Thursday 27th March 1919

Billets at Montecchia di Crosara

Pte. George Green (22749) (see 5^th March) was formally transferred from 505^th Prisoner of War Company at San Bonifacio to the GHQ Concentration Camp at Tavernelle, where he would be re-united with the cadre of the Battalion prior to being posted back to England.

2Lt. Christopher Longstaff (see 18^th January), serving in France with 9West Yorks, was posted to 17^th Prisoner of War Company.

Trooper Claude Darwin (see 13^th December 1918), serving in Egypt with 1^st Field Squadron, Engineers, Anzac Mounted Division, embarked at Port Said en route for England; on arrival on 11^th April he would be granted one months’ leave. He was the brother of Tunstill recruit, Pte. Tom Darwin (see 2^nd February), who had been discharged from the army.

Pte. Henry Edgar Grass (see 4^th January 1918), serving in India with 1DWR, was admitted to hospital in Quetta, suffering from suspected malaria; he would be discharged to duty after one week.

Sgt. Bob Maunders (see 12^th January), L.Cpl. John Henderson (see 25^th February) and Ptes. Vernon Barker (see 31^st January), Henry Grimshaw (see 24^th February), Alfred Shaw (see 24^th February) and Sam Shuttleworth (see 31^st January) were officially transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z.

Pte. Farrand Kayley (see 11^th March), brother of Tunstill’s recruits James (see 27^th March 1916) and Job Kayley (see 19^th March), who had been serving in France with 1^st/6^th Battalion West Ridings as a transport driver, was also officially transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z.

Pte. James Kilburn (see 2^nd February), serving with 3DWR at North Shields, was officially transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z.

Pte. Fred Richmond (see 26^th November 1918), serving with 475^th (Home Service) Employment Company, Labour Corps at Ripon, was officially transferred to the Army Reserve Class Z. Having been wounded in November 1915, he was awarded an Army pension of 5s. 6d. per week ‘until further notice’.

Pte. Joseph Laycock (see 2^nd May 1915), serving with the Labour Corps, was also formally discharged to the Army Reserve Class Z. He had originally served with 10DWR before being taken ill, suffering from rheumatism, in February 1916 (date and details unknown); at some point he had been transferred to the Labour Corps.

Further enquiries were made regarding the fate of 2Lt. Lawrence Tindill MM (see 10^th March), who had been officially missing in action since 21^st June 1918. The War Office wrote to Pte. John James Goodship (see 14^th January), who had been taken prisoner during the raid in which Lt. Tindill had been reported missing, “I am directed to inform you that it is understood in this Department that you are able to furnish information concerning 2^nd Lieutenant L. Tindill, reported missing 21^st June 1918. I am to ask you to be good enough to forward a statement to this office, showing what information you have regarding this Officer. Your statement should include: evidence showing the identity of the Officer; the date and place of death; your reasons for believing this Officer to be dead”. Goodship would reply stating that, “In regards to Mr. Tindill I am afraid that I can give you no definite information as I did not know that anything was wrong with him until after I got back into British hands again after the Armistice was signed”.

A payment of £31 18s. 4d. was authorised, being the amount due in pay and allowances (including a war gratuity of £25) to the late Cpl. William Frederick Ackrill (see 24^th October 1918) who had been killed in action on 24^th October 1918. The payment would go to his mother, Minnie.

A payment of £20 11s. 10d. was authorised, being the amount due in pay and allowances (including a war gratuity of £9 10s.) to the late Pte. Charles Simmons (see 27^th October 1918), who had been killed in action on 27^th October 1918. The payment would go to his mother, Ada; this was noted as being at the “written request of father”.

A second payment, of £12 6s. 8d. was authorised, being a further amount due in pay and allowances to the late Pte. Milton Sutcliffe (see 3^rd March), who had been killed in action on 27^th October 1918; the payment would go to his widow, Agnes, but, in accordance with the terms of Pte. Sutcliffe’s will, was specifically ‘for child’s benefit’; three year-old Nora was the couple’s only child. 

The father of the late Capt. Bob Perks DSO (see 30^th November 1918) wrote to the War Office regarding the settlement of his son’s affairs: “With reference to your letter of 11^th inst. will you be good enough to submit a statement showing how the sum of £239 8s. is made up. Also please note that my son was DSO and inform me whether that distinction affects the amount due. There is no trace of a will among the effects we have of my late son. If there had been one amongst his papers when he was on active service what would he have done with it? I presume I should have been of it if one had been found. The Colonel of the Battalion wrote to me and sent me one letter found upon him when he was killed and we have received a quantity of his private effects. My son never mentioned a will but as he became engaged only a few days before he last went out which was only a few weeks before he was killed I am anxious to make all enquiries before taking out Letters of Administration”.

Capt. Bob Perks DSO

Image by kind permission of Janet Hudson