28747 Pte Newstead, Essex R, Somme Oct 1916 casualty

28747 Pte Newstead Essex R WIA Somme October 1916 Victory Medal

Henry Newstead was born circa 1885 and lived in Dover. He attested his willingness to serve under the Derby Scheme in early December 1915 before presumably spending some months on the Army reserve. Possibly, like 28739 Ernest Birrell (who attested his willingness to serve on 12 February 1916) he was mobilised circa 31 May 1916, passing through the 3^rd (Reserve) Battalion, the Essex Regiment, and then potentially not going overseas until September-October 1916.

 

He served overseas with the 11^th Battalion (raised September 1914 and from October 1915 serving overseas in France with the 18^th Brigade of the 6^th Division). Inte first half of September the battalion was out of the line training, practising assaults, undergoing inspections etc, principally at Vignacourt and then Sailly le Sec.  Depending upon when he joined the battalion, he could have taken part in action during the Battles of  Flers-Courcelette and Morval in September 1916, in the latter of which the battalion took the sunken road in front of Les Boeufs, taking practically no casualties and capturing 200 prisoners 12 trench mortars. Subsequently the battalion worked under constant shell-fire to consolidate the position digging a firing trench 40years in front of the sunken road with four communications trenches running back to it. Upon relief, the battalion spent 30 September and the first six days in October out of the line at Ville-sur-Ancre, occupying itself with Church Parade, inspection, training and a field day, prior to proceeding via Meaulte and a bivouac to the front line where it remained from the evening of 8 October to the 10^th when it was relieved and proceeded to Trones Wood, having incurred 47 casualties in the 2 ½ days due to consistent shelling day and night. After two days in Trones Wood, furnishing carrying parties each night, the battalion returned to its previous trenches and assembly trenches were dug behind the front line whilst the shelling continued. At 5.35am on 15 October the battalion made an attack towards Mild and Cloudy Trenches and it is almost certainly in the course of that attack that he was wounded, passing through the Field Ambulance and ending the following day in the hands of the Casualty Clearing Station.

 

The battalion war diary narrates the attack as follows: “At 5.35 AM A & D Coys attacked, C Coy was to form a defensive flank. B Coy was held in reserve. The first objective of the attack was a trench running from N.21 central to MILD Trench about N 21 d 4 6. The second objective was from Point in CLOUDY Trench N 21 d 7 7 to N 21 b 6 1 & back 100 yds to left to N 21 b 4 0. The 2/D.L.I. were attacking on our right. Our objectives were reached, but owing to the failure of the attack on the right, the German bombed down the trench which was our final objective & our men in their second objective were surrounded & were not seen again. Our casualties were 3 officers killed, 2 missing, & 4 wounded. O.R. killed 13 wounded 76 wounded & missing 13 missing 62. The battn consolidated the position then held & were relieved that night by 14/D.L.I. On relief proceeded to bivouacs in TRONES WOOD.”

 

Most probably representing one of the 76 wounded other ranks referenced in the war diary, Pte Newstead was admitted to No.34 Casualty Clearing Station, Grovetown, Meaulte, on 16 October, under Index Number of Admission 26399 with Gun Shot Wounds, Right Arm and Back. The accompanying record gave his age as 31, Months with Field Force as 1 month, and Years Service 1 year and 6 months, which would accord with the assumptions given above about his date of entry to theatre. Presumably after some basic care to stabilise his condition he was transferred to Sick Convoy (No. 5 Ambulance Train) the same day

The record confirmed his unit as C Company, 11th (Service) Battalion, Essex Regiment,  6th Division, and also confirmed his religion as Church of England.

 

Accordingly, he was listed as Wounded under War Office Daily Casualty List Report Date 22 November 1916 and was thereby entitled to wear a "Wound Stripe" as authorised under Army Order 204 of 6th July 1916 (the terms of this award being met by their naming in this list.)

 

Henry was discharged as no longer physically fit for war service under paragraph 392 xvi of King’s Regulations, owing to wounds, on 28 March 1917, and pensioned at 18/9 weekly from 29 March. With his surname incorrectly recorded as “Lewstead” or “Mewstead” he was issued with silver War Badge number 37923.