31st Division

[philary]

Hello

I am trying to find out where the 31st Division were and what they were doing on 9th-12th April 1918. Does anyone have the relevant war diary for that time?

In particular the Y31st Trench Mortar Battery Unit!

Thanks for any help and I think the forum is fantastic, have sent in my donation!

Hilary

[Chris_Baker]

This page, from Andrew Jackson's brilliant site on the Accrington Pals, will give you a good idea of what was going on.

[Greenwoodman]

Hi Hilary

As well as the page mentioned by Chris, I have some six battalion war diaries and accounts from that Division for those dates. Let me have a read - I'll come back later with some info.

[Greenwoodman]

Chris has some war diaries on the Long, Long Trail. 4th (Guards) Brigade was one of the Brigades of the 31st Division.

4th Guards Brigade

Chris also has 10th E. Yorks war diary for that period. This Hull Pals battalion was brigaded with 11th E Y (Hull Pals) and the Accrington Pals 11th E.L. in 92nd Brigade.

10th E Yorks

Andrew Jackson's site has a good set of position maps where you can trace the movements of all three brigades (93rd Brigade was the other, with the 15th West Yorks (Leeds Pals), 13th Yorks & Lancs (Barnsley Pals) and 18th Durham Light Infantry.)

I don't have any info on Y.31 TMB, but they are likely to have been in support to one of the infantry brigades.

[philary]

Thank you both for your help and I have looked up the sites. It is very tantalising because I have a letter from his Captain saying his bivouac was blown up at 8 am on the morning of 8th April, he was taken to 45 Casualty Clearing station and succumbed to wounds on 13th April. His Captain also mentioned he was on special duty!

I know from the Long Long Trail (brilliant website!) where the 45th Casualty Clearing Station was and it ties in with his burial at Gezaincourt.

I am almost certain he was fighting around Ayette and probably taken to the Casualty Clearing Station at Orville and then it moved to Gezaincourt! What is more exciting is the copy of a letter his surgeon wrote to my Great Grandmother after treating him, quite a remarkable person apparently.

I guess a trip to the PRO will confirm (or not) my theory! One of the thrills for me, when I hamndled his service records was pages of his writing and my Great Grandfather & Grandmother. Apparently she had to write to ask for his death certificate!

Thank you once again

Hilary