Friday 11th May 1917

Chippewa Camp, south-east of Reninghelst

On another very warm day, the Battalion again provided working parties of more than 500 men overnight for the Royal Engineers.

Sgt. Wilfred Fletcher (see 9^th December 1916) was admitted via 138^th Field Ambulance at Reninghelst to 17^th Casualty Clearing Station at Remy Siding, Lijssenthoek (13^th May); he was suffering from a throat infection and would be treated for a week before re-joining the Battalion.

2Lt. Bob Perks, DSO (see 25^th April) wrote to his father,

My Dear Dad

Thanks very much for your letter which arrived to-day, and with it, that most extraordinary effort of Teddy’s.  I have grown a few inches.

Yes the gramophone arrived quite in good order and is a strong favourite with all the Officers who are rapidly making A Coy mess an Officers Club. We have managed to obtain 3 more records locally and add them to our store. On nice days such as we have been having continuously for nearly a fortnight now, we take the gramophone outside and the company which has probably been up all night working, lounges in the sun listening.  Yes your record carrier arrived safely and I was sure it was your cunning device. Unfortunately, after two or three violent movements the sides cracked.  Now we have bagged a strong box from the quartermaster (in which rations had come) and by the aid of our pioneers have fitted it up to take the gramophone and records together.

Except that turning night into day gets rather tiring in the long run, we are having a very bon time in a camp so far proved out of range of old Fritz’ guns.  Being infantry however they cannot let us settle down anywhere. We are to move to-morrow.  No one knows whither, but I think it is only to another Camp but fancy I can see trenches looming very near.

I enclose a receipt to be added to the large pile that must be collecting please.  Also a draft for £2 13s 5d, my expenses allowed for going to see the King.  Have you received the telegram from the Lord Chamberlain?  I left it in N. Shields to be copied and then sent to you.

I really must stop now.  I have been interrupted once and now it is nearly midnight and we move they say to-morrow to a camp.  I will write to Mother to-morrow or the next day if possible.

Tell them love to both

Bob

 

2Lt. Bob Perks DSO

Image by kind permission of Janet Hudson

Capt. Edgar Stanton (see 25^th April), who had been with the Battalion for less than two months, commanding  ‘D’ Company, now left the Battalion, reporting sick (details unknown).  

A draft of men from 3DWR at Tynemouth was posted to France; a number of them were men who had previously served with 10DWR. Some of these men would re-join 10DWR while others would go to other Dukes’ battalions. A number of these men have been identified. L.Cpl. George Henry Hansford (see 6^th April) was to have joined 2DWR, but would be re-posted to 1^st/6^th DWR. L.Cpl. Rennie Hirst (see 15^th April) would be posted to 2DWR, joining his Battalion on 23^rd June. Pte. John Cork (see 13^th January) had been wounded in the German shelling of Ypres in January. Pte. Albert Drake was a 31 year-old collier from Bradford. Pte. James Duncan Foster (see 27^th February) had been in England since being wounded on 1^st January. Pte. George Hayes (see 30^th April), had been in England since being wounded at Le Sars in October 1916. Pte. Herbert Ridley (see 30^th April) had spent more than a year in England having been wounded in March 1916. Pte. Elijah Sudworth (see 1^st February) had spent the previous three months in England recovering from a bout of influenza. Pte. Richard Swallow (see 30^th April) would be posted to 2DWR, joining his Battalion on 1^st June.


A payment of £3 18s. 1d. was authorised, being the amount outstanding in pay and allowances to the late Pte. Fred Shackleton (see 10^th April), who had been officially ‘missing in action’ since July 1916; the payment would go to his father, Mitchell.