Intermediate Line. August 1916.

[brianmorris547]

Ever since I read the August 1916 WD of 10 Loyal North Lancashire at Kew some years ago I have had an interest in the Intermediate Line. I recently found this brief note and map in the WD of 8 Bn Royal Berkshires, who were the last Unit to attack the Line that August.

I think The Intermediate Line deserves a thread of it's own.

More later.

Brian

 

[brianmorris547]

I was able to add to a couple of threads including this one featuring 15883 Thomas Brady. They can be found by searching "Intermediate Bolton".

https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/253230-my-great-great-grandfathers-story/#comment-2560504https:

Thomas Brady is named in the Times OCL 12/09/1916 in a long list of Wounded - Loyal North Lancs. He has papers in WO 364 which record that he was wounded on 11/08/1916 serving with 10 LNL.

On 21/07/1916 19 Div relieved 33 Div and ordered an attack on the Switch Line. A recce revealed that there was another trench running from S 3 c 6 5 to S 2 c 8 4 between the British Line and the Switch Line. 57 Infantry Brigade were ordered to take this trench as a first objective. The attack on 23/07/1916 was not a success and the WD of 19 Div HQ records that the German Trench from S 2 c 7 4 to S 3 c 5 5 will in future be called the Intermediate Trench. The WD of 57 IB 23/07 refers to it as the Intermediate Trench. It was later called the Intermediate Line.

On 29/07 10 Warwicks of 57 IB had a partial success and took the line to S 2 d 9 6 where a barricade was erected.

On 31/07 57 IB were relieved by 101 IB of 34 Div. 16 and 15 Bns Royal Scots attacked the Line on the first four days of August.

On 06/08 101 IB were relieved by 112 IB of 37 Div. 8 East Lancs attacked on 07/08, 6 Bedfords attacked on 08/08, 10 LNL attacked on 11/08 and 11 Royal Warwicks attacked on 12/08.

It was then the turn of 1 IB of 1 Div. 1 Black Watch attacked on 18/08 followed by 8 Royal Berks on the same day.

The Intermediate Line had a short history. It was never fully taken. There is a report in the WD of 112 IB that it surrendered on 26/08/1916. It had done it's job.

EDIT: Last two pages of the report by GOC 112 IB. Courtesy TNA WO 95/2535.

 

Edited 6 December , 2022 by brianmorris547
additional info

[Howard]

You can see the Switch line in TrenchMapper but quite a few of the maps do not show the name. It runs across the top of High Wood (Bois des Foureaux).

If you right click and choose Map ID Jump with the ID=m_020615, you can see it as a blue trench line.

Right click, choose Centre Map Here, right click again and choose Maps at Centre then use the map list lower left to see British, ,French and German maps of the area.

Howard

[brianmorris547]

I was able to identify eighty names from the Times OCL 12/09/1916 under Wounded - Loyal North Lancs of men whose papers, hospital admissions or Medal Rolls put them in 10 Bn. There are one or two others in the OCL 14/09/1916.

The majority of those with records show wounded 11/08/1916. One of those named in the OCL 12/09 Richardson, 16899 T also had a MM card showing 10 Bn. He is named in the LG 27974 21/10/1916. I went through this LG and found eight more 10 Bn men awarded the MM.

Serial 44500 Wood, J 16879

Serial 44501 Gregg, J 13287

Serial 44502 McGuinness, J 17381

Serial 44503 Longworth, W 17665

Serial 44504 Johnson, H 15667 (SDGW Death presumed 11/08/1916)

Serial 44505 Taylor, T 22363

Serial 44506 Richardson, T 16899

Serial 44507 Seddon, F R 16499

Serial 44473 Sanders, P 16816 (perhaps an Award not made at the same time as the others due to the earlier Serial number)

So a possible eight MMs awarded for that Action. The Bn were 37 Div but attached to 34 Div at the time. No mention in the WD of 34 Div A&QMG.

Two of the eight are pictured in the Bolton Journal:

03/11/1916 T Richardson, whose bio mentions 11/08 and 10/11/1916 F R Seddon.