16 Middlesex - 1st July 1916, war diary

[thechop]

Hi there,

I am currently creating a visual history of the 1st day of the Somme Battalion by Battalion by drawing the trench lines onto aerial photos in Google Earth, adding the Battalion start positions and attacking areas etc.

However, despite numerous visits to the National Archives I seem to have missed off the 16th Middlesex (86th Brigade, 29th Division) war diary. The diary for the 1st July is not available online.

Therefore, would anyone have a copy / transcript of the war diary for the 16 Middlesex for the 1st July 1916?

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

Adrian

[bmac]

The diary for the 1st July is very brief. See below:

Night 27th/28th June – Lt Cleghorn and 12 ORs carried out a raid on the enemy’s trenches. At 11.10 p.m. the party left our trenches at Q.3.d.7.3. After getting through our wire the party moved along New Beaumont Road up to the enemy’s trenches unobserved. They found the enemy’s wire considerably damaged but with no clear passage through it. This held the party up and only the officer and two men actually got through and entered the German trenches. At this moment the enemy began throwing bombs into their front line trench from both flanks and into their wire. They also opened up a heavy machine gun fire and made a barrage of shrapnel on our front line and on the sunken road in Q.4.c. The officer gave the word to withdraw and the party returned to our own trenches. Casualties: 2 OR wounded.

28th June – Orders received postponing the general assault from June 29th to July 1st.

29th June – 1 OR killed, 3 OR wounded, all accidentally. These belonged to the detachment sent to the Brigade Bombing Company.

30th June – Reserve of 9 officers, 79 ORs drawn from the battalion and proceeded at 2.30 p.m. under Maj A N G Jones to Mailly Wood. Battalion, less reserve and bombing detachment, strength 22 officers, 689 OR marched to Auchonvillers 10.20 p.m. and bivouacked there for the night.

1st July – Battalion in action, 7.30 a.m. from support trenches.

Casualties:

Officers killed 3, wounded 10, missing believed killed 6, missing 5

OR killed 19, wounded 306, missing believed killed 37, missing 138.

10.15 p.m. Balance of battalion took over the front line trenches Auchonvillers sector.

Officer casualties

Killed:

Lt H W Barker

Lt H D Goodwin

Capt G H Heslop

2nd Lt J K Orr

Capt A C Purnell

2nd Lt F B Tanqueray

Capt T H Watts

Lt H J Heath

2nd Lt E R Heaton

2nd Lt H C Hertslet

Missing:

Capt E W Hall

2nd Lt D S B Starnes, att. 14th Middlesex Regt

Wounded and prisoner of war:

Capt F S Cockram

Died of wounds:

2nd Lt C J Addington , 2nd July 1916

2nd Lt C J J K Deakin , 2nd July 1916

2nd Lt R F Michelmore , 7th July 1916, in German hands

Wounded:

Maj. F R Hill

2nd Lt E R Whitby, att. 24th Middlesex Regt

2nd Lt D B Tuck

2nd Lt F E Bennett, att. 15th Middlesex Regt

2nd Lt T Shearstone

2nd Lt C H F Lushington, att. 24th Middlesex Regt

2nd Lt E A Cuffe Adams

Other ranks: 614

[thechop]

Bill,

That's absolutely brilliant.

Many thanks for your help.

Regards,

Adrian.

[bmac]

I suspect this report is one of those cases where there no officers left to write anything meaningful, thus its brevity.