No record in the 1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]

June 17 Trenches: Quite day.

139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]

Despite 139 Brigade recording ‘quite day’ the 1/7th Battalion Sherwood Foresters had 45 casualties including 10 men killed or dying of gas poisoning over a period of 3 days.

Enemy Gas On night 15/16 at 11/30 pm the enemy shelled the area between the RIGHT Company Posts in NOVEL and the Company HQ with 300 to 400 Priester Gas Bombs causing 45 casualties mostly in D (Right) Company.

The effects of the gas lasted about 30 minutes but all the outposts were kept fully manned and a relief of posts carried out immediately the gas cleared. The following were killed or died in hospital:-

• 265246 Sergt Joseph Read D Coy
• 266647 Pte A Marson D Coy
• 269830 Pte E Marshall
• 267823 Pte H Hawthorne D Coy
• 267376 Pte F Richardson D Coy
• 269292 H Hindle D Coy
• 305650 H Johnson C Coy
• 267941 John Thornley D Coy
• 269862 WJ Long C Coy
• 265818 Pte Lawrence William Wykes