Major Bernard William Vann MC (8th Sherwood Foresters) assumed Command of the Battalion

The Battalion were relieved from front line duty at the BLUFF by the 5th Battalion and moved to bivouacs.

Total casualties for the proceeding 18 days in the front line trenches amounted to:-

• 7 men killed
• 2/Lt John Stephen Sampson, Lt Donald Storrs-Fox and 11 men wounded.

However, a careful analysis of the Army Service Records reveals that at least 25 men were in fact wounded or sick during this period.

John Steven Sampson (Oxford OTC) was Commissioned 2/Lt into the 6th Battalion on 26.9.14 and he arrived in France on 14.7.15. He returned to England wounded on 20.9.15 and there is no record of him returning to the 1/6th Battalion. No service record appears to be available.

The Battalion relieved the 1st Leicesters and 1st W Yorks in SUPPORT trench on HILL 70 RIGHT.

Lieut. Colonel Cyril Benton Johnson was killed in action whilst inspecting the front line trenches.

Cyril Johnson was aged 27 and he was a very respected and much loved Officer. He had been Commissioned into the 6th Notts and Derby as a 2nd Lieutenant on 1st January 1910 after previously serving with the Charterhouse School Contingent of the OTC.

For more information see this excellent web site by John Hartley.

“Battalion relieved the 5th Sherwood Foresters in RIGHT SECTOR at Bellacourt”.

4511 Pte Robert Spencer, a 20 year old ironmonger from Ashbourne, was wounded during the trench relief by a machine gun bullet in the abdomen. He died of his wounds the following day at the 43 CCS and is buried at WARLINCOURT HALTE BRITISH CEMETERY in Saulty.

Robert had enlisted on 18th August 1915 and arrived in France with the 7th Reinforcement on 19th March 1916.

A German shell landed in the trenches on the BLUFF occupied by men of A Company.

This had a devastating effect and killed 4 men whilst wounding several more.

The men killed were:-

1900 Pte William Clarke (I.C.4.) aged 21 and a machine hand from Chesterfield.

2097 Pte Ralph Ellis (I.C.5.) aged 19 and drilling machinist from Stonegravels.

2344 Sergt John McBride (I.B.6.) aged 37 and a pipemoulder from Barrow Hill. John was born in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal and served in the South African War of 1899-1902.

1890 Pre John Henry Roberts (I.C.6.) aged 23 from Staveley.

All four men are buried close to each other at Chester Farm.

2/Lt William Bryan Davies died in a casualty clearing station (37 CCS) and is buried in AVESNES-LE-COMTE Communal Cemetery Extension.

He was aged 35 and had only been with the Battalion for two months since arriving in France on 12th July 1916. The London Gazette 19th February 1916 records his Commission into the Sherwood Foresters and the Nominal Roll of 6th Battalion Officers records ‘suicide’, but no further details are provided.

He was the Son of Thomas and Mary Davies of Welshpool in Montgomeryshire. His father Thomas was a Bank Manager in Welshpool. He does not have a medal index card (MIC) suggesting that his medals were not claimed by his next of kin after the War.

3161 Pte Walter Bates, a miner from Clay Cross, was killed in action in the field and buried at Chester Farm, which was the place for ‘trench casualties’ of the front line troops. He was the brother of 1578 Pte Peter Bates.

Also wounded on this day were:

1463 Pte Arthur Marchington and 1679 Pte Charles Smith.

The Battalion had taken over over trenches 27, 28, 29, 30S and R11 on the Canal I33 on the 4th September. These would not be the last casualties before the Battalion were relieved on the 22nd September.

The Battalion were occupying front line trenches in the RIGHT SECTOR close to BELLACOURT.

3905 Private John Lovatt died of injuries received from a horse kick and is buried in WARLINCOURT HALTE BRITISH CEMETERY at SAULTY (20th CCS). John was a resident of Brampton an enlisted in early 1915 aged 37. He arrived in France on 10th November with the V Reinforcement.

240778 Private Richard Milnes died of a bullet wound at the 20th Casualty Clearing Station that he had received on the  4th September. At that time the 6th Battalion were in the Essars & Richebourg sector. He is now buried in PERNES BRITISH CEMETERY.

2044 Peter Gould attested as a private into C Company on 13/9/13. A 23 year old labourer from Chelmorton he was later discharged as unfit for military service on 19th August 1914.

1188 John Wright was discharged on 13/9/15 under Para. 392 (XXI) being ‘time expired’ and after serving 6 years with the Colours. John, a miner from Danesmoor, was attested into G Company on 9th September 1909 and arrived in France on the 26th February 1915. He returned to England on the “SS Lydia”.