Friday 1st October 1915

Billeted in huts near Rue Marle.

The weather remained generally wet and chilly, though nights were clear and frosty.

Battalion HQ was ordered to move to the Bois Grenier Line and Lt. Col. Bartholomew (see 13^th September) took command of the section of the Bois Grenier running roughly from Bois Grenier village itself, north-east in the direction of Chapelle d'Armentieres. This move seems to have been undertaken in anticipation of a possible German attack, as orders were issued for the Companies to be prepared to launch an immediate counter-attack if the front line trenches were assaulted.

Major Buchanan (see 30^th September) returned to Rue Marle, taking command of the two Companies (A and B) which remained there.  

Whilst holding their section of the Bois Grenier Line, C and D Companies lost one man killed and another man was wounded. The man killed was Pte. Allan Hiley; he is buried at Brewery Orchard Cemetery, Bois Grenier. He was a 20 year-old shop assistant from Leeds.

Cpl. Thomas Walsh (see 25^th September) was evacuated to England for further treatment to his wounds. He was initially treated at North Evington War Hospital, Leicester; he would re-join the Company nine months later.  

The weekly edition of The Ilkley Gazette published notice of the death of Pte. William Hartley Emmott (see 20^th September):

One Burley Soldier Killed, Another Missing

Private William Hartley Emmott, of the 10^th Battalion Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment, has been killed in France by the bursting of a shrapnel shell. Emmott only went out to the front about a month ago. In a letter to his parents at Burley-in-Wharfedale, the chaplain of the regiment writes to say that Emmott was buried the same day by his sorrowing comrades amidst the sound of the guns. Private Emmott’s brother, Edward, who was in the same regiment, was wounded in the early stages of the war, and after a short stay in England he returned to fight at Hill 60, since when he has been reported as missing. Another brother, Tom, is a Lance Corporal in the same regiment and a fourth brother, George, is in the Army Ordnance Corps.

Thursday 30th September 1915

Billeted in huts near Rue Marle

C and D Companies (along with one Company from the Brigade pioneer battalion, 9^th South Staffs.) were ordered to occupy a section of the Bois Grenier Line running roughly from Bois Grenier village itself, north-east in the direction of Chapelle d'Armentieres, relieving 8^th Yorkshires who had been holding those positions since their withdrawal from the front line on 27^th September. The two Companies were under the command of 2IC, Major Lewis Ernest Buchanan (see 13^th September). 

Photograph from the collection of Capt. H.L. Oakley, 8th Yorkshires; by kind permission of Jerry Rendell (for more on Capt. Oakley see Jerry's excellent book, Profiles of the First World War/; The Silhouettes of Captain H.L. Oakley

Photograph from the collection of Capt. H.L. Oakley, 8th Yorkshires; by kind permission of Jerry Rendell (for more on Capt. Oakley see Jerry's excellent book, Profiles of the First World War/; The Silhouettes of Captain H.L. Oakley

Sketch by Capt. H.L. Oakley, 8th Yorkshires; by kind permission of Jerry Rendell (for more on Capt. Oakley see Jerry's excellent book, Profiles of the First World War/; The Silhouettes of Captain H.L. Oakley

Pte. William Henry Bower was admitted to 4^th Stationery Hospital at Arques, suffering from scabies; he would be discharged to duty and re-join the Battalion on 4^th October. He was a 21 year-old woolcomber from Girlington, Bradford and had married in April 1915.

Pte. Willie Burley who had been wounded on 22^nd September and evacuated to England (see also 24^th September) died at 1^st Eastern General Hospital, Cambridge. He was nineteen years old and he would be buried at St. Mary’s, Walmer, Kent, near the home of his closest relative, an unmarried sister.

Wednesday 29th September 1915

Billeted in huts near Rue Marle.

The War Diary commented simply, “Nothing to report. Good news continues to arrive from all sides”

However, it was also noted that the weather had turned significantly colder.

Pte. Tom Jackson Tindall (see 11^th September) was appointed Lance Corporal.

Tuesday 28th September 1915

Billeted in huts near Rue Marle

Pte. John Etchells (see below) was reported by Pte. Robert William John Morris (see 23rd September) as having had a ‘dirty rifle on parade’; on the orders of Capt. Robert Harwar Gill (see 27^th August) he would be confined to barracks for two days. Pte. Willie Parkin (see 11^th September) was reported by Sgt. John Edward King (see below) as having ‘dirty equipment on parade’; on the orders of Capt. Gill he would be confined to barracks for three days. John Etchells had been an original member of the Battalion; he was a 42 year-old labourer from Uppermill and had previously served with the King’s Own Royal Lancasters. John Edward King was 43 years old, married with three children, and had been working as a labourer before re-joining the army. He had been an original member of 10DWR, having previously served with 1DWR and two years with 4DWR. He would subsequently (date and details unknown) be transferred to 1^st Infantry Labour Company, Lincolnshire Regiment.

The men continued to rest and doubtless others, like Pte. Harry Horner (see 27^th September) wrote home with news of their experiences. One man who appears to have done so was Pte. Charlie Branston (see 5^th September). He  sent home two postcard images of himself to his married sister, Ellen, along with news of his progress which Ellen then evidently passed on to (most likely) Charlie’s mother. She included the news that Charlie, “has been hit with a piece of shell on his boot but is now worse”.

The comment about the absence of a picture of ‘Tom’ doubtless refers to Charlie’s cousin, Tommy Cartman, with whom he had grown up and had enlisted in September 1914.

Pte. Harry Holmes (see 31^st July) was promoted (unpaid) Lance Corporal.

Monday 27th September 1915

Billeted in huts near Rue Marle

The men rested in their billets and recovered from their exertions of the previous days. The sense of relief after such a harsh and prolonged introduction to trench life is clear from their letters, but so also is their commitment to their task. Pte. Harry Horner (see 25^th September) told his family that,

“On Sunday morning we were very glad to hear the news that we were going out of the trenches, as we had had enough of them. It was our first time in. We were brought right up into the firing line and there we stayed for twelve days.

