Friday 14th April 1916

Front line trenches west of Angres

The weather remained wet and conditions in the line generally quiet, although it was noted that there was heavy German shelling of the pithead at Fosse 10. Orders were received that 69^th Brigade was to be relieved by 5^th Brigade and that next day, prior to the relief, a redistribution of the front line was to be conducted, which would see the front line, at the request of 5^th Brigade, to be held by just two Battalions rather than three, with one additional Company in close support. British trench mortars fired “to put a stop to Fritz’s 12lb mortar … and to silence rifle grenades”.

Brigadier General Thomas Stanton Lambert, commanding 69^th Brigade (see 8^th March), added his comments and forwarded on to 23^rd Division for further action, the report submitted by Lt. Col. Bartholomew regarding the conduct of 2Lt. William Neville Dawson (see 28^th March). Having himself interviewed Dawson, Lambert concurred with Bartholomew’s opinion that Dawson was unfit for command, but might be transferred to the A.S.C.

The Brighouse Echo reported the receipt of a letter from Pte. Henry Wood Thrippleton (see 19^th October 1915) who, ‘writes to thank the Brighouse Christmas Parcels Fund Committee for the parcel he received which he describes as a beauty. He adds, “I can assure you the contents were enjoyed to the full extent by myself and a few Brighouse boys who are out here, and it came in handy as we had just come out of the trenches”.

The family of Pte. John Robinson placed an In Memoriam notice in the weekly edition of the Craven Herald, in remembrance of him; he had died of heart failure on 9^th April 1915 while the Battalion was in training in Folkestone (see 29^th October 1915):

ROBINSON - In loving memory of Private John Robinson, who died April 9th, 1915.

The shock was great, the blow severe,

We little thought that death was near.

Only those who have lost are able to tell

The pain that is felt in not saying farewell.

Poultry House, Gisburn.

 

Pte. John Robinson