Category Archives: Trench duty

4th Trench Duty 2nd-6th May 1915

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Kemmel 2.5.15: Returned to G & H Trenches for four days. Casualties: 8 OR killed 15 OR wounded (1 subsequently died).

War Diary [WO/95/2694].

See here for more details.

All 15 men wounded during this trench duty have been positively identified.

  • 2965 Pte George Neale
  • 1336 Pte Ernest Edniboro
  • 2423 Pte Richard Peacock
  • 1411 Pte John Bright
  • 1514 Pte George Thompson
  • 3123 Pte Percy Oxford
  • 1311 Pte Ralph Kettle
  • 723 Pte Francis Lang
  • 1125 Pte George Woodroffe
  • 1527 Pte Frederick Smith
  • 1678 Pte Chris Blankley
  • 2111 Pte George Nadin
  • 2373 Pte Robert Ward
  • 1620 Pte David Clough
  • 2372 Pte Benjamin Bagshaw
  • 3091 Pte William Rushton

3rd Trench duty 24th-29th April 1915

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KEMMEL 24.4.15: Returned to trenches for 4 days.

Killed 2 other ranks.

Wounded Lt J Tolsen & 13 other ranks.

War Diary [WO/95/2694].

See here for more details.Hibbert_Sharp

 

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24th April 1915. There were the usual inspections during the day and then we fell in at 7-30 to go to the trenches. When we arrived at Kemmel we got the awful news that the 8ths had been heavily shelled by a trench Howitzer and there were about 28 men buried, as near as they could tell. All the stretcher bearers of 6th and 8ths with 30 R.A.M.C. men had to go to help to bring them out. That night we got seven men dead and fourteen wounded. We all stayed at the dressing station and went to bed about 4-30 a.m. tired out and wet through for it had rained all night.

[2381 Pte. George Potter Bagshaw]

 

2nd Trench duty 15-19 April 1915

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Kemmel 15.4.15: Returned to trenches for 4 days. 8 NCO’s & men killed, 14 wounded (10 at duty)

War Diary [WO/95/2694].

See main site for more information.

We went in the trenches again on APRIL 15th for 4 days and on the 16th the Germans sent us a grenade from their trench mortar, and I had the narrowest escape in my life. One dropped close by 8 of us, not 4yds away, and never injured one, we all got a good shaking.

[1415 Cpl. Alfred Afford]

15th April 1915. We were taking things easy until night when we went into the trenches going in the same trenches as before. We got in the trenches without any casualties but I hadn’t been in 5 minutes when I was fetched to go out to an engineer about thirty yards from the German trenches. He was shot through the head but was living. They carried him down on a board to the dressing station. It was laughable to see what stocks of bread our men took with them to the trenches.

[2381 Pte. George Potter Bagshaw]

Apr 15th Breakfast in bed at 9 a.m. Service in a field at 11 a.m. Grand day. Set off to trenches near Kemmel at 7-30 p.m.

[3289 Pte George William Beardsley]

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1875 Pte Percy Brittain suffered a GSW in the knee and admitted to 13 General Hospital. Transferred to England on ‘HMHS St Andrew’ on 18.04.15. Returned to France with II Reinforcement on 31.6.15.

1875 BrittainHMHS St Andrew

1st Trench duty 7-12 April 1915

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Casualties 1 Officer Lieutenant I Davies slightly wounded (at duty).

5 N.C.O.s and men killed 8 wounded.

4 being killed & 1 wounded by one H.E. shell (‘C’ Company) in one garrison of 1 Sergt / Sergt Dakin & 12 men – Sergt Dakin reported in for coolness.

War Diary [WO/95/2694]

The shell fell on 9 Platoon of “C” Company comprising Sergeant 570 George Dakin and 12 men; killing four men outright and wounding one other. The men killed were:-

  • 1592 Pte. Walter Blake aged 20 and a corset worker from Ashbourne who enlisted in March 1912.
  • 1457 Pte. Frederick Bull aged 26 and a photographer from Ashbourne who enlisted in June 1911.
  • 1814 Pte. Albert Harry Harrison aged 19 and a gas fitter from Ashbourne who enlisted in March 1913.
  • 2717 Pte. Percy Madin aged 23 and a bricklayer from Cross Street in Brampton who enlisted on 14th October 1914.

9th April Grave

For a full account of this trench duty please see the main site here.