2.4.1916 CAPPEL FERMONT: CAPT E.B. JOHNSON to 3rd Army School of Instruction for 1 month.
War Diary [WO/95/2694]
A very quite day. Weather much improved & trenches drying up accordingly.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
No record in the War Diary [WO/95/2694]
A very quite day. The Brigadier General Commanding and Brigade Major went up to Advanced Brigade Headquarters in the CHEMIN DES PYLONES off POINT STREET.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
31.3.1916 FERMONT CAPPEL: Draft of 122 Other Ranks arrived from the 3rd LIne as reinforcements.
War Diary [WO/95/2694]
Some of these men arrived in France with the 7th Reinforcement, such as 4469 Pte Victor Charles Gelsthorpe :-
A quite day in the trenches. The 8th Battalion Sherwood Foresters relieved the 7th Batt S.F. in the Left Sector trenches, the latter going into Brigade reserve MONT ST ELOY.
Drafts of 100 & 120 for the 6th & 7th Batts S.F. arrived today, also a draft of 40 for the 8th Batt S.F.
The Commander-in-Chief visited MONT ST. ELOY today.
No record in the War Diary [WO/95/2694]
A very quite day – the trenches are beginning to dry up a little, but are still very wet and full of mud.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
2448 Pte Hilary Carlin, a miner from Blackwell was killed in action.
1379 Pte Arthur Wood, a coal miner from Barlborough and a Pre-War Territorial who served with “F” Company.
1368 Pte Morris Chadwick, a labourer from Little Mayfield and a Pre-War Territorial who served with “H” Company.
217 Sergeant Frederick Arthur Johnson, from Ashbourne and a Derbyshire Volunteer (1893) and Pre-War Territorial (1908) who served with “C” Company. 
All three men returned to England on the “SS Archangel”, a 2,448-ton passenger ship built by J. Brown & Co., Ltd., Clydebank, Glasgow in 1910.
1133 Cpl Arthur Willis, a mill hand from Litton Mill and a Pre-War Territorial who served with “D” Company.
Arthur Willis returned to England on the SS Copenhagen.
No record in the War Diary [WO/95/2694]
A very quite day except for a sharp burst of shelling over PIRATES TRENCH for half an hour about 2-30 p.m.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
Location of B. des Pirates on a French Trench Map of October 1914, which later became the British Support Line in March 1916.
27.3.1916 ACQ: The detachment returned to billets in the evening.
27.3.1916 ACQ: 2/Lt R Evans to 46th Division School.
27.3.1916 ACQ: Bn relieved 5th Sherwood Foresters in RIGHT SECTOR.
War Diary [WO/95/2694]
The 5th Battalion continued work on the trench & look out posts & by daylight a trench of 5′ deep was dug and the look out post improved.
The lookout post overlooking the Crater was occupied by day. At 5 p.m. a combined bombardment by the Centre Group & 2″ Trench Mortar Battery on the Crater took place with apparently very good results.
The “Straaf” provoked little retaliation. The 6th Battalion Sherwood Foresters relieved the 5th Batt S.F. this evening. Work on the near trench continued.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
1387 Pte. Leonard Hall a mill hand from Litton Mill and a pre-War Territorial who originally served with “D” Company returned to England on “SS VIPER” as ‘Time Expired’
ACQ 25.3.1916: A & B Companies under Capts E.B. JOHNSON and J. TOLSON proceeded to trenches for 6 hours work in marching order without packs. On arrival at the trenches they were detained as the 5th Battalion had attempted to seize the near lip of a crater caused by enemy mine explosion early that day, and had been drives back by enemy bomb attack. About 11 p.m. Lt.-Col. GOODMAN was ordered to proceed to the trenches and organise an attack with the two Companies.
Capt DICK, 2/Lieuts BOND & LYLTE with Battn Grenadiers & Scouts also proceeded to the trenches. Brig.-Gen. SHIPLEY & the Brigade Major were also there. It was found impossible to launch the attack before dawn & on reference to the Division it was postponed.
TRENCHES 26.3.1916: The attack was organised in accordance with instructions. Great coats were sent up for the men in the evening also a hot meal. Owing to unavoidable delays in issuing meal the attacking party did not commence to dig until about 2 p.m. Operations were conducted with the utmost quietness and by dawn a trench 3′ deep had been dug to the new lip of the crater linking up existing trenches, and this without a single casualty.
It was snowing at times & the men throughout the 48 hours bore discomfort very cheerfully.
War Diary [WO/95/2694]
26 March 1916 Orders and Report
My regiment was in reserve, when word came through one night that a Battalion in our Brigade had been blown up by a mine, we were ordered at the double to take from the Germans the Crater they had occupied. All night long and well into the next morning we bombed and counter bombed, and in the end decided it would be better to dig a new trench round the Crater, all the following day we remained quiet, listening and watching, but as soon as it was dark we commenced digging the new trench, and completed it by daylight, all but the section of half Platoon was withdrawn from the battle, but I remained with the people in this line. On the third morning our half Platoon was withdrawn a few yards behind the new trench, we were instructed to get some rest, for we had been without sleep for three nights. We occupied some old French dug-outs.
