Saturday 15th September 1917

Bivouacs at Wood Camp, south of Reninghelst.

Lt. Paul James Sainsbury (see 8^th September), who had returned to France a week previously, reported for duty with 10DWR; he was promoted Temporary Captain.

Lt.Paul James Sainsbury

Thirteen men joined the Battalion on transfer from the Bedfordshire Regiment. They had arrived in France on 3^rd September, since when they had been at 17^th Infantry Base Depot at Calais. Pte. Joseph William Carter was a 19 year-old farm labourer from Radlett, Herts.; Pte. James Cobb, in the absence of a surviving service record I am unable to make a positive identification of this man; Pte. Alfred Henry Dobby was 19 years old and from Bedford; Pte. Harold Drury was 30 years old and from Worksop, where he had been the manager of a cycle and motor dealers shop; Pte. Charles Leslie Gooch was a 40 year-old coal merchant from Dagenham; he was married with four children; Pte. Lewis Larkins was a 20 year-old market gardener from Everton Heath, Beds.; Pte. William Stephen Nobbs was 19 years old and from Suffolk; Pte. Walter Norman was a 19 year-old nursery gardener from Willington, Beds.; Pte. James O’Herlihy was 25 years old and from Grimsby; Pte. William George Ruddock was a 28 year-old farmworker from Diss, Suffolk; Pte. Ernest Thorn was a 26 year-old paper mill worker from Hemel Hempstead. Pte. Frank Ernest Walton was 19 years old and from Luton; Pte. Alfred C. White, in the absence of a surviving service record I am unable to make a positive identification of this man.

Four other men also joined the Battalion. Pte. Jack Boulter; L.Cpl. Herbert Horatio Millican was a 19 year-old clerk from Great Yarmouth. He had joined the Northamptonshire Regiment in February 1915 and had been promoted Lance Corporal in November 1916. He had been posted to France on 20^th August 1917 and had been formally transferred to 10DWR on 11^th September. Pte. Jack Burton Waters; in the absence of a surviving service record I am unable to make a positive identification of this man; and Pte. Leonard Watling was a 19 year-old farm labourer from Diss, Suffolk; he had joined the Suffolk Regiment in August 1916 and had been posted to France on 27^th August 1917 before being formally transferred to 10DWR on 8^th September.

Orders were issued to 69^th Brigade for the forthcoming attack (these have been edited so as to focus on the part played by 10DWR)

1. The 23^rd Division will attack and capture the line J.15.d.40.90 to J.21.c.95.75 on a date and at a Zero Hour to be notified later. The attack will be in conjunction with simultaneous attacks on the whole Second and Fifth Army fronts, the 23^rd Division being on the left of the Fifth Army.

2. The enemy opposite the Divisional Front consists at present of the 32^nd (Saxon) Division.Each Regiment appears to have one Battalion in front line with one in close support, ready to counter-attack. The third Battalions of Regiments may be expected to arrive in about nine hours.

3. The objectives, Divisional boundaries and dividing lines are shown on the attached map A (see below). The 69^th Infantry Brigade will attack on the left, the 68^th Infantry Brigade on the right. The 70^th Infantry Brigade will be in Divisional Reserve. The forming up places of units are shown on the attached map B (see below). The 1^st Australian Division will attack on the left of the 69^th Infantry Brigade.

5. The 11^th West Yorkshire Regiment will capture and consolidate the whole German area up to the Red Line on the 69^th Brigade Front from Herenthage Chateau (inclusive) to FitzClarence Farm (inclusive) and will be responsible for clearing the German Aid Post at J.20.b.6.9. Touch with the 68^th Brigade and Australian 1^st Division is to be ensured at Herethage Chateau and FitzClarence Farm respectively.

There will be a pause of 45 minutes on the Red Line during which the 9^th Yorkshire Regiment will move into positions to pass through the Red Line. Movements should be by platoons in “Artillery Formation”, each party direct towards its own objective.

The 9^th Yorkshire Regiment will capture and consolidate the whole area in front of the Red Line up to the Blue Line, obtaining touch with 68^th Brigade at Kantintje Cabaret and with 1^st Australian Division north of the crossroads at J.15.c.4.7.

