Home. Origins of the Battalion.
Page 1. Start of the First World War.
Page 2. To the Ypres Salient.
Page 3. Ypres. The Battle of St Julien.
Page 4. April 1915. Ypres. Gas.
Page 5. Battle of St Julien losses.
Page 6. New Division Name.
Page 7. The Battle of Bellewaarde.
Page 8. Bellewaarde Losses. Sanctuary Wood.
Page 9. Neuve Eglise, Kemmel Sector.
Page 10. August 1915. To Armentieres.
Page 11. Sep/Oct 1915. Armentieres.
Page 12. October 1915. Armentieres.
Page 13. Oct/Nov 1915. Armentieres.
Page 14. Nov/Dec 1915. To Merris.
Page 15. Back to the Ypres Salient.
Page 16. Jan 1916. Armagh Wood.
Page 17. Feb 1916. Hill 60.
Page 18. Mine Explosion.
Page 19. Feb 1916. Ypres. Hill 60.
Page 20. Armagh Wood. CO Killed.
Page 21. Mar/Apr 1916. Kemmel.
Page 22. Apr/May 1916. Fletre. Kemmel.
Page 23. June 1916. Friendly Fire Kemmel.
Page 24. Jun/Jul 1916. Kemmel.
Page 25. July 1916. Kemmel.
Page 26. Aug 1916. To the Somme.
Page 27. Battle of Flers Courcelette.
Page 28. Sep 1916. Flers-Courcelette.
Page 29. The Thiepval Memorial.
Page 30. Flers-Courcelette. Losses.
Page 31. Flers-Courcelette. Attack repelled.
Page 32.Training. Martinpuich.
Page 33. In the Line near Flers.
Page 34. Nov 1916. Martinpuich. Flers.
Page 35. Flers. To Belloy.
Page 36. Feb/Mar 1917. Belloy.
Page 37. April 1917. To Arras.
Page 38. Capt D.P. Hirsch. V.C.
Page 39. The Arras Memorial.
Page 40. The Arras Memorial.
Page 41. Arras Burial Sites.
Page 42. Arras. Famechon.
Page 43. May 1917. Famechon. Bayencourt.
Page 44. June 1917 Back in the Line. Arras.
Page 45. Sep 1917. Arras. Wancourt.
Page 46. Oct 1917. Back to Ypres.
Page 47. Nov 1917. Passchendaele.
Page 48. Jan 1918. Ypres.
Page 49. Feb 1918. Last of Ypres.
Page 50. The Battle of St Quentin.
Page 51. German Offensive. Michael.
Page 52. German Advance. Pozieres Memorial.
Page 53. Losses on both sides.
Page 54. From the Somme to the Lys.
Page 55. April 1918. Battle of Estaires.
Page 56. Ploegsteert Memorial.
Page 57. From the Lys to the Aisne.
Page 58. German Offensive. Blucher-Yorck.
Page 59. May 1918. 150th Brigade decimated.
Page 60. End of the 4th Yorks.
Page 61. Last Weeks of War.
Page 62. Prisoners of War.
Page 63. Prisoners of War.
Page 64. Prisoners of War.
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FEBRUARY 1916. HILL 60. ARMAGH WOOD.
15th FEBRUARY. At midnight on the 14th the bombardment re-commenced and went on for an hour and a half.
Trenches were slightly damaged and communication trenches knocked about a good deal, but this was repaired by 6 a.m.
A patrol went round the crater and found no trace of the Germans.
The bombardment started again at 8 p.m and continued to 11 p.m.
The South Staffs reported little or no progress in their counter attack.
The work of digging into the crater was hampered by bodies having to be removed from the trench as it was cleared.
At 7 work started to dig a new trench behind the crater and was continued across the Zillebeke road 30 Yards.
16th FEBRUARY.
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1588 Pte Cole Ralph. Home at - 37 Arthur Tce, New Marske N Yorks, place of birth. Enlisted at Skelton in Cleveland, N Yorks. Killed in action. Age 20. Buried at Railway Dugouts Burial Ground.
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3954 Pte Robinson Thomas, Francis. Enlisted at Middlesbrough, N Yorks. Died of wounds. Buried at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery.
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A Shell falling on a Trench.
18 FEBRUARY.
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3887 Pte Mackenzie John. Home at - 8 Farrar St, Norton Rd,Stockton on Tees. Enlisted at Northallerton, N Yorks. Killed in action. Age 19. Commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial Ypres.
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The situation stayed fairly quiet after the 15th and trench restructuring carried on. At night on this day the Bn were relieved by the 8th Bn DLI and marched back to Canada Huts, Dickebusch.
The relief passed off well with the exception of the Lewis guns which were misdirected by the Staff Office on road control, which delayed 151st Brigade an hour.
The five days on Hill 60 had seen 3 Officers and 22 other ranks killed. 2 Officers and 62 other ranks had been wounded.
19th to 23rd FEBRUARY. The Bn bathed and cleaned up. Training continued "on the old and never ending lines".
The Lena Ashwell concert party performed in the YMCA hut.
On the 22nd there was much snow.
24th and 25th FEBRUARY. The Bn to Close support in reserve trenches in the Armagh Wood area. Headquarters was in Maple Copse.
They occupied dugouts named Border, Cumberland and Consett. The weather was severe.
Diary "In view of the attack on the Bluff, the Bn was ordered to put the reserve Line in a state of defence" |
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British dead in Trench at Ypres.
26th to 29th FEBRUARY.
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1813 Pte Tyerman Fred. Home at Brompton, Northallerton, N Yorks, place of birth and enlistment. Killed in action on the 27th. Commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres.
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The following two men were killed in action on the 28th February and are buried in Maple Copse Military Cemetery.
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2875 Pte Bower William. Home at - Carlin How, N Yorks. Born Warrington, Lancs. Enlisted at Skelton in Cleveland, N Yorks.
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1162 Pte Wilks Arthur. Home at Cliff Terrace, Great Ayton, N Yorks, place of birth. Enlisted Stokesley. Age 21.
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Germans in a trench with stick grenades, flare guns and a "Minenwerfer", Mine-launcher.
All the German Infantry were equipped with this Trench Mortar.
A shell weighing over 4 kilos, with a calibre of 7.5 centimetres was loaded into the muzzle of the weapon and could be fired over 1,000 metres to explode on impact.
[Picture courtesy of - "The Heritage of the Great War".]
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3164 Pte Locker Richard, George. Home at - 4 High Row, Loftus, N Yorks, place of enlistment. Died of wounds on the 29th. Age 23. Buried at Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery.
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"X" and "Y" Companies of the Bn took over front line trenches A4 to A8 from the 5th D.L.I. 2W" and 2Z" Companies in reserve trenches.
The weather was very snowy and cold. Most of the time was spent in getting up extra stores, rations and water for the "Strafe".
There were no dugout shelters in trenches A7 and 8 and these were started along with trench repair and draining.
There was a lot of snow day and night on the 29th.
1st MARCH. In preparation for an attack on the "Bluff" a "demonstration" was ordered.
The wind was not favourable for smoke bombs and for 20 minutes they kept up bursts of Lewis Gun and individual rifle fire.
This caused the enemy to retaliate causing 3 other ranks wounded.
31 reinforcements were received.
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