April to December 1915

• The 6th Battalion left Southampton with the North Midland Division on the 25th February 1915.
• The Battalion held the front line trenches 21 times between March and December 1915; including 1 major battle (the attack on Hohenzollern Redoubt).
• Two Officer were killed during these 9 months; 2/Lt Henry Severne in May and 2/Lt Lewis Dickinson in September.
• At least 10 Officers were also wounded during this time.
• According to the War Diary 81 men were killed in the 9 months between March and December.
• This does not include the 12 missing after the mine explosion on the 30th September; which was the biggest single loss of life to date.
• The 1st man to be killed was 1470 Allen Redfern of Buxton who was shot by a sniper on the 10th March 1915 and is buried in Ploegsteert Wood Military Cemetery.
• The last man to be killed was 3065 Joseph Brown, a miner from Grassmoor, who was last seen bombing in the German trench as the raiding party retired and was reported as missing on the 26th November. His body was never recovered or identified after the war and he is commemorated on the Loos Memorial.
• The War Diary records that 323 men were wounded during these 9 months; research suggests that this number is in fact much higher. Indeed the 139th Brigade War Diary records the following Casualties:-