241144 Pte Cunningham 1/5th East Lancashire Regiment, wounded June 1917

241144 Pte Cunningham 1/5th East Lancashire Regiment, wounded June 1917

William Cunningham, born in 1892, was a coal miner, having worked prior to his enlistment for J Hargreaves, Reedley Pit, Burnley. He lived in Burnley, Lancashire, where he married Margaret Ann Murray on 4 October 1915. They had one son, John. William stood 5 feet 3 ½” tall upon discharge and was described as having a fresh complexion, blue eyes, and dark brown hair. He enlisted for the duration of the war at Burnley on 23 December 1914. Having attested for and been embodied in the 5^th East Lancashires on 23 December 1914, he spent approximately seven months training with ‘A’ Company of the 2/5^th East Lancashires and was posted to the 1/5^th with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force on 2 July 1915. He landed at Gallipoli on or about 18 August 1915, most probably being sent as a reinforcement in light of the battalion having lost two-thirds of its strength due to death, injuries or sickness. He served as a Private under the regimental numbers 2569 or 3309 and then 241144 in the 1/5^th Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment in Gallipoli and Egypt from 2 July 1915 to 11 March 1917, and then in France from 12 March to 17 May 1917. He was regimentally employed as a bomber. He was wounded, suffering a Gun Shot Wound to his Chest, neck and right arm (any penetrating wound, in this case possibly a shrapnel wound) on 28 April 1917. At this time the battalion was at Nobescourt Farm, Roisel, ten miles north-west of St Quentin, primarily involved in furnishing working parties, and it seems likely that it was in the course of one of these that Pte Cunningham was wounded. He was sent home to join the strength of 193 Territorial Force Depot on 18 May. Subsequent to being posted home his commanding officer with the 1/5^th filled in his Particulars as to Character, noting that Pte Cunningham was sober, reliable and intelligent, had shown special aptitude for employment as a miner (being useful with a spade), and was a good soldier.  Pte Cunningham had a couple of Absent Without Leave charges on his Regimental Conduct sheet including being late to report at tattoo on being posted to his Reserve battalion. After a temporary attachment from the 4^th East Lancashires to the 17^th (Transport Workers) Battalion, Scottish Rifles, he was re-posted to and then transferred from ‘C’ Company of the 4^th (Reserve) Battalion at Scarborough to the Army ‘P (T)’ Reserve (to return to his occupation as miner) on 27 July 1918. He was aged 25 years 9 months at this time, having served 3 years and 217 days in total. His military character was given as ‘very good’ notwithstanding three charges on his regimental conduct sheet for absence (one from the 2/5^th at Southport, one from the 1/5^th at Suez, and the aforementioned one before reporting to the 4^th), and one for leaving a fatigue without permission whilst with the 1/5^th at Suez. He was subsequently pensioned at 27/6 for one month, followed by 5/6 for a further 48 weeks, for a 20% disabling gun shot wound to the neck. He was then discharged under paragraph 392 xvi (a) of King’s Regulations on 10 February 1919.  His post-discharge address was 54 Anna Street, Burnley, Lancashire. In August 1920 he was awarded a final gratuity of £48 15s. He would have received his British War Medal and Victory Medal in October 1921.

 

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.

 

97745 Spr Ernest Jones, Royal Engineers, German Spring Offensive 1918 casualty Ernest Jones, born circa 1885, was from Portsmouth. He married Bessie Rose (nee Burns) on 22 March 1913 and the couple had two children, Mabel Agnes and Lily Maud. By 1915 the family were living at 185 Westfield Road, Portsmouth and Ernest was working as a woodwork machinist. Attesting his willingness to serve at Portsmouth on 1 May 1915, aged 29 years 10 months, he served in the Royal Engineers under the Regimental Number 97745, seemingly joining the same day and then being accepted by the Officer Commanding Depot Companies, Royal Engineers at Chatham on 14 May. His Descriptive Report on Enlistment noted his height as 5 feet 8 1/22 and his chest measurement (girth when fully expanded) at 36”. He was recorded upon attestation as a Sawyer and graded ‘Superior’. Subsequent assessments considered his skill with machinery for sawing up timber, planning and moulding machines, morticing and tenoning machines, and band saws. After passing through the Billeting Battalion, 155th Field Company (a Field Company of the 16th (Irish) Division), and No.2 Depot Company , he was transferred to the British Expeditionary Force on 3 July 1916 to serve on the Western Front. A fit man (medical category ‘A’ on enlistment), given this and his skill-set it seems most likely that he was posted to one of the RE Field Companies, possibly in one of the divisions of the Third or Fifth Armies. Spr Jones was wounded on 24 March 1918, suffering a gun shot wound to the back and head for which he was later pensioned. This date coincides with the opening dates of the Battle of Bapaume and the Battles of the Somme Crossings, both phases of the German Spring Offensive 1918, and it is quite likely that he was wounded in the course of one of these battles. He was listed as Wounded in War Office Daily List No. 5555, Report Date 2 May 1918 and 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 being named in this list. The list confirmed his Next of Kin Address as Highbridge (his wife is recorded as having moved to 2 Prospect Place, Highbridge). He was evacuated to the UK thereafter, passing through 2 Western General Hospital. He was subsequently posted to the 2nd Reserve Battalion, RE. Passing through No.1 Dispersal Unit at Fovant on 8 February, he was transferred to the Army ‘Z’ Reserve upon demobilisation and then pensioned for one year after discharge for a 20% disabling wound at 5/6 a week, commencing 8 March 1919. His postwar address was Oakwood House, London Road, Portsmouth. He would have received his British War Medal and Victory Medal, his full entitlement, probably some time after May 1920. He sadly died due to an accident on 18 November 1920. His widow, Bessie Rose, later made a pension claim, which was refused owing to cause of death. She was residing at 56 Burlington Road, Portsmouth at this time.

