Friday 15th March 1918

Billets at Marola.

The weather remained hot.

Pte. Herman Tutty (see 16^th December 1917) was appointed (unpaid) Lance Corporal.

Pte. Ernest Ashness (see 18^th July 1917), was reported as having “rusty SAA”; on the orders of Lt. Arthur Neill (see 5^th March), he was to be confined to barracks for five days.

Cpl. Fred Greenwood MM (24522) (see 18^th February), L.Cpls. Robert Hitchen (see 14^th February), Victor Race MM (see 14^th February) and Cain Rothera MM (see 2^nd March) and Ptes. James Butterworth (see 14^th February), Thomas Fielden (see 14^th February), Edwin Kenyon (see 18^th February), William Ley (see 14^th February) and Ernest Mudd (see 18^th February) all re-joined from leave. It is unclear exactly why their return had been delayed.

Cpl. William Foulds (see 8^th March), was posted from ‘B’ Infantry Base Depot at Etaples to XIV Corps Reinforcement Camp at Arquata Scrivia.

CSM Edward George John Cooke (see 10^th January), who had been in England since having been wounded in September 1917, was transferred from Northern Command Depot at Ripon to 3DWR at North Shields.

Pte. George Applyard (see 4^th October 1916) was formally discharged from the Army as no longer physically fit for service on account of wounds suffered in action; he was awarded the Silver War Badge and an Army pension of 8s. per week. Since being wounded while serving with 10DWR at Le Sars in October 1916 he had been transferred to 8DWR and had been injured in a ‘motor lorry accident’ before being wounded for a third time in the Autumn of 1917.

Pte. George Appleyard pictured in the early 1920s; on his right lapel is his Silver War Badge.

Pte. John Longmire (see 21^st January), who had been in England since having been wounded on 20^th September 1917, appeared before an Army Medical Board assembled at Ripon. The Board found him unfit for further service and recommended that he be discharged from the army.

Pte. Norman England (see 22^nd February), who had been severely wounded in July 1916, resulting in the amputation of his right leg, was formally discharged from the army as no longer physically fit for service. He was granted a life pension of 27s. 6d. per week for nine weeks, reducing thereafter to 19s. 3d. per week.

The brother of the late L.Sgt. Fred Light Pashley (see 20^th September 1917) wrote to the Infantry Record Office confirming that the family had received notice that L.Sgt. Pashley’s death (he had been officially missing in action since 20^th September 1917) had been officially accepted. The family now requested that all correspondence should be directed to his mother, rather than to his widow as “they were parted even twelve months before he went soldiering. ….. he lived with his parents”.

The weekly edition of the Craven Herald reported news of 2Lt. William Edmondson Gaunt (see 13^th March).

Promotion for an Earby soldier

Second Lieutenant W.E. Gaunt, the second son of the late Mr. Matthew Gaunt and Mrs. Gaunt, of The Willows, Earby, who joined the 10th Battalion Duke of Wellington’s Regiment as a private in September 1914 and has for two years served with that Battalion in France, where he was recommended for a commission in May last, has been gazetted to the 3rd Battalion Royal West Kents, as Second Lieutenant, and has left for service in the Middle East. His elder brother, Private Harry Gaunt, of the Durham Light Infantry has been a prisoner of war in Germany since November 1916. His younger brother, Corporal John Gaunt, who joined the 2nd 6th Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, went out to France with his Battalion, where he was wounded and after many months in hospital has been discharged.

There was also news of men home on leave, including Pte. Richard Butler MM (see 11^th January), who was on one week’s leave before being posted to 3DWR at North Shields.

GISBURN - Military Items

Corporal Giddings of the Agricultural Corps, stationed at Leicester, is again home on short leave, as is his friend, Pte. W. Tyler, Lord Ribblesdale’s head gardener, who is now working on a dairy farm in the North of England. Both look in excellent condition and were naturally delighted to have their leave periods together. Another man to have leave during the last week was Private Butler, M.M., who has been paying a visit to his sister at Paythorne.