War Diaries Leicestershire Regiment

[1 IG]

I hold the War Diaries for all Battalions of the Leicestershire Regiment for the period of the Great War, as and when I have time I intend to transcribe them into PDF Format to make it easier to pass them on to people with specific requests, however any requesters for information will have to be patient as I am very busy at present completing a 1,500 page research project in preparation for proof reading for publication, the volumes are the culmination of over twenty years of painstaking research into all the Leicestershire and Rutland fallen of the Great War. Michael

[Adam Llewellyn]

Hi Michael,

I've been looking in to the Anstey memorial for most of this year and would appreciate any help that you may be able to offer through the battalion diaries. I'll pm some more information to you over the weekend and look forward to receiving any possible help.

Regards. Llew.

[7:29am]

What a fantastic task...........how is the transcribing going?

[andrew pugh]

Hi Michael.

CanI take a moment of your time and ask what the 8th Battalion were doing and where they were on and around the 4th Octaber 1917, and what were their losses and casualty count?

Hope you can help.

Best Regards Andy

[1 IG]

What a fantastic task...........how is the transcribing going?

Sorry for the delay in responding, transcribing is now complete and the book has just been delivered from the printers and is on sale, it ended up as five volumes of approximately 340 pages per volume. Since stopping work of the books, I have since recieved and also accumulated another 40 plus pages of information, work is now beginning on Volume six!!!

Regards

Michael

[1 IG]

Hi Michael.

CanI take a moment of your time and ask what the 8th Battalion were doing and where they were on and around the 4th Octaber 1917, and what were their losses and casualty count?

Hope you can help.

Best Regards Andy

Hi Andy

Apologies for the delay in responding, but due to pressures I have fallen behind in my browsing of the forum pages, in reply to your request I am attaching the entries from the War Diary of the 8th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment for the beginning of October 1917, hope that helps, regards

Michael

1/10/17

FRONT LINE. The night was extremely quiet, the absence of hostile shelling was particularly noticeable. At 5.30am a heavy hostile barrage was placed on the front line, and 100 yards west of the road in J.10.a. central. This was maintained until 6.00am when it became evident that a hostile counter attack on the 9^th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT was in progress. The S.O.S. was sent up by the 9^th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT on the right, also by this Battalion, and a heavy barrage was placed on and in front of the enemy lines. Heavy Lewis gun and rifle fire was immediately brought to bear on the threatened flank. A few minutes after 6.00am, a message was received from the 9^th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT that the enemy had gained possession of their front line. About 6.30am, small parties of the enemy were seen about JOIST FARM J.10.d.2.0. moving by short rushes towards our right front line Company and threatening to turn the right flank of the Battalion. Heavy Lewis gun and rifle fire was opened on the enemy, who suffered casualties and were unable to make any progress down the slope towards the front line. About this time the intensity of our barrage lessened, and towards 7.00am ceased altogether. Between 7.00 and 10.30am the enemy made repeated attempts to advance against the open flank of the Battalion, but was driven back on each occasion by rifle and Lewis gun fire. During this period it was found that the 9^th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT had been reinforced by two Companies of the 7^th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT and were holding the line of the road running north and south in J.10.a. A defensive flank was formed from the right flank of “B” Company J.10.d.35.50. to Battalion HQ at J.10.c.5.5. The right support Company (“A”) moved up to the road and linked up with Battalion HQ on the left, and the left Company of the 9^th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT on the right. At 10.15am Captain J. B. MATTHEWS with the left support company (“D”) moved from its position J.10.a.3.2 in order to make a counter attack against the enemy holding the high ground in the vicinity of JOIST FARM. Unfortunately Captain J. B. MATTHEWS M.C. was killed instantly by a sniper when making a personal reconnaissance preparatory to the attack, and at 10.30am the hostile artillery put down a heavy barrage on the east side of POLYGON WOOD consequently this counter thrust did not materialise. This heavy hostile barrage was kept up until 1.00pm at which hour the shelling ceased, but no further hostile attack took place. At 2.00pm small parties of the enemy were seen moving about the south west edge of JETTY WARREN, but were dispersed by rifle fire, Shortly afterwards a hostile machine gun opened traversing fire along the road in J.10.c. central, and Lt. Col. UTTERSON D.S.O. was hit in the arm by a bullet. At 3.10pm a determined effort was made by the enemy 10 or 12 strong to move down the slope from JOIST FARM towards Battalion HQ but the attempt was stopped by rifle fire from the Battalion HQ concrete emplacement, the enemy retiring and leaving several dead behind them. No further attempt to advance was made by the enemy and the remainder of the afternoon passed quietly. At 6.10pm the S.O.S. signal was put up by the Brigade on the right and an exceptionally heavy barrage was placed on the enemy lines by our artillery. No hostile attack developed and at 8.00pm the barrage ceased. At 8.05pm the enemy attempted a counter attack against the ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS on the left. The S.O.S. was again sent up and a second barrage of an hours duration was placed on enemy lines. The counter attack was beaten back with loss to the enemy. The remainder of the night passed quietly and at dawn a protective barrage was formed by our artillery lasting for 15 minutes.

