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.

46th Division attack on ST QUENTIN CANAL and HINDENBERG LINE.

Much has been written about the storming of the Hindenburg line at Bellenglise by the 46th North Midland Division and the 1/6th Battn gallantly played their part.

At 9.30 AM the order was received for the Battalion to move up to positions vacated by the 8^th SF. These Battn were to follow up closely keeping touch with the 8^th SF.

However, the Companies had already begun to move forward and since there was a very thick fog it was impossible to keep any communication. However all Companies got to the second assembly position and were ordered to push on over Canal.

The Canal was crossed between 11.0 and 11.15 AM.

Two Companies on the right found the 8^th SF around the BROWN LINE and advanced with them helping to take the YELLOW LINE and clearing out dugouts on the way.

In the centre and on the left the MG fire was very heavy particularly on forward slopes of the hills. Most of the fire was coming from S of the CANAL and one battery of field guns was firing at point blank range. Since no other troops were in front of the Battn and no tanks had appeared a smoke screen was put across the ridge S of the CANAL.

The right Companies worked forward along the CANAL meeting with fairly strong MG fire but as soon as the left Companies rushed over crest of the hill at G. 35. D the Germans surrendered in large parties.

One German gun team kept firing at the tanks who were following about 500 yards behind the Battn, but the this team was shot down and two wounded prisoners taken. The field guns from S of the CANAL and the battery in ELBE ALLEY had knocked out 5 tanks by 1.10 PM.

The YELLOW LINE was reached at about 1 – 15 PM and the DOTTED BLUE LINE shortly after.

The Germans made one or two attempts to counter attack from the right flank S of the CANAL and were twice driven off by LG fire. The third time an Officer on horse back was trying to rally his men who rushed up the hill, but LG’s killed him and his horse.

The left Company and two platoons of the right Company pushed on to LIHAUCOURT and established three posts in the village by 1.30 PM. Working around to the left the Battn met the 5^th SF who came up on the left.

The casualties were

2/Lieut M. H. Paine               Killed

2/Lieut W. Bavin                   Killed

2/Lieut W. Meakin                Wounded

2/Lieut A. Mackintosh          Wounded

5 other ranks                         Killed

8 other ranks                         Missing

42 other ranks                      Wounded

On the 27^th of September 1916 whilst in Brigade reserve all the ‘long rifles’ were withdrawn and replaced with ‘short rifles’ (SMLEs).

Whilst undergoing training in Harpenden the Battalion had been equipped with re-sighted charger loading rifles. This was a Lee-Enfield conversion that had been adopted by the British Army in 1907 and replaced the ageing ‘Lee-Enfield’ Magazine Rifle Mk 1, which had been developed in 1897. The charger-loading rifle also had new front and rear sights fitted, which were adjustable for windage.

Sergeant Rhymes of the 1/8th Battalion at Abermaid Camp with a ‘Long Lee Enfield’ 1912.

After the successful capture of PONTRUET and FORCANS trenches at St Helene the Battn were relieved and moved into billets at VENDELLES.

The Battalion suffered four fatalities on that day:-

2129/204788 Harry Sheldon aged 25 and from Newark.

107144 James Walker aged 32 and a draughtsman from Spondon.

2242/242621 Donald Wardman aged 22 and from Mansfield.

48594 Robert Watson from Gateshead.

All four are buried in ROISEL COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION but it is likely that these are post-War reburials and the men were removed from Bernes Churchyard. In total 46 men of the North Midland Division who were killed between 21st and 29th of September were later reburied in Roisel Cemetery.

2/Lt William Leonard Brown was killed in action and was buried by the field ambulance in Reninghelst. At the time of his death the Battalion had been ‘standing to’ in consequence of an attack by the V Corps.

William Brown was Commission 2/Lt in the 6th Battalion on 27th March 1915 and arrived in France on 14th July 1915.

