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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

7th Battalion Suffolk Regiment


SFayers

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One of my granddad's cousins was killed in action on this day and is named on the Thiepval Memorial (see signature below). I was wondering if anyone would know where the battalion was that day and what happened?

cheers

Steve

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Steve

7th Suffolks (35th Brigade, 12th Division) attacked the village of Ovillers at 03:15 on July 3rd, 1916,

but the attack was a failure, costing 2,400 British casualties by 09:00. SDGW indicates 144 men in the ranks of 7th Suffolks lost their lives on this date.

Nick

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  • 1 year later...

I have just come across this post many months later. My great uncle Lance Corporal Jack D'Hooghe was killed with the 7th Suffolks at Ovillers on 3/7/16. His body was never found but he appears on the Thiepval Memorial. If you visit the CWGC cemetery at Ovillers you will see several headstones marked "An unknown soldier of the Suffolk Regiment" it is stated in the btn diary that total casualties on that morning were 458 from a btn strength of 900. I have a letter from the padre to my great grand mother telling her that Jack is missing but goes on to say that the Germans had taken a number of prisoners and that Jack may be one of them. Unfortunately this was not the case. I find it very moving that your granddad's cousin and my great uncle probably knew each other very well!

Jonathan D'Hooghe

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Thanks Jonathan,

Funnily enough I'd just finished reading your other post with regard to your great uncle. Bertie (Bert) Bowers was one of my granddad's second cousins. I've seen his name on the Thiepval Memorial and also on the Roll of Honour in St Mary's Church in Hadleigh, Suffolk; though I didn't know about the cemetery at Ovillers. Maybe one day I can get over to France again and visit. I'll be raising a glass of Adnams to them both this evening!

cheers

Steve

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Hi Steve, Adnams Southwold ales, you are a man after my own heart. I spent all my childhood holidays in the 60s and 70s in Southwold!!

My Great Uncle Jack and his brother Jim (my grandfather) both joined the 20th Hussars in 1914 and went to war as cavalry men, my grandfather lost his eye in action in 1915 and lived until 1979 but for some unknown reason Jack transferred or was transferred from the Hussars to the 7th Suffolks. This is part of the jigsaw that I still have to work out.

You must try to pay a visit to Ovillers, the cemetery is very moving and the walk across no mans land through Mash Valley helps with the understanding of the situation.

Cheers for now

Jonathan

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Hi Jonathan,

Although I've lived in Aberdeen for the passed 10 years I'll always be a Suffolk lad at heart - thankfully the local Sainsburys sells bottles of Adnams and Greene King ales!

With regard to your g uncle, a possiblility for the change in regiments is that he may have been wounded whilst with the 20th Hussars and on returning to France from convalescence was transferred to the 7th Suffolks - this seems to have been quite a common scenario.

Best of luck with your search!

cheers

Steve

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