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Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery.
Situated about 5k West of Ypres.
Two 4th Yorks Battalion men are buried here.
[Picture courtesy of - "WW1Cemeteries.com".].
27th DECEMBER.
23945 Pte Cole Sanderson.
Home at Church St, Staithes, N Yorks, place of birth.
Enlisted at Middlesbrough. Died at home. Age 22. Buried at Hinderwell
Cemetery, N Yorks.
Relieved 5th Bn
DLI in Trenches A3 - A6 Armagh Wood.
28th DECEMBER. Heavy shelling by
the enemy. Result nil.
29th DECEMBER.
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Pte Harold Clarkson, front row, second from right.
[Photo kindly contributed by his Great Grandson, Stuart Hall.]
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496 Pte Clarkson Harold, [Harry].
Born Normanby, Middlesbrough and enlisted at Redcar N Yorks. Killed
in action. Aged 37. Home at 1 Alma Parade, Redcar, N Yorks. Buried at Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery. His Army number
indicates the long time he had been in the Battalion. He was awarded the Edward VII Territorial Force Efficiency Medal,
which means that he had already served for at least 12 years prior to this king's death in 1910. He left a wife and
six children, the eldest of whom, Earl also served in the First World War.
3807 Pte Rafferty James.
Home at Carlin How N Yorks. Enlisted at Saltburn, N Yorks.
Killed in action. Buried at Maple Copse Cemetery
The enemy's Artillery were rowdy most of the
day.
A squadron of 12 of our aeroplanes came over the German lines in front
of the trenches, where they manouevred for
half an hour.
30th DECEMBER.
2nd Lt J.S Bainbridge was wounded while out with a wiring party.
31st DECEMBER. The Bn was
relieved in the trenches by 5th DLI and marched to Dickebusch Huts in
Divisional
Reserve position.
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Maple Copse Cemetery.
Situated East of Ypres and just West of Sanctuary Wood the area was
used as
an advance Field Ambulance station.
Most of the burials were destroyed by later enemy shelling and the
Cemetery
re-established after the War by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Six men of the 4th Yorks Bn are buried
here.
[Picture courtesy of - "WW1Cemeteries.com".].
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The Bn's fighting strength was 20 Officers and 732 other ranks.
The Diary is signed off by C.O, Major L.A, Barrett.
1st JANUARY. The day was spent
quietly and in endeavouring to remove mud. The ground round the huts
was in an
appalling condition.
3rd JANUARY. Lt Col M H L Bell
informed the officers of the Bn that he had been found medically unifit
and had
to go to Hospital.
4th JANUARY. The Bn went to the
same trenches in Armagh Wood under the command of Major H G Scott.
A "long weary march in the rain" to relieve 5th DLI. The 4th East Yorks
were on the right and the 6th DLI on the left.
6th JANUARY. Quiet until 4 p.m on
this day when the Bn's trenches camin in for a good deal of shelling
from the
enemy. The Divisions 18 pounders responded to good effect. No
casualties but the trenches had a good deal of damage.
8th JANUARY. Quiet until
Divisional Artillery opened up in the morning and afternoon.
The Germans replied by "Wizz Banging" trenches A5. A6 and communication
trenches.
The Bn were relieved at night and marched to the Railway Dugouts,
Transport Farm and St James' Dugouts.
9th JANUARY. A fine day with considerable artillery
activity in the area of Railway Dugouts, which were slightly
shelled by shrapnel. The Bn had two slight casualties.
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German 77 millimetre Field Gun after being shelled
itself.
It was this gun that fired the shells that the Allied troops called
"Wizz-Bangs".
[Picture courtesy of - "Photos of The Great
War".].
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The whole Bn was out at night and for
the next two working under the Royal Engineers.
12th JANUARY.
25188 Pte
Handley Henry. Born and enlisted at Middlesbrough, N Yorks. Died
at home. Age 35. Buried at North Ormesby (St Josephs) Roman Catholic
Cemetery, Middlesbrough.
The Bn relieved
5th DLI in Armagh Wood.
14th JANUARY. The Bn had a
relatively quiet time in the trenches and on this day the following
Orders and decorations were announced in the London Gazette:-
Distinguished Service Order to Capt [Temp
Major] B. Jackson.
Military Cross to Capt B H Charlton and Lt [Temp Capt]
T S Rowlandson.
Distinguished Conduct Medal to Company
Sergeant Major J F Myers, Pte E Brondley and Company Sergeant Major D
Burns,
who was attached to the 50th Division Cyclists.
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