I am very thankful that I am able to write this letter to you, as I did not think one of us would come out of the trenches alive, after what we have been through these last few days. … The trench which we came out of into the road was full of clay and water which we had to go through. When we had got through it we were all wet through and covered with clay from head to foot. Now we have got our clothes clean, and we have got a good sleep, which we were very much in need of, as we have not much chance of sleep when we are in the trenches. … We are in the best of health and feeling very well and fit and will soon be ready for going back into the trenches again after a few more days rest”. 

J.B. Priestley, in a letter to his family, also found positives in his recent experiences, “I have seen some terrible sights, and endured some hardships, but believe me, I never lost my nerve and, strange to say, I felt a strange exultation of the soul at the expense of the body. Do not be afraid for me; I am not afraid. I suppose I am a man now, and am certainly going through an ordeal. Perhaps it would be as well if everybody went through some test of manhood”.

Harry Horner also reflected more generally on conditions,

“We have to cook our own food when we are in the trenches; we get a fresh supply daily. I have eaten meat that I could not have thought of eating at home, and we have washed ourselves in water in which about a hundred had washed in.

There are people still living in the houses about two miles behind the trenches, and some of them get shells every day; but most of the houses are blown down. At night, when it is dark, the Germans send up a lot of star shells, which light up all round, so that they can see our trenches or any working party which might be out.

We are now about three miles south of where Capt. Preston** lies buried. There are graves where soldiers have been buried all round about here. There is one very near the huts where we are now staying”.

**Captain Thomas Haworth Preston, who like Harry Horner, was from Long Preston, had been killed on 17^th November 1914 while serving with 1^st Battalion, East Lancs Regiment. He is buried at Lancashire Cottage Cemetery.

Pte. Joseph Harry Poole (see 22^nd September) also wrote home about recent events, and part of his letter would be published in the Halifax Courier: “Just a line to let you know that we have been relieved from the trenches for a few days, after 11 days and nights in the first line. It was a bit of a shock to us all when they were bombarding us and the shells were bursting all around us. I had a very narrow escape of being hit. A shell burst quite close to me. I just got a bit in my arm but it was nothing, but I felt the sand go right through my trousers after the explosion. When I looked round I found I had only been missed by a foot, for, close to me, were two holes in the brick platform where we stand to fire from. Our Company lost five men and one young fellow got hit in our trench in the right leg with a piece of shrapnel, and had to have it taken off. Then there were two chaps, both married men, lost their lives”.

During more than three years of further service the Battalion would never again serve such a prolonged tour in the front line.

Pte. Joseph Simpson (see 25^th September), having been treated firstly at 69^th Field Ambulance and subsequently at 12^th Casualty Clearing Station at Hazebrouck, was invalided back to England onboard the hospital ship, Asturias. He went on to be treated at Winwick (check??) Military Hospital, Warrington. His wound eventually resulted in the amputation of two thirds of his right index finger; he never re-joined the Company. 

Sunday 26th September 1915

Front line trenches near Bois Grenier.

Having served twelve days and nights in the trenches the men were now described as ‘completely worn out’.  Trench conditions had become increasingly difficult as the weather deteriorated and the men were covered from head to foot in mud. Fortunately, on the morning of 26 September a Brigade order was received to the effect that the Battalion would be relieved by 11th Battalion West Yorks. 

Pte. Harry Waller (see 25^th September) wrote to his family describing conditions, “The night before the attack (ie 24^th September) it began to rain and it kept it up till this morning when it cleared again but the trenches are in a horrible state: ankle deep and sometimes knee deep in mud and water. I am wet through from the knees downward and plastered with mud from head to foot. We are leaving the trenches tonight for a rest which we badly need, as we have not had above five hours’ sleep in the twenty-four since we came in. I am still feeling ‘as fit as a fiddle’ and have not had a scratch up to now. Give my regards to all in Todmorden”.

Pte. Harry Waller

The day passed quietly and a series of encouraging reports were received about the progress of the advance. Finally, at 7.30 pm the men began to make their way out of the trenches and towards their billets near Rue Marle, a mile and a half north-west of Bois Grenier. Despite the communication trenches being mired in mud (the War Diary of 11^th West Yorkshires stated: “Relief much hampered by mud in the trenches and bad roads to communication trench”), by 11.30 pm all men were clear of the trenches and all were settled in their billets soon after midnight. The billets comprised of small, purpose-built, huts, each of which housed twenty-four men.

Pte. James Leonard Bloomer (see 24^th September), who had been wounded two days previously, was evacuated to England from hospital at Camiers; on arrival in England he weould be admitted to Norfolk War Hospital, Norwich.

Pte. Albert Henry Nutter (see 21^st May), who was on leave while training with 11DWR at Brocton Camp, Staffs. and was shortly to join 10DWR, was married at Holy Trinity Church, Halifax, to Ethel Amps.

Pte. Albert Henry Nutter

Saturday 25th September 1915

Front line trenches near Bois Grenier.

At 4.25 am the British attack at the Battle of Loos was launched and the Battalion provided support as they had rehearsed the previous morning but with the addition also of machine gun fire and smoke bombs. The bombardment began on time and the massive British assault to the south went forward. In the event that the British assault further south secured all its objectives then the plan for III Corps envisaged an attack along a broad front from Bois Grenier in the north, where 10DWR would take the lead, to Aubers Ridge in the south. The ferocity of the exchanges was noted in a subsequent letter home by Tunstill’s Man, Pte. Harry Horner (see 24^th September);

“About 4.30 last Saturday morning all was very quiet and a few minutes later our big guns opened fire and then the German guns started, and shells came falling down like rain. What with the noise of our shells passing over us and the German shells coming on us, on all sides, we did not know where we were, and every minute we thought we should be blown up into the air.

