Friday 8th March 1918

Billets at Biadene.

An advance party, comprising of one officer and four other ranks, proceeded by lorry to Castelfranco Veneto, ahead of the move of the whole of 69^th Brigade, which would take place on 11^th March.

Pte. Ernest Franklin (25969) (see 29^th October 1917) was admitted via 69^th Field Ambulance to 11^th General Hospital at Genoa; he was suffering from nephritis.

Cpl. William Foulds (see 22^nd November 1917), was transferred from a Convalescent Depot at Boulogne to ‘B’ Infantry Base Depot at Le Havre.

Pte. Arthur Cerenza King (see 16^th February), serving at ‘B’ Infantry Base Depot at Etaples, departed for England on two weeks’ leave.

Capt. Bob Perks DSO (see 6^th February), serving with 3DWR at North Shields, was transferred to Northern Command Depot at Ripon.

Pte. Francis Wilson Stockell (see 7^th December 1917), serving in England with the Labour Corps, was reported for “overstaying his pass from 1.30pm until 9.30pm”; he was ordered to be confined to barracks for seven days.

Pte. Menhell Hudson (see 16^th November 1917), who had been in England since November, having been taken ill with rheumatic fever while serving in France with 2/6^thDWR, was posted to 3DWR at North Shields.

2Lt. Harry Widdup (see 8^th January), who had been in England since being taken ill in December 1916, appeared before a further Army Medical Board. The Board found his condition to be unchanged from his previous examination and he was instructed to re-join 3^rd DWR on sedentary employment.

The weekly edition of the Craven Herald reported on the medal presentation recently attended by Mrs. Jane Earnshaw, widow of Sgt. Kayley Earnshaw DCM (see 28^th February), who had been killed in June 1916.

AIRTON - PRESENTATION OF D.C. MEDAL

During the early part of 1916 the honour of D.C.M. was given to Sergeant Kayley Earnshaw, of the Machine Gun Section, West Riding Regiment, for recovering his gun after it had been buried by shell fire, and for conspicuous courage in attending to the wounded under heavy shell fire. The people in the district raised a substantial sum as a mark of their appreciation. On June 14th the sad news was received that Sergeant Earnshaw had been killed on the 9th of June. He had served in the R.F.A. through the South African Campaign. On Thursday the 28th, Lieut.-General Sir John Maxwell and a distinguished company met at the Leeds Town Hall, when he presented 86 medals to soldiers, or their nearest relatives; 66 being received by soldiers and 20 by relatives. Each of the men received an encouraging reception when they mounted the platform, especially warm and sympathetic being the greetings given to relatives of soldiers who had fallen. Amongst this number was Mrs. Kayley Earnshaw, of Scosthrop, whose husband, as already stated, made the supreme sacrifice on June 9th 1916. The money raised for Sergeant Earnshaw was invested in War Bonds for Mrs. Earnshaw.

 

Sgt. Kayl;ey Eranshaw DCM

Image by kind permission of Sue Lugton