. Thompson was this man.

Pte. Mark Henry Sutcliffe (see 31^st October 1916) was admitted via 69^th Field Ambulance to 23^rd Division Rest Station, suffering from an abscess to his left knee; he would be discharged to duty after seven days.

Pte. William Baxter (see 29^th May 1916), serving as a sanitary labourer with 8^th Division Permanent Base Company, was transferred to 17^th Prisoner of War Company.

Sgt. Robert William John Morris (see 18^th December 1916), serving with 3DWR at North Shields having been evacuated to England suffering from bronchitis, was reported as ‘absent off sick leave at tattoo’; he would not return until the following day and would also be charged with ‘breaking into his billet’. He would be severely reprimanded.

The London Gazette published confirmation of the award of the Military Medal to Sgt. Charles Edward Parker (see 17^th January) earned during the trench raid carried out in November 1916. The same edition also published notification of the award of the Military Medal to L.Cpl. Lawrence Tindill, serving with 1^st/5^th Yorkshires (see 11^th June 1916); the date and circumstances under which he had earned the award have not been established. He would later be commissioned and serve with 10DWR.  

Sgt. Charles Edward Parker MM (standing centre)

Image by kind permission of Henry Bolton

2Lt. John Selby Armstrong Smith (see 22^nd December 1916), who had left 10DWR a month earlier as ‘unfit’ returned to France but on his return was posted to 9DWR, joining them, along with six other officers, at La Neuville, south-east of Albert.

Pte. Harold Illingworth Cawthra embarked at Folkestone to sail overnight to Boulogne, as part of a draft of 29 men who would later be posted to 10DWR. He was 19 years old and had been called up under the Military Service Act in September 1916 since when he had been in training in England. He was the third of four children of Joseph and Sarah Cawthra of Bradford and had been working as a warehouseman for Mr. J. Townsley. On arrival in France, he, along with the rest of the draft, joined 34^th Infantry Base Depot at Etaples.