Thursday 27th February 1919

Billets at Montecchia di Crosara

Pte. Charles Knight (see 28^th January) was reported by Cpl. John William Warner (see 26th August 1918) as having been “absent from billet at tattoo until reporting himself at 11.45pm”; on the orders of Capt. Leonard Norman Phillips MC (see 21^st February) he would undergo seven days’ Field Punishment no.2.

Pte. Frederick William Warner (see 17^th February) was evacuated to England from 57^th General Hospital in Marseilles, travelling onboard the Hospital Ship Panama; he was suffering from scabies and on arrival would be admitted to Graylingwell War Hospital, Chichester. 

At St. Andrew’s Church, Willesden, 2Lt. Fred Swale (see 5^th November 1918) married Winifred Annie Louise Passey (b. 17^th June, 1894).

Image by kind permission of Joan, Sheila and Peter Rigg

Sgt. Wilfred Fletcher (see 30^th January) and Ptes. Alfred Armitage MM (see 27^th October 1918) and Willie Holmes (see 30^th November 1918) were officially transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z.

Pte. John William Farrer (see 12^th December 1918), who had been in England since having been wounded in October 1918, was formally discharged from the Army as no longer physically fit for service due to wounds suffered in action. He was awarded a pension of 8s. 3d. per week for life.

Pte. Charles Edward Berry (see 6^th September 1918), who had been in England for more than a year having been taken ill in January 1918, was officially transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z. Due to his having suffered “prolapse of rectum and bronchitis” whilst in service, he was also granted an Army pension of 8s. 3d. per week, to be reviewed after one year.

Pte. John Foster (see 29^th January), who had been in England for the previous two months, having been taken ill while serving with 2^nd/7^th DWR, was officially transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z.

Pte. James Duncan Foster (see 9^th December 1918), who had been serving with 3DWR, was officially transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z.

The Infantry Record Office in York wrote to Pte. Joseph Wilkinson (see 14^th February), who had recently been demobilized, with a query about his service,“In December 1917 instructions were received from the War Office, authorizing your discharge to commissioned rank as from the date previous to the date when you were to embark for India, on being appointed to a commission, viz. 25^th June 1916. Will you kindly state if this was eventually cancelled – if so, please state how you have been situated since the above date”.

Within days Pte. Wilkinson would reply stating that, “I assure you that I never entertained the idea of taking up a commission and how the papers ever got compiled I can never tell. So I will forward you the information you require, viz. 25^th June 1916. Since this date I have carried on the duties of a Private Soldier in the 10^th battalion, West Riding Regiment”.

There had clearly been some confusion over Pte. Wilkinson’s status, and correspondence between the Infantry records Office and the War Office would continue for some weeks. It is unclear when Pte. Wilkinson was formally transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z.