Then we got the order to open fire on the Germans. Just at first we did not like to put our heads up over our trench, but we knew we had to do it, and with a cool mind we all started firing. After the bombardment was over and the smoke cleared away we could see the German trenches and most of them were blown to bits with our shells. We seemed to be firing better shells than the Germans, as most of ours were high explosives. … After we had been firing a few minutes we had no fear of the shells, for we all fired as hard as we could till our rifles were red hot and we could not hold them, not thinking of any danger or of being hit with the shells. We were very lucky in our trench, as not one of us was hit, but all the time shells were dropping very near us. Two shells dropped right on the front of our trench while we were firing, and goodness knows how we missed being blown to bits, as it sent sandbags and things flying into the air and filled our eyes with dust. The bombardments lasted for about three hours and for that time we hardly knew where we were, only we were firing away at the German trenches. We were all very thankful when we found ourselves all in the trench and unhurt.

The trenches which we were holding were the nearest point to the German trenches and on our right the trenches were a long way back. They wanted to get the trenches on our right in a line with ours; so we were firing on the Germans to keep them from firing on our men who were attacking the German trenches on our right. As far as we know all went very well and they took a lot of the trenches as well as prisoners, and for this last week on this front we have done very well”.

Another of Tunstill’s men, Pte. Johnny Smith (see 21^st September) also wrote to his family about his experiences:

“We had two very fierce bombardments, the worst on Saturday morning. They started about 4.30 and kept at it until after 11 o’clock, and there were thousands of shells fired, but our chaps fired a lot more than they did, and did a lot more damage, hitting their trenches nearly every time and blew them to blazes. It seemed like one mass of fire all along the line. We had to hold our trenches while those on the right advanced, which was a great success. We did not get off scot free. They dropped a lot of shells all about the trenches, and we had some casualties, but were lucky not to have more. The artillery chaps told us it was the hottest they had had”. 

Pte. Harry Waller (see 19^th September) also wrote about the days’ events,

“… there was a terrific bombardment. They say it was the heaviest of the war. The artillery bombarded the German lines for four hours and, of course, the Germans did a bit back. We had all the weapons of modern warfare except gas and liquid fire. It was simply horrible. Talk about noise, it was worse than an iron foundry and a dozen weaving sheds in the same building. Our guns were simply pouring shelld into the German lines; we were exploding mines in their front line trenches; machine guns were cracking on both sides; and rifles were being fired by the thousand. The Germans were exploding star shells to see what we were doing and we were exploding smokie bombs to prevent them seeing anything. It all began just before Dawn in pitch darkness so you can imagine it was just about as rotten as anything could be. Later on, when it got light, aeroplanes were buzzing about, trying to see how it was going”.

Despite the optimistic tone of Ptes. Horner, Smith and Waller, the main British attack further south had, in fact, faltered after a promising beginning and no orders were received for 10DWR to advance; they remained in their positions for the rest of the day. 

However they were subjected to a ferocious and sustained artillery response from the Germans and the artillery exchanges continued unabated for more than nine hours. The majority of the German shells landed behind the British fire trenches and the Battalion suffered only fourteen casualties; two of them were described as serious and indeed one man died while being treated at the Field Ambulance Unit. The man who died was Pte. Seth Bancroft of D Company; he would be buried at Erquinghem-Lys Churchyard Extension. He was 21 years old and from Haworth. News of his death would reach his family in a letter from a comrade, L.Cpl. George Peacock. He was also an original member of the Battalion, having joined, aged 20, in September 1914. Having previously served four years with 6^th (Territorial) Battalion, he had been promoted Acting Corporal whilst the Battalion was in training in England and further promoted during service in France. He was originally from Durham but had been living with his parents and five siblings in Haworth, where he had worked as a weaver.

L.Cpl. George Peacock

Image by kind permission of 'MenofWorth'

Lt. Dick Bolton (see 15^th September) later reflected that, ‘It was really miraculous how few casualties were suffered but these early losses were keenly felt’.  

J.B. Priestley referred to the casualties in a letter home, “On Saturday morning we were subjected to a fearful bombardment by the German heavy artillery – they simply rained shells and our artillery rained them back – and there we were, the poor, long-suffering infantry, crouched in our trenches, expecting each moment to be our last. One shell burst right in our trench – and it was a miracle that so few – only four – were injured. The man next to me had his finger broken, but I escaped with a little piece of flesh torn out of my thumb. Nothing serious at all – I bandaged it up myself when I attended to my neighbour. But poor Murphy – your Murphy you know – got a shrapnel wound in the head, a horrible great hole, and the other two were the same. They were removed soon after and I don’t know how they are going on”. ‘Murphy’ was L.Cpl. William Murphy (see 7^th April); he had, as Priestley indicated, suffered a serious head wound and would be evacuated to one of the local Casualty Clearing Stations (details unknown). On admission it would be noted that he was ‘only semiconscious and almost completely blind; no paralysis; rendered unconscious for several day’. The following day an operation would be carried out ‘for removal of depressed fragments and a large haemhorrage from the posterior end of the superior long sinus’. At some point (date and details unknown) he would be transferred to 13^th General Hospital at Boulogne. 

Among the lesser casualties were at least two of Tunstill’s Men. Pte. Joseph Simpson, the man who had been admonished for knocking fruit out of the trees whilst the Battalion was in training at Nort-Leulingham, (see 5^th September) suffered an injury to his right hand and Cpl. Thomas Walsh (see 9^th August) suffered serious shrapnel wounds to his left buttock. Both were treated initially at 69^th Field Ambulance Unit. Also wounded was Cpl. David Hanton (see 1st May); he suffered wounds to his right hand and would be admitted via 69^th Field Ambulance to 3^rd Canadian Casualty Clearing Station, before being evacuated to England two days later onboard the Hospital Ship Asturia. The details of his treatment in England are unknown. Pte. Joseph Fitzgerald (see 6^th April) suffered shrapnel wounds to the back of his left hand. He was evacuated via 69^th Field Ambulance to 2^nd Casualty Clearing Station at Bailleul. Form there, next day, he would be taken by train to 9^th Stationary Hospital at Le Havre and from there, three days later, onboard the Hospital Ship Asturias, to England. The details of his treatment in England are unknown.  Pte. Robert Wilson Irving was shellshocked after being buried by a shell explosion; he was evacuated for treatment to a hospital in France (details unknown). Although not a member of Tunstill’s Company, he was an original member of the Battalion and had enlisted while working as a labourer in Bradford. He was 34 when he joined up and married with five children.

