Saturday 25th November 1916

Winnipeg Camp

Rest and the provision of some working parties for the Royal Engineers continued.

Lt. Dobson, of 69^th Field Ambulance, (see 6^th November), left the Battalion to return to his unit, presumably because Battalion Medical Officer Capt. Cecil Berry (see 6^th November) had returned to duty.

Image by kind permission of Scott Flaving

Pte. John Henry Crawshaw (see 6^th March) was appointed (unpaid) Lance Corporal.

L.Cpl. Albert Bradley (see 4^th November), who had been treated for the previous three weeks for influenza, now re-joined the Battalion. 

Pte. Stanley Roebrick Hutton (see 12^th November), who had joined the Battalion less than two weeks’ previously, was admitted to hospital, but would be discharged the following day. Pte. Albert Edon (see 6^th June) was also admitted (cause and details unknown).

Pte. William Grimes (see 5^th November) was discharged from 2^nd General Hospital at Le Havre and posted to one of the Infantry Base Depots at Le Havre, en route to re-joining the Battalion.

Acting Sgt. William Edmondson Gaunt (see 18^th November) departed from England to re-join the Battalion at the end of a one-week leave.

After spending eight months at the Duchess of Connaught Canadian Red Cross Hospital at Taplow, Bucks, under treatment for wounds suffered in action, Pte. Herbert Ridley (see 28^th March) was released and sent to a convalescent hospital.

The London Gazette carried official notice of the award of the Military Cross to Lt. Frank Redington (see 15^th November) for his actions at Le Sars: “When the enemy attacked down a communication trench he went forward down the trench by himself with a bag of bombs and held up the attack for ten minutes, until assistance arrived, when he drove the enemy back and established a block”.
  

Rev. T. Haworth, Linthwaite Vicarage, Huddersfield, wrote a reference in support of an application for a commission to be made by L.Cpl. Fred Dyson (see 9^th September), 23^rd Northumberland Fusiliers (4^th Tyneside Scottish); Dyson would later be commissioned and serve with 10DWR. Rev. Haworth stated that:

“Lance Corporal Fred Dyson, who is on active service in France, informs me that he is applying for a Commission in the Artillery (sic.) and for that purpose requests a testimonial from me. I have the greatest pleasure in acceding to his request.

I have known him all his life and therefore have had constant opportunity in observing his life and character. He was brought up in our Day and Sunday Schools. He was a member of our Choir for many years and also a Communicant of our Church. At the time of his enlisting he was a certified teacher in our Day Schools and also a teacher in our Sunday School. He had a successful career at the Leeds University, where he obtained his degree of B.A. His moral character is irreproachable. I can thoroughly recommend him for a Commission and believe that he would prove an excellent officer and a credit to the service”.

Pte. Edward Smitham, the eldest son of Sgt. George Edward Smitham (see 2^nd September), who had attested for service (though underage), was transferred from 2^nd (Garrison) Battalion West Yorks to 25^th (Works) Battalion, Durham Light Infantry based in Skipton.