Friday 21st June 1918

Front line trenches between San Sisto and Poslen.

Two simultaneous raids were carried out by the Brigade against the Austrian lines. One raid was to be conducted by a Company of 11^th West Yorks and the other by 10DWR. 11^th West Yorks would raid the Austrian front line near the hamlet of Sec while 10DWR would attack to the west around Ave.

The raid by 10DWR was divided into two parties under the overall command of Capt. Henry Kelly VC (see 25^th May). A smaller party, comprising of one officer, 2Lt. Wilfred Frederick John Thomson (see 19^th February), and 40 men from ‘C’ Company, was to assemble in four small columns in file; three columns were to be just west of the road from San Sisto to South Ave and the fourth just right of the road. Their task would be to engage the Austrian advanced post at South Ave. The larger party, comprising of two officers, Capt. John Edward Lennard Payne MC (see 25th May) and 2Lt. Lawrence Tindill MM (see 9^th October 1917), and 70 men from ‘B’ Company and one officer, 2Lt. Archibald (Archie) Allen (see 30^th May), and 30 men from ‘C’ Company, was to assemble in ten small columns in file along the front line east of the San Sisto to South Ave road. Their task would be to enter the Austrian front line on a 200 yard front east of the San Sisto to South Ave road. The men were to advance with bayonets fixed and with 30 rounds of ammunition each; two men per section were to carry bombs to be used against dugouts. Within the raiding parties there was to be one section per Company of rifle grenadiers, carrying six grenades each. It was also ordered that “All members of the raiding party will remove all badges, identity discs or other identification marks and no letters nor papers of any kind will be taken”.

The left flank of the raiding parties was to be supported by a covering party, under 2Lt. Andrew Aaron Jackson (see 22^nd February), consisting of the Lewis gun section from ‘C’ Company supported by an NCO and ten riflemen and bombers. The right flank was to be covered by a second party, under 2Lt. Albert Joseph Acarnley MC (see 15^th May), consisting of a Lewis gun section from ‘B’ Company. A Forward Aid Post would be established by the Battalion Medical Officer, Capt. Norman Robert Davis (see 8^th June) in a gun pit shelter just in rear of the British front line. The Battalion Signalling Officer, Lt. Cyril William Wildy (see 12^th June), would put out a Forward Signal Station, both wire and visual, just in rear of the assembly point of the first party.

By 11.20pm the raiding parties were formed up and in position. At 11.30pm, to cover the raid, the Austrian front line was shelled “heavily by guns of all calibres” and under cover of this barrage the larger party advanced 600 yards to within 300 yards of the Austrian line. The smaller party moved off a minute later. After three minutes the barrage by the heavy guns lifted from the front line and was advanced over the next three minutes at a rate of 100 yards per minute to bombard the Austrian support lines; the field guns continued to bombard the front line. This allowed the smaller party to attack the forward post at South Ave which was found to be only “to be very lightly held (it is possible that the remainder of the garrison fled when the barrage came down) and was quickly mopped up. An outpost or working party was also met with about 100 yards in front of the front trench. These were mostly killed, the remainder fled, and the advance was in no way delayed”.

Meanwhile the larger party had moved forward under cover of the creeping barrage to within 150 yards of the Austrian line. At 11.36pm the field guns bombarding the front line shifted their fire to cover the Austrian line to either flank of the raiding parties to allow the attack to go in; bombardment of the support line continued. At 11.40pm the party entered the Austrian lines; the events are best described in the words of the official report:

 “The enemy's front line was entered at 11.40pm on a frontage of 200 yards east of the Guardinalti to Ave road. The trench was found to be very strongly held, a Company apparently being concentrated for relief. The raiding party was thoroughly imbued with the ‘spirit of the bayonet’ and the greater part of the garrison was wiped out with cold steel after slight resistance. All dugouts were thoroughly bombed. There can be no doubt that the number of enemy killed was very high, even after making full allowance for the impossibility of obtaining really accurate figures. With some difficulty, the officers of the party were able to ensure that 31 of the enemy were brought back alive for identification purposes etc. All are convinced that this formed less than a third of the garrison of the trench. One machine gun was captured in good condition; another was captured but had been so damaged by artillery fire that it was not worth salving. One Flammenwerfer was also obtained”.

The raiding parties returned to the British front lines at midnight. Amongst the raiding parties one man was confirmed killed and one officer and two men were reported missing. One officer and 18 men were reported wounded. The man confirmed killed was Pte. Ernest Haslam; he was 25 years old and from Stalybridge, where he had worked in a calico printing factory. He had previously served with 1^st/7^th and 1^st/6^th DWR, but in the absence of a surviving service record it has not been possible to establish when he had joined 10DWR. It would appear that he had been brought back to the British lines but had died in the early hours of 22^nd June before he could be evacuated for further medical treatment; he would be buried at Barenthal Military Cemetery.

