Tuesday 11th July 1916

Contalmaison

Overnight on 10^th/11^th July the Battalion set about consolidating the positions in Contalmaison. It was said that the Battalion, “in spite of physical exhaustion worked throughout the night in consolidation of the village”. Parties of Royal Engineers were put to work establishing defensive positions and large quantities of ammunition, bombs and other stores were brought up the road into the village, with assistance not only from the Battalion Headquarters Company but also from a carrying party of the Duke of Lancaster's. The strength of the German defences became clear as they were explored,

“The natural strength of Contalmaison had been apparent from the first; but its full strength was only realised later, when there was opportunity to examine the numerous cellars and dugouts and to reckon the immense garrison for which it could afford protection from artillery fire. The amount of work which had been expended on its defences by the Germans gave the measure of the importance that they must have attached to this position”. 

About 3 am a small party of Germans were observed, apparently coming to surrender. However, “Our men did not leave anything to chance, as the light was bad … and their intention could only be assumed” and the party was fired upon and dispersed. There were a number of attempted German counter-attacks overnight, but these were all repelled.

By dawn on 11^th July the British hold on Contalmaison, which had been a first-day objective for 1^st
July, was, finally, relatively secure.

Sporadic German shelling of the village continued through the 11^th and three men from the Battalion machine-gun section were killed during the day by the explosion of a German shell. One of those killed was Pte. Francis Herbert Maltby (see 13^th March), known as ‘Bert’; he had only recently joined the machine-gun section. The news reached his family within days in a letter from 2Lt. Maurice Tribe (see 27^th December 1915), who said:

“I am very sorry to have to tell you that your son has died, but he felt no pain. It is more than sad to know that it is only by deaths such as his, and fights such as that in which he played his part so well that England can come through this war to something better. I know it cannot lessen your personal grief but it does greatly add to his personal glory. Without such men no one can say where England would be now … Personally I am very sorry for he was invaluable to the section.”

Sgt. Tom Pickles (see 10^th June), also wrote to Mrs. Maltby: “Your son was not in the section a long time, and personally I did not know him, but the other boys liked him well. From what I have seen he was a fine lad and did his duty well and nobly. The whole section desire me to convey to you their deepest sympathy”.

Pte. Bert Maltby

Pte. Joseph Haywood, known as Joe, was also killed; he was, like Pte. Maltby, an original member of the Battalion. He was 32 years old and from Brighouse where he had worked at the Brighouse Gasworks; he was married, with two children. As was the case with Pte. Maltby, news would be conveyed by 2Lt. Tribe and Sgt. Pickles, both of whom would write to Pte. Haywood’s widow. 2Lt. Tribe wrote, “I feel somewhat rude in encroaching upon your personal sorrow but perhaps it may help in some slight degree to lesson the grief for you to know that your husband, though killed in action, died instantly and without any pain whatever. He was in a trench in front of, and guarding, a village with a famous name that the Brigade had captured the day previously. No man can say what the great offensive may bring forth but whatever of god to England and the world may come of it will be the result, the chief result, of deaths, lives and actions like those of your husband. Personally I am very sorry indeed for him, for myself and most of all for you, for I know that he is at peace but that you cannot but be in the midst of grief. I will say no more but to thank you for having given him to us and to his country”. Sgt. Pickles would write, “It is with deep regret that I write to convey the sad news of your husband’s death. He was buried by the explosion of a shell on Monday inst. (sic., but more likely, as per 2Lt. Tribe’s account, overnight 10^th-11^th July) and all hopes were lost from the first. His death was instantaneous and it is comforting to know he did not suffer. On behalf of the section I convey to you our deepest sympathy. The whole of us liked Joe and he was a friend to all of us. I personally feel his loss very much. He was cheerful always and brave and fearless. ‘Tis poor consolation I know, but he died facing the enemy for his country’s honour. May God be with you and help you in this your time of great trouble”.

Image from The Brighouse Echo, 28th July 1916

The third man killed was Pte. Frank Sanderson Chatwin; he had also been an original member of the Battalion. He was 22 years old and from Scarborough, where he had worked with his father who was a ‘boot dealer’. All three men have no known grave and are commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.

L.Cpl. Walter Blamires (see 20^th November 1915) died of wounds and was buried at Fricourt British Cemetery; he had been wounded at some point during the actions of 10^th-11^th.

Another of Tunstill’s Men, Cpl. Billy Rawlinson (see 25^th April) was wounded in the shell explosion which killed Bert Maltby. Billy’s injuries, 47 in total, were severe, including losing the sight in his left eye and breaks to his left leg and right foot. He was treated first at 12^th Stationery Hospital in Boulogne, but was quickly returned to England where he was cared for at the Southern General Hospital in Bristol. Remarkably, he was able, within days of his injury to write to Mr. George Charnley, for whom he had worked as chauffeur and gardener before the war, to tell him how well he was being treated in hospital and to assure him that he was ‘going on well’.

