Wednesday 23rd May 1917

Trenches in the Hill 60 sub-sector, opposite the Caterpillar

Another very warm day.

At around 5pm seven men from ‘A’ Company were killed when a German shell scored a direct hit on the front line trenches. The Divisional Trench Mortar Battery reported firing 17 rounds, “in retaliation for heavy trench mortars and rifle grenades”. Among those killed was one of the original members of Tunstill’s Company, Sgt. John Thomas Hall MM (see 5^th April). 2Lt. Andrew Aaron Jackson (see 14^th March) wrote to Sgt. Hall’s mother; “When he, along with six of his comrades were killed, I was in another part of the front, and received quite a shock when I heard of the great misfortune which had overtaken my platoon. By the death of your son I lose one of the smartest and most cheery sergeants in my platoon.” The other men killed were Sgt. John Hudson (see 9^th April); Cpl. George Benson Heap (see 28^th March); and Ptes. Albert Edward Carter (see 19^th December 1916); Harold Illingworth Cawthra (see 9^th February); Joe Dyson (see 12^th November 1916) and Harold Firth (see 13^th May). An unnamed ‘comrade’ would write to the sister Pte. Firth, “I feel it my duty to write you a few lines of sympathy at the loss of your brother Harold. He was killed on Wednesday afternoon at about 5 o’clock. He fell a victim to a German shell, along with six others in the platoon, death being instantaneous. I never met your brother until a few weeks ago at the Base and then we were posted to this Battalion and he shared the same dugout as me and another one or two. I always found him to be very cheery and, like myself, it was his second time in France. The platoon would like you to accept their deepest sympathy in your sad bereavement”.  All seven men were buried the same evening at Railway Dugouts Burial Ground. 

2Lt. Benjamin Owen Hunt (see 22^nd May), who had been wounded the previous day, died at no.10 Casualty Clearing Station at Remy Sidings; he would be buried in the adjacent Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery.  

2Lt. Benjamin Owen Hunt

L.Cpl. Fred Atkinson (see 16^th May) was admitted via 69^th Field Ambulance at Vlamertinghe Mill to 23^rd Division Rest Station at Waratah Camp, south-east of Poperinghe, suffering from conjunctivitis; he would be discharged to duty after ten days.

Pte. John Blackburn (see 16^th January) was admitted via 69^th Field Ambulance at Vlamertinghe Mill to 23^rd Division Rest Station at Waratah Camp, south-east of Poperinghe; he was suffering from ‘myalgia’.

Pte. Jacob Carradice Green (see 20^th May), who had been wounded three days previously, underwent an operation at 3^rd Canadian General Hospital at Boulogne. Shortly afterwards he wrote home to his family, telling them that he was “going on as well as could be expected … I got wounded on Sunday night, with a machine gun bullet and arrived at the hospital on Tuesday morning. I went under X-rays and the operation on Wednesday. They managed to get the bullet, which had entered the left thigh and gone into the hipbone. It seems strange, but I told my mates two months ago that there was a 'Blighty' waiting for me sometime in May".

Pte. Jacob Carradice Green

A review of the pension award which had been made to James Hatton Kershaw (see 22nd December 1916) who had been discharged from the Army in July1916, suffering from tuberculosis, resulted in his pension being increased to £1 16s. 8d. per week.