18th bn middlesex

[vectisitch]

can anyone tell me what the 18th bn middlesex were doing and where they were on the 8th march 1918?i'm trying to find out anything about Edward Thomas Bennetts.He was killed on that date and is buried in poperinghe.service number 315739

[Nigel Gordon]

There is not much in the book “The Die-Hards in the Great War” It says,

The clearing of “pill boxes,” the continuation of the Passchendaele draining and repair of tracks kept the 18th Middlesex (Pioneers of the 33rd Division) busy. They also incurred losses on the 7th March from gas shelling, and on the 20th March two large calibre shells fell in Middlesex Camp (where the Battalion was located), completely destroying the Signal Office and equipment, killing the Sergeant Signaller and wounding the operator on duty.

This book says that the Division were in the line South-West of Passchendaele and an entry for the 1st Battalion Middlesex, also in the 33rd Division.

On the 6th March, however, there is an entry in the Diary which (unbeknown at that period) was really the beginning of the enemy’s preparations for his great offensive. The entry is as follows: “Considerable gas shelling in the evening.” The entry is repeated on the 7th and 8th March.

Finally the entry in the book “Soldiers Died In The Great War 1914-19. The Duke of Cambridge’s Own (Middlesex Regiment).”

Bennetts, Edward Thomas,

Born. Shoreditch, Middlesex,

Enlisted. Woolwich, Kent (Resident in Charlton, Kent),

T.F. 315739, Pte

Died of wounds, France & Flanders. 8/3/1918.

I hope this helps.

Good luck

Regards

Nigel

[vectisitch]

thats great .thanks