Saturday 20th July 1918

Front line trenches north-west of Mount Kaberlaba.

Pte. Walter William Ford (see 29^th October 1917) departed on seven days’ leave to Lake Garda.

Sgt. Lionel Vickers (see 20^th June) was admitted to 23^rd Division Rest Station, suffering from a recurrence of the injury to his his knee which he had suffered whilst playing football in February; he would be discharged to duty after two days.

Pte. Tom Lister Ellison (see 24^th April) was reported for “being absent from billets and stating a falsehood to the Military Police”; on the orders of Maj. Edward Borrow DSO (see 5^th July) he would undergo seven days’ Field Punishment no.1.

Pte. Herbert Jacklin (see 1^st July), who had been wounded on 21^st June, was discharged from the Convalescent Depot at Lido d’Albano and posted to the Base Depot at Arquata Scrivia. 

Pte. Horace Trinder (see 27^th June), serving in France with 2^nd/4^th DWR, was wounded in action, suffering shrapnel wounds to his right buttock; he would be admitted to 12^th General Hospital at Rouen and would be posted back to England on 27^th July. 

Cpl. John Henry Crawshaw (see 10^th July), who had been in detention at Northern Command Depot at Ripon, appeared before a District Court Martial; he was charged with ‘conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline’ (details unspecified) and also with ‘when under arrest, escaping’. He would be found guilty on both charges but was orered simply to be reduced to the ranks and suffered no further punishment.

Lt. George Stuart Hulburd (see 30^th March) was examined by the Medical Officer at the Officer’s Command Depot at Eastbourne, where Hulburd had been serving in the Orderly Room. The official report of his examination requested that Hulburd should be re-examined by an Army Medical Board with a view to his being classified as category Cii. Under this category he would be regarded as fit for garrison duty at home, being “free from serious organic diseases; able to walk 5 miles, see and hear sufficiently for ordinary purposes”.

A request was made for Maj. Harry Robert Hildyard (see 1^st May) to be posted to Northern Command to undertake one month’s training in Assistant Provost duties. After some debate, authorisation was given for Hildyard to be posted as “there is no serving officer available in Northern Command and … it is desired to remove the Assistant to another area in this Command and no other officer, except Major Hildyard, is available to replace him”.

Esther Mary Heap, aged 59, died at home in Halifax as a result of ‘cardiac disease and bronchitis’; she was the mother of Pte. Fred Heap (see 29^th May).

The Halifax Weekley Courier reported news of the death of Pte. Alfred Baker (see 7^th July);

Private A. Baker (13230), WRR, who lived at 32 Victoria Street, Haley Hill, died suddenly during the night of July 6-7, the supposed cause of death being heart failure. Major W.N. Town with the Italian Expeditionary Force, has written to Mrs. Baker under date July 8. He states: “Your husband was going about apparently in his usual state of health on Saturday 6^th and was seen to come into camp about 9pm, and go to his tent. There was only one other man living in the tent and he was out on a working party that evening, and did not return until 2am. He went into the tent and laid down without making a light. On the morning of the 7^th he woke about 7 o’clock and tried to wake Pte. Baker.  He was unable to do so and called another man. They found he was dead. A doctor was called but was unable to state definitely the cause of death. He had apparently laid down just as he came in, as he was still wearing his equipment and box respirator. He was lying on his right side with his chest towards the ground, as though he had felt unwell and thrown himself down. It looked as if it was a case of heart failure or a fit”.