Friday 17th August 1917

Billets near Moulle.

A fine bright morning, which developed into a hot and sunny day.

Sgt. Fred Metcalfe was admitted to 4^th Stationary Hospital at Arques suffering from dental caries; he would discharge to duty after eight days. He had been an original member of 10DWR (13032), having enlisted on 8^th September 1914. On enlisting he was 28 years old, married and living with his wife and three children in Beamsley, near Skipton, where he worked as a woodman.

Sgt. Harry Raistrick (see 12^th June), Cpls. George Heeley (see 10^th August) and Thomas Anthony Swale (see 3^rd July) and Ptes. Joseph Dent (see 29^th December 1916), Albert Edon (see 28^th March), Henry Fielding (see 12^th December 1916) and Clifford Gough (see 25^th August 1916), departed on ten days’ leave to England.

A.Sgt. Thomas Walsh (see 8^th June) was posted back to England; he would have a period of leave before beginning a course of officer training. Whilst on leave his address was to be 7 Brook Street, Clitheroe.

A.Sgt. Thomas Walsh (seated), with (left to right) Sgt. Luke Dawson, CSM Charles Edgar Parker MM and Sgt. Benson (unidentified)

Image by kind permission of Henry Bolton

Pte. Joseph Holmes (see 15^th June) was admitted to 70^th Field Ambulance, suffering from entiritis; he would be discharged and re-join the Battalion after one week.

Pte. Thomas Henry Wood (see 5^th July) was admitted to 70^th Field Ambulance, suffering from influenza.

Pte. Clifford Midwood (see 11^th June), serving with 1^st/5^th DWR, suffered the effects of gas poisoning; the details of his treatment are unknown but he remained in France with his Battalion.

Pte. Herbert Burgess (see 28^th July), serving with 83^rd Training Reserve Battalion at Gateshead, was appointed Acting Corporal.

Pte. Ronald Bray (see 11^th July), who had been wounded in July while serving with the Divisional Machine Gun Company, was discharged from 4^th London General Hospital; he would have ten days’ leave before reporting to Northern Command Depot on 27^th August.

Capt. Leo Frederick Reincke (see 4^th August), who had served with 10DWR for eight months between October 1916 and June 1917 before being transferred to the Royal Flying Corps as an observer, was mortally wounded whilst on patrol with 48^th Squadron in France. The Bristol F.2. fighter in which he was an observer, was attacked while on patrol and although the pilot, 2Lt. H.F. Gough, was able to bring the aircraft home, Reincke died of his wounds. He would be buried at Zuydcoote Military Cemetery near Dunkirk. 

Sgt. Arthur Manks (see 13^th August), serving with 1^st (Garrison) Battalion King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, was severely reprimanded having been reported for “irregular conduct when in charge of a prisoner, ie, allowing him to proceed to his home and take intoxicating liquour”.

The weekly edition of the Craven Herald reported news of the official acceptance of the death of Pte. Percy Wharton (see 3^rd November 1916); he was the brother of Sergt. Allan Wharton (see 1^st June), who had been one of Tunstill’s orginal volunteers but was now serving with the Northumberland Fusiliers:

EARBY - MISSING MAN'S DEATH PRESUMED

The Army Council have sent to Mr. and Mrs. M. Wharton, 8, George Street, Earby, an official intimation presuming the death in France of their youngest son, Private Percy Wharton, Duke of Wellington's Regiment, who had been missing since September 3rd of last year. He was 22 years of age and unmarried. Before enlisting he was employed at Messrs. A. J. Birley's Ltd. as a weaver. Mr. and Mrs. Wharton have two sons still in France who have been there two years, and two in training in England. A son-in-law (Rifleman Robert Duxbury) has been missing since May 12th, and another son-in-law is serving in India.