Disaster struck at the BLUFF with the biggest single loss of life to-date.

The Battalion took over trenches 27, 28, 29, 30S and R11 on the Canal I33 from the 28^th to 30^th September.

The Germans shelled SPOIL BANK and it’s trenches very heavily in afternoon and at 6.35 pm exploded a mine under trench 29 and the right of Angle Trench. This trench was occupied by Lieutenant Lewis Dickinson and Number 9 Platoon of “C” Company.

4 men were killed and missing believed killed were 1 Officer (Lt Dickinson) and 12 men. A further 24 men were wounded.

The bodies of 12 men were not recovered following the explosion and they were initially reported ‘as missing’ by Colonel Goodman on form B213; however, correspondence from DAAG 2 confirmed that the men had been killed. Only the mother of Mrs Carter received any personal belongings from her son.

The body of Lt Dickinson was later recovered and he was buried in Spoilbank Cemetery, whilst Ptes Chapman, Darcy, Hollingshead and Partridge are all buried in Chester Farm.

 The men that died:-

2/Lt Lewis Dickenson aged 36 and a railway clerk from Bakewell

1437 Alfred Hollingshead aged 21 and a gardener from Ashbourne

1448 Sgt William Wibberley aged 23 and a plumber from Ashbourne

1667 Samuel Yates aged 22 and a quarryman from Peak Dale

1785 Frederick Hooley aged 18 and a builders clerk from Wirksworth

1812 James Bradley aged 18 and a farm hand from Ashbourne

1892 George Partridge aged 19 and a bank attendant from Matlock

1953 L/Cpl Arthur Harding aged 21 and a printer from Ashbourne

2152 Harold Chapman aged 21 and a grocer from Tideswall

2276 Thomas Darcy aged 29 and a barman from Bakewell

2288 Oscar Goodwin aged 25 and a railway shunter from Buxton

2524 Charles Carter aged 20 and a farmer from Ashbourne

3159 Charles Roberts aged 22 and a coke worker from Clay Cross

3550 James Wardle aged 16 and a resident of Ashbourne

3561 Albert Roberts aged 20 and a farm labourer from Ashbourne

A water filled crater on the Bluff that was readily visible following the clearing of the woods in the summer of 2012.