Sunday 20th May 1917

The weather continued hot and sunny. Three men from the Battalion were among a draft of 20 from the Brigade who were attached to the Divisional Machine Gun Company. One of those from 10DWR was Pte. Ronald Bray (see 23^rd March); the other two have not yet been identified.

Trenches in the Hill 60 sub-sector, opposite the Caterpillar

The weather continued hot and sunny. Three men from the Battalion were among a draft of 20 from the Brigade who were attached to the Divisional Machine Gun Company. One of those from 10DWR was Pte. Harold Bray (see 23^rd March); the other two have not yet been identified.


There was further German shelling and the Divisional Trench Mortar Battery reported firing 15 rounds, “in retaliation for a few heavy trench mortars sent over near Grand Fleet Street”. A number of men were wounded; among them was Pte. Jacob Carradice Green (see 7^th March) who was struck in the left thigh by a machine gun bullet and evacuated via 4^th London Field Ambulance at Brandhoek to 10^th Casualty Clearing Station at Remy Sidings, Lijssenthoek; from there he would be evacuated, on 21^st, onboard No.5 Ambulance Train to 3^rd Canadian General Hospital at Boulogne. Also wounded was Pte. John William Midgley (see 19^th December 1916), who suffered wounds to his head and both legs; it is not clear where he was treated, but he would be evacuated to England a week later. Cpl. George William Keeling (see 15^th May) suffered only a minor wound and remained at duty.

Pte. Jacob Carradice Green

Capt. James Christopher Bull (see 18^th May), currently second-in-command of the Battalion, was promoted Temporary Major.

Lt. John Edward Lennard Payne (see 21^st March) was promoted Captain and again took command of ‘D’ Company, following the departure of Capt. Edgar Stanton (see 11^th May).

Pte. Richard Harrison (see 17^th October 1916) was reported by Cpl. George Jellett (see 29^th July 1916, it is not known when he had been promoted) for ‘hesitating to obey an order’; on the orders of 2Lt. Bob Perks, DSO (see 11^th May) he was to be confined to barracks for six days.

Pte. Thomas Ward (see 28^th April) was admitted via 69^th Field Ambulance at Vlamertinghe Mill to 23^rd Division Rest Station at Waratah Camp, south-east of Poperinghe, suffering from scabies; from there, next day, he would be transferred to 50^th Casualty Clearing Station at Hazebrouck.

Pte. Frank Wood joined the Battalion from 34^th Infantry Base Depot where he had been since arriving in France on 3^rd May. He was a 20 year-old textile worker from Marsden, near Huddersfield.

Pte. Tom Darwin (see 3^rd May), who had recently returned to France having being wounded on the Somme in July 1916, now re-joined the Battalion. Pte. Jacob Sweeting (see 6^th April) also re-joined; like Darwin he had been wounded in July 1916. Both men had been posted back to France, from 83^rd Training Reserve, on 3^rd May.