There will be 1 ½ hours pause on the Blue Line to enable 10^th Duke of Wellington’s Regiment to move forward preparatory to the assault of the Green Line. 

The 10^th Duke of Wellington’s will capture and consolidate the area in front of the Blue Line up to the Green Line, ensuring touch with 68^th Brigade at J.21.b.40.65 and with the 1^st Australian Division at Strong Point Q (J.15.d.35.80).

The 8^th Yorkshire Regiment will be in Brigade Reserve but will be moved up successively to replace the 10^th Duke of Wellington’s Regiment in front of the line Striling Castle – Clapham Junction. One Company will be at call of OC 10^th Duke of Wellington’s, the remainder only after reference to Brigade HQ.

7. The following strong points are ordered to be established; OC units will arrange for necessary material to be carried up.

(iii) Green Line

J.21.b.1.9 (strong point N) at a hedge.

J.15.d.4.5 (strong point O)

J.15.c.9.7 (strong point P) at Northampton Farm

J.15.d3.8 (strong point Q)

The above will be dealt with by 10^th Duke of Wellington’s.

8. The above strong points are mostly represented by strong dug-outs known to be recently occupied by the enemy. In addition to these the following approximate positions will require special attention by OC units concerned:

(iii) By 10^th Duke of Wellington’s 

(a) Trench and dug-outs about J.21.b.40.65

(b) Dug-outs at J.21.b.35.85

(c) Dug-outs about J.15.c.95.30

Special parties are to be detailed to clear out and occupy, if suitable, all the above positions. In addition it will be necessary for the whole area captured by each Battalion to be well searched in definite sections so that in no part may an enemy escape detection.

14. All three objectives will require the utmost efforts in intensive digging immediately after capture, especially on the Blue Line. This applies equally to all defence posts.

Every man must understand what his own objective is on the ground, how to get there, what to do on arrival and that, at whatever cost, he must reach, consolidate and hold his allotted post. It must be a point of honour that all ranks of each Battalion are to be found only in their own allotted areas or reinforcing others in front of them. This will simplify the re-organization of Companies. During the attack the rifle and bayonet will be relied on. Bombs are only to be used in case the Germans offer resistance in a captured dug-out or strong point. Rifle grenades are to be freely used by detailed sections against enemy strong points that give trouble.

15. HQ 10^th Duke of Wellington’s at J.13.d.4.1

Amendment to Brigade orders 

1. For the attack on the Green Line Area one Company will be detailed by OC 8^th Yorkshire Regiment to advance with 10^th Duke of Wellington’s Regt. Under the orders of the OC the latter Regt. This Company will cross the Blue Line in the vicinity of strong point J and will be responsible for the capture, consolidation and defence of strong points P and Q and of that part of the Green Line lying north of the road (inclusive) running from strong point J towards strong point O (inclusive). This Company will be also responsible for providing a standing patrol to move out from strong point Q after its capture to watch the valley of the Reutelbeek.

2. One Company 8^th Yorkshire Regiment will be detailed by OC 8^th Yorkshire Regiment as a reserve to OC 10^th Duke of Wellington’s Regiment and will move immediately in rear of the latter Battalion to the line of dug-outs north of strong point I which it will take over from 9^th Yorkshire Regiment. This Company will carry with it to form a dump for use by OC 10^th Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, 25 shovels and 10 picks; 20 coils of barbed wire; 50 long screw pickets; 25 short screw pickets.

6. The moves of the 10^th Duke of Wellington’s to the trenches in front of the line Clapham Junction – Stirling Castle, and of the 8^th Yorkshire Regiment to Jam Support etc., and thence forward, will commence at Zero by small parties.

7. In the event of tanks being available four will pass at Zero, north of Clapham Junction, two being directed along the north edge of Inverness Copse to Strong Point J and two down the Menin Road.

At home in Huddersfield, Ruth Taylor, wife of Pte. Joseph Barber Taylor (see 2^nd February) gave birth to the couple’s fourth daughter; the child would be named Marjorie.

A payment of £2 10s. 4d. was authorised, being the amount due in pay and allowances to the late Pte. Harold Firth (see 23^rd May), who had been killed in action on 23^rd May; the payment would go to his father, Sam.