On the 15th June the Btn moved back to the Front into trenches in the area marked by
the blue line.
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1st to 15th JUNE. The Btn were training at Bayencourt. Practising with aeroplanes and wrestling on "Mokes".
The whole Btn was inoculated during this period.
15th JUNE. The Btn moved to a Camp nearer Arras and the next day relieved the 11th Btn Royal Fusiliers in
Hindenberg Support Line. "Y" Coy in Grey Street Trench and "Z" Coy in Earl's Court Trench.
16th JUNE. Casualties were caused by enemy shell and rifle fire and at least as many more by poison gas.
Four Officers and four other ranks were killed by gas, one Officer and 14 other ranks were wounded, one Officer and
sixteen other ranks were gassed. The Officers who died were Captain J E Bryden, the medical Officer,
Lt C B Prior-Wandesford and 2Lts W E Pacey and C J Perkins. 2Lt R S May was wounded and Lt J S Bainbridge gassed.
Five other ranks joined and the Battalion this month and six Officers - Captain L Newcombe, and 2Lts P L Leigh-Breeze,
G H Perkins, F D Farquharson, R K Smith, and Wilf Thornton.
19th JUNE.
243390 Pte Jones S. Died at home. Buried at Middlesbrough Linthorpe Cemetery.
22/23rd JUNE. "Y" and "Z" Coys moved to Cuckoo and Sunken Road
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Trenches to support a planned attack by the 5th
Btn Durham Light Infantry on the Germans who were occupying trenches in front of the village of Fontaine Les Crosilles.
The enemy could not be seen as his trenches were hidden by a ridge.
25th JUNE. There were no more major offensives on the Front before Arras as Haig's plans switched back
to Ypres.
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Lt Wilf Thornton of the 4th Yorks at Cavalry Farm in the Wancourt/Guemappes area.
[Photograph kindly contributed by John Sheen, author of Tyneside Irish, Durham Pals, & Wearside Battalion.]
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On this night the 4th Green Howards made a small raid with one officer and 15 other ranks to cut out an
enemy post.
The post was found surrounded with no less than 5 rows of barbed concertina wire and no gap could be
found.
The raiders climbed the wire and found the trenches deserted but were fired on by machine guns and suffered
a few casualties.
200363 Sgt Beadle Herbert. Home at Kirkgate, Thirsk, town of birth and enlistment.
Died of wounds on the 25th. Age 26. Buried at Achiet Le Grand
Communal Cemetery Extension.
16328 Pte Strong William. Born Jarrow. Enlisted Sunderland Co Durham. Died of wounds on the 26th.
Buried at Rookery British Cemetery, Heninel.
27th JUNE.
The Germans opened a very heavy bombardment and then attacked the posts of the Battalion about Wood Trench
The attack was repulsed and the enemy suffered many casualties, but it was while endeavouring to carry up more
ammunition to his comrades holding Wood Trench that CSM Hopper was killed.
2Lt Christopher Butler Prior-Wandesforde Died of wounds. Age 20. Home at Castlecomer House, Castlecomer,
Co. Kilkenny. Buried at Achiet-Le-Grand Communal Cemetery Extension.
2Lt Walter Ernest Pacey Died of wounds. Buried at Achiet-Le-Grand Communal Cemetery Extension.
2Lt Cyril John Perkins Died of wounds. Age 23. Home at 39 Mantilla Rd., Upper Tooting, London.
Buried at Achiet-Le-Grand Communal Cemetery Extension.
201230 Pte Hodgson Herbert. Home at 16 Railway Tce, Sowerby, Thirsk, N Yorks.. Died of
wounds. Age 27. St Martin Calvaire British Cemetery, St Martin sur Cojeul.
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L/Cpl William E Kinsey, killed by a shell 13th July 1917.
[Photograph kindly contributed by Christopher Weekes of Horley, Surrey.]
200667 CSM Hopper Frederick, James. Home at - 33 Borough Rd, Darlington, Co Durham, place of birth.
Enlisted at Northallerton, N Yorks. Killed in action. Age 32. Buried at Rookery British Cemetery, Heninel.
201349 Pte Robinson Joseph. Enlisted at Middlesbrough, N Yorks. Died of wounds
Buried at St Martin Calvaire British Cemetery.
201835 Pte Ruddick George. Home at Nunthorpe N Yorks. Born at Newby and enlisted at Masham,
N Yorks. Died of wounds. Buried at Rookery British Cemetery, Heninel.
29th JUNE.
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Paul von Hindenburg.
The formidable line of defence was named after this German Field Marshal.
He had been called out of retirement at the start of the War and after defeating the Russians at
the Battle of Tannenberg rose in the Kaiser's and the public's esteem.
