Thursday 1st February 1917

Front line trenches in Sanctuary Wood (I.24.b.2½.8½ to I.24.b.8½.3½)    

In the evening the Battalion was relieved by 8^th Yorks & Lancs, with the last men clear of the trenches by 9.40pm ,and proceeded to Winnipeg Camp, arriving at 1am. 

The mixed results of the continuing cold weather were noted in the War Diary of the Divisional Trench Mortar Batttery: “ground became very hard, and many places, hitherto impassable owing to mud, were easily visited; digging was very difficult owing to frost making ground like iron for a depth of two feet”.

Pte. William Holdsworth died of wounds at no.10 Casualty Clearing Station and was buried at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery. From Bradford, he was 29 years old and had married Elizabeth Ann Brannan in 1906 and the couple had four young children. William had been working as a woolcomber (for Messrs. Pickles and Wray) but had enlisted soon after the outbreak of war and had served with 8DWR, being wounded in June 1915; on recovering he had been posted to 10DWR.

After spending a month at No.3 Canadian General Hospital at Boulogne being treated for influenza, Pte. Elijah Sudworth (see 8^th January), was evacuated to England for a period of convalescence. 

Capt. Alfred Percy Harrison (see 9^th October 1916), who had been England since being wounded in action at Munster Alley, returned to France en route to re-joining the Battalion.

Lt. Robert Stewart Skinner Ingram (see 29^th December 1916), who had been one of the original officers of Tunstill’s Company, but was now a Flying Officer (Observer) with the RFC, was posted to no.28 Squadron based at Gosport.

A payment of £14 0s. 3d. was authorised, in respect of pay and allowances due to the late Pte. Myer Freedman MM (see 19^th September), who had been killed in action on 19^th September 1916; the payment would go to his father, Marks.



A payment of £17 1s. 10d. was authorised, in respect of pay and allowances due to the late Pte. Archie Munro (see 12^th October), who had been killed in action in October 1916 while serving with 2DWR; the payment would go to his father, Daniel.