Sunday 6th August 1916

Peake Wood

During the morning Tunstill’s Company provided carrying parties, delivering supplies to the front line trenches held by 8^th Yorkshires who were preparing to launch an attack to secure portions of Munster Alley and Torr Trench (see 29^th July) which were still being fiercely contested by the Germans.  There was a considerable British bombardment through the morning in preparation for the assault and, prior to the attack going in at 4.15pm, Tunstill’s Company was ordered forward to reinforce 8^th Yorkshires in the line. 8^th Yorkshires’ attack proved successful and positions in Munster Alley and Torr Trench were consolidated. The scale of the fighting over previous days was made clear in the Brigade report which stated that, “Torr Trench, Munster Alley and the surrounding ground, now almost unrecognisable from shell fire, were covered with German dead. The bodies were in many places half-buried and trodden under foot during the progress of the attack”.

 In a letter home to his wife, Brig. Genl. T.S. Lambert reported, “We had a very stiff fight … but we again managed to gain ground and gave the Boche a good hard hit though he avenged himself by putting a terrific artillery barrage on to our trenches and fairly blew some of them to bits. Of course we had casualties but everyone is very pleased with the result and I am glad to think the Brigade has three times now done so well. The Corps Commander and Div Commander came over to congratulate us but I missed the former. We took about 30 prisoners but killed and wounded a lot more by rifles, machine guns and bombs, let alone our artillery fire which must have cost them a lot”. (I am greatly indebted to Juliet Lambert for her generosity in allowing me to reproduce the letters here).

Brig. Genl. Thomas Stanton Lambert

Image by kind permission of Juliet Lambert

A/Sgt. Edgar Shuttleworth (see 9th February) had his provisional appointment to his rank confirmed.

Sgt. Percy Cole (see 29^th July) who had suffered a compound fracture to his right arm a week previously, was evacuated to England from hospital in Rouen; on arrival in England he would be admitted to 2^nd Western General Hospital in Manchester.

Pte. Frank Hargrave (see 2^nd August), who had originally served with Tunstill’s Company, and had been reported missing in action while serving with 9DWR near Longueval four days earlier, was now confirmed as having been wounded and was evacuated to England. He had suffered injuried to his left elbow and was transported from 1^st Stationary Hospital at Rouen across the Channel on the Hospital Ship Panama.

Pte. Edwin Everingham Ison (see 23^rd July), 1^st Battalion, West Yorkshires, was discharged to duty, having spent two weeks being treated for “pyrexia, NYD”, ie pyrexia, or raised temperature, ‘not yet diagnosed’. He would later be commissioned and serve with 10DWR.

Pte. Edward Everingham Ison, pictured after having been commissioned.

Image by kind permission of Henry Bolton

A memorial service was held at the Birds Royd Wesleyan Mission Hall, Brighouse in memory of Pte. Joseph Haywood (see 11^th July) who had been killed in action on 11^th July. It would be reported that, “There was a very large attendance … nearly all his workmates from the gasworks, members of the Volunteer Corps and the National Reserve were present”.