Saturday 23rd March 1918

Billets at Marola

Ten days after orders had been received at Divisional level, it was said that “Rumours began to circulate among the men of a possible move to the mountains”.

Pte. Ernest Wilson (11751) (see 16^th January) was reported by Cpl. Harry Shackleton (see below) and L.Cpl. John Smith Hodgson MM (see 16^th August 1917) as “absent from 9pm”; he would not return until 6.30am on the 25^th and, on the orders of Lt.Col. Francis Washington Lethbridge DSO (see 22nd March), he would undergo 14 days’ Field Punishment no.1.

Harry Shackleton had previously served with 2DWR, going to France in November 1914, but, in the absence of a surviving service record, I am unable to make a positive identification of this man or to establish when, or under what circumstances, he had had joined 10DWR.

Pte. John Eastwood (see 5^th October 1917) was reported by L.Sgt. Jonathan Richardson Sunderland (see 7^th January), Cpl. Reginald Robinson (see 21^st March) and Capt. Henry Kelly VC (see 16^th March) as having been, “absent from roll call 9am until found drunk about 12.30pm in D Company billet”; on the orders of Lt.Col. Lethbridge (see above) he was ordered to undergo seven days Field Punishment no.2.

Pte. Frank Dunn (see 22^nd March) found himself on a charge for the second consecutive day; on this occasion he was reported by Cpl. Abel Roberts (see 29^th October 1917) as having “dirty equipment on parade”. On the orders of Capt. Dick Bolton MC (see 22^nd March) he was to be confined to barracks for a further five days.

2Lt. Keith Sagar Bain (see 12^th March) left the Battalion temporarily on “a course of instruction” (details unknown).

L.Cpl. Richard Cleasby Chorley (see 20^th January), serving with 223^rd Employment Company, relinquished his appointment as Lance Corporal at his own request and departed for England on two weeks leave.

Pte. James Stott (see 10^th March) was transferred from 24^th Casualty Clearing Station to 51^st Stationery Hospital at Arquata Scrivia; he was suffering from myalgia.

L.Cpl. William Frederick Ackrill (see 2^nd February), who had spent seven weeks in hospital having been wounded while serving in France with 2DWR, was discharged from 16^th General Hospital at Le Treport and posted to 3^rd Convalescent Depot, also at Le Treport.

Pte. Harold Walker Bray (see 5^th February) was posted from Northern Command Depot at Ripon to 3DWR at North Shields.

L.Cpl. Clarence Best (see 5^th March) was formally discharged from the army as no longer physically fit for service due to the wounds he had suffered on 20^th September 1917. He was awarded a pension of 27s. 6d. for four weeks, reducing thereafter to 16s. 6d., and to be reviewed in one year.


A pension award was made in the case of the late Pte. Stanley Roebuck Hutton (see 26^th January), who had been killed in action in September 1917 his widow, Mary, was awarded 18s. 9d. per week.

A pension award was made in the case of the late Cpl. George Herbert Moody (see 29^th January), who had been killed in action in September 1917; his widow, Annie, was awarded £1 10s. per week.

A pension award was made in the case of the late Pte. James Tunnicliffe (see 20^th September 1917), who had been killed in action in September 1917; his father, James, was awarded 5s. per week.