Reflecting on the events years later, Priestley remembered that, “we were in the front line, wearing full kit and so weighed down with extra cartridges and bombs we could hardly move, waiting to climb the scaling ladders, all along the fire trench. Over our heads, where the ladders would take us, invisible express trains seemed to be passing both ways, there was such an unceasing exchange of shells. Once up the ladders and out of the trench, I felt a cat would not live five minutes. But the luck was in – I had a lucky war – and because the attack on our right had not gained sufficient ground we were never thrown into the assault, stayed where we were, and saw the scaling ladders taken away”.

On completion of his four weeks’ sentence for desertion, Pte. Arthur Walton (see 20^th August) was appointed Acting Lance Corporal.

The weekly edition of The Keighley News carried a report on the death of Pte. Raymond Tilbrook (see 16^th September):

DEATH OF PRIVATE R. D. TILBROOK

Private R.D. Tilbrook of Vernon Street, Cross Roads, of “A” Company, 4^th Platoon, 10^th West Riding Regiment, who left England for France on Thursday August 26, has been reported killed while taking supplies to the trenches on the British front during the night of Thursday September 16^th. He was killed instantly by machine gunshot at 10 o’clock and was buried the day afterwards in the neighbouring village cemetery. Writing to Mrs. Tilbrook, early this week, the chaplain of the company conveys the deepest sympathy of the officers and men, and says that the funeral was attended by Private Tilbrook’s comrades, several of whom enlisted with him a year ago from Keighley and district. He also states that orders have been given for a cross to be erected on the grave, on which will be inscribed Private Tilbrook’s name and rank etc. From Lance-Corporal R.C. Chorley also a message of condolence has been received by the widow, with the regrets of the whole of the members of the platoon who, he says, held Private Tilbrook in the highest esteem. His age was 30, and he was the youngest son of the late Mr. Fred Tilbrook, for many years curator of the Holycroft School, Keighley, and of Mrs. Tilbrook, late of Gladstone Street, Keighley. Another brother, John, is at present in training with the 18^th West Yorkshire Regiment. Private Tilbrook will be well remembered by many friends in the South Ward of Keighley. He was assistant in the Co-Operative Stores at Lund Park, and at the time of enlistment manager of the Utley Co-Operative Stores. He leaves a widow and one child.

The family of Pte. Arthur Stubbs received a letter written by Cpl. Billy Oldfield (see 22^nd September), informing them of the fact that Pte. Stubbs had been wounded.

Friday 24th September 1915

Front line trenches near Bois Grenier.

The Battalion was due to provide support on the extreme left of the British assault in the Battle of Loos which was scheduled to begin at 4.25 am on Saturday 25^th September. Exactly twenty-four hours earlier a final brief rehearsal was to take place and orders to this effect were received at 1 am on 24^th. In accordance with these orders the Battalion was in position by 4 am. At 4.25 am the Battalion opened up with rapid rifle fire against the German positions opposite but machine guns were not deployed so as not give away their positions. The firing lasted for seven minutes, during which the Germans sent up many flares. However, it was only when the British ceased firing that the Germans responded with a number of heavy shells and ‘whizz-bangs’. There was limited damage to the trenches and the Battalion suffered only five (minor) casualties. Following the early morning exchanges, quiet returned until around 9 am when an artillery duel commenced. The British guns maintained a steady bombardment of the enemy's lines, apparently doing much damage to their parapets. In reply the Germans shelled the British communication trenches. In the midst of this duel one man from D Company was shot and killed by a sniper and one other man was wounded. The man killed was Pte. Albert Flitcroft; he was from Oldham, a 44 year-old married man with nine children. He had previously served with the Territorials and had been woking as a ‘jobber’ at the Royton Ring Mill. He would be buried at Brewery Orchard Cemetery, Bois Grenier. The wounded man was Pte. James Leonard Bloomer, who suffered a wound to his left hand which would result in the amputation of a finger; he was evacuated to hospital at Camiers. Bloomer was a 20 year-old baker from Halifax; he had enlisted in February 1915.

In the evening, orders were received for gaps to be cut in the British wire to facilitate any assault which might be ordered next day and parties from all Companies duly passed over the parapet and cut a series of openings. Overnight the weather continued wet, with a stiff breeze blowing and the Battalion conducted their preparations for the assault planned for the following morning. All Companies were to be in position and ready by 4 am on Saturday 25^th September for a possible assault on the German lines; this would depend on the progress made by 8^th Division assault troops further south. In preparation, adjustments were made to the Battalion’s dispositions. B Company was withdrawn from the front line to the ‘relieving’ trench, immediately in rear of A Company and C Company was brought forward from the Bois Grenier line, in support of D Company. A and D Companies extended to their left and right respectively, to take over the front line trenches vacated by B Company. In the event of attack Companies were to advance in two lines, fifty yards apart, and with a further 200 yards between Companies.

Each man was to be in marching order, with 200 rounds of ammunition and with his pack containing only three sandbags, a jersey and a waterproof sheet. Men were warned to have their gas helmets at the ready, in the event of gas being used by either side. These new ‘tube-helmets’ had only recently been issued to the troops and the appearance they gave to the men wearing them caused one officer of the Division to comment,

“One wonders whether the designers of anti-gas appliances were influenced solely by ideas of protection, or if they also sought the same moral effect in which the bearskins and busbies of the old European armies had their origin. The open countenance of the young British soldier is certainly not calculated to inspire terror in the enemy; the addition of a respirator merely suggested that he was asthmatic. But with his head tied up in a tube-helmet he presented a truly terrifying aspect”.

