16th Division, June to August 1916 - 7 Royal Irish Fusiliers

[gmslewis]

Hello,

I am trying to find out where the 16th Division, and in particular the 7th Royal Irish Fusiliers, were between June and August 1916. I am trying to follow John Shields and he was wounded on the 29th June 1916 and evacuated as sick on 20th August. I understand they were in the Loos area but if anyone knows a bit more accurately where and what they were up to that would be fantastic!

Many thanks,

Gareth

[KGB]

They were in Kemmel by Nov 1916.

[sotonmate]

You will need to see the War Diary as they didn't fight on the Somme until Guillemont. It's digital and downloadable:

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=C7352886

[CaroleHope]

Hello,

I am trying to find out where the 16th Division, and in particular the 7th Royal Irish Fusiliers, were between June and August 1916. I am trying to follow John Shields and he was wounded on the 29th June 1916 and evacuated as sick on 20th August. I understand they were in the Loos area but if anyone knows a bit more accurately where and what they were up to that would be fantastic!

Many thanks,

Gareth

7th Royal Irish Fusiliers were in the Loos sector between February 1916 and August 1916 when they set off for the Somme. Units of 16th (Irish) Division took part in the fighting for both Guillemont and Ginchy. John Shields would have been evacuated just before the Division left the Loos sector for the Somme. Whilst in the Loos sector the front line trenches of 16th (Irish) Division, which were on the left of the line approximately facing Hulluch, were subjected to a lot of shelling and mine warfare was characteristic of the area. The Division also mounted regular raids into enemy territory, so there are a variety of ways in which John Shields could have been wounded. The history of the 7^th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (same brigade as 7th RIF i.e. 49th Infantry Brigade) recorded a hive of activity in the Loos sector during the second half of June 1916, trying to put the enemy off the scent of what was building up further south in the Département of the Somme:

“To appreciate the reasoning for this strengthening of the garrison, the sudden appearance of gas cylinders in the front line, and the recent attempts to raid the enemy for identifications, one must bear in mind that the British were on the eve of their Great Push, which, though more or less common knowledge that it would be launched somewhere south, yet every effort was being made along the whole British front to make the enemy believe that it wasn’t where he might imagine it was going to be, and at the same time stop the enemy moving troops by our constant aggressive activity. With these points in view, it did not come as any surprise that we were ordered to dig assembly trenches under cover of darkness on the night of the 21^st … it was meant to make believe that we contemplated an attack on a large scale …” ¹⁶

7th RIF War Diary has now been digitalised WO 95/1978 and WO 95/1976 is 49th Infantry Brigade. If John Shields was also with 7th RIF earlier - in April 1916 - he would have been caught up to one degree or another in the gas attack launched by the Germans from Hulluch which claimed over 500 16th (Irish) Division lives (gas, shelling and hand-to-hand fighting) and over 1000 other casualties.

Carole

[gmslewis]

Thank you for all of your responses, its very much appreciated.

I have now managed to look at the War Diary at Kew for this period and I think he may have been wounded during a German trench raid prior to his medical evacuation. His service papers if I remember correctly mention hospital in Netley which I understand had a shell shock unit so I wonder if this was the reason for leaving the front. Whatever the truth his story is not playing out how I thought!

Thanks again and I will download the diary to digest and hopefully understand John a little better

Gareth

Edited 19 April , 2014 by gmslewis

[gmslewis]

He was also with the unit during the Hulloch attack which I have read a little about and it sounds like the division went through a tough time.

[CaroleHope]

He was also with the unit during the Hulloch attack which I have read a little about and it sounds like the division went through a tough time.

They did. 16th (Irish) Division losses for the two days of the German chlorine gas attacks launched via 3,800 cylinders from Hulluch on 27 and 29 April were, according to The Official History of the War: 570 killed (232 from shelling, 338 from gas) and 1,410 wounded (488 from shelling, 922 from gas.) The Germans also had heavy casualties on the second occasion when the wind changed and the gas blew back into their trenches. Reports compiled after the attacks levelled accusations at the 16th Div that the reason for their heavy casualties was because they did not properly practice gas drills and that there were no deficiencies in the gas helmets. It was later proved that many helmets were deficient and The Official History of the War absolved the division of any culpability.

I have chapters on both the gas attacks and the aftermath in my book.

Carole

[gmslewis]

Thanks Carole,

I will look your book up!

Gareth

[CaroleHope]

Thanks Carole,

I will look your book up!

Gareth

You are welcome, Gareth. My book goes far beyond the dates you are interested in. However, if you want to know more about 16th (Irish) Division, you could do worse than read my book, although it is by no means a full account.

Worshipper and Worshipped - you'll find it on Amazon. It's a biography of a Military Chaplain Fr William Doyle, SJ, MC who served first with 49th Infantry Brigade and then 48th Infantry Brigade of 16th (Irish) Division and was revered by the men of that division and also 36th (Ulster) Division. He was nominally attached to 8th Royal Irish Fusiliers Nov 1915-Dec 1916 and was awarded MC and MID whilst serving with 49th Inf Brig. Then attached to 8th Royal Dublin Fusiliers Dec 1916-Aug 1917 when he died 16/8/17 beyond the Front Lines in front of Frezenberg Ridge. He was recommended VC but not granted and MID instead as no other posthumous award available. It's a big book because I had a lot of original primary source material available which I wanted to use. About a quarter of the book focuses on his childhood/early life/training for Jesuits and the remainder his military career. Whilst at Loos Feb 1916-Aug 1916 he was caught up in the gas attack launched by Germans from Hulluch in April which claimed over 500 16th (Irish) Division lives (over 1,000 other casualties) - either via gas or artillery shelling or hand to hand fighting which supported the attack; August 1916 en route to the Somme he gave the last rites to Joseph Carey (National Archives court martial file WO 71/500) before he was shot at dawn; September 1916 with his troops as far forward as he was allowed, under shell fire, and helping the doctor in RAP at Ginchy; October 1916 - May 1917 in the Messines area, including a period of training in the Pas de Calais to prepare for June attack; Battle of Messines he was again manning RAP and helped a sergeant dig out men buried by shell-fire, for which CSM Tait got the DCM; July 1917 back in Pas de Calais for more training; August 1917 Third Ypres took charge of all 4 battalions of 48th Inf Brig when two battalions lost their chaplain and a replacement failed to arrive; constantly in the front line with one battalion or another under gas shell and artillery shell fire; 16/8/17 Battle of Langemarck manning RAP, ordered back to HQ with doctor because too dangerous, only stayed a short while at HQ and returned, killed whilst rescuing a wounded officer from battle zone. Book is based on 61 letters home (89,000 words) - uncensored because who is going to censor the priest's letters? Also the relevant war diaries, personal accounts, regimental histories, official history. It's a tad expensive, but it is a big book about an epic man.

Carole

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[Murrough]

Thanks Carole, I will also look for your book.

Regards M