2/10/17

FRONT LINE. With the exception of desultory shelling of POLYGON WOOD during the morning, the day passed quietly, the situation remained unchanged and the enemy made no attempt to carry out any further attack. Major H. E. C. ANDERSON came up during the morning to take over command of the Battalion and early in the afternoon Lt. Col. UTTERSON D.S.O. went down to the dressing station after having remained for 24 hours in command of the Battalion with a wound in his right arm. On the night of the 2^nd/3^rd October the 110^th Infantry Brigade was relieved by the 64^th Infantry Brigade, the 8^th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT being relieved by the 3^rd/4^th QUEEN’S ROYAL WEST SURREY REGT . On relief the Battalion marched to SCOTTISH WOOD CAMP via BLACK WATCH CORNER, CLAPHAM JUNCTION, SANCTUARY WOOD, ZILLEBEKE and SHRAPNEL CORNER.

3/10/17

SCOTTISH WOOD CAMP. The day was spent in reorganising the Battalion and resting the men. During the two days the Battalion had spent in the line, casualties to 11 officers and 175 other ranks. Killed Captain J. B. MATTHEWS M.C., 2^nd Lt.’s V. E. ELLINGHAM, A. H. HEARN, A. SHAW and H. ROBINSON. Wounded Lt. Col. A. T. M. UTTERSON D.S.O., 2^nd Lt.’s A. W SMITH (since died of wounds), EASTWOOD and G. MORRIS. Wounded and remaining at duty 2^nd Lt.’s A. J. FLETCHER and H. JASPER. Captain’s E. DERBYSHIRE and S. A. PAYNE were wounded in the morning of September 30^th, whilst making a reconnaissance of the front line with Lt. Col. UTTERSON D.S.O. and the Company Commanders.

4/10/17

SCOTTISH WOOD CAMP. On this day the 8^th and 9^th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT were amalgamated on account of the weak state of the two Battalion’s and came under the command of Major R. R. YALLAND, 6^th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT. Major H. E. O. HENRY proceeding to ENGLAND on the senior officers course at ALDERSHOT.

5 -6/10/17

RAILWAY DUG OUTS, ZILLEBEKE. At 6.00pm on the 5^th October the 8^th/9^th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT moved from SCOTTISH WOOD CAMP to RAILWAY DUG OUTS on the north side of the railway embankment in I.21.d. (Reference ZILLEBEKE 1/10000). The 7^th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT were in dug outs on the west side of ZILLEBEKE LAKE and the 6^th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT in support at CLAPHAM JUNCTION.

8 - 10/10/17

RAILWAY DUG OUTS, ZILLEBEKE. On the night of the 8^th October a further change in the dispositions was made the two Companies in the front line remaining there. The two Companies from JOIST FARM moving to JETTY TRENCH in J.10.b. and Battalion HQ to a line of concrete emplacements J.10.c. central. The 8^th/9^th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT remained in this position until the night of the 11^th/12^th October. The weather during the whole of this time was extremely wet, and the men suffered severely in the open trenches and shell holes which in many cases were full of water. During this tour in the line 1 officer 2^nd Lt. ROBINSON was killed and 2^nd Lt.’s MERCER and POCHIN were wounded. And 53 other ranks were killed and wounded.

12 – 14/10/17

LE CROQUET (HASEBROUCK 54). In the afternoon of the 12^th October the 8^th/9^th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT divided into separate units and marched to OUDERDOM STATION and entrained there for LE CROQUET (HASEBROUCK 54) west of HASEBROUCK. The Battalion detrained at EBBLINGHEM STATION and marched to LE CROQUET arriving there at 11.30pm. On this day the Battalion came under the command of Major J. L. WARNER D.S.O. The 13^th October was spent in resting the men and cleaning up of all kit and equipment.

[Hambo]

Hello Michael

I have been researching Julian Bacchus who according to what I have so far was in C Copmany 1st Battalion and was wounded on the 2nd of November 1914. It looks like his service after that was in the UK so I assume it was a bad wound. I wonder if you'd mind looking to see if there any mention of him on or around that date or the action and where were they at the time?

Thanks in advance

Best regards John

[abbrover]

Hi Michael Is it possible to have a look if there is any mention of Capt Frederick Percy Cox, he was in the 3rd Batt. attd to the 9th I believe he was killed in the 9yh's attack on the Hindenburg line at Croisilles on 3 May 1917

thanks

[andrew pugh]

Hi Michael.

I hope you dont mind me asking but do you have the portion of the war diary for the 8th Bn Leicestershires fo the month

of June 1917?

Best Regards Andy

[Jesse]

Hi Michael, looking to see if there's any mention of Pte. Thomas William Hodges 16818, 7th Bn, DOW 28.5.16. No rush, I'm sure you're a busy man.

I hold the War Diaries for all Battalions of the Leicestershire Regiment for the period of the Great War, as and when I have time I intend to transcribe them into PDF Format to make it easier to pass them on to people with specific requests, however any requesters for information will have to be patient as I am very busy at present completing a 1,500 page research project in preparation for proof reading for publication, the volumes are the culmination of over twenty years of painstaking research into all the Leicestershire and Rutland fallen of the Great War. Michael

[colinmcs]

I hold the War Diaries for all Battalions of the Leicestershire Regiment for the period of the Great War, as and when I have time I intend to transcribe them into PDF Format to make it easier to pass them on to people with specific requests, however any requesters for information will have to be patient as I am very busy at present completing a 1,500 page research project in preparation for proof reading for publication, the volumes are the culmination of over twenty years of painstaking research into all the Leicestershire and Rutland fallen of the Great War. Michael

hi

sorry to bother you, but would you have any information what the 2nd leicestershires were doing aound May 21st 1915 as this was when my grandfather ( private Harry Morley) died of his wounds near festubert, and is buried in St.Vaast Post Military Cemetery.

thank you very much.

colin