Tuesday 8th January 1918

Billets at Biadene

Brig. Genl. Lambert (see 4^th January) departed on leave to England; Lt. Col. Barker DSO, 11WYR, took temporary command of the Brigade.

Maj. Edward Borrow DSO (see 20^th December), who had left England three weeks previously, re-joined the Battalion.

L.Cpl. William Hay Murdock (see 4^th November 1917) began to be paid according to his rank, having previously held the post unpaid.

Pte. Thomas Tibble (see 29^th October 1917) was admitted to 70^th Field Ambulance, suffering from swelling to his legs.

Pte. Frank Tucker (see 29^th October 1917) was awarded seven days’ Field Punishment no.2 on the grounds that he had ‘reported sick without a cause’.

Pte. Samuel Stansfield (see 28^th August 1917) was reported by Sgt. Joseph Maddison MM (see 5^th January) and Sgt. Frank Shelah Gilleard (see 5^th January) for ‘loss of cap badge’; on the orders of Lt.Col. Francis Washington Lethbridge DSO (see 5^th January) he was to pay for the lost item.

Pte. Leonard Briggs (see 28^th October 1917), who had been in hospital in St. Omer for the previous two months after suffering from influenza, was transferred to 7^th Convalescent Depot at Boulogne.

Sgt. Robert William John Morris (see 8^th December 1917), serving at the Detention Barracks at Woking, Surrey, was posted back to 3DWR at North Shields; however, he would be a day late reporting and would be severely reprimanded.

L.Cpl. Herbert Newton (see 12^th December 1917) and Ptes. Thomas George Coates (see 2^nd December 1917) and Charles Oldham (see 16^th November) were posted from Northern Command Depot at Ripon to 3DWR at North Shields.

2Lt. Harry Widdup (see 7^th December 1917), who had been in England since being taken ill in December 1916, appeared before a further Army Medical Board. The Board found that, “At present he feels rather better than usual but varies very much with the change of weather especially when damp”. He was instructed to re-join 3^rd DWR on sedentary employment.

Pte. Thomas Irvin Wood MM (see 18^th December 1917) was formally discharged from the Army as no longer physically fit for service having had three fingers amputated from his right hand. He was awarded a pension of 27s. 6d. per week for four weeks, reducing thereafter to 13s. 9d and to be reviewed in a years’ time.

A payment of £4 12s. 11d. was authorised, being the amount due in pay and allowances to the late Pte. John Ellis (see 7^th June 1917) who had been killed in action on 7^th June 1917; the payment would be divided in equal shares of 13s. 3d. to his two brothers and five sisters.

A payment of £2 9s. 10d. was authorised, being the amount due in pay and allowances to the late Pte. Clifford Orchard (see 20^th September) who had been killed in action on 20^th September 1917; the payment would go to his widow, Myrtle.

A payment of £1 7s. 2d. was authorised, being the amount due in pay and allowances to the late L.Cpl. Robert Arthur Watkinson (see 18^th September 1917) who had been killed in action on 18^th September 1917; the payment would go to his widow, Elizabeth. She would also receive a parcel of her late husband’s personal effects, comprising of, “wallet, diary, letter, cards, photos, 2 religious books, trench mirror”.

A parcel of personal effects of the L.Sgt. Albert Bradley (see 19^th October 1917), who had died of his wounds on 19^th October 1917, was despatched to his mother, Elizabeth; the parcel comprised of, “letter, photos, notebook, metal drinking cup, cap badge”. No payment was issued on his account as, at the time of his death, there had been a debit balance of £5 10s. 6d.