No record in the War Diary [WO/95/2694]
Oct 23rd. Instruction in signalling 9-30 till 12. Others same as yesterday. Football match and band concert in afternoon. Nice day except for cold winds. (Reg joined 19th).
[3289 Pte George William Beardsley]
2154 Pte Arthur Lennon, a boot riveter from Stoney Middleton, suffered from scabies and was admitted to the North Midland Field Ambulance; he later returned to duty.
No record in the War Diary [WO/95/2694]
Oct 22nd. Rose at 8 a.m. Told to report to signalling sergeant at 9– 30, then instructed in morse code etc, till 12 o’clock. Others had running, bayonet fighting, & bombing same as on 20th. At night went with McT & had a feed. Nice day, but cold wind.
[3289 Pte George William Beardsley]
Held over the accidental deaths of 1620 Pte Samuel Joseph James (Long Eaton) and 2128 Pte William Moult (Albert Village) and the accidental wounding of 2195 Pte Harry Leslie Seckington, 2386 L/Cpl John H Wall (discharged 1916), 1706 Pte Arthur Richardson (discharged 1916) and 2447 Pte James Caulton (transferred to 21st Battalion) at LAPUGNOY on the 21st and 22nd October 1915.
Three witnesses stated that Pte James was in the process of throwing a No. 1 bomb when it exploded in his hand as he turned the cap around to “fire”.
2470 Sergeant T P Leese stated that the Bethune bomb used by William Moult was faulty and suggested a number of reasons for this.
Typical example of a Bethune Bomb fitted with a Nobel lighter, No. 10 fuse and detonator.
[For more images of Bethune bombs]
21.10.1915 LAPUGNOY: 120 men& 2 Officers forming part of Brigade fatigue party under Capt E. H. Heathcote proceeded in Busses to LA BOURSE and were billeted at SAILLY LA BOURSE, and were employed in removing gas apparatus from trenches.
[Sailly La Bourse is a farming village situated 3 miles southeast of Bethune]
War Diary [WO/95/2694]
Oct 21st. Running parade 9 – 9-30. 10-30 till 12-30 route march. Paid 20 frs in afternoon. Fatigue party for trenches, but I was not included. – very glad. Went to hear Pierrots at night – very good. Nice day, but rain from about 8 p.m. onwards.
[3289 Pte George William Beardsley]
No record in the War Diary [WO/95/2694]
Oct 20th. Rose at 8 a.m. Running parading till 9-30. 10-30 to 11-30 bayonet practice etc. 11-30 to 12-30 instruction in bombs & bomb throwing. Set off at 4 p.m. to a colliery at Bruay for a bath – warm shower enjoyed it very much, Got back about 7-30 p.m. had tea, & then got down. Nice day, but cold winds.
[Bruay is a mining town 6 miles west of Bethune]
[3289 Pte George William Beardsley]
19.10.1915 VERQUIN: Moved to LAPUGNOY.
[Lapugnoy is a small farming and forestry town situated 5 miles west of Bethune]
War Diary [WO/95/2694]
Oct 19th. Rose about 8 a.m. Packed up in morning, & set off from Verquin at 2 p.m. Got to Lapugnoy about 5 p.m. & billeted in barns. Nice day but rather cold at night.
[3289 Pte George William Beardsley]
18.10.1915 VERQUIN: Bn addressed by Maj.-Gen. STUART WORTLEY.
Captain EM Johnson returned.
War Diary [WO/95/2694]
Oct 18th. Rose at 7 a.m. fell in for inspn at 8-30, but dismissed till 10-30, then inspected by Gen. Stuart – Wortley, who made a congratulatory speech afterwards & promised us 10 days rest. In afternoon went to concert by pierrots – very good. At night went with McT. & had a feed. Nice day except for cold wind.
[3289 Pte George William Beardsley]
1507 Pte. Joseph William Marsden, a grocers assistant from Bakewell was transferred to England on this day following his wounding following a shell burst.
Joseph had originally enlisted in November 1911 aged 17 and lived on Monyash Road. He was attested by Lieut. Herbert Cliffird Brooke-Taylor and served with “D” Company. He was posted to the 6th Reserve and then to the Command Depot at Ballyvonare before joining the 5th Reserve Battalion in December 1916. Joseph was eventually discharged on the 24th August 1917 in consequence of “being no longer physically fit for war service”.
In fact Joseph was suffering from neurasthenia, which we now know as ‘shell shock’, and he received a pension of £30.