Companies were reminded also to ensure that all water bottles were filled and that each man was in possession of his day's rations and his iron rations. The remainder of each man’s kit was to be placed in a sandbag, marked with name, number and regiment and deposited close to Company HQ.

The lead men in each Company were also provided with the wire-cutters which would be needed to gain passage through the enemy wire. The crucial role of these men was acknowledged by the fact that they were to be identified by white tape, or some other clear mark on their shoulders, to ensure that if they became casualties, the men nearest to them would take up the wire-cutters. Half of the men were also to carry a shovel, slung over the left shoulder, and the other half were to have their entrenching tool, already assembled, in their belts; any successful advance against the enemy trenches would require a swift consolidation of the newly-won positions. Separate orders were also given to the bombers; A Company’s bombers were to be in the first line, ready to advance, along with those from B, whereas bombers from C and D were to be deployed in firing the smoke balls which were to be used to obscure the British attacks once they were underway. Ammunition carriers, stretcher-bearers and signallers all received their own instructions.

The deteriorating weather conditions were also making life difficult for the men, as commented on by Pte. Harry Horner (see 21^st September), “We had two days’ rain which made the trenches very dirty, as they were full of water, which we had to stand and walk about in. It must have been very bad for the men who were in the trenches out here last winter. Those at home in England do not know half of what they must have suffered”.

J.B. Priestley also wrote to his family with news of the conditions; he described, “wretched weather – cold and wet. We were up to the knees in water and covered with mud from head to foot. Our boots, puttees and trousers – which we have never been able to take off – were firmly fastened together with a layer of mud … in the last four days I don’t think I’d eight hours sleep altogether. It’s frightfully difficult to walk in the trenches owing to the slippery nature of things, the most appalling thing is to see the stretcher bearers trying to get the wounded men to the dressing station”.

Pte. H. Holdsworth, B. Section, 69 Field Ambulance, R.AMC., wrote to the family of Pte. Arthur Stubbs who had been wounded, along with Ptes. Willie Burley and Ernest Franklin two days earlier (see 22^nd September) According to The Craven Herald, the letter reported that, ‘young Stubbs was getting on very well and bearing his pain with fortitude and endurance, and further, that his chums had spoken about his brave manner and how cheerful he was. He has been removed from the Field Hospital, but it is hoped that medical skill will save his shattered limb from amputation’.   In the event, this proved impossible and Arthur Stubbs’ leg was amputated; he was formally discharged from the Army almost a year later (2^nd September 1916). 

The same newspaper report referred to the fact that, “of Willie Burley's progress there is no information”. In fact, Willie Burley was evacuated to England to be treated in 1^st Eastern General Hospital, Cambridge. 

Ernest Franklin’s wounds were such that he never returned to service with his Battalion, but he did recover sufficiently to be transferred (date unknown) to serve with the Labour Corps.

Thursday 23rd September 1915

Front line trenches near Bois Grenier.

The bombardment of the German lines continued and the War Diary reported, “enemy’s parapet breasted in many places”.

Orders were received for a ‘false alarm’ to be raised at 8 pm in order to try to draw German troops onto their parapet; ”‘the Bde Grenadier officer will fire rockets. The men in the front trenches will cheer and wave their bayonets as if about to attack. Having got the enemy to man the parapets, there will be one round of Gun Fire throughout the Corps against the hostile parapet”.  It was observed that,’ as there was a thunderstorm in progress at the time it was difficult to judge to what extent the ruse succeeded’.

Sgt. Robert William John Morris (see 16^th September), who had been under arrest for the previous week having been reported for ‘neglecting to obey Battalion trench orders in that he entered a dugout at night’ appeared before a Field General Court Martial. He was found guilty and ordered to be reduced to the ranks and to imprisoned, with hard labour, for three months. The sentence would be reviewed and confirmed at Brigade level, but with remission of the term of imprisonment; Morris would remain with the Battalion.

A/Cpl. Wilfred Hall (see 11^th September) was promoted Sergeant.

The mother of Pte. William Hissett (see 11^th September) wrote to the War Office regarding her son, “I have a son enlisted in Kitchener’s Army and he has been sent to the trenches and as he is not yet 19 years of age I would like him out of the army until he is of age as I think he is too young to be in the trenches and if you would kindly see into this matter and oblige”.  The War Office noted the letter but, also noted that ‘mother informed her request could not be acceded to”.

The Newcastle Daily Journal published a request for donations to support the purchase of equipment for the men of 23^rd Division:

“Mrs. Babington, wife of Major General Babington, commanding 23^rd Division, now in France, appeals for funds to supply trench periscopes to her husband’s regiments, which include 10^th and 11^th Northumberland Fusiliers”.

Donations will be gratefully received by Mrs. Babington, Pinnacle Hill, Kelso, Scotland”.

Wednesday 22nd September 1915

Front line trenches near Bois Grenier.

As the British bombardment continued, the German response was stepped up. The Battalion War Diary noted that, ‘most of their shells however fell behind our trenches, nevertheless they damaged our parapet in places and blew in a communication trench. One shell burst about 5 yds from our bomb store and the man on guard received 30 wounds’. 

Three more members of Tunstill’s Company were seriously wounded by the shelling during the morning. Ptes. Willie Burley (see 12^th September 1914) and Arthur Stubbs (see 12^th September 1914) had been among a contingent of recruits from Grassington, who had been attached to Tunstill’s original Company and Pte. Ernest Franklin (see below) was one of the Keighley men who had been posted to Tunstill’s Company. All three were evacuated and treated at the dressing station which had been established in the cellars of the brewery in Bois Grenier, before being sent on for further medical treatment.

