Saturday 16th June 1917

Le Coq de Pailie, close to Berthen

Sgts. Michael Kenefick MM (see 5^th May) and William Allen Sayer (see 2^nd June) and Pte. Edward Anderson (see 6^th July) departed for England on ten days leave.
The whole of 69^th Brigade was inspected by the Divisional Commander, Major General Sir J. M. Babington KCMG.

2Lt. Bob Perks DSO (see 15^th June), now in command of ‘C’ Company, referred to the inspection in a further letter home to his mother, before going on to request some items from home, 

“The Divisional General inspected us to-day and was very nice. He talked to all the officers beginning “What did you do?”  in each case except mine.  He put his hand on my shoulder and said “I know what you did”.  

We are to have a decent Church Parade to-morrow. Will you please send out a pair of puttees Dad bought me, as I had one pair torn to ribbons on barbed wire during the push.  Also, do you think Dad could buy me a pair of spurs? My horse is very lazy and used to spurs, so I must have them as soon as possible, but everyone beseeches me not to get the French things.  I know as little as anyone about spurs, but any average military effort offered would do I should think.   Please ask Dad not to make them any silver-plated nonsense or anything else expensive, not long-necked things.  Ordinary metal would do, though of course they have to be polished by my servant.  Fancy my walking down the church in spurs next leave.  I have discovered I have now only to be O.C. Company 15 days to be Captain, so it won’t be long now”.

(I am greatly indebted to Janet Hudson for her kind permission to allow me to quote from Bob Perks’ correspondence).

 

2Lt. Bob Perks DSO

Image by kind permission of Janet Hudson

Pte. Ernest Needham (see 8^th June), who had spent a week at 71^st Field Ambulance having reported sick with a high temperature, returned to duty.

Pte. Harold Precious (see 7^th June) who had suffered severe wounds to his right thigh and back on 7^th June was evacuated to England from 2^nd Canadian General Hospital at Le Treport; he would travel onboard the hospital ship St. David. On arrival he would be transferred to the East Leeds War Hospital.

Pte. Ernest Smith ((29167) see 7^th June) who had suffered wounds to his head and thigh on 7^th June, was evacuated from 26^th General Hospital at Etaples to England, traveling onboard the hospital ship Stad Antwerpen. On arrival he would be admitted to the Kitchener War Hospital in Brighton.

Temp. Major. Hugh William Lester MC (see 14^th June) was again transferred to 69^th Brigade Headquarters to work with Brig. Genl. Lambert (see 15^th June), replacing Capt. Lawrence who had gone to England on leave.

Image by kind permission of the Trustees of the DWR Musesum

Pte. James Edward Simpson (see 1^st June), serving with 3DWR at North Shields, was reported as having been, ‘absent from parading at the cookhouse at 4.30pm when orderly man’; he was ordered to be confined to barracks for three days.

Pte. Harold Wider (see 3^rd April), who had been in England since being wounded in January, was posted to 3DWR, en route to a return to active service.

The weekly edition of the Keighley News reported on the wounding of Pte. Joe Feather (see 7^th June):

Private Joe Feather, West Riding Regiment, eldest son of Mr. Robert Feather, auctioneer, of Keighley and Bradford, has been seriously wounded by shrapnel in the thigh, and is at present in hospital at Walmer, Kent.