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9th Battalion Suffolk Regiment 1916


Hookleg

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I am researching names on our village war memorial and five of them were from the 9th Suffolks. Two men, James Laflin and George Warren appear to have enlisted together as their numbers are sequential. The other three, William Bradbrook,William Cobbold and William Warren seem to have enlisted together at a different date.

Watts died first on 15th May, possibly after an assault on Ypres Salient. He had been shipped home, but died of his wounds. He is buried at the Baptist chapel in the village.

Warren (B Coy.) and Laflin both died 13th Sep. Commemorated at Thiepval

Bradbrook died 16th Sep. Commemorated at Thiepval

Cobbold died 10th Oct. Commemorated at Thiepval

Is anyone able to give info about the objectives of the 9th Batallion on or around these dates? Any help would be much appreciated. Is there any online record or book that I should purchase for the Suffolk Regiment. What I have found so far seems to be lacking in any detail.

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I had been led to believe by a local historian that those who died 13 -16 September may have been attacking the Quadrilateral or been engaged in The Battle of Flers–Courcelette. Does anyone know if 9th Suffolks were involved ?

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In the absense of the war diary here's an extract from Westlake's 'Battalions on the Somme'

9th (Service) Battalion. 71st Brigade, 6th Division:

Entrained at Prouven for Candas (2/8) and from there marched via Beauval and Lealvillers to Mailly-Maillet Wood. These positions, with the exception of a week spent at Louvencourt, held until (28/8). Duties in the area included clearing 36th (Ulster) Division's 1st July dead from the battlefield. Via Beauval to Montonvillers (29/8). Later to Cardonnette, Mericourt-l'Abbe and Sandpit Camp. Took over trenches from 4th Grenadier Guards south-east of Ginchy (11/9). With 2nd Notts and Derby attacked The Quadrilateral (13/9) -assault soon checked by machine gun fire. Further attempts made throughout the day, but no gains made. Dug in about half a mile in front of start point. Casualties (both battalions) - 21 officers and some 500 other ranks. In support of 9th Norfolk during its attempt at The Quadrilateral (15/9) -Regimental historian Lieutenant-Colonel C.C.R. Murphy notes 'the trying experiences of the 13th were repeated.' Heavy fire indicting high losses and withdrawal ordered. In support during 6th Division's capture of The Quadrilateral (17/9)-(18/9). Relieved and to Ville-sur-Ancre (19/9). To reserve at Bernafay Wood (25/9), front line north-east of Ginchy (26/9). In support during 6th Division's operations at Le Transloy (12/10) - holding positions at Misty and Cloudy Trenches were not required to move forward. Relieved and to Corbie (21/10). Transferred Bethune area (28/10).

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jon

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My post at #2 indicates the 1916 battles of 6 Div of which 9 Suffolk were part. Your casualty of 10 October was at Le Transloy.

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Thanks for help so far. All online records show 9th Battalion Suffolk Regiment, yet on the war memorial it says 10th Battalion. Can anyone explain? and does it give any clue to the place or engagement in which they died?

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10th Battalion was a home service 'reserve' battalion - in your chap's case this would have been the first unit served with during training before being posted to 9th Battalion. 10th (Reserve) Battalion became 26th Training Reserve Battalion in September 1916.

cheers

Steve

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Thanks Steve, That has made things much clearer. I didn't realise that the initial Battalion would be the one on the memorial. I had read that 10th Battalion was a home service battalion and was wondering how five men from the 10th on our memorial got killed abroad when the records showed they died as soldiers in the 9th Battalion.

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Glad to be of help. There's a similar roll of honour (though one for all those who served rather than solely those who died in service) in my late granddad's village of Great Bricett, and indeed some of the men who went on to serve in other battalions of the Suffolk regiment are listed on the memorial as being in the 3rd or 10th Battalions. I'm guessing from at least some of the names you've mentioned you're looking at the Norton memorial?

All the best

Steve

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"The History of the Suffolk Regiment 1914-1927" by L Col C R R Murphy has a few snippets on the 9th Bn on or around the dates.

page 125. " On May 14th Lt Col W H A de la Pryme DSO was wounded by shrapnel at about two o'clock in the morning while going round the front line trenches at Forwards Cottage" (Ypres)

page 194 "The 9th Battalion...reaching Albert sector on the 4th [August 1916]..remaining there until the 28th [August 1916]....On September 13th the Battalion took part in an attack by 6th Division on the Quadrilateral. the 17th Bde being on the left, and the 16th Bde on the right. The 9th Bn attacked with three companies in the front line and one in support, zero being 6.20 a.m."

