13.10.1916 Trenches: Relieved 5th Battalion in RIGHT SECTOR.
War Diary [WO/95/2694]
13th: Situation normal. 6th & 8th Battalions relieved the 5th & 7th Battalions in the front line. The latter returning to BAILLEUVAL.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
1.10.1916 TRENCHES: Relieved 5th Battn Sherwood Foresters in RIGHT SECTOR.
War Diary [WO/95/2694]
1st: With the exception of some 15 Trench Mortar Bombs fired against our number during the night, there was little activity on either side. Trench relief carried out.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
20.9.1916 TRENCHES: Battalion relieved 5th Battalion in RIGHT sector.
War Diary [WO/95/2694]
20th: Enemy trench mortar again active on both sectors. 6th Bn relieved the 5th & 8th relieved the 7th in the front line.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
9.9.1916 TRENCHES: Battalion relieved 5th Battalion in RIGHT SECTOR. Capt EB JOHNSON rejoined from Hospital.
War Diary [WO/95/2694]
9th 2am: Patrols from 5th & 7th Battalions succeeded in damaging short lengths of the German wire by means of ammonal tubes. A further attempt was prevented by an enemy working party. In each case our parties returned without casualties & the enemy failed to retaliate.
11pm: The 6th Battalion relieved the 5th and the 8th relieved the 7th in the front line.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
Parties under Lieut SMALLEY and LIeut CLAYE attempted to cut gaps in Enemy wire at X.1.d.55.50. and X.2.b.61.51. with tubes of Ammonal each 24′ long and afterwards raid the enemy sap. Lieut SMALLEY’s party successfully exploded the tube but when attempting to get through the wire found that about 12 yards deep had not been cut and consequently no raid resulted. Lieut CLAYE’s party came up against a strong enemy working and covering party on front of the BLOCKHOUSE and could not approach their objective.
Charles Geoffrey Claye (1895-1918)
Edward Arthur Victor Smalley (1885-)
1/5th Battalion War Diary WO/95/2695
Three enemy working parties were seen opposite left “C” Company Sector. Our heavy artillery [shelled] a strong post in a gabbled house just E of the east of the enemy’s 3rd line at the N end of BLAIRVILLE X.4.a.75.75. Two rifle grenades were fired by enemy on to the left Coy’s sector during the morning.
10.30pm: Eight spiral rockets were sent up from the enemy’s lines opposite right “A” Company sector. Each burst into 2 red stars. This was followed immediately by 6 heavy shells which burst on left “C” Company sector.
1am: 2/Lt NE WEBSTER MC with 2 sappers of the 2/1st RE Company 10 other ranks and 1 Lewis Gun left our own trenches from top of LA MOTTE 1 (R.33.d.51.81.). They took a tube containing ammonal & placed it under the enemy’s wire at (R.34.c.3.4.) just S of the SUNKEN ROAD [near the Ossier Bed]. This tube was fired by a fuse at 1.59am. It made a clean gap about 4 yards wide thro’ the wire.
2/Lt J KENT carried out a similar operation at R.34.b.42.50. opposite left “C” Company Sector. No action was taken by the enemy.
Both patrols returned safely to our trenches.
1/7th Battalion War Diary WO/95/2694
Three men of the Robin Hoods were killed by a British shell that fell short. They are buried next to each other in BELLACOURT MILITARY CEMETERY (Row G, graves 2-3).
Note:
5062/20538 Pte William White was a forestry worker from Baslow who was posted to the 3/6th Battalion in March 1916. He was transferred to the 1/6th Battalion on the 5th July and arrived in France (14 IBD at Calais) with the 14th Reinforcement. He was posted to the 1/7th Sherwood Foresters on the 22nd July 1917 and renumbered using the 1916 5-digit numbering series – see here for more details.
28.8.1916 TRENCHES: Relieved 5th Battalion in RIGHT SECTOR.
28.8.1916 TRENCHES: Draft of 11 Signallers and 15 Lewis Gunners arrived.
War Diary [WO/95/2694]
Amongst the men that arrived in the draft (part of the 17th Reinforcement) was 3276 Pte John Rupert Pidcock (1894-1968) a gardener from Darley Dale near to Matlock. John was granted Proficeny Pay Class I on the 1st July 1917. He was later transferred to the Labour Corps.