[2305 Pte Frank Longson]
2 Companies of the 6th Battalion S.F. with the 139/1 Trench Mortar Battery under Lieut.-Col GOODMAN gained the near lip of the Crate and dug a trench across jointing up with the extremities of the old line trench, without casualties or opposition.
By dawn a tench a trench of over 3′ deep had been dug and a look out post constructed overlooking the Crater. The extremities of the trench were occupied by two posts.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
At 12.25 a.m. the enemy exploded a mine in front of the junction between P74 and P75, blowing in a portion of our advanced trench at this point & immediately occupied the crater & part of the trench on each side. A protracted grenade dual took place resulting in our re-occupation of trench on each side of the crater. The crater itself was occupied by the enemy.
[War Diary 1/5th Battalion Sherwood Foresters, WO/95/2695]
25th: At 12.25 AM the enemy blew up a mine in front of BIRKIN Communication Trench blowing in about 25 yards of the parapet. The 5th Battalion Sherwood Foresters occupied the part of the line. Some 6 or 8 casualties were occasioned.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
On the 25th March I was the Officer on duty between 12 mdnt and 3 a.m. in the trenches then occupied by “A” Company near NEUVILLE-St-VAAST. The right hand sentry post was then occupied by three men whose names I did not know then. I visited the right listening post and saw there No 2875 Pte D Males, No 2952 Pte A Allsopp & a third man whose name I did not know. About 12-30 a.m. I was standing at the corner of GRANGE CT & the fire trench when I heard an explosion which proved to be a mine. I went straight towards the sound & found that the right sentry post had been blown up.
[2/Lieut. Edwin Francis Ann, 1/5th Sherwood Foresters]
On the 25th March I was in charge of No 3 Platoon holding that part of the line in which the crater appeared. At about 12-5 a.m.m I posted threes men viz:- No 4009 Pte Whitmore, No 2560 Pte F Corden and No 4040 Pte T Swain at the Right Sentry Post. A few minutes later I posted three men, viz 2952 Pte A Allsopp, No 2875 Pte D Males and another at the Right Listening Post and 2486 L/Cpl W Greensmith took charge of both posts.
I returned to the Retrenchment Line. About 12-30 a.m. I heard an explosion. I was unable to visit the two Posts until about 5 a.m. I went first to the Listening Post and found that one of the short barbed wire knife rests had been swung round thereby making a way into the Post from the enemy’s side. – & footprints in the snow showed that somebody had entered the Listening Post by sliding down the bank from the left side and had apparently proceeded to the dead end of the Post & left the same way by climbing over the shelter using a grenade box as a step.
I found the third man originally posted there lying dead about seven yards from his post. The other two men (Privates D MALES & A ALLSOPP) were not there. Then I went towards the right sentry post and found it covered by earth thrown up from the mine & presumably the men who had occupied the post were buried there – I concluded that Privates Males and Allsopp were taken prisoner
[4171 L/Sergt T Henson “A” Coy 1/5th Sherwood Foresters]
On the 26th March I was in charge of the Right Sentry Post & the Right Listening Post in the trenches occupied by my Company. I was on my way between these two Posts about 12.30 a.m. when an explosion occurred & looking round I saw that a mine had been sprung close to the Right Sentry Post, burying it with earth – A few moments before I had seen the three men (Privates F CORDON, W WHITMORE & F SWAIN) at the post. There was no doubt in my mind that all three were buried there. I visited the Listening Post shortly after Sgt HENSON had been there & found things as stated by Sgt HENSON in his evidence which I have heard.
[2486 Cpl W Greensmith, “A” Coy 1/5th Sherwood Foresters]
A counter attack was made at 8 p.m. on the crater, which gained its objective but was subsequently bombed out of its position before it had consolidated.
[War Diary 1/5th Battalion Sherwood Foresters, WO/95/2695]
The 5th Battalion S. F. counter attacked at 8 p.m. and gained the near lip of the Crater but were a gained driven out by bombs losing about 50 Casualties. Later in the evening it was intended to attack again with 2 Companies of 6th Battalion Sherwood Foresters under Lieut. Col. GOODMAN. However, it was found that there was not enough time to complete all arrangements so the attack was postponed till the evening.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
Service record of 592 L/Cpl Nathan Earl recording that he was missing believed killed on the 25th March 1916
Red Cross Record confirming the capture of Dolah Males near St Eloi on the 25th March 1916
Sherwood Foresters killed during the counter attack on the mine crater
No record in the War Diary [WO/95/2694]
24th: Same again. The 139/1 Trench Mortar Battery went up to the trenches.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
No record in the War Diary [WO/95/2694]
23rd: Another bad day – cold and wet.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