In 1916 he replaced Falkenhayn as Chief of the General Staff and with his deputy Ludendorff controlled
the German direction of the War right up to the closing weeks of the War.
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202967 Cpl Venables Alfred, William. Born Castle Eden, Co Durham and enlisted at
.Wheatley Hill Killed in action. Buried at Rookery British Cemetery, Heninel.
30th JUNE.
201691 Pte Bland Richard. Home at - 9 Eston Grange, Grangetown, N Yorks. Enlisted at
Middlesbrough. Died. Age 21. Buried at Achiet Le Grand Communal Cemetery Extension.
13th JULY. The following 4 men were killed in action and are buried at Rookery British Cemetery Heninel.
201304 Pte Catterson John. Enlisted at Middlesbrough, N Yorks.
202972 L/Cpl Kinsey William, Edward. Born Coton, Cambs and enlisted at Cambridge.
200116 Pte Oliver John W Born and enlisted at Middlesbrough, N Yorks.
201804 Cpl Graham Frederick. Home at 153 Marian St, Gateshead on Tyne, place of birth.
Enlisted at Yarm N Yorks. Age 36.
202279 Pte Fall Albert. Home at - 46 Melbourne St, Wellingborough Rd, Northampton, town of
enlistment. Born Hackney, London. Age 29. Ex Northants Regt. Buried at Heninel Communal Cemetery Extension.
16th JULY.
203163 Pte Major Harry. Home at - 11 Chelmsford St, Darlington, Co Durham. Born at
Middlesbrough and enlisted at Darlington, Co Durham. Killed in action. Age 28. Buried at Rookery British
Cemetery Heninel Z" Company
19th JULY.
The German bombardments and attacks were renewed from time to time during this period and were especially heavy this
day. The Battalion was distributed in Swift, Snipe, Wren Lane, Martin and Avenue trenches. The Germans were on the
point of penetrating the front of the Battalion on Left when the Lewis guns opened on the enemy flank and broke up the
attack.
The following 4 men were killed in action and are buried at Rookery British Cemetery, Heninel
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The Trenches as seen by the Flying Corps.
[Photo from A Popular History of the Great War - J A Hammerton. 1920s.]
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200691 L/Cpl Hartley Joseph, Francis. Enlisted at Redcar, N Yorks.
235208 Pte Lemon Reuben, Jonathan, James. Home at Ely Cambs. Enlisted at Cambridge.
203051 Pte Nichols Isaac. Born and enlisted at Middlesbrough, N Yorks.
36398 Pte Taylor Ernest. Enlisted at Leeds, Yorks.
Capt Charles Sproxton. Killed in action. Age 26. He was the Battalion Adjutant at this time and had been
awarded the Military Cross. Home at 114, Lee St.
Holderness Rd., Hull. B.A. (Hons. Cambridge). Buried at St Martin Calvaire British Cemetery, St Martin sur Cojeul.
202315 Sgt Carwardine William Born Braunston, Daventry Northants and enlisted Daventry.
Killed in action. Buried at Cojeul British Cemetery, St Martin sur Cojeul. Ex 326 4th Northants Regt.
202017 Pte Davies John, Alfred. Born and enlisted at Middlesbrough, N Yorks. Killed in
action. Buried at Rookery British Cemetery, Heninel.
200331 Pte Styles Henry, William. Home at 48 Haywood Rd, Bromley Common, Kent. Born Camberwell,
London. Enlisted at Northampton. Age 39. Commemorated on the Arras Memorial.
240446 Pte Howes Charles, Stanley, Home at 58 Havelock Cres, Quay Rd,
Bridlington, Yorks,
place of birth and enlistment. Died of wounds on the 24th. Age 19. Buried at Railway Dugouts Burial Ground.
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2Lt T V O Thomas.
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235911 Pte Raistrick William Born at Baildon and enlisted at Middlesbrough, N Yorks Died
on the 25th. Age 18. Buried at Bucquoy Rd Cemy Ficheux.
25th JULY.
During the night a raiding party, led by 2Lt D J E Lamb, left Wren Trench at
11 pm and advanced on the German post in Cable Trench. Here they found the wire was uncut, in spite of the previous
efforts of our Artillery, but the Officer, Corporal Hammond and Lance Corporal Horn climbed over the wire and entered
Cable Trench, finding it and the neighbouring trenches all empty. After spending some time here searching for the
enemy, the party had to fall back as dawn was breaking. They were under heavy machine gun fire for most of the time and
2Lt Lamb and two of his men were wounded.
31th JULY.
Seven officers were received during July, 2Lts J S Beall, J S Robson, G G W Mackay, E L Fowler, J Elgey, T J
Dickson and T V O Thomas.
But otherwise reinforcements were meagre and at the end of the month the Battalion strength was 28 Officers and
654 other ranks.
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