News of the injuries to Arthur Stubbs was conveyed to his family in a letter from his fellow Grassington recruit, Cpl. Billy Oldfield (see 21^st August), who told them that both Stubbs and Burley had been despatched to hospital in the same ambulance. 

Ernest Franklin, 20 years old when he enlisted, had been born in Horsforth, near Leeds, but the family had subsequently moved to Keighley. John Franklin, a temperance club steward, and his wife, Mary Jane (nee Farrer) had five children, but John had died in 1903. Ernest had been working in the local cotton mills.

Pte. Joseph Harry Poole (see below) would describe the events in a subsequent letter home (dated 27^th September): “It was a bit of a shock to us all when they were bombarding us and the shells were bursting all around us. I had a very narrow escape of being hit. A shell burst quite close to me. I just got a bit in my arm but it was nothing, but I felt the sand go right through my trousers after the explosion. When I looked round I found I had only been missed by a foot, for, close to me, were two holes in the brick platform where we stand to fire from. Our Company lost five men and one young fellow got hit in our trench in the right leg with a piece of shrapnel, and had to have it taken off. Then there were two chaps, both married men, lost their lives”.

Joseph Harry Poole was thirty-four years old when he enlisted and was one of the few members of the Company who was married. He was originally from West Bromwich but had married Margaret Carrol in Halifax in October 1900 and the couple had three children. Joseph had been working as a labourer when he joined the army. He had volunteered in Halifax on 11^th September 1914 and had joined ‘A’ Company by the time they arrived for their initial training at Frensham, as his name appears among those listed as members of number four platoon by Lt. Dick Bolton (see 1^st November 1914).  

Later in the day orders were received to prepare the men for a possible advance on the morning of Saturday 25^th September. Although the possibility of the Battalion actually being ordered to advance would depend on the progress of the main attack further south, it was planned to rehearse preparations later in the day and again on Thursday morning. The one hundred trench ladders provided for the Battalion were to be put in place, and the men, in their full assault kit,

“will be shown how they will pass the parapet either by ladder or by the saps, & by which openings they will pass our wire (later they will be told where the enemy's wire has been breached). Bombing & bayonet parties will be told off & these will pass the parapet first. Every other man will carry a shovel slung over the right shoulder. All men will be informed how the further advance will be made & exactly what is required of each man when the enemy's trenches are vacated. Men not carrying shovels will carry their entrenching tools ready in their belts”.

In the event, the intensity of the German shelling was such that this exercise was abandoned.

 

Tuesday 21st September 1915

I was fascinated by the comment posted on 17th and would love to know more, but am unable to respond directly to the comment. Could I ask the contributor if they would be prepared to contact me via b.smith@theskiptonacademy.co.uk in order that we might exchange more information? Thanks.

Front line trenches near Bois Grenier.

The British bombardment ahead of the planned attack intensified, with heavy shelling of the German lines taking place day and night. The impact of the bombardment, however, was limited and it was noted that, ‘our guns were bursting shrapnel in the enemy wire, but did not cut it very much’.  There was a limited response from the German guns, although one shell did destroy a water storage tank at Water Farm, which had been used to supply the men in the front line. The impact of this was noted in a subsequent letter by Tunstill’s Man, Pte. Harry Horner (see 13th May), ‘We were very lucky for water, as there was a farm just behind where we could get it. The Germans have shelled it and now we cannot get water there; we have to carry it about a mile’.  Pte Johnny Smith (see 16^th September) also wrote to his family on a similar theme, ‘The other day they got to know where we got our water from and they were not long before they were shelling it, and put two shells through the water tank’.  Attempts were made to protect the one remaining water tank with sand-bags, but had to be abandoned because of the continued German shelling.

Monday 20th September 1915

I was fascinated by the comment posted on 17th and would love to know more, but am unable to respond directly to the comment. Could I ask the contributor if they would be prepared to contact me via b.smith@theskiptonacademy.co.uk in order that we might exchange more information? Thanks.

Front line trenches near Bois Grenier.

The Battalion War Diary reported, “Weather fine & clear. All quiet. Heavy firing heard to the South. Our Artillery continued to register to which the German retaliated on our trenches with Whizz bangs”.

The German artillery fire claimed the life of a third member of Tunstill’s Company. Private William Hartley Emmott (see 5^th May) was killed ‘by the bursting of a shrapnel shell’. Like Ptes. Arthur Hargreaves and Raymond Tilbrook (see 16^th September), William Emmott was initially buried, ‘amidst the sound of the guns’ in the churchyard at Bois Grenier and, again like them, his remains were subsequently re-interred at Brewery Orchard Cemetery, Bois Grenier (grave reference III. C. 8).

Sunday 19th September 1915

I was fascinated by the comment posted on 17th and would love to know more, but am unable to respond directly to the comment. Could I ask the contributor if they would be prepared to contact me via b.smith@theskiptonacademy.co.uk in order that we might exchange more information? Thanks.

Front line trenches near Bois Grenier.

The Battalion War Diary described the day: “Situation normal, all quiet except for a few snipers. Our Artillery were registering most of the day & the Germans retaliated on our trenches. Several hostile aeroplanes passed over during the day & much anti-aircraft gun ammunition was wasted on them. None were hit. The enemy sniping decreased somewhat & one or two Coys reported that they had knocked them out. At night the Germans shouted across to our line, but what they said was hardly audible as we were 400 yards from their trenches”.

The British artillery activity was in preparation for the opening of the Battle of Loos, which was to be launched on 25^th September.

Pte. Harry Waller (see 13^th September) wrote to his family, “We are now in the trenches but I cannot tell you whereabouts, except that we are in the safest part of the line. There has been no real fighting here for months. The Germans are 400 yards away and likely to stop there. I am on the reserve gun and three of us live in a dug out about 50 yards behind the firing line. We are safe from anything except big shells, and they are conspicuous by their absence. Just now, their artillery and ours are exchanging visiting cards. We can hear them whistling overhead, but they are not dropping anywhere near”.

