Monday 15th April 1918

Front line trenches between San Sisto and Poslen.

The recent cold, wet weather continued, with showers of rain, sleet and snow.

Following the events of the previous night, overnight 15^th/16^th a fighting patrol was sent out to investigate an Austrian strong point south of Ave but the post was found to be unoccupied.

Ptes. William Thomas Foley (see 29^th October 1917) and Alfred Whittaker (see 28^th November 1917) were reported by Sgts. John Stephenson (see 10^th January) and Edward Arthur Myers (see 15^th February) as being “deficient of bully beef and biscuits”; on the orders of Lt.Col. Francis Washington Lethbridge DSO (see 5^th April) both would be deprived of seven days’ pay and ordered to pay for the deficiency. Ptes. Benjamin Tetley (see 11^th January 1917) and Francis Titcombe (see 29^th October 1917) were reported on similar charges by Sgts. Myers and Edward Isger (see 4^th January), and were awarded the same punishment.

Pte. Hiram Tasker (see 14^th March) was discharged from 66^th General Hospital at Bordighera and posted to ‘C’ Camp at Arquata Scrivia.

A number of former 10DWR men, now serving with 2DWR, were casualties when the battalion made an unsuccessful attack on German positions near Hinges, north of Bethune; two officers and 39 other ranks were reported killed or missing. One of the men missing was Pte. Charles Burn (see 29^th July 1916); he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial. The men wounded were Ptes. Frank Demaine (see 30^th January 1917), James Arthur Markinson MM (see 19^th March), William Postill Taylor (see 16^th February) and Herbert Wood (see 24^th January). Demaine suffered wounds to his right forearm and would be evacuated via 22^nd Casualty Clearing Station to 18^th General Hospital at Camiers; he would be evacuated to England on 20^th April. Markinson suffered what were described as minor contusions to his face as a result of a shell explosion and would be admitted via 23^rd Casualty Clearing Station to 4^th General Hospital at Camiers, where he would be treated for a week before being discharged to one of the Base Depots at Etaples. Taylor suffered wounds to his chest and would be admitted to 26^th General Hospital at Etaples. Wood suffered shrapnel wounds to his right side, shoulder, arm and leg; he would be admitted via 22^nd Casualty Clearing Station to 22^nd General Hospital at Camiers, and from there evacuated to England four days later. On arrival in England he would be admitted to Lichfield Military Hospital.

Pte. Frank Wood (3/11631) (see 13^th December 1917), serving with 933^rd Area Employment Company, Labour Corps, was transferred to 909^th Area Employment Company.

Pte. James Wilson (see 18^th March) boarded the hospital ship Neuralia which would bring him back to England from South Africa.

Lt. David Lewis Evans (see 14^th January), serving with 3DWR, appeared before a further Army Medical Board assembled at Tynemouth. The report of the Board found that, “He is improving but is short of breath on forced exertion; his hearing seems to vary with his general condition. Full expansion of the lung is not obtained”. The Board instructed him fit to resume light duties with 3DWR at North Shields. He was to be re-examined in three months.

A second payment, of 2s. 9d., was authorised, on the account of the late Pte. William Beswick (see 6^th April), who had been killed in action in October 1917; the payment would go to his mother, Mary.

A pension award was made in the case of the late Pte. Archibald Kean (see 2^nd March), who had been killed in action in September 1917; his widow, Annie was awarded £1 6s. 3d. per week.

A pension award was made in the case of the late Pte. Willie Priestley (see 9^th February), who had been killed in action on 20^th September 1917; his widow, Lilian, was awarded 18s. 9d. per week, later (in January 1919) increased to £1 2s. 5d., for herself and her son.