The officer reported missing was 2Lt. Lawrence Tindill MM (see above); Pte. Harold Charnock (see 18^th June) recalled that “Lt. Tindill was a very capable officer. He lost his life through going back to help a wounded man. We had no idea what happened to him until after his grave was found by our burial party after the Armistice”. Tindill’s body would be recovered from No Man’s Land, just east of South Ave. Also recovered along with that of Tindill would be the body of Cpl. Joseph Robinson, who had also been reported missing in action. However, in his case, his fate was known from an early stage. Writing to Robinson’s family, an officer (unnamed) told them, “he took a gallant part in a raid on the night of 21st/22nd June.  As he was entering the enemy trenches he was severely wounded in the back and was carried back towards the British lines by a comrade when a shell burst near them.  This man himself was wounded and told the stretcher bearers that Cpl. Robinson was killed by the same shell … While you mourn a son we mourn a most promising non-commissioned officer, who was highly esteemed and respected by all who came in contact with him”. Robinson was 23 years old and from Scotter, Lincs., where he had worked as a farm labourer. He had previously served with 1^st/4^th DWR, and had been wounded in the Autumn of 1916, but in the absence of a surviving service record it has not been possible to establish when he had joined 10DWR. Both men would be re-buried at Barenthal Military Cemetery. The other man reported missing was Pte. John James Goodship (see 30^th August 1917); he had in fact been wounded, suffering injuries to his left thigh and right arm, and taken prisoner by the Austrians.

Cpl. Joseph Robinson

The wounded officer was 2Lt. Archibald (Archie) Allen (see above); he suffered severe shrapnel injuries to his left arm and chest. The details of his treatment in Italy are unknown, but he would subsequently be evacuated to England.

The wounded men have also been identified. Pte. Percy Burrows (see 10^th June) suffered shrapnel wounds to his left shoulder; he would be admitted to 39^th Casualty Clearing Station, where an operation was performed to remove a shrapnel ball from his shoulder; from there he would be taken onboard no.18 Ambulance Train to 38^th Stationary Hospital in Genoa.  Pte. Martin Corcoran (see 5^th October 1917); the details of his wounds and treatment are unknown but he would be subsequently transferred to the Machine Gun Corps. Pte. Franklin Colbeck (see 4^th October 1916); he suffered wounds to his right thigh and would be evacuated to England (details unknown). Pte. George William Corby (see 16^th January 1917); the details of his wounds and treatment are unknown but he would re-join the Battalion. Pte. John Henry Evison (see 7^th May) suffered shrapnel wounds to his hand; he would be admitted via 70^th Field Ambulance and 9^th Casualty Clearing Station to 38^th General Hospital in Genoa. Pte. Frederick Gibbs (see 5^th October); the details of his wounds and treatment are unknown but he would re-join the Battalion. Pte. William Grimes (see 25^th November 1916); the details of his wounds and treatment are unknown but he would re-join the Battalion.  L.Sgt. George Heeley (see 15^th May) suffered wounds to his left leg and would be admitted via 70^th Field Ambulance and 9^th Casualty Clearing Station to 11^th General Hospital in Genoa. Pte. William Hewitt (25172) (see 10^th June) suffered shrapnel wounds to his right hand and would be admitted via 70^th Field Ambulance and 9^th Casualty Clearing Station to 11^th General Hospital in Genoa. Pte. Thomas James Hogben (see 29^th October 1917) suffered shrapnel wounds to his left arm and hand and would be admitted via 70^th Field Ambulance and 9^th Casualty Clearing Station to 29^th Stationary Hospital in Cremona. Pte. Herbert Jacklin (see 31^st May) suffered a shrapnel wound to his right hand and contusions to his right shoulder and would be admitted via 70^th Field Ambulance and 9^th Casualty Clearing Station to 29^th Stationary Hospital in Cremona. Pte. Ernest Longbottom; the details of his wounds and treatment are unknown but it seems likely that he was evacuated to England. He was 22 years old and from Bingley. He had originally volunteered in November 1914 and had served with 2^nd/6^th DWR; the date and circumstances of his joining 10DWR are unknown. L.Cpl. Frederick James Lynch (see 20^th March) suffered contusions to his right shoulder and would be admitted via 70^th Field Ambulance and 9^th Casualty Clearing Station to 29^th Stationary Hospital in Cremona. L.Cpl. Leonard Mustill would be admitted to 9^th Casualty Clearing Station at Dueville; the nature of his wounds are unknown. He was 21 years old and from Pudsey, where he had worked as a warehouse assistant. He had originally served with 2DWR and, in the absence of a surviving service record, it is unknown when he had joined 10DWR. Pte. John Parkinson (see 5^th October 1917) suffered wounds to his was left hand which would result in the amputation of the second finger; the details of his treatment are unknown. Pte. James Pidgeley (see 19^th April) suffered wounds to his right shoulder and chest and would be admitted via 70^th Field Ambulance and 9^th Casualty Clearing Station to 11^th General Hospital in Genoa. Pte. Adam Shore; the details of his wounds and treatment are unknown, but he would re-join the Battalion. He was a 22 year-old labourer from Lancaster. In the absence of a surviving service record it has not been possible to establish when, or under what circumstances, he had joined 10DWR. Pte. Maurice Weldrick; the details of his wounds and treatment are unknown but he would re-join the Battalion. He was a 20 year-old textile worker from Mirfield; he had originally served with 1^st/7^th DWR and had been wounded in the Summer of 1917. The date and circumstances of his joining 10DWR are unknown. Pte. Sidney Wood (see 5^th July 1917) suffered chest wounds; the details of his immediate treatment are unknown but he would be subsequently evacuated to England.