A number of other men were also wounded. Pte. Patrick Conley (see 22^nd June) suffered a fractured hand and fractured ribs due to shell concussion; he would be evacuated to 2^nd Canadian Stationary Hospital at Outreau. Pte. Charles Smith (12380) (see 27^th April) suffered wounds to his left hand; he would be admitted via 2^nd Field Ambulance to 34^th Casualty Clearing Station at Vecquemont, east of Amiens and from there, on 12^th July, onboard no.9 Ambulance Train to 6^th General Hospital in Rouen.

Also wounded at some point in the actions of early July, although the exact date has not been established, was Pte. Willie Bradley (see 7^th June 1915). He was reported to have suffered “a flesh wound by shrapnel in the arm above the elbow and a bullet wound in the arm below the elbow, which fortunately missed the bone”. He appears not to have been transferred back to England but to have been treated locally as he quickly re-joined the Battalion. 

Pte. Willie Bradley

The Battalion remained in position until the evening of 11^th July when they were due to be relieved. Listening posts in advance of the defensive line north of the village were manned by Tunstill’s Men and one man, Pte. Fred Benson (see 21^st August 1915), was killed just before the Battalion was relieved. The circumstances were described by his friend Sgt. John Hartley (see 10^th June) in a letter to Fred’s mother:

“During the evening Fred and another lad went on listening post duty a little in front of the trench where we had dug ourselves in. A little later they gave the alarm and turned round to get back into the trench, but before they had gone a yard they were both hit by the Germans. A small enemy patrol had crept up within a short distance unobserved till quite close. Both staggered back somehow into the trench. A minute or two later when the alarm was over, I and two others got them out and did what we could, but it was to no avail, for he must have been bleeding internally. He was in some pain for a minute or two during which he said four times "Take me", he then drifted into unconsciousness and a few minutes later passed quietly and gently away. He was hit in the back just above the left hipbone and the bullet passed through and out at the right groin. I was supporting his head when he died.

We were relieved a few minutes later and had reluctantly to leave him there with his waterproof sheet over him. We went to get a stretcher to carry him out, but none were available. He will probably have been buried by now by the salvage Corp. We were all so upset. All the boys in the platoon wish me to convey to you their sincere sympathy in your loss, which is also in a less degree ours, for he was a cheerful, willing comrade. We shall all miss him very much. He was in great spirits, as were we all because of our successes of the past few days. We were all much affected by his and the other chap's death”.

Fred Benson was almost certainly buried, as John Hartley had explained, but his grave was subsequently lost and he is now commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. 

The other man killed alongside Fred Benson was most likely Pte. Clifford George Unwin (see 21^st August 1915). He was originally formally reported as missing in action on 11^th July, but was reported by some of his comrades as having died from wounds. His death was referred to by Pte. John William Atkinson (see 10^th July), who told his wife, “We have a Skipton lad out of our battalion who has died from wounds. I am sorry to say his name is Clifford Unwin. I expect you will know him”; Atkinson, being one of the Battalion stretcher bearers would likely be a reliable source for such information. The awareness of his death, but a failure to fully account for his body is similar to the case of Fred Benson and, like Benson, Clifford Unwin now has no know grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.

Pte. Fred Benson

Sgt. John Hartley

Pte. Clifford George Unwin

As John Hartley had explained, the Battalion was then withdrawn from Contalmaison and marched back to a field north-west of Albert where they bivouacked overnight.

Also killed during the day were two other men, not from Tunstill’s Company; Pte. Frank Sanderson Chatwin had been an original member of the Battalion; he was 22 years old and from Scarborough, where he had worked with his father who was a ‘boot dealer’. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. L.Cpl. Walter Blamires (see 20^th November 1915) died of wounds and was buried at Fricourt British Cemetery.

Among those wounded on the day was Pte. Walter Charlesworth (see 14^th February); he suffered wounds to his right foot and would be admitted via 2^nd Field Ambulance and 45^th Casualty Clearing Station to 5^th General Hospital in Rouen.

Sgt. Herbert Lawton (see 26th June) was promoted Acting Company Sergeant Major, in place of CSM Alfred Swan (see 10^th July) who had been killed the previous day.

LSgt. William Alfred Walmsley Gaunt (see 11th June) was promoted Sergeant, having previously reverted to his rank of Lance Sergeant after a period as Acting Sergeant.

L.Cpl. William Proctor (see 15^th April 1915) was promoted Acting Sergeant.

L.Cpl. Michael Kenefick (see 10^th July) was promoted Lance Sergeant.

Total casualties for 69^th Brigade during the attacks on Contalmaison were:

Killed                     11 officers and 51 other ranks
Wounded             27 officers and 606 other ranks
Missing                 1 officer and 159 other ranks

Pte. Cecil Rhodes (see 30^th June) re-joined the Battalion following treatment at 19^th Field Ambulance.