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]
Another misfortune occured in our next trench tour on September 11th, when a raid was attempted by Capt. Martelli in command of a party consisting of C Company and half A Company. The raid was to be carried out against enemy trenches opposite Railway Craters, at 1-45 p.m. It was caretully practised beforehand over a taped model. Unfortunately, the enemy were evidently aware of our intentions, probably divining that a raid was in prospect trom the fact of our having cut gaps in the wire, and whilst our men were forming up in No Man’s Land, they suddenly opened an intense bombardment, mostly of gas bombs, which fell right amongst
them. Our men immediately put on their box respirators, but in the dark it was quite impossible to advance with them on, and seeing that progress was impossible, Martelli, who was himself wounded, withdrew his party, suffering in casualties during the whole operation, three other ranks killed and 30 wounded.
C Company were again unfortunate the following night, when they were bombarded with heavy trench mortars and suffered nine more casualties.
[HISTORY OF 1/STH BATTALION SHERWOOD FORESTERS 1914-1919, By CAPTAIN WCC WEETMAN]
307639 Pte Harry Wilson died of wounds in the 1st Casualty Clearing Station.
305673 Lance Sergeant Josiah Blythe aged 28 and from Sutton in Ashfield
306353 L/Cpl Herbert Charles Key aged 22 and from Newark
305324 Pte Walter Cecil Randall aged 20 and from Retford
325025 Pte Eugene Stewart aged 35 from Pothmahomack
325044 Pte Stanley Thorne
No record in the 1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
10/IX/17: Hostile TMs fairly active on our own sector. 1 Company of 1st Monmouths began work of preparing front line for gas cylinders. Our posts in G4b were heavily bombarded by gas TM bombs at 11 pm.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
9.9.1917 ANNEQUIN: Lt Col CB JOHNSON resumes Command of Battalion.
1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
9/IX/17: Gas was successfully projected during the night at 11.45 pm and 3am, Hostile artillery retaliated. 2″ TMs were engaged in wire cutting in vicinity of RAILWAY CRATERS (A28c).
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
No record in the 1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
8/IX/17: Quite day. 1 Company 7th Sherwood Foresters relieved 1 Company 8th Sherwood Foresters which returned to ANNEQUIN to train for a raid.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
7.9.1917 FOUQUIRES: Battn relieved 5th Battn in the CAMBRIN SECTOR.
1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
7/IX/17: Quite day. Our snipers claim a hit. Following daylight reliefs were carried out:-
4″ Stokes mortars were placed prepared to carry out a gas operation.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
No record in the 1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
6/IX/17: Normal artillery and trench mortar activity. Hostile MGs quite at night but very active against our aeroplanes during the day. Its is noticeable that the German MGs are quite at night after a day during which there has been a large expenditure of ammunition in AA work.
One German on sentry in his front line was shot by our snipers.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
Derbyshire Territorials in the Great War 