Pte. Thomas Butler (see 24^th July) was promoted (unpaid) Lance Corporal.

Pte. Frank Swindlehurst (see 5^th September) was discharged from 4^th Stationery Hospital at Arques and posted to one of the Base Depots (details unknown) en route to re-joining the Battalion; he had been suffering from scabies.

Saturday 18th September 1915

Front line trenches near Bois Grenier.

A quiet day, with the weather remaining fine and clear. The War Diary stated simply, “Situation normal; no casualties”.

Gilbert Tunstill took advantage of the quiet to write a letter of thanks to three eleven year-old girls from Hellifield, Misses Connie Bayley, Esther Laxton and Madge Barton, for the ‘comforts’ which they had sent to his Company:

“B.E.F., France, 18^th September 1915.

Very many thanks indeed for your kind thought in sending us such a good parcel of cigarettes and tobacco. Both are very much appreciated by the Company, especially so now that we are in the trenches, and all send their hearty thanks. All the Hellifield lads are fit and well”.

Signed.

H.G. Tunstill”

(Madge Barton’s older brother, Percy, would be killed in action in May 1918).

Meanwhile, back home in Craven, fund-raising for the Company was continuing, as reported in The Craven Herald:

Comforts for Captain Tunstill’s Men.

Mrs R. and Miss Winnie Procter, of Otterburn, gave a tea and dance at Otterburn on Saturday, September 18^th. The event, along with donations collected by Miss Winnie and other willing helpers realised £2 4s 6d, which will be handed to Mrs. Tunstill to provide tobacco and cigarettes for Capt. Tunstill’s men.

 

The relative quiet also provided J.B. Priestley with the opportunity to write home to his family:

“Since I wrote to you last, many things have happened. We have marched till we dropped, slept in fields, marched again and so forth. This is our third day in the Fire-trench, or first line trench. My home, at the moment, is just off Watson Avenue, which branches off Shaftesbury Avenue. I have seen a few Germans, but only through the periscope.

Every now and then, bullets and shells come whizzing over our heads. At night, it is very weird; we are all on the alert, and star shells – like rockets – are sent up now and again, making the place look as light as day. The nights seem to stretch out to eternity. Rats and mice, wasps and gigantic bluebottles abound in the dugouts. Taking it all round, we are in good spirits, but dreadfully filthy.”

 

 

 

Friday 17th September 1915

I was fascinated by the comment posted yesterday and would love to know more, but am unable to respond directly to the comment. Could I ask the contributor if they would be prepared to contact me via b.smith@theskiptonacademy.co.uk in order that we might exchange more information? Thanks.

Front line trenches near Bois Grenier.

Overnight (16^th – 17^th), an alarm was raised that the Germans were about to attack, but in the event, other than for a continuation of sniping, the situation remained quiet. The weather remained good and work continued on the repair and renewal of the trenches, parapets and dugouts.

Lt. Robert Stewart Skinner Ingram (see 14^th September) wrote to his mother, again reassuring her about the relative safety of the sector. Interestingly, he made no mention of the deaths of two men from his Company (see 16^th September):

17th Sept. 1915

In trenches

My darling

Thank you so much for your last 2 letters which have come up here. We have been in since last Tuesday night and on our own since Wednesday night last. A famous Highland Regt gave us 24 hours instruction. They had been out since December last and know everything there was to know about trench warfare. From the date you know their Division.

This is a very quiet part of the line, in fact the kindergarten of the Western Front. The trenches are almost luxurious. Each officer has a dug-out to himself, or rather a dug down only two or three feet but built up with sandbags.

The Highlanders have been around here for 3 months and their ‘A’ Coy. have only had 4 men hit altogether in the whole time, so you can imagine how quiet this part is, as Tom knows. The only drawback to this life under such ideal conditions of weather and trenches is that sleep is rather scarce and very broken up, but we shall be back in billets in 3 days more, and then for a few days absolute rest, before beginning Company and Swedish drill and the other things normal in billets.

It is good of everybody to write so much. Since we have been out in France I haven’t had a blank mark yet with a record day of 4 letters and a parcel on Wednesday night.

I’ll write again as soon as we get back to billets. Sorry not to have written since Tuesday last, but have not had much time.

The normal afternoon strafe is now beginning. Just here we seem to have a battery for each gun the Hun possesses and he seems to know it.

Much love to the whole family

Your ever loving son

Robert

Thursday 16th September 1915

Front line trenches near Bois Grenier.

On their first full day in the trenches, the Battalion suffered their first losses in action as two men were killed; both were members of Tunstill’s Company. The first man to be killed was Pte. Arthur Hargreaves (see 21^st August); the Battalion War Diary noted his death and that he ‘was sniped whilst cooking his dinner’.  Letters home from comrades, published later in The Craven Herald, confirmed that Hargreaves, ‘was shot through the back by a German sniper, the bullet entering his back and passing through his lungs. He died on the way to hospital’.  Private Johnny Smith (see 21^st August) also passed the news on to his own family, telling them that, ‘We lost one man the first day by sniper; they are clever at that job – firing all day on the off-chance of hitting you’.  Arthur Hargreaves was killed exactly one year to the day from when he had signed his attestation papers.

Arthur Hargreaves’ death left his wife Janie a widow at the age of 27 with the care of her two year-old daughter. Janie Hargreaves died in 1974, aged 86.

In the evening, there was an intensification of German machine gun fire which claimed the life of a second member of A Company. L. Cpl. Raymond Douglas Tilbrook  was bringing supplies up to the front line when, at 10 pm, he was shot through the head and killed instantly. Tilbrook’s widow received a letter from his fellow Keighley recruit, L. Cpl. Richard Cleasby Chorley (see 15^th April), informing her of the circumstances of her husband’s death and passing on the condolences of the whole of number four platoon who, he said, ‘held Private Tilbrook in the highest esteem’. 

