Wednesday 1st August 1917

Billets between Zudausques and Boisdinghem.

The recent heavy rain continued. The Battalion would be engaged in musketry and field training for the next week.

In a letter home to his wife Brig. Genl. Lambert (see 30^th July) remarked, very presciently, on the heavy rain of the previous day and on the difficulties it would create in the renewed British attacks around Ypres (the Third Battle of Ypres, or Passchendaele); “It has been pouring steadily for the last 24 hours or so and puts our outdoor work at a difficulty. Still worse it will make the British attack which started yesterday much harder to carry on. The Hun has been lucky on these occasions and as a result of this weather he may still be able to hang on better than he would otherwise do. The country must be a quagmire to advance over and guns etc. are very difficult to move”. The restrictions imposed by the weather were also commented on in the Brigade War Diary, “hardly any work is possible owing to the continued rain during the first few days of the month”.

Cpl. John Henry Crawshaw (see 6^th February) departed for England on ten days’ leave.

Pte. Fred Heppinstall (see 21^st July), who had spent ten days in hospital in Hazebrouck suffering from boils, was transferred to 7^th Canadian Stationary Hospital at Arques.

Lt. Philip Howard Morris (see 11^th July), and Pte. Harold Walker Bray (see 12^th June), both of whom had been wounded on 7^th June, joined 3DWR at North Shields. 

Pte. Eastwood Wilkinson (see 19^th October 1916) was posted from Northern Command Depot at Ripon to join 3DWR at North Shields.

Pte. Menhell Hudson (see 5^th April), who had been posted back to England five months previously, was transferred from Northern Command Depot at Ripon to 83^rd Training Reserve Battalion at Gateshead, prior to a return to active service.

George Thistlethwaite (see 23^rd July 1915) who, along with his brother John William Thistlethwaite (see 23^rd July 1915) had been discharged from the Army as unfit having been among Tunstill’s original recruits, was recalled to the Army and would join the Royal Field Artillery. George had originally been discharged after just 26 days in training, on account of ‘general debility’.

 

Gnr. George Thistlethwaite

An inquest was held into the death of of Gnr. John George Waggitt (see 31^st July), whose body had been recovered, the previous day, from shallow water just below the bridge at Heber's Ghyll, on the edge of Ilkley Moor. He was the brother of L.Cpl. Willie Waggitt (see 31^st July), who had been killed at Le Sars in October 1916. A report of the inquest would subsequently be published in the Craven Herald;

“The inquest was held at the Conservative Club, Addingham, on Wednesday afternoon and was presided over by Mr. Edgar Wood, coroner.

John Waggitt, identified the body as that of his son, John George Waggitt. He was a driver in the Canadian Field Artillery, and was 23 years of age. He had come home from France early on Monday morning on leave. He stayed at home until 2.30 and then went down to Ilkley. They expected him back in the evening. He last saw him at the Listers' Arms, Ilkley, about 6.30. He asked him to come home, but he said he was tired of riding; he would walk home and be there as soon as him. He had only one friend with him, a civilian. He was sober and he did not think he ever tasted anything to drink. He had not been to bed since leaving France. Heber's Ghyll, where he was found, was on his way home. He was a very steady young man.

Sergeant Goldthorpe, stationed at Ilkley, said he saw the deceased at 12.10 a.m. in Grove Road, Ilkley. He was sat on a seat fast asleep. He woke him up; he was quite sober, but he could tell he had had a drink. He talked to him about 20 minutes, because at first he would keep dropping asleep as he was talking to him. He said he had come home from the Front and he was very tired; he had had no sleep. He said, "I had better be going home, my people will be waiting up and they will be very uneasy." He picked up his spurs saying he had no idea he had taken them off. He saw him set off home, saying he would just get home by one o'clock. He heard him going straight away, and he was quite capable of taking care of himself. It was not very dark, light enough to see for 50 yards ahead. There was no one else about. It was about three-quarters of a mile from where he left him to where he was found. He walked quite steadily when he set off.

Arthur Hornby Bland, Burley-in-Wharfedale, gardener, said he found the body just below the bridge of Heber's Ghyll lying in shallow water face downwards at 9.30 on Tuesday morning. There was a steep bank and a drop from the bridge of 20 feet, and 12 feet down the bank-side sloping to the water. He thought he might have fallen down the bank and then rolled in. His cap was lying against his feet. There was no sign of there having been any struggling on the bank.

Inspector Bell said he recovered the body, and it was in the position described by last witness. Deceased appeared to have been dead some time. He thought he had fallen from the bridge top straight into the water. He was in the middle of the gully and it was about five yards wide, and he was lying in the position he would expect to find him if he had fallen off the bridge. His head was down the stream and his feet towards the bridge. There were no signs of anything on the bank, which was soft and mossy, and it would have been easy to see if there had been any struggling. He was lying opposite the bridge. He had £14 11s. 6d. on him. The water was about 18 inches deep where his head was.

Dr. Crabtree, Addingham, said he saw the body on Tuesday evening, and he could not find anything to account for the death of deceased except drowning. He had a bruise on the lower border of the ribs on the right side; he thought it had been done in the fall, but it would not cause death. He might have been winded by the fall, but he thought he had died from suffocation by drowning.

The Coroner, in summing up, said the last time deceased was seen he was quite sober, but overborne for want of sleep and he had no doubt fallen off the bridge into the water and accidently drowned. The jury returned the verdict 'Accidently fell into the water and was drowned.' The Coroner and jury expressed their deep sympathy with the bereaved family”.