On evening 4th November 1917 – raid by 1/6th Battalion

raid-4-nov-1917

For the full story see here

h32-and-h33-nov-19174/5.11.1917 HILL 70: Four Officers and 125 Other Ranks raided the enemy trenches capturing 3 prisoners and inflicting severe casualties in the enemy.

military_medal_obverseMilitary Medals to CPL SIMMONS, SGT HELLIWELL and PTE NADIN in connection with the operation.

1/6th Battalion War Diary [WO/95/2694]


4/XI/17: Raid carried out by “B” and “C” Companies 6th Sherwood Foresters at 8.40 PM under Capt GKK MAUGHAN. The detail of this is fully dealt with in the attached report (Appendix II). The extreme darkness of the night was found to be a serious hinderance to the operation, but not withstanding this, 3 prisoners were brought back to our lines. The enemy, when encountered at close quarters, surrendered without fighting. Hostile barrage was heavy, but came down very late and was chiefly behind our front line.

139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]

Poppy

Men killed on the raid and buried in Philosophe British Cemetery in Mazingarbe

2496/240604 L/Sergeant John Edward Stevenson aged 31 and son of Edward and Mary Stevenson of 6 Smiths Yard, Union St., Ashbourne in Derbyshire.

2238/242626 Pte Royal Murray aged 36 and the adopted son of the late Mrs A Lineker. Previously served with the 1/8th Battalion.


Died of wounds

242507 L/Cpl Harrop Wycliffe Bingham from Tibshelf and buried in Lapugnoy Military Cemetery.


Missing in action

3797/241224 Pte George Harry Barber Simpson aged 26 and the son of George Goddard Simpson and Annie Simpson, of “Stoneleigh,” Hayfield Rd. in Chapel-en-Le-Frith. George was wounded during the raid and died of his wounds in a German Field Hospital; He was a Postman from Chapel.

3074/240880 Pte William Henry Brailsford was born in 1892 and was a resident of Clay Cross. He was a collier by trade and enlisted into the 2/6th Battalion in October 1914. He arrived in France on the 11th June 1916 as part of the 11th Reinforcement to the 1/6th Battalion.

2106/240416 Pte Charles Louis Metcalfe aged 20 and the son of Mrs A Metcalfe of 3 Werneth Avenue, Hyde, Cheshire.

1832/240291 Sergeant Moses Salt aged 20 and the son of Mr and Mrs Daniel Salt of Spring Bank, Peakdale, Derbyshire.

4499/241542 Pte Charles Albert Ormerod from Macclesfield.


Addendumh27-nov-1917-simpson

simpson-reburialGeorge Simpson’s body was later recovered from a grave behind the German front line along with the bodies of three other British Soldiers. The Germans initial mis-recored him as serving with the 5th Reserve Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters (which he may have done whilst in England).

It is interesting to speculate that the 3 unknown soldiers are our missing 1/6th Battalion men

2 thoughts on “On evening 4th November 1917 – raid by 1/6th Battalion

  1. Ninkie

    Moses Salt was the brother of my late mother’s father Francis Salt. I have the citation plus the bronze plaque that was sent to the Salt family plus a few photos of Moses. I was gratified to read about his service in WW1 and found the account of the battle very interesting. Mmmm three missing men? Was one of them Moses Salt? Only 20 years old! What a waste of gallant young men.
    At the bottom of the citation is “who gave his life in the Great War that we might live and whose name is carved in stone at Loos Memorial and British Cemetery (Dud Corner) France.”
    Thank you for the write-up.
    Neala Bornman. Youngest daughter of May Kathleen (Salt) Jones. South Africa

    Reply
  2. Pingback: 3400/241056 Pte Richard Clewlow | Derbyshire Territorials in the Great War

Leave a comment