Major BERNARD WILLIAM VANN MC (8th Sherwood Foresters) assumed Command
1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
23/IX/17: Relief complete. Enemy artillery inactive on our trenches but shelled back areas heavily during the day.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
22.9.1917 HILL 70 RIGHT: Battalion relieved 2nd DLI and 11th ESSEX (4 posts) in front line.
1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
22/IX/17: Relief of 71st and 18th Infantry Brigades continued. Brigade HQ moves from ANNEQUIN to dugouts called PREVITE CASTLE. 139 Brigade took over Command of HILL 70 sector at 11pm.
“Rations and supplies were mainly brought up by pack mules, the only sector in which this method was used regularly. The mules were taken from the Transport lines at Sailly—Labourse by road to Fosse 3, thence over a cross—country track past Brigade Headquarters at Previte Castle, to the Battalion dumps at Tosh Alley, and the old British front line. This was a perfectly silent method, and one which, with little practice, soon became a very expeditious one. During our stay, work was begun on the laying of tramlines up to Hill 70, but whilst we were there they were not used to any great extent.”
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
21.7.1917 LES BREBIS: Battalion relieved 1st LEICESTERS and 1st WEST YORKS in SUPPORT on HILL 70 RIGHT.
LIEUT COLONEL CB JOHNSON killed in action.
MAJOR W SEATON assumed temporary Command.
Cyril Benton Johnson was killed by a shell whilst going up to the trenches just in from of Loos. He died instantly and was buried at the little Cemetery of Sailly-Labourse. He was 27 years old.
1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
21/IX/17: We commenced relieving portions of the 71st and 18th Infantry Brigades in HILL 70 Sector.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
Wilfred was a Pre-War Territorial from Chesterfield who served in “A” Company and is now buried next to his Commanding Officer.
20.9.1917 ANNEQUIN: Battn relieved by 1sy KRRC and marched to billets in LES BREBIS.
1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
20/IX/17: Hostile artillery active in early morning. A barrage was put down on our trenches in A28c at 5.25am and at 5.30am. A small party approached one of our posts in A28c. The party was disposed of by LG and rifle fire.
Relief by 99th Infantry Brigade was completed. Brigade HQ remained at ANNEQUIN.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
17/IX/17: Quiet day. Wind unfavourable for discharge of gas. A good patrol was done by 7th SF. The patrol fired 3 Lewis Gun magazines into enemy wiring party at close range. The wiring party was dispersed.
18/IX/17: Hostile artillery and TMs fairly quite on our sector. Wind again unfavourable for gas discharge. A good patrol was carried out by 5th SF. The patrol caused casualties to and dispersed a hostile wiring party.
19/IX/17: Hostile artillery rather active on right sub sector. Capt Dickens 7th SF had a lively patrol encounter in the early morning. The patrol of 1 Officer and 4 Ors saw 4 Germans approach them from enemy front line. Our patrol threw a bomb which killed 2 and drove back remaining 2. After waiting a few minutes 6 more Germans were seen. These were fired on by rifle and revolver and 1 was killed and 1 thought to be wounded, the remainder moving away. When returning the found themselves cut off by a party of 20 Germans who threw bombs. The patrol charged them and dispersed them wounding 1 man. Our casualties were 1 NCO wounded.
Albert Light Moody Dickins MC, killed in action 21st March 1918
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
No record in the 1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
16/IX/17: 2″ TMs engaged on wire cutting about G.4.b.4.7. 8th SF carried gas cylinders into our sector during the night. This Battalion was brought by motor lorries from FOUQUIRES to ANNEQUIN for this purpose.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
No record in the 1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
15/IX/17: Quite day. 1st Monmouths and 6th North Staffordshire’s commenced carrying gas cylinders into our sector during the night.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
14.9.1917 ANNEQUIN: Lieuts BE JOHNSON and ES WOOD to be Acting Captains (additional).
Brian Eccles Johnson
1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
14/IX/17: Quite day. Our snipers claim to have hit a hostile sentry.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
13.9.1917 CAMBRIN SECTOR: Battn relieved by 5th Battn SF in the CAMBRIN SECTOR.
1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
13/IX/17: The following reliefs took place during daylight
Dispositions were adjusted to admit 2 Companies of 6th SF training for a raid
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
No record in the 1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
12/IX/17: Hostile TM’s fairly active, otherwise nothing to report.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
C Company were again unfortunate the following night, when they were bombarded with heavy trench mortars and suffered nine more casualties.
“He was unconscious from the first. Everything possible was done for him, but the shock evidently proved too much for his contitution and he passed away in the 33rd Clearing Station (Bethune) on 14th [September 1917]. Had he lived I am afraid he would have lost both his legs and been a helpless cripple”.
“I am most awfully sorry to write such bad news, but I trust you will bear it with Christian fortitude. An enemy trench mortar shell landed in the middle of one of our posts the other night and killed a great number of our men, of whom Pte George Darwin was one.”
[HISTORY OF 1/STH BATTALION SHERWOOD FORESTERS 1914-1919, By CAPTAIN WCC WEETMAN]
Derbyshire Territorials in the Great War 