28th: 6th Battalion relieved the 5th in the RIGHT SECTOR & 8th Battalion relieved the 7th in the LEFT SECTOR.
A few shells fired into GROSVILLE during the evening.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
16.8.1916 TRENCHES: Relieved 5th Battalion in RIGHT SECTOR. MAJOR E HALL to Hospital.
16.8.1916 TRENCHES: 2/LT WG WOOD transfered to England.
War Diary [WO/95/2694]
16th: 6th & 8th Battalions relieved the 5th & 7th Battalions in the front line; the 5th going into Divisional Reserve at BAILLEUVAL.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
4.8.1916 BAILLEUVAL: Inter Company Competitions in Bayonet fighting and gas helmet drill. Winners, Bayonet fighting “A” Coy; Gas helmet drill, bombers.
4.8.1916 BAILLEUVAL: Relieved 5th Sherwood Foresters in RIGHT SECTOR.
War Diary [WO/95/2694]
Augt 4: Returned to trenches for rather uneventful but never the less busy time.
[Lieutenant Josiah Taylor]
3/4th: Our front line between SAP 14 & 15 (RIGHT SECTOR) shelled by German Field Battery intermittently during night.
4th: A quite day. Battalion relief completed by 11.50pm, 5th Sherwoods going into Brigade Reserve at BELLACOURT & the 7th into Divisional Reserve at BAILLEULVAL.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
23.7.1916 BELLACOURT: Battn relieved 5th in RIGHT SECTOR. “A” Company in Battalion reserve in Village.
War Diary [WO/95/2694]
July 23rd: A quite day.
2/Lieuts KERSHAW and OLIVER and 2 other ranks (6th Sherwoods) reconnoitred the “TALUS” between 10.30pm & 2.30 am (24th).
This point consists in a bank 6-8′ high & 150-200 yards long. 200 yards distant from the German front line. It has been connected to the latter by a SAP.
The party crawled through a gap in two rows of barbed wire and reached the edge of the TALUS. The enemy were heard to walk along the bottom of the bank and to stop immediately opposite our patrols.
One of them challenged and fired at 2/Lt OLIVER who was wounded. Several other shots were fired and four bombs thrown at our party, of whom 2/Lt KERSHAW & 1 man succeeded in reaching our front line, but 2/Lt OLIVER & 1 man were missing.
Battalion reliefs were completed by 12 midnight. The 6th & 8th Battalions going into the RIGHT and LEFT sectors respectively.
Casualties:-
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
11/12.7.1916: Bn marched to trenches and relieved 5th Bn South Lancashire Regt in RIGHT SECTOR. Transport & QM STORES to BAILLEULVAL.
War Diary [WO/95/2694]
We carried on in our new sector raiding and probing into the enemy lines to find out if the Germans were planning a counter attack on our front. We captured prisoners to identify regiments. We were kept on our toes during the next period of weeks.
[2305 Pte Frank Longson]
Moved into trenches at ———– which we took over from ———————. All very nice.
[Lieutenant Josiah Taylor]
11th: The remainder of the relief of the 166th Infantry Brigade was carried out as under.
The Machine Gun Company relieved the Machine Guns during the day & the 8th Battn Sherwood Foresters also relieved in daylight. The 6th Battn completed their relief by 12 midnight.
The Brigade is now disposed as under:-
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
18/19.6.1916 SUS ST LEGER: Marched to FONQUEVILLERS & relieved 4th LINCS in SUPPORT. QM Stores & Transport lines to LA BAZIQUE FARM.
War Diary [WO/95/2694]
June 17: After the usual sort of so called rest (about 10-12 hours work a day) I took signals down to trenches. Slept on hammock in rec. Parcel from home.
June 18: Very heavy day laying new armoured cable. So heavy that it takes 6 men to carry a 1/4 mile cable. Battn arrived at night. CO & Adjt mentioned in dispatches. Lived in my old dugout. Much for a blanket very cold.
[Lieutenant Josiah Taylor]
18th: Brigade moved in accordance with copy of Operations Order 61 attached. The 8th Battalion SF going into the line & the 6th Battn SF into SUPPORT in FONQUEVILLERS. Everything went off all right & the relief was completed by 12-5 AM 19th.
Units are now stationed as under:-
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
Derbyshire Territorials in the Great War 