Saturday 12th October 1918

Billets at Gambellara.

Pte. Joseph Hadley (see 6^th October) was reported by Sgt. James Walker MM (see 10^th October) as being “deficient of 1 jack knife and 1 table knife”; on the orders of Maj. William Norman Town (see 23^rd August; it is not clear exactly when Maj. Town had re-joined the Battalion from England) he was to pay for the lost items.

Pte. Alfred Whittaker (see 3^rd October) was admitted via 21^st Field Ambulance to 9^th Casualty Clearing Station; he was suffering from debility.

Pte. William James Nunn (see 11^th June) was admitted via 69^th Field Ambulance and 9^th Casualty Clearing Station to 62^nd General Hospital at Bordighera, near Ventimiglia; he was suffering from influenza.

2Lt. Keith Sagar Bain (see 2^nd October), who had suffered wounds to his right leg and buttock during the trench raid on 26^th August, was posted back to England; he would travel from Le Havre to Southampton and on arrival would be admitted to 5^th London General Hospital.

Pte. Alfred Ambler (see 29^th July 1916) was killed in action while serving in France with 1^st/6^th DWR; he would be buried at Wellington Cemetery, Rieux-en-Cambresis, north-east of Cambrai. He had originally served with 10DWR, before being transferred, via 8DWR, to 1^st/6^thDWR.

Sgt. Richard Wharton, was killed in action while serving with 9DWR; he would originally be buried at Neuvilly British Cemetery no.2, but his remains would later be exhumed and re-interred at Selrdige British Cemetery, Montay, east of Cambrai. Richard Wharton was the younger brother of Sergt. Allan Wharton (see 17^th August 1917), who had been one of Tunstill’s orginal volunteers but was now serving with the Northumberland Fusiliers. A third brother, Percy, had been missing, presumed dead, since September 1917.

2Lt. Thomas Walsh (see 6^th October), who had left 2DWR a week previously, having reported sick, suffering from “debility and general weakness”, was evacuated to England and on arrival would be admitted to 2^nd Western General Hospital in Manchester.

Trooper Claude Darwin (see 12^th June), was admitted to hospital in Jerusalem, suffering from malaria. He was the brother of Tunstill recruit, Pte. Tom Darwin (see 2^nd February), who had been discharged from the army.

Pte. Walter Ralph (see 18^th September), serving in England with 474^th Agricultural Company, Labour Corps, based in York, was posted to the Yorks. and Lancs. Regimental Depot pending his formal transfer to the Labour Corps; his transfer would be completed ten days later. Walter Ralph was the elder brother of Pte. Kit Ralph (see 30^th April 1917) who had been killed at Le Sars in October 1916.

The weekly edition of the Keighley News reported on the wounding in France of Pte. Arthur Lindsay (see 29^th September);

Mrs. Lindsay of 101 Keighley Road, Cowling, has received information that her son, Private Arthur Lindsay of the West Riding Regiment, was wounded by a machine gun bullet in the left hand on September 29^th and is in hospital at Halifax. Private Lindsay had only been four days up the line when he was wounded on returning from England, after suffering from pneumonia. He enlisted in September 1914 and was wounded at the Battle of the Somme in July 1916. Previous to joining the forces he was employed as a warp twister by J. Binns and Sons Ltd, Croft Mills, Cowling. His father, Private Edward Lindsay, is in the Royal Air Force.

Pte. Arthur Lindsay

The same edition also reported news of Pte. Arthur Metcalfe (see 20^th November 1914), who had recently returned home, having escaped from a prison camp in Germany; he had been taken prisoner during the retreat from Mons in 1914 while serving with 2^nd Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers. Arthur Metcalfe was the elder brother of Pte. Albert Mawer Metcalfe (see 20^th November 1914);

ESCAPE FROM GERMANY

Bandsman Arthur Metcalfe, of the Royal Munster Fusiliers, whose parents live at Walton Street, Cowling, on Thursday returned to Cowling after escaping from a German prison camp, where he had been a prisoner of war for over four years. Bandsman Metcalfe, whose home is at Bradford, served a term in the Regular Army, and, on being transferred to the Reserve, was employed for a time by Messrs. Harry Newman and Sons, Springwell Laundry, Cowling, afterwards joining the Bradford City Fire Brigade and subsequently the Bradford City Police Force. He left the police force to re-join his regiment on the outbreak of war, and was immediately drafted to France, being a member of the first Expeditionary Force. He took part in the first actions against the enemy, but had the misfortune to be taken prisoner at Mons. From Mons he was sent into Germany and while there was compelled to undergo treatment which caused him and two comrades to resolve to escape at the first opportunity. Eventually they got clear of the confines of the prison camp successfully, and in seven days and nights, swimming rivers and walking across country, they covered 115 miles and reached the Dutch frontier. Just as they were about to make the final dash across the frontier they found they were very near a sentry, a fact which was revealed to them by the man stamping his feet to keep warm. Eventually they passed the man within a distance of ten yards and reached freedom, very much exhausted. Though in fairly good health, Bandsman Metcalfe has suffered by his confinement and though always of slim build he has lost three stones in weight during his internment. He was greatly exhausted on his return but after a few hours at his home in Bradford he was able to pay a visit to his parents at Cowling.