10 Sherwood Foresters - War Diary?

[andiS]

Hi

Does anybody have the war diary for 10th Battalion Sherwood Foresters? I'm especially interested in mid 1918 when my great uncle would have been gassed.

tia

andy

[jmoha]

I'm at work, so don't quote me but I recall an attack by gas in the time frame of the German Offensive (march/april 1918) in which the battalion was badly hit suffering a number of casualties. I'll check later when I get home in the battalion history and in my few notes from the war diary.

Of course, one of the experts will probably beat me to it

[stevem49]

There was mention in the 10th Bn history of a heavy gas attack on 15th August.

'All remained quiet until very early on 15th. About 12.15 a.m. the enemy started a very heavy gas bombardment on the whole area occupied by the 17th Division; mustard gas presominated. For three hours he kept up a steady stream of shells; he chiefly bombarded the ridges, and as the night was absolutely still the gas floated down into the valleys and clung to the dense undergrowth. The area shelled stretched from our support line some 2000 yards westward, and this all became saturated with the deadly stuff. The sunrise brought with it a ghastly state of affairs; the casualties from the gas poisoning steadily mounted up, and long strings of men with their eyes bandaged, each holding the man in front, trailed slowly backwards down to the dressing station. Lieut-Col King, D.S.O. and Adjutant Capt. G F March M.C. both became casualties, and in all the battalion sustained losses to 18 officers and 510 other ranks; a total which for the moment made it almost cease to exsist as a fighting unit; only the garrison of the forward posts escaped the effects of the gas. The large majority of these casualties subsequently recovered, but Lieut B G Barnes and 2/Lt H E Merrett died from the effects - both fine plucky officers. RSM Wain also died; his was an almost meteoric career; in March 1916 he was an officer's servant; from that time forward by his sheer ability for making men do what he wanted, and by wanting the right thing, he had risen steadily through non-commissioned rank until he wa smade RSM in July 1918. Altogether he wa sone of the finest products of the New Armies, and his loss was felt intensely.

Searching enquiries were made into the reason for the large casualties which the whole division suffered, and much blame attached itself to a great many people; none of them need be mentioned by name.'

They where in the area of Mericourt-sur-Somme

10th (S) Battalion The Sherwood Foresters by Lieut W N Hoyte

stevem

[andiS]

There was mention in the 10th Bn history of a heavy gas attack on 15th August.

Given that he died in a UK military hospital on the 15/9/18 - that would be about right for him to have completed the casualty evacuation route from an attack a month earlier?

[jmoha]

Told you one of the experts would be along

That was the one I was thinking of, Albeit with the wrong time of year. I knew the RSM had died in it.

[mikebriggs]

Here is the War Diary account, which pretty much mirrors Steve's transcript, although it does state that D and B Companys were hit the worst

and the casualty returns for August

cheers

Mike

[Mestalla]

the gas attack according to the diary was between the 15th and 17th august 1918. some were between fouilloy and vaux sur somme .