Pte. Harold Charnock (see 18^th June) recalled the gallantry awards issued as a result of the raid: “Capt. Kelly received the MC and Capt. Payne and 2Lt. Thomson the Croce di Guerra; Lt. Col. Lethbridge (see 30^th May) received the Silver Valori Medal”. Of these, the only surviving citation is that for Capt. Kelly, “For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in charge of a company and a half in a raid. Despite a bright moon, he successfully assembled his party and attacked, killing a large number of the enemy and capturing thirty-one prisoners and two machine guns. His gallantry and fine leadership were largely responsible for the success of the raid”.

Nine other ranks would be awarded the Military Medal for their part in the raid:

Sgt. John Scott (see 12^th May 1917).

Cpl. Fred Perry (see 25^th April); it was said that Cpl. Perry, “led his section with great gallantry, skill and determination and after having taken his objective, went on to help the section on his right. He showed a high standard of courage and initiative during the operation” and he would be promoted Sergeant.

Pte. Benjamin Thomas Alcraft (see 5^th July 1917).

Pte. Robert Henry Arnold (see 13^th March) 

Pte. Lewis Batey (see 21^st March) 

Pte. William Harper (25972) (see 29^th October 1917).

Pte. William George Ruddock (see 24^th October 1917) 

Pte. Edward Percy Webb (see 24^th January).

Pte. Robert Wilson (see 29^th October 1917).

Writing many years later, Brig. Genl. Archibald Bentley Beauman DSO (see 17^th June) reflected on the conduct of raids such as this; “It is questionable if such raids can be justified. They do, of course, foster the offensive sprit in our troops during quiet periods, and identifications are always valuable to the intelligence branch. But raids can hardly have much effect on the campaign as a whole, and the position of the brigade commander or CO who plans them is rather difficult. If they succeed he gets a share of the reflected glory but he would only be in the way if he accompanied the raiders. Although I always went down to the front line to see the party off and welcome them back, the danger which I incurred was infinitesimal in comparision, and I always felt a fierce stab of remorse when I heard there had been casualties”. 

Cpls. George William Keeling MM (see 16^th April) and Percival John Munn (26^th March) were promoted Acting Lance Sergeant.

Ptes. Wellington Baldwin (see 26^th April), James Sugden (see 17^th January 1917) and Frank Wood MM (see 9^th May) departed on one weeks’ leave to Lake Garda. The resorts around the Lake were to be adopted as a destination for men on leave, as described in the Divisional History, “In their quest for a place in the sun, the Germans, during the years preceding the war, had all but converted Lake Garda into a German colony. Its shores were dotted with German villas and hotels. Now empty and abandoned, certain of these hotels at Sirmione, a village at the point of a narrow peninsula on the southern shore of the lake, were taken over as a rest station for British troops. No more perfect place could have been designed for the refreshment of the war-worn soldier from the line. Separate hotels were arranged for officers, non-commissioned officers and men. Here, far from the clatter of motor lorries and safe from the not too enterprising Austrian aeroplanes, the days could be idled away bathing, fishing, or taking trips by motor-launch to islands or neighbouring villages. The evenings were spent at the theatre or at open-air concerts”. 

Pte. Arthur Thomas Wilford (see 31^st May) was discharged from the Convalescent Depot at Lido d’Albaro, near Genoa and posted to the Base Depot at Arquata Scrivia.

Cpl. Michael Kenefick MM (see 10^th June), who had been ‘absent without leave’ from Northern Command School of Instruction at York for the previous 11 days, reported back at 11.55am. He would be tried by District Court Martial and, having been found guilty, reduced to the rank of Private.