15.1.1917: Battalion relieved 5th Battalion in XI sub sector.
1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
15th: 6th and 8th Battalions take over the front line. Our heavy trench mortars made good shooting on an emery dugout behind Gommocourt Wood.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
No record in the 1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
13th: A quiet day
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
13.1.1917: Major CB JOHNSON assumed Temporary Command vice Lt.-Col. E HALL DSO on short leave to England.
1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
13th: Four SAPS were cut in the enemy wire opposite our Battalion front with tubes of ammonal by 4 parties each consisting of 1 Officer, 12 other ranks and 1 sapper. Two ammonal tubes to each gap. Parties left our wire at 8.00pm and exploded the eight tubes at ZERO hour (9.08pm) and all parties returned to our lines without casualties by 9.26pm. Very little retaliation on the part of the enemy.
1/5th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
13th: Left sub-sector shelled during the afternoon. 5th Battalion exploded eight and 7th Battalion exploded six ammonal tubes in the enemies line successfully.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
12.1.1917 SOUASTRE: APPOINTMENTS:
Village shelled by enemy. 2373 L/Sgt John Land wounded in the head and eventually died of his wounds.
1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
12th: Intermittent shelling during the afternoon. SOUASTRE and FONQUEVILLERS shelled during the evening – to which heavy artillery replied by bombarding ABLAINZEVELLE.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
11.1.1917: Relieved by 5th Battalion and moved back into Divisional Reserve.
Lieut AH GOODALL (above) and 2/Lieut VTG HORE seconded for duty with Heavy Branch Machine Gun Corps d/- 23.12.16.
1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
11th: Our Artillery carried out a bombardment in the earl morning – whilst out left sub sector was shelled later. 5th and 7th Battalions took over front line. Left sub sector again shelled during the afternoon.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
20004 Pte Albert Statham
It seems likely that Albert was wounded and transferred to Hospital in England. After his return to France he was then posted to the 1/5th Battalion (December 1916); hence the renumbering to 20004 from his original 4-digit number (2375)
In trenches but no record in the 1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
10th: Hostile battery active during the morning and afternoon.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
In trenches but no record in the 1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
9th: Our artillery and trench mortars carried out a bombardment.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
In trenches but no record in the 1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
8th: FONQUEVILLERS and our left sub sector shelled both in the morning and the evening.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
7.1.1917: Relieved 5th Battalion in RIGHT SECTOR.
Draft of 180 Other Ranks (160 partly trained) joined Battalion and sent to 139 Brigade Training Depot.
80 of these men comprise the 28th Reinforcement (see below), but the origin the of the other 100 men is not clear.
1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]
7th: 6th and 8th Battalions take over the front line.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
Some of these these men came from the 14th Infantry Base Depot and formed the 28th Reinforcement to the 1/6th Battalion.
This Reinforcement comprised many men from the South Nottinghamshire Hussars (left) and Derbyshire Yeomanry (right).
Army Service Record for 7804/242592 Pte Percy McNeil recording that he had left Folkstone on the 4th January 1916 and had been posted to the 14th Infantry Base Depot before transferring to the 1/6th Battalion Sherwood Foresters.
Percy had originally enlisted into the South Nottinghamshire Hussars on the 22nd August 1914 and embarked for Gallipoli (via Alexandria) in August 1915. He was taken sick with enteritis and dysentery and returned to England on Hospital Ship FORMOSA in February 1916. After treatment and recuperation he was transferred to the 5th Reserve Battalion Sherwood Foresters before disembarking from Folkestone for Boulogne in January 1917.
Army Service Record for 669 Pte John Atkinson of ‘D Squadron’ 1/1st South Nottinghamshire Hussars who also transferred to the 5th battalion Sherwood Foresters on the 2nd January 1917, two days before leaving for France.
Derbyshire Territorials in the Great War 