Tuesday 25th February 1919

Billets at Arzignano

Starting out at 10.15 am the Battalion marched nine miles south-west to their former billets at Montecchia di Crosara; the march route was via Brenton, but the transport moved by the more circuitous, but less steep, route via Montebello Vicentino and Terrossa.

Pte. Ernest Portman (see 26^th November 1918) completed and signed his ‘Statement as to disability’ forms, which were a precursor to his being posted back to England. The completed forms, which confirmed that he did not claim to have suffered any disability in service, were witnessed for by Capt. Paul James Sainsbury (see 24^th February).

L.Cpl. John Henderson (see 16^th February) and Pte. Robert Fiedler (see 16^th February) were posted back to England for demobilization from Clipstone Camp, Wilts.

The day after joining his new battalion, Pte. Alfred Whittaker (see 18^th February), serving with 8^th Yorks. and Lancs. was admitted to hospital (details unknown); he would be discharged and re-join his new battalion three days’ later.

Pte. Harry Barraclough MM (see 26^th May 1918), who had been serving with 23^rd Battalion Machine Gun Corps, was discharged from hospital in Marseilles and posted back to England, travelling initially onboard No.37 Ambulance Train; the stoppage of his pay and allowances which had been in force since August 1918 (he had been suffering from venereal disease) was now lifted.

Pte. Hubert Crabtree (see 13^th December 1918), serving in France with 1^st/6^thDWR, transferred to 13DWR.

Pte. Ernest Thorn (see 21^st November 1918), serving in France with 1^st/7^thDWR, was posted back to England for demobilization.

Sgts. Harold Best MM (see 31^st January), John (Jack) Cranston (see below), A/Sgt. George William Keeling MM (see 24^th January), Cpls. Stephen Grady (see 24^th January) and Walter Smith (18428) (see 24^th January), L.Cpl. Benjamin Tetley (see 26^th January) and Ptes. William Atkinson (25980) (see 26^th January), Archie Thomas Best (see below), Jesse Ferns (see 26^th January), Robert Hitchen (see 26^th January), William Kershaw (18282) (see 26^th January), William Andrew Leiper Long (see 24^th January), George Maidens (see below), Edgar Midgley (see below), Joseph Pickles (see 26^th January), Thomas Alfred Simpson (see 26^th January), William Henry South (see below), Harold Wall (see 26^th January) and Herbert Willoughby (see 26^th January) were officially transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z.

John (Jack) Cranston had been an original member of the Battalion; Archie Thomas Best was 30 years old and from Sheffield, where, before joining the Army, he had worked as a steel warehouseman; Edgar Midgley had only served with 10DWR; George Maidens and William Henry South had originally served with 1^st/4^th DWR before being transferred (date and details unknown) to 10DWR. In the absence of surviving service records I am unable to make a positive identification of any of these man or establish any details of their service. 

Pte. Arthur Wideman (see 21^st January), who had been serving in France with 2DWR, was also officially transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z.

Pte. Albert Saville (see 4^th November 1918), who had been serving in England with 762^nd Area Employment Company, was also officially transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z.

Pte. Matthew Woodward (see 28^th December 1918), serving in England with 16^th Labour Company, Labour Corps, was also officially transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z.

Pte. James William Briggs (see 29^th May 1916), who had been serving with the Duke of Edinburgh’s (Wiltshire) Regiment, was also officially transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z.

Pte. Arthur Wellock was also officially transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z; he had originally served with 10DWR before being transferred (date and details unknown) firstly to the Durham Light Infantry and from there to the Machine Gun Corps. In the absence of a surviving service record I am unable to make a positive identification of this man or establish any details of his service.


Pte. Norman Greenwood (see 8^th February), who had been transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z two weeks previously, was admitted to Keighley War Hospital, suffering from chronic bronchitis.