On these days 21st-23rd April 1915

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Locre: Battalion dug at night 1200 yards of Communication Trench from G4

Locre: battalion dug further length of Communication trench while doing so it was withdrawn to KEMMEL and kept in Reserve until arrival of 7th Battn when it returned to LOCRE.

War Diary [WO/95/2694].

Via Gella 1915

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On APRIL 22nd went on trenching fatigue and after been at work 2 hours we had to go back to the village and “stand to” till 3 a.m. the 23rd. We had to “stand to” on account of an attack been made on Hill 60 at Ypres. We got back to billets at 4.30 and had to sleep with everything on in case we were wanted.

APRIL 23rd we went on fatigue again carrying boards for the Sappers in the trenches we go in. We went in at 7.30 and arrived back at 1 o’clock.

[1415 Cpl. Alfred Afford]

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21st April 1915. The men rested all day for they were tired out.

22nd April 1915. In the afternoon all the men went to Bailleul for a bath and then they had a clean change. At night at 6-30 the men fell in as April 20th, but about 10-30 the order came ‘Cease work and stand by’ as the Germans were attacking on our left. We stayed in a school all night, leaving Kemmel about 3-00 a.m.

23rd April 1915. We rested till night when we went on a fatigue party. The 8th’s were doing five days this time. On this fatigue party we were’ taking barbed wire entanglements to the trenches. Heather got wounded through the leg. We arrived back about 1-30 a.m.

[2381 Pte. George Potter Bagshaw]

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Apr 21st. Got back from digging at 4 a.m. Had breakfast & then slept till 12 noon. Holiday all day. Very nice day.

Apr 22nd. Rose about 9 a.m. Rifle insp. 10-20. Went to convent at 11 a.m. for clean clothes. Trench digging at night till about 11-30, then stood by in a disused school at Kemmel till about 3 a.m. Rather cold.

[3289 Pte George William Beardsley]

On this Day 20th April 1915

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Locre 20.4.15. Promotions

  • 4508 Coy. Sgt. Major H. Jackman to be Acting Sgt. Major.
  • 456 Coy. Q.M. Sergt. H. H. Holland to be Coy Sgt. Maj. ‘A’ Coy.
  • 425 Coy. Q.M. Sergt. J. Atherton transfered to ‘A’ Coy.
  • 2410 Sergt. T.J. Henshall to be Coy. Q.M. Sergt.  ‘B’ Coy.
  • 2377 L/Cpl G.W. Knowles to be Corpl. for good service in trenches.

War Diary [WO/95/2694]

Herbert Henry Jackman served with the 2nd Battalion in the Tirah Campaign of 1897-98 (Awarded Medal and Clasps for Tirah & Punjab); the Boer War of 1899-1902 (QSA and Clasps for Cape Colony, Transvaal, South Africa 1902); Joined 1st Battalion at Rustenburg in South Africa on 8th April 1902 as L/Cpl; Joined 6th Battalion in 1908; Arrived in F & F 25.2.15; Later transferred to Labour Corps (403164); Drowned on 16.12.17 with 857th Area Employment Coy of the Labour Corps.

456 HollandHenry Houlsworth Holland a machinist engineer at Bryan Donkin’s who lived on Lordsmill Street in Chesterfield.

2410 HenshallThomas Jackson Henshall a clerk from Chesterfield.

Geoffrey Walston Knowles.

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APRIL 20th at 7p.m. Our Battalion went out digging a trench to get up to the first line of trenches. This was dug to make it safe for our fatigue parties going up, and landed back at 4.30 the next morning APRIL 21st.

[1415 Cpl. Alfred Afford]

20th April 1915. We rested all day until night when we had to go to the trenches to dig a communication trench from the trenches to the roads, a distance of nearly two miles. This was so if necessary we could walk in the trenches during the day time. We arrived back about 4-30 tired out.

[2381 Pte. George Potter Bagshaw]

Apr 20th. Breakfast in bed about 12 noon, got up about 2-30. Went trench digging near Kemmel at night. Got lost when coming back. Parcel from Luton.

[3289 Pte George William Beardsley]

On this day 19th April 1915

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No record in the War Diary [WO/95/2694].

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19th April 1915. Everything went on as usual until dinner time, when just as I was sitting down to my dinner word was passed up ‘man hit’. It was Private G Stychie. He had one side of his head split right off and it was hanging on his shoulder. All his brains and everything out of his head was on the floor. I got hold of his head and tied the two parts together, then put it in a sand bag. We had no more casualties that day. At about 10-30 at night we were relieved by the 8th battalion. We had no accidents coming out. It is a remarkable thing what few casualties we have when changing, for the bullets are whistling past all the time. This time in we hadn’t many shells near the trench, although we had a good many went over the top of us but were well behind. It is a sensation to hear the shells coming and as they go over you, swish and then there is a big explosion, everybody asking ‘where has that hit’. We arrived at our billets about 3 a.m. tired out and ready for a bit of soup. Up to this time in the Battalion we had lost eighteen killed and twenty four wounded.

[2381 Pte. George Potter Bagshaw]

Apr 19th. Still in trenches. Fairly quiet all day but a few grenades after dusk. Came out about 11 p.m. Not so done up as last time. Soup at Locre again.