17.10.1915 VERQUIN: 2/Lt WH Holderness joined for duty.
War Diary [WO/95/2694]
William Harold Holderness (WO374/34089)
Oct 17th. Rose at 8 a.m. Church parade with 5th batt at 10 a.m. & communion after. Got packs back again. Had a walk round with McT again. Nice day again. 50 reinf.
[3289 Pte George William Beardsley]
16.10.1915: VERQUIN: Details joined Battn. Capt EMB Taylor to Command C Company.
Edward Mallalieu Brook-Taylor
Draft of 50 NCOs & men joined from Entrenching Battalion.
War Diary [WO/95/2694]
Many of the men that formed this draft had arrived in France with the II Reinforcement on the 26th June 1915 and has served with No.2. Entrenching Battalion. Amongst these men were:-
Army Service Record for 3105 Pte James Brocklehurst recoding his departure from Southampton on 26th June and arrival in Rouen on the 29th June with the II Reinforcement. A Nominal Roll dated 23rd July 1915 records him joining No. 2. Entrenching Battalion with his subsequent transfer to the 1/6th Battalion on the 16th October 1915. James was killed 5 weeks later in the trenches at Richebourg.
Oct 16th. Got to Sailly about 1 a.m. had hot tea & then slept in a field till about 4-30 a.m. Set off again & got to Verquin at 7 a.m. Some billeted in barns, but No.11 platoon in a kind of wash house. Had breakfast & then slept till dinnertime. Cleaned up in afternoon & had a walk round later. Nice day. Had a fire & some straw at night so very comfortable. Got a parcel from C’field.
[3289 Pte George William Beardsley]
15.10.1915: Major John Eaton Blackwell took over Command of 8th Sherwood Foresters vice Lt.-Col. George Herbert Fowler (killed in action).
15.10.1915: Total casualties:-
Bn moved to billets at Verquin.
War Diary [WO/95/2694]
The names of the dead and wounded can he found here.
Oct 15th. Slept on dump till about 6 a.m. then drew rations & went back & relieved 4th Leics in reserve trench. Many dead & wounded in front of their trench, but as morning was misty S.Bs. fetched them in till mist cleared. Shells & whiz bangs at intervals all day. Much bombing about 6 p.m. Relieved about 10 p.m. by Grenadier Guards. Very glad to get out. Only had bread, biscuits, jam, bully beef for 3 days, & only water to drink – no fires. 7th & 8th Sherwoods charged & took Hohenzollern Redoubt, but lost many men. (About 6000 cas in div).
[3289 Pte George William Beardsley]
The bodies of all of the men of the 1/6th Battalion who were killed in action were not recovered or identified after the War and they are now commemorated on the Loos Memorial.For more information see the ‘Lost Cemeteries of Hohenzollern’.
14.10.1915: Battn relieved by Guards and ordered to take over HOHENZOLLERN REDOUBT West face which had been captured. Owing to lateness of which only 3 platoons & 3 M Gun teams arrived before dawn & these were left with 5th Bn S.F. who took over. Capt HEATHCOTE with them.
War Diary [WO/95/2694]
Oct 14th. Still in reserve trenches. Wounded still being brought out. Enemy shelled communication trenches heavily. About 9 p.m. relieved by Guards & set off to Vermelles. Got lost in commn trenches for a time, but got to dump near Vs. about 4-30 a.m. – very tired. George Tagg killed.
[3289 Pte George William Beardsley]
As soon as it was dark enough we were told that reinforcements would be joining us to help stave off the expected counter attack, we thought it would be members of our own division, but instead it was members of the Guards Division, they had gone out of this trench system whilst we made this attack, now they were returning. They filed into the captured Redoubt and took over the position, we were informed that the Germans were preparing to attack and that our Regiment would remain along side the Guards to defend the Redoubt. It was very stimulating and heartening to see those fine six footers preparing to fight. The rush came about eleven p.m. by the Verey lights our sentries had seen the Germans creeping across No-Mans Land. We were told to let them approach to within a bombs through and then the command was given to let them have it. The Guards and us let them have such a withering fusillade of bombs, rifle fire and machine gun fire that the attacking force, what was left of them soon thought better of the attempt and skulked back to their trenches.
The following night October 14th my regiment was ordered to leave the scene of this battle and concentrate on the back area, we had the satisfaction of a feeling of some kind of success to our venture, but the cost had been very severe, I could not be sure of the exact figure but it was whispered at the time that the Division had sustained about one third casualties.
[2305 Pte Frank Longson]
Derbyshire Territorials in the Great War 