Thursday 17th January 1918

Billets at Biadene

Training continued

Cpl. Harry Clark (see 20^th September 1917) was promoted Sergeant.

Pte. Frank William Rabjohn (see 10^th December 1917), who had been reported ‘wounded and missing’ on 20^th September but had subsequently (on 13^th November) been arrested by the Military Police near Dickebusch and had been held in detention for five weeks, was tried by Field General Court Martial on a charge of ‘deserting His Majesty’s service'; he was found guilty and sentenced to death. However, on the orders of General Sir Herbert Plumer, his sentence would be commuted to 15 years’ penal servitude.

Pte. George Carter (see 29^th December 1917), serving in France with 2^nd/6^th DWR, was admitted via 42^nd Casualty Clearing Station to 51^st General Hospital in Etaples; he was suffering from gonorrhoea.

L.Cpl. Norman Moorhouse (see 28^th September 1917), serving with 3DWR at North Shields, began to be paid according to his rank, having previously held the post unpaid.

Pte. Harry Gordon Binns (see 20^th June 1917) was posted back to France and would join 1^st/4^thDWR.

A payment of £2 9s. 4d. was authorised, being the amount due in pay and allowances to the late Pte. Edward Greenhalgh (see 20^th September 1917), who had been killed in action on 20^th September; the payment would go to his mother, Ann. 

A payment of £1 5s. was authorised, being the amount due in pay and allowances to the late Pte. Lewis Lunn (see 23^rd September 1917), who had died of wounds on 23^rd September; the payment would go to his widow, Gertrude. She would also receive a parcel of his personal effects, comprising of, “prayer book, pocket book, 3 photos, postcards, shaving soap, shaving brush, safety razor, mirror, safety razor blades, 2 pencils, cap badge, tin with cigarettes, coin (1d.)”.


A pension award was made in the case of the late Pte. Richard Spencer Howard (see 4^th October 1917), who had been killed in action in June 1917; his widow, Martha, was awarded 18s. 9d. per week.

Pte. Richard Spencer Howard

The War Office wrote to the widow of the late Pte. Ernest Arthur Carter (see 30^th October 1917) who had been killed in action on 7^th June, requesting that she reply to their request for the completion of a form relating to her pension entitlement. They reminded her that had “already written to you for it three times” and that “your failure to return this form means delay in the issue of your pension”.