Monday 5th March 1917

Eperlecques

The weather turned colder overnight 4^th/5^th with some snow. Training was again conducted in the area of billets.

Ptes. Edwin Lightfoot (see below) and Wilson Allinson (see 10^th November 1916) were appointed (unpaid) Lance Corporal. Pte. Lightfoot had been one of the Keighley volunteers who had been added to Tunstill’s original body of recruits in September 1914. He had enlisted on 20^th September 1914 in Keighley, claiming to be 19 years old, although he was in fact only 17 and therefore under age. He was one of ten children of Edwin snr. and Florence Lightfoot. Edwin snr. worked as an iron moulder and his son had been working as a butcher for the Keighley Co-Operative Society when he enlisted. Less than a month after his son had joined, Edwin snr. also volunteered and joined the RAMC; he too had lied about his age, having taken ten years off his true age (42) in order to be accepted.

Ptes. Harry Raistrick (see 6^th June 1916) and Lionel Vickers (see 25^th May 1916) were also promoted (unpaid) Lance Corporals.

L.Cpl Lionel Vickers (standing left)

Image by kind permission of Henry Bolton

Pte. Matthew Henry Jubb (see 16^th January) was reported for “irregular conduct; ie dirty on 9am parade” by Sgt. William Edmondson Gaunt (see 23^rd February); he was ordered to be confined to barracks for five days on the orders of Maj. Charles Bathurst (see 3rd March).

Pte. William McEvoy (see 10^th July 1916) was admitted to 4^th Stationary Hospital at Arques, suffering from scabies.

Pte. George Hirst (see 23^rd February), who had only joined the Battalion ten days’ previously, was posted back to 34^th Infantry Base Depot at Etaples and would be returned to England six days later. He was to be transferred for munitions work in England. However, on 7^th March, while he was still at Etaples, his daughter, Mary, would die, aged 14 months, as a result of suffering convulsions.

Cpl. John Stewart (see 20^th February), was temporarily transferred to serve with 40^th Light Railway Operating Company.

After spending five weeks under treatment for impetigo, Pte. Fred Riddiough (see 31^st January), was transferred from 25^th General Hospital at Hardelot to 34^th Infantry Base Depot at Etaples, en route to re-join the Battalion.

Having been away from the Battalion for almost two months Pte. George Edward Milner (see 18^th February) re-joined from 34^th Infantry Base Depot at Etaples.

Pte. Fred Mitchell was posted to France and would join 10DWR; he was a 19 year-old ‘blanket beamer’ from Mirfield. He had attested in December 1915, called up in December 1916 and had trained with 3DWR.

Pte. John William Dean (see 14^th September) who had suffered gas poisoning in August 1916, was transferred from Bermondsey Military Hospital, where he had spent the previous six months, to a Convalescent Hospital in Blackpool.

Pte. John Roebuck (see 29^th December 1916), serving with 83^rd Training Reserve Battalion in Gateshead, found himself in trouble as a result of “inattention on lecture parade”; he would be sentenced to be confined to barracks for two days.

Capt. William Norman Town (see 23^rd February), recently transferred to the 3DWR from 3^rd Battalion, Cheshire Regiment, appeared before a further Medical Board convened at James Street, Liverpool. The Board found that, “He is improving in general health and is now fit for Home Service”.

Trooper Claude Darwin (see 2^nd September 1916), serving with 11^th Australian Light Horse in Egypt, was transferred to 1^st Field Squadron, Engineers, Anzac Mounted Division. He was the brother of Tunstill recruit, Pte. Tom Darwin (see 9^th September 1916), who was currently serving with 83^rd Training Reserve Battalion, based at Gateshead.

A pension award was made in the case of the late L.Cpl. James Gordge (see 10^th July 1916), who had been officially missing in action since 10^th July 1916; his widow, Mary Ann, was awarded £1 11s. per week for herself and her seven children.