Tuesday 1st May 1917

Billets at Steenvorde

The weather was described as ‘glorious’ and the Battalion was engaged in training exercises.

In a postscript to his letter of the previous day, Brig. Genl. Lambert (see 30^th April) again reflected on the fine, hot weather, recalling his service in India and telling his wife, “Today is a regular Kashmir morning!!”.

(I am greatly indebted to Juliet Lambert for her generosity in allowing me access to Brig. Genl. Lambert’s diary and letters).

Ptes. William Ackroyd (see 25th December 1916) and William Greenwood (see 5^th July 1916), serving in France with 2DWR, were killed by German shelling of British trenches near Fampoux. Pte. Ackroyd would be buried at Brown’s Copse Cemetery, Roeux, but Pte. Greenwood has no known grave and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial.

Sgt. Robert William John Morris (see 25^th January), serving with 3DWR at North Shields, was severely reprimanded having been reported for ‘neglect of duty whilst Company Orderly Sergeant, viz. not getting a man medically inspected according to orders’.

Ptes. George Barber (see 6^th April) and Albert Ellis (see 24^th October), serving with 83^rd Training Reserve Battalion, based at Gateshead, were transferred to 26^th Durham Light Infantry.

Pte. Charles Edward Lund (see 15^th April), who had spent the previous two weeks under instruction at no.5 Convalescent Depot at Bayeux, was now posted to take up employment (presumably clerical work, based on his pre-war occupation) at no.10 Convalescent Depot at Ecault, south of Boulogne.

Pte. Fred Kershaw (see 28^th March) was transferred from 5^th Northern General Hospital in Leicester to the convalescent hospital in Ashton-in-Makerfield; he had been suffering from ‘trench foot’.

Pte. Sydney Charles Nicholls (see 12^th January), who had been found unfit for further military service by an Army Medical Board three months earlier, due to myalgia contracted on active service in the Summer of 1916, was now formally transferred to the Army Reserve Class P. This classification of the reserve had been introduced in October 1916 and applied to men “whose services were deemed to be temporarily of more value to the country in civil life rather than in the Army”.  

Frank Widdup, aged 32, elder brother of Acting L.Cpl. John Widdup, and 2Lt. Harry Widdup (see 16^th March), was called up for service with the Royal Garrison Artillery.

A payment of £13 2s 1d was authorised, being the amount outstanding in pay and allowances to the late Sgt. John Hartley (see 8^th December 1916), who had been killed at le Sars. The payment would go to his father, Watson.

Sgt. John Hartley

A payment of £3 3s was authorised, being the amount outstanding in pay and allowances to the late Pte. William Priestley (17833) (see 12^th December 1916) who had died of wounds in December 1916. The payment would go to his mother, Elizabeth.