LCpl Robert Surgenor - 8/9th Bn Royal Irish Rifles

[Tom A McCluskey]

Hi all,

The extract below is for LCpl Robert Surgenor who was either killed or died on 3rd November 1917. He was with the 8/9th Bn Royal Irish Rifles and also served with the Trench Mortar Battery.

Does anyone have information (War Diary extracts, newspaper cuttings) concerning this soldier's unit, leading up to his death, and what they were doing please? He is buried at Metz-en-Couture.

Or does anyone have information about this soldier?

In advance, Many Thanks

Aye

Tom McC

[Tom A McCluskey]

Also, Please find below his SDGW entry.

Aye

Tom McC

[Desmond7]

I've looked through the Falls history .. the only mention of the date 3rd November us as follows:- (sorry can't make any definite connection, but perhaps he was in the TM team in support role?) Just a wild guess though.

In two or three other cases our men were unsuccessful in entering posts, finding the enemy on the alert. One raid only on a big scale was carried out, on the trenches south of the Hermies-Havrincourt Road and east of the Canal. At 7-30 p.m. on November the 3rd, three parties of the 9th Irish Fusiliers, numbering in all, with stretcher-bearers and sappers, four officers and sixty-seven other ranks, moved out from Yorkshire Bank and passed through gaps in the German wire.

They then sent up a red flare, which brought down a heavy barrage on all approaches. The raid would have been a complete success had not the right party come upon some wire repaired by the Germans since it had been reported destroyed by our artillery.

Eventually they stormed the obstacle and cut down the defenders, but not without heavy loss to themselves. Our total casualties were one man killed, three missing, believed killed, and one officer and fourteen men wounded.

The Germans were estimated to have had forty killed. Had the men, for the most part newly transferred troopers of the North Irish Horse, not been more eager to kill than to capture, a considerable number of prisoners might have been taken.

[Tom A McCluskey]

Desmond 7,

Many Thanks

Aye

Tom McC