The Record of Service of Solicitors and Articled Clerks with His Majest’s Forces 1914-1919  (London 1910) records:-

“Admitted Feb. 1915. Of Buxton. Joined Jan. 1915, as 2nd Lieut., 6th Batt. Notts and Derby Regt. (Sherwood Foresters), and subsequently appointed Brigade Intelligence Officer. Killed in action in France Sept. 25, 1915”.

He was the eldest son of Major Abraham Brown and Lucie Brown of 20 Hardwick St., Buxton, Derbyshire and a Solicitor.

As part of the 46th North Midland Division assault on the Hindenburg Line at Bellenglise.

The 6th Battalion attacked PONTRUET and FORCANS Trenches and pushed on to the outlying ruins of St Helene.

“On the morning of Sept. 24^th Lt. Jepson came to us lads and told us that we were to go over the top with the Leicesters, zero was at 5 O’clock, this was 2 O’clock and about 3 O’clock he brought us an issue of rum just to liven us up a bit. Half an hour after we had orders to roll up our great coats in bundles and dump them on the dump. About quarter past four Mr Jepson led the Platoon along the sunken road up to the ridge and lined us up in Artillery Formation.”

[5540/202274 L/Sergt Frank Mayne of Left C Company]

Lieutenant A Jepson was commissioned 2/Lt on 17.12.17 and transferred from the 1/Notts & Derby on 5.9.18 but returned to England wounded on 5.10.18.

The Battalion suffered 7 men killed and many more wounded. The men are now buried in Roisel Communal Cemetery, but it is likely that they were reburied after the War after originally being interned in Bernes Churchyard.

The men killed were:-

93870 L/Cpl Charles Henry Hirst from Sheffield.

203054 Pte Walter Bennet aged 38 from Mansfield.

306528 L/Cpl James Flint from Wirksworth.

266988 Pte Reginald Martin aged 23 and from Ripley.

98198 Pte William Riley aged 19 and from Halifax.

268007 Pte Walter Walker (SDGW does not record his death).

98023 Pte Choyce Chapman Wheatley aged 19 and from Sutton Cheney.

There are several interesting notes about the men that were killed:-

1. None of these men originally enlisted into the 6th Battalion Notts and Derby and received the relevant 4- and/or 6-digit numbers, although Bennett, Flint, Martin and Walker do have 1917 Notts & Derby 6-digit Territorial Force numbers and may well have enlisted and/or served with the other 2/ or 3/ TF Battalions of the Notts & Derby Regiment.

2. Hirst, Riley and Wheatley are all ‘conscripted’ soldiers. William Riley and Choyce Wheatley were both “called up for service” in June 1917 and posted to the 14th Training Reserve before being transferred to the 3rd Sherwood Foresters on 1st December 1917. Both men joined the 1/6th Battalion in the field on 16th February 1918 after landing in France on 20th January with the 43rd Reinforcement.

3. None-the-less all these men were ‘North Midlanders’.

Major Bernard William Vann MC (8th Sherwood Foresters) assumed Command of the Battalion

The Battalion were relieved from front line duty at the BLUFF by the 5th Battalion and moved to bivouacs.

Total casualties for the proceeding 18 days in the front line trenches amounted to:-

• 7 men killed
• 2/Lt John Stephen Sampson, Lt Donald Storrs-Fox and 11 men wounded.

However, a careful analysis of the Army Service Records reveals that at least 25 men were in fact wounded or sick during this period.

John Steven Sampson (Oxford OTC) was Commissioned 2/Lt into the 6th Battalion on 26.9.14 and he arrived in France on 14.7.15. He returned to England wounded on 20.9.15 and there is no record of him returning to the 1/6th Battalion. No service record appears to be available.

The Battalion relieved the 1st Leicesters and 1st W Yorks in SUPPORT trench on HILL 70 RIGHT.

Lieut. Colonel Cyril Benton Johnson was killed in action whilst inspecting the front line trenches.

Cyril Johnson was aged 27 and he was a very respected and much loved Officer. He had been Commissioned into the 6th Notts and Derby as a 2nd Lieutenant on 1st January 1910 after previously serving with the Charterhouse School Contingent of the OTC.

For more information see this excellent web site by John Hartley.