[3289 Pte George William Beardsley]

2842 Styche

On this day 18th April 1915

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No record in the War Diary [WO/95/2694].

For detailed record see main site here.

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On APRIL 18th I was taken ill whilst in the trenches and had to be brought out at night and taken to the Dressing Station where the Doctor examined me. I was covered all over my body with spots, a sort of nettle rash, besides suffering from neuralgia. I had to stay at the Dressing Station till our Battalion was relieved the next day by our 8th Battalion.

Our first casualty happened on the 18th, a man has been shot through the head by a sniper. (Company casualty).

The village where our dressing station is, is called Kemmel. Where the London Scottish made their famous charge.

[1415 Cpl. Alfred Afford]

18th April 1915. Sunday once more. I was up by 6 a.m. and went to have my breakfast. Corporal Armitage cooked it for us and then at 8-30 word came Corporal Armitage hit, come at once. The bullet passed in at his neck and came out in the small of his back. We did what we could for him but he gradually sank. He died about 1-30 being conscious about three quarters of an hour. He knew from the first he was done. It made a gloom over all the Company for a time. The bearers came for him about 9-30 and he was buried in the English cemetery. I had just got in bed when word came down ‘Stretcher bearer wanted’. This time it was Private C Turner, he had been shot in the ankle. I bandaged him up and sent for bearers, getting him off about 1 a.m. I went to bed for a well earned rest.

[2381 Pte. George Potter Bagshaw]

Apr 18th Still in trenches. Fairly quiet all day. 1 killed 1 wounded in “D” Co by snipers. Saw them brought out. Stand to all night. Sleep in morning, fatigues in afternoon.

[3289 Pte George William Beardsley]2380 Armitage

On this day 17th April 1915

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No record in the War Diary [WO/95/2694].

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On the night of the 17th we had a bit of a fight. Two of our batteries shelled the enemy’s trenches, while we fired about 40 rounds rapid. The reason for this was because the 8th Division on our left was making a charge, and we fired to keep them in the trench and stop them from re-enforcing the place where the attack was made. The charge proved successful and was taken in 10 minutes, the bombardment lasted 1 hour and ¾, and commenced at 7.15p.m.

[1415 Cpl. Alfred Afford]

17th April 1915. Everything went on as usual until after dinner when Private Mullin was killed. He lived about one and a half hours after being hit. After this I went to have my tea. Just as I had done my tea I was sent for again, this time it was Private Watts, death being instantaneous as he was shot through the heart. During the afternoon we had the order to come down that Hill 60 was to be taken that night. They would begin to bombard at 7 o’clock and the bombardment would come slowly down the line getting to us at 7-45. At this time our men had the order to put forty rounds into them quick. The men got very enthusiastic same of them putting over a hundred rounds into them. This ruse was to stop the Germans from sending reinforcements to Hill 60. At the same time as our men began to fire the artillery behind us started three or four hundred guns going. The noise was terrific. The German artillery began to reply but doing no damage. It was a grand sight but one I don’t want to see again. It was too dangerous to be healthy. If our men had got the order to charge they would have been into the Germans pel-mel, but our order was to hold the position. The bombardment lasted about two hours. The Germans hardly ever repllied to our rifle fire because it was as much as they could do to keep their heads down. About 12-30 the bearers came for the two casualties and I was able to get to bed.

[2381 Pte. George Potter Bagshaw]

Apr 17th Still in trenches fairly quiet till evening then violent bombardment at dusk by our guns. Regulars on our left advanced about 3 kilos.

[3289 Pte George William Beardsley]

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

On this day 14th April 1915

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No record in the War Diary [WO/95/2694].

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 14th April 1915. Church parade in the morning, also pay 10 Francs per man. At night another fatigue party went out, Kirk going with them. Back by 11-30, no casualties.

[2381 Pte. George Potter Bagshaw]

Apr 14th. Breakfast in bed about 9 a.m. Turned out for church parade at 10-30 but cancelled owing to rain. Paid 10 frs each at 12 noon. Band played in village in evening.

[3289 Pte George William Beardsley]

 

 

On this day 13th April 1915

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Find working parties during rest. No 2364 Sergt JH Fletcher killed 13/4/15.

War Diary [WO/95/2694].

2364 fletcher2364 Fletcher

2364 Sergeant John Fletcher a stoker from Doves Holes was shot by a sniper as he was entering the trench. Reverend Hales buried him in the “Chateau Ground” later that day.

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On Tuesday night APRIL 13th we went on R.E. fatigue at 6.30 and got back at 1.30. The road we went on is strewn with dead bodies of French soldiers and cattle of all kinds. The open space in front of the trenches is known as the Sahara Desert.

[1415 Cpl. Alfred Afford]

13th April 1915. Another fatigue party went out at night but I was excused – Lamb taking my place. They had one casualty Sergeant Fletcher being killed on the road going up to the trenches.

[2381 Pte. George Potter Bagshaw]

Apr 13th Breakfast in bed about 9-30 then got up. Bathing parade in afternoon. Felt a bit fresher after it. Carrying barbed wire entanglements up to trenches at night.

[3289 Pte George William Beardsley]