Page 196. "On September 15th the offensive was resumed...Thus opened the battle of Flers-Courcelette.The final objective assigned to the 71st Bde was the occupation of the ridge between Morval and Les oeufs. But the task of the 6th Div on that day was an unenviable one and the goal beyond their reach; for immediately in front of them lay the Quadrilateral, still intact, bristling with machine-guns and absolutely barring the way"

Page 197 "On September 17 the battalion moved into trenches which they were holding when the 6th Div captured the Quadrilateral on the following day...which had cost the Division upwards of 3500 casualties.."

There is nothing for October other than "After two more spells in the trenches [in October] the battalion went back to Corbie..."

In all some 4-5 pages on the September battles with some detail.

MG

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  • 6 years later...

During the current lockdown, I have decided to start putting the info I have about the village War Memorial and those commemorated, in a facebook folder. I am however struggling to find relevant information about William George Cobbold of the Suffolk Regiment.(Regimental Number 20384). I have found a newspaper photo of him, but very poor quality and know that he enlisted just after getting married, in May 1915. He is shown on the memorial as being in the 10th Battalion. But as SFayers posted in Sept 2013 "10th Battalion was a home service 'reserve' battalion - in your chap's case this would have been the first unit served with during training before being posted to 9th Battalion". I have been reading through my copy of The History of the Suffolk Regiment 1914-27, but can find no military engagements for 9th Suffolks for the 1st week in October as they appear to have been in rest billets. William appears to have been killed and his body not recovered on 10th Oct 1916. Apparently there were two spells in trenches (Pg 198), before the Bn. went back to Corbie. Any ideas about where they may have been operating? The weather seems to have been particularly bad around then. Any help most gratefully received. 

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Hi,

 

If you register an account with the National Archives (see here), you can download the 9th Battalion war diary free of charge - link. For 10.10.1916 it shows:

 

image.png.c16e0d04ff3122f1c080fc71227fec35.png

Image sourced from Ancestry

 

Regards

Chris

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Thanks Chris. I have signed up and have looked at the diary as several other men from the village fell while assaulting the Quadrilateral a few days before. Although not in a huge amount of detail I may be able to get a clearer picture by looking at diaries of supporting battalions.  Didn't realise that one could view some items for free. Its been a really great help. Cheers. Keep safe!!

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I suspect the clue here may lay with one of the other 9th Suffolk men recorded by the CWGC as having died on the 10th October - 15892 Private George William Roughton. George is now buried in Serre Road Cemetery No. 2, but was originally buried at map reference 57c N28a3525. I'll need to check the trench map, but this may lend some indication as to area where William Cobbold was killed...

 

It wouldn't surprise me in the least if William and the other 9th Suffolks recorded by the CWGC as dying this day were actually killed prior to 10th October and were some of the missing from the attacks on the Quadrilateral in September. All with the exception of Pte Roughton are commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.

 

Cheers

 

Steve

 

Edit: Pte Roughton's origonal place of burial was about half way between Gueudecourt and Le Transloy, and to the north of Lesboeufs - so not too far from where the battalion was fighting in September or where they were in support in early October (though the regimental history gives no indication of casualties in October...)

Edited by SFayers
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Yes, the 9th Battalion war diary will see you right! 10th October has the battalion back in trenches and 7 killed, 16 wounded. There is an accompanying trench map for the date showing the battalion trench positions pretty well centred on the area where Private Roughton was originally buried.

 

It looks like for those killed on the 10th only Roughton's body was subsequently identified (based on his ID disc according to the CWGC) on exhumation for reburial; the others, assuming they were buried in the same locality, were sadly either not found or their remains could not be identified.

 

All the best

 

Steve

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Thanks to Steve and WhiteStarLine for most helpful research on my behalf. Would you mind if I quote it on W G Cobbold's pages on my facebook record for our village? I will not do it without your consent. Regards. Hookleg

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Not at all - you're most welcome. From the diary there were others that were killed the day before and shortly afterwards - all in the same area. The vast majority are on the Thiepval Memorial, but the very few who were subsequently exhumed and identified were originally buried in much the same area as to where the battalion was then occupying trenches.

 

All the best

 

Steve

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Thanks so much. I will now turn my attention to the next man on the memorial who was killed at Albert serving with 11th Bn. Royal Fusiliers.

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