HAWKE BATTALION Royal Naval Division: 13 May 1917

[INW]

I am researching A.B. George Dryden TZ/1001  of the Hawke Bn. who died of wounds (g.s.w. to abdomen) and is buried in Aubigny Communal Cemetery in Pay de Calais.

Aubigny is 18km and roughly northwest of Arras. He died on the 13th May 1917 and was from Co. Durham. I have downloaded his service record from Find my Past.

Does anyone have the Hawke Battalion war diary or know what they were undertaking at the time?

52 RND men are buried in the cemetery 25 of them died between the 23rd and the 29th of April 1917.

Thanks in Anticipation

INW

 

[horatio2]

Hawke Bn. were working on the RED LINE near Roclincourt overnight 11/12 May. The RED LINE was to form a third line of defences behind the Oppy-Gavrelle front line. The men were employed digging fire bays and laying out new barbed wire defences. They returned to camp in the old German lines near Roclincourt in the small hours of 12 May. The war diary records 2 ORs killed and 7 wounded during overnight shelling on the RED LINE. They repeated the work the following night but no casualties were reported.

Clearly AB Dryden died (in 30th Casualty Clearing Station (GSW Abdomen)) of wounds received on 11/12 May. 30 CCS was based at Aubigny.

He was the brother of Tyneside Z/1888 AB Robert William Dryden, Collingwood Battalion, ;D' Coy, 1st Platoon, KIA 4/6/15 in the 3rd Battle of Krithia (Gallipoli).

Edited 1 June , 2019 by horatio2

[INW]

Thank you to both Horatio2 and Little Bob.

LB sent me images the relevant pages of the war diary in a personal message.

I will digest all this a pass on to my friend who is related to the wife of George Dryden. 

I will try to get this located on the relevant trench map.

Sad to hear that the Dryden family lost two sons.

Keen to hear anything more and any suggestions for further reading.

 

INW