Raymond Douglas Tilbrook was born on New Year’s Eve 1884; he was the younger of the two sons of Fred and Elizabeth Tilbrook. The family lived for many years in Keighley where Fred was caretaker of Holycroft School; following his death in 1910 this post had been taken up by his elder son, John. Raymond worked for the Co-Op; firstly at the Lund Park shop and more recently as manager of the Utley branch. On 21^st May 1912 he had married Sarah McKechnie and their first child, Jean, had been born the following Spring. Raymond had enlisted in September 1914 and had been among the contingent of Keighley men who had been attached to Tunstill’s original recruits. It seems likely that his managerial experience had been a factor in his promotion to Lance Corporal.

Sarah Tilbrook died in 1953, aged 61.

Both widows received letters from Captain Tunstill, expressing his sympathies and informing them that their late husbands had been buried in the churchyard in Bois Grenier with crosses placed upon their graves. There were also letters from the Battalion chaplain, Reverend William Leveson Henderson (see 27^th August), conveying the deepest sympathy of the officers and men, and saying that the funerals had been attended by a number of the men’s comrades.

The remains of both Arthur Hargreaves and Raymond Tilbrook were subsequently moved to Brewery Orchard Cemetery, Bois-Grenier (grave references III. B. 7; 8).

Sgt. Robert William John Morris (see 29^th August) was reported by 2Lt. George Stuart Hulburd (see 27^th August), Sgt. Sam Beveridge (see below) and Cpl. Charles Edgar Shuttleworth (known as Edgar) (see 22^nd July) for ‘neglecting to obey Battalion trench orders in that he entered a dugout at night’; he was formally placed under arrest to await trial by Field General Court Martial.

Sam Beveridge was an original member of the Battalion; he had enlisted aged 37 while working as a coal miner in Wortley.

Wednesday 15th September 1915

In front line trenches near Bois Grenier.

Bois Grenier was widely regarded as a quiet sector, although it had been the scene of sharp fighting between French and German forces early in the war. 23^rd Division now held a front of 4,500 yards, running from a point 300 yards south of the Ferme Grande Flamengerie to the Armentieres – Wez Macquart Road. Divisional HQ was established at Croix du Bac with 69^th Brigade, taking control of the right sector of the front, with HQ at Erquinghem-Lys.

The front line in the area was well-established but this had only been achieved following much hard work in early 1915. The first defensive line of trenches had been dug in dry conditions in the Autumn of 1914. These had been paved with brick ‘harvested’ from nearby walls and buildings or with bully-beef tins (often full ones). However, as the weather became wetter and the damage caused to the underground drainage system by continued shellfire took effect, the impact of the high water table became apparent and the trench system became mired in mud.

In January 1915 the Royal Welsh Fusiliers had attempted to reinforce the trenches but found themselves fighting a losing battle against the rising water levels (they were striking water at a depth of only one or two feet). Instead they began to create a line of defensive breastworks above ground. When work began on the new breastwork, in late January 1915, there had been great difficulties because of the collapse of the original trenches and also because of the disturbance of bodies remaining from earlier fighting in the area. Frames for the parapet were pre-fabricated in sections by the Royal Engineers and brought up at night by carrying parties, along with large brushwood hurdles, corrugated iron sheets, sandbags and all other necessary supplies.  Often, the sandbags had to be filled with what was described as little more than ‘liquid mud’. New belts of barbed wire were also laid out in front of the line. Gradually, improving the trenches became easier, so that the line was continuous and complete by March 1915. Lt. Dick Bolton (see 14^th September) remembered the trenches as being, ‘mainly above ground level, with built up parapets and parados. Although some dugouts were fitted with chairs, tables and glass windows, and one in the support line even had a piano in it, they would not have lasted long under a heavy bombardment’.

Behind the front line was a close support line and a network of support and communication trenches, and 1,000 yards in rear was the reserve line. This was known as the Bois Grenier line, anchored, as it was at its right-hand (southern) end, by the village of that name.  The village church was sited at a crossroads and a string of houses was laid out along the two principal roads, one of which ran roughly parallel to the British front line while the other crossed the line at the right-hand end of the Divisional front, south of Farm Grande Flamengrie. The village housed an advanced dressing station, located in the cellar of one of the houses, a wash house and ‘other conveniences’. The disused brewery was used as a ‘doss-house’ by companies out of the line. 

The portion of the line allocated to 10DWR was the right sector of the line, from just south of Water Farm, north-east, to and just beyond Farm Grande Flamengrie. Battalion HQ was situated at Moat Farm on the eastern edge of Bois Grenier. Within this sector, D Company held the left (northern portion), B Company the centre; and A Company held the right flank, to the point where 1^st Battalion Royal Irish Rifles (25^th Brigade, 8^th Division) took over the front line. C Company, in reserve, occupied the section of the Bois Grenier line running from Moat Farm to the north-east.

A and B Companies were already in position, following their period of instruction and the rest of the Battalion occupied their positions between 7pm and 10.30 am the following morning. The relief was carried out without incident but it was noted that there were places where parapets and dugouts had been destroyed and the men were immediately set to work to effect the necessary improvements. It was reported that ‘several German snipers annoyed the sentries during the night’, but the Battalion suffered no casualties.

On their first night in the trenches the War Diary noted that some 5,060 rounds of small arms ammunition had been expended by the Battalion. This confirms Lt. Dick Bolton’s later recollection that, “Another peculiarity of this Armentieres sector in 1915 was the amount of rifle ammunition wasted every night. Anyone who felt spiteful could get up on the firestep and blaze away towards Germany with his rifle to his heart’s content. The next Division even had organised ‘strafes’ by companies and battalions”.

L. Cpl. John Charles Brison Redfearn (see 28^th August) was formally discharged from 10DWR to take up a commission as a Temporary Second Lieutenant with the South Staffordshire Regiment.

Cpl. Henry Herbert Calvert (see 30^th August), who had been demoted after being found guilty of  drunkenness, was re-appointed to his rank of Pioneer Sergeant.