Wednesday 18th December 1918

Billets at Morando

Field General Courts Martial were assembled to consider the cases of two men who had been late reporting back following periods of leave in England.

Pte. Arthur Clarke (see 28^th November), who had been taken ill whilst on home leave, was charged with “absenting himself without leave from 4pm on 19^th October to 6.45am on 7^th November” (this was the period from the date of expiry of his leave and the point when he had actually reported at Southampton, following a period in hospital). He was found guilty of absence from 31^st October (when he had been due to report to Southampton) and 7^th November, and was ordered to undergo 14 days’ Field Punishment no.1.

The case of Pte. Albert Mellor (see 1^st December) was more straightforward; he was charged with “absenting himself without leave from 3.30pm on 6^th September to 3.20pm on 25^th October”. He was found guilty and was ordered to undergo 90 days’ Field Punishment no.1.

Pte. Herbert John Wicks (see 2^nd August) was reported by Cpls. Thomas Mann MM (see 1^st December) and Fred Greenwood MM (24522) (see 15th October) as having been, “absent from roll call 9pm until reporting at 10pm”; on the orders of 2Lt. William Johnson Simpson MC (see 2^nd December) he would be confined to barracks for three days.

A/L.Sgt. Percival John Munn (see 31^st July) relinquished his acting rank and reverted to the rank of Corporal.

Sgt. George Richard Goodchild (see 28^th April), Cpl. William Hay Murdock (see 27^th October) and Ptes. Lewis Batey MM (see 18^th October), William John Thomas Hurst (see 11^th September), Frank Patterson (see 6^th July) and Thomas Prince (see 20^th November) departed on two weeks’ leave to England.

Pte. William Douglas (see 26^th November) was admitted via 69^th Field Ambulance to 11^th Stationary Hospital in Genoa; he was suffering from conjunctivitis; he would be discharged and re-join the Battalion after six days.

L.Sgt. George Heeley (see 11^th November) and Ptes. William Henry Bray (see 8^th December) and James Henry Innes (see 26^th October) re-joined the Battalion from the Base Depot at Arquata Scrivia.

Pte. Harry Sugden (see 28^th October) re-joined the Battalion from the Convalescent Depot at Lido d’Albaro, near Genoa.

A/Capt. Ernest Cyril Coke (see 5^th May), who had been Adjutant to 3DWR at North Shields, relinquished his role as Adjutant and reverted to the rank of Lieutenant.

2Lt. Keith Sagar Bain MC (see 2^nd December) appeared before a further Army Medical Board at Peveril Park Hospital. The Board found that, “he has made good progress … he has quite recovered from the effects of jaundice. No liver tenderness; urine normal; stools normal; taking on normal food. He is now fit for Home Service. Recommend 3 weeks leave, to 8^th Jan 1919”. He was then to join 3DWR at North Shields.

A note was added to the War Office case file of Lt. Andrew Aaron Jackson (see 10^th December 1918), who had suffered wounds to his right shoulder during the trench raid on 26^th August 1918, and was still under treatment at Lady Cooper’s Hospital, Hursley Park, Winchester, recording that he “is not in a fit state of health to be released from military service for employment with the Education Committee”. Before joining the army he had been working as a schoolmaster in Mytholmroyd.