Category Archives: On this day

On this day 22nd December 1917

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22.12.1917 St Elie Right: Relieved by 5th Sherwood Foresters and moved to Brigade Support (2 Companies and HQ in PHILOSOPHE and 2 Companies in close support.

1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]

22/XII/1917: Normal artillery and TM activity. 2/Lts LAKE and BARHAM of 6th Sherwood Foresters entered the German front line in G12c during the morning. They found it occupied and shot a German with their revolver but were immediately subjected to heavy rifle fire from behind a block in trench and were forced to leave before obtaining identification.g12c-1917

Inter Battalion reliefs.

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

On this day 22nd December 1917

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t6-battn-copy2479/240592 Pte. Tom Westray Garley was killed in action aged 21 whilst attached to the 139th Trench Mortar Battery

Tom was a labourer from Disley who enlisted on the 9th October 1914. He arrived in France with 46th Division on  28th February 1915 and was wounded accidentally in the right arm on 8th August 1915 at Zillebeke whilst serving with with “B” Company.

Garley B103

Tom transferred to the 139th TMB in November 1917 and was killed 6 weeks later.139-tmb-dec-1917

The War Diary of the Battery records one mortar destroyed, Tom killed and 1541/240152 Pte Walter Trevitt Harrison, a colour mixer from Hayfield, wounded.

Harrison

Walter Harrison’s Service Record records that the gun explosion was accidental.

Tom was the son of Richard and Edith Garley of Lane Head Disley in Cheshire and is now buried in Philosophe British Cemetery in Mazingarbe.

On this day 21st December 1917

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

20/XII/1917: One of our patrols entered German front line trench during night. Proceeded 80 yards along it without encountering any of the enemy.

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

t8-nd43671 Pte George Large from Nottingham was killed in action43671-large

Previously served with the 16th (Chatsworth Rifles) and 15th (Bantam) Battalions

On this day 18th December 1917

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

18/XII/1917: Hostile artillery quit. Wing bombs very active on posts of the right subsection. Our snipers claim a hit. Air photographs show a new enemy trench under construction in G6c.g6c

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

 

On this day 17th December 1917

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17/12/1917 ST ELIE RIGHT: Lt.-Col. BW VANN MC rejoined from leave and resumed command of the Battalion.vann-signature

1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]

17/XI/1917: Hostile artillery and TMs unusually quiet. Preparations were completed for firing gas bombs on German trenches from 4″ TMs on the first night that the wind is favourable.

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

On this day 15th December 1917

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

15/XI/1917: Hostile aircraft active during the morning, but did not cross our line. PHILOSOPHE was shelled during the morning. Otherwise there was only slight artillery and TM activity.

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

On this day 14th December 1917

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

14/XII/1917: Normal TM activity. Our snipers claim to have made 5 hits during the day.

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

Trench raid by Lieutenant Gordon Sangster Rivingtonrivingtob-raid-dec-1917

On this day 13th December 1917

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

13/XII/1917: Hostile artillery and TMs very active during the night owing to operations by Brigade on our left, but quite during the day. A patrol of 7th Sherwood Foresters under Lt J WINNICOTT entered German front line in G11b but found it unoccupied.winnicott-raid-december-1917g11b-g12ahairpin-2

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

t5-battalion203663 Pte Lewis Reginald Nilan from Warsop was killed in action aged 19nilan

“Pte Reg Nilan aged 19 has been killed by a German Wing Bomb. No physical wounds, but killed by the shock of the bomb exploding against him”

[Mansfield Chronicle Advertiser; 23/12/1917]