Friday 13th December 1918

Billets at Arzignano

Ptes. John Walter Gethen (see 26^th November), Lancelot Johnson (see 19^th November), Douglas Mercer (see 28^th November) and Reginald James Nosworthy (see 8^th November) re-joined the Battalion from the Base Depot at Arquata Scrivia.

Pte. Ernest Mudd (see 6^th October) was discharged from 81^st Stationary Hospital in Marseilles and re-joined the Battalion.

L.Sgt. George Alma Cook (see 5^th December) was admitted via 71^st Field Ambulance to 23^rd Division Rest Station; he was suffering from jaundice, which, in a subsequent statement, he would attribute to “bad food and climatic conditions”.

Sgt. Edward Isger (see 25^th November) and L.Cpl. John Smith Hodgson MM (see 27^th October), both of whom had been wounded on 27^th October, were evacuated to England; the details of their treatment are unknown.


Pte. Samuel Wilkinson (see 27^th November), who had been in hospital for treatment for suspected influenza, was also evacuated to England; he would be admitted to hospital (details unknown), where he would be diagnosed as suffering from gonorrhoea. He would be transferred, on 19^th December, to Seaforth Auxiliary Hospital at Dingwall, before being transferred again, after three days, to 2^nd Western General Hospital in Manchester.
Trooper Claude Darwin (see 12^th October), who had been suffering from malaria, was discharged from hospital and re-joined 1^st Field Squadron, Engineers, Anzac Mounted Division, at Moascar. He was the brother of Tunstill recruit, Pte. Tom Darwin (see 2^nd February), who had been discharged from the army.

Pte. Herbert Newton (see 1^st November), who had been a prisoner of war since July, was repatriated to England. He would be posted to the Regimental Depot at Halifax and would be immediately granted two months’ leave.

Capt. John Atkinson (see 21^st August) was transferred from 3DWR at North Shields to join 51^st Battalion, Cheshire Regiment, based in Ipswich. He would become Acting Major and second-in-command of the Battalion.

Pte. John Charles Clarke (see 27^th November) was discharged from the University War Hospital in Southampton; he would have ten days’ leave before reporting to 3DWR at North Shields.

Pte. Charles Grant (see 4^th September) was formally discharged from the Army as no longer physically fit for service due to chronic conjunctivitis contracted in service; he would be awarded a pension of 13s. 9d. per week, to be reviewed in six months.

The weekly edition of the Craven Herald reported news of the death of Pte. William Dixon (see 28^th October), who had died of wounds on 28^th October:

ADDINGHAM - KILLED IN ITALY ON THE LAST DAY OF FIGHTING 

We regret to record the death of Lance Corporal (sic.) W. Dixon, of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment, which took place in Italy as a result of wounds received on the last day of fighting. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. W. Dixon, Addingham, have received no official information as yet, though they have been in communication with the War Office for some time. They had received a card from him dated the day hostilities ceased and were naturally thinking he had come through all right, but it must have been posted just before going into action. Then a letter came to a friend in the village saying he had been seriously wounded, and afterwards, in response to further enquiries, his friend who had been with him both in France and Italy wrote to his sister as follows:- 

"Dear Mrs. Scholfield, - You ask me to tell all I can concerning Willie. It is something I would rather not do, but as you have asked me to state the worst I feel that I ought to do so, as I know the suspense that you will be in. I thought you would have been notified by the War Office before now. I am sorry to say that Willie met his death on October 27th when we made the advance across the Piave. He was hit with a machine gun bullet soon after we crossed the river. I should like to have seen him, but did not know he was severely wounded until we reached our objective the same day. I was told he had been attended to and carried away on a stretcher, and afterwards heard he had died later in the day. I sympathise with you. I have known Willie since we were in training together; he came out in the same draft as myself. It does seem hard after going through so much to be taken away at the final push. Yours sincerely, E. Plumb (Pte. Ezra Plumb, see 28^th October)."

Pte. William Dixon