97745 Spr Ernest Jones, Royal Engineers, German Spring Offensive 1918 casualty

Ernest Jones, born circa 1885, was from Portsmouth. He married Bessie Rose (nee Burns) on 22 March 1913 and the couple had two children, Mabel Agnes and Lily Maud. By 1915 the family were living at 185 Westfield Road, Portsmouth and Ernest was working as a woodwork machinist. Attesting his willingness to serve at Portsmouth on 1 May 1915, aged 29 years 10 months, he served in the Royal Engineers under the Regimental Number 97745, seemingly joining the same day and then being accepted by the Officer Commanding Depot Companies, Royal Engineers at Chatham on 14 May. His Descriptive Report on Enlistment noted his height as 5 feet 8 1/22 and his chest measurement (girth when fully expanded) at 36”. He was recorded upon attestation as a Sawyer and graded ‘Superior’. Subsequent assessments considered his skill with machinery for sawing up timber, planning and moulding machines, morticing and tenoning machines, and band saws. After passing through the Billeting Battalion, 155th Field Company (a Field Company of the 16th (Irish) Division), and No.2 Depot Company , he was transferred to the British Expeditionary Force on 3 July 1916 to serve on the Western Front. A fit man (medical category ‘A’ on enlistment), given this and his skill-set it seems most likely that he was posted to one of the RE Field Companies, possibly in one of the divisions of the Third or Fifth Armies.

Spr Jones was wounded on 24 March 1918, suffering a gun shot wound to the back and head for which he was later pensioned. This date coincides with the opening dates of the Battle of Bapaume and the Battles of the Somme Crossings, both phases of the German Spring Offensive 1918, and it is quite likely that he was wounded in the course of one of these battles. He was listed as Wounded in War Office Daily List No. 5555, Report Date 2 May 1918 and 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 being named in this list. The list confirmed his Next of Kin Address as Highbridge (his wife is recorded as having moved to 2 Prospect Place, Highbridge). He was evacuated to the UK thereafter, passing through 2 Western General Hospital. He was subsequently posted to the 2nd Reserve Battalion, RE.

Passing through No.1 Dispersal Unit at Fovant on 8 February, he was transferred to the Army ‘Z’ Reserve upon demobilisation and then pensioned for one year after discharge for a 20% disabling wound at 5/6 a week, commencing 8 March 1919. His postwar address was Oakwood House, London Road, Portsmouth.

He would have received his British War Medal and Victory Medal, his full entitlement, probably some time after May 1920.

He sadly died due to an accident on 18 November 1920. His widow, Bessie Rose, later made a pension claim, which was refused owing to cause of death. She was residing at 56 Burlington Road, Portsmouth at this time.

S/27536 Pte A J Kelly 12th Btn Rifle Brigade, Prisoner of War 30 March 1918

WW1 Victory Medal to S/27536 Pte Archer James Kelly,10th and 12th Rifle Brigade, Prisoner of War 30 March 1918

Archer James Kelly lived in St Pancras, London.

He appears to have enlisted (or been conscripted) circa October or November 1916. Under the regimental number S/27536 (the ‘S’ indicating an enlistment in a service battalion) he served with the 10th and then 12th battalions, The Rifle Brigade, from circa December 1916 to January 1917 onwards (Kelly was part of a later reinforcement draft to the 10th battalion, which had gone overseas to France on 21 July 1915).

In early May 1917, following training at Bertincourt, including a demonstration by 7 Platoon, ‘B’ Company of the taking of a strongpoint with the use of live rifle grenades and Lewis gun fire, the battalion went into trenches at Havrincourt Wood in relief of the 6th King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. The war diary notes that “Much work was done, especially establishing a new support line about 100 yards in rear of the front line and completing front line. The enemy were at least 600 yards distant and much Patrol work of an enterprising character was carried out.”

With the 10th Battalion Pte Kelly was wounded circa 4 May 1917, being listed as J A Kelly in the records of No.34 Casualty Clearing Station upon admission with a Gunshot wound, knee (right) to the CCS on 4 May. This record gave his age as 38, suggesting that he was born circa 1879. Under Index Number of Admission 40494, as 27536 Rifleman J A Kelly he was Transferred to Sick Convoy on 7 May 1917, via No. 24 ambulance train. This record gave his months with Field Force as 4 Months, with 7 Months service in total, and confirmed his religion as Church of England. He was serving with D Company, 10th (Service) Battalion, Rifle Brigade, 59th Brigade at the time.

At some point, possibly after convalescing from this wound but certainly by mid-February 1918, when the 10th Battalion disbanded, Rfn Kelly was posted to the 12th Battalion.

After taking 30 other rank casualties from shell-fire at Fluquieres on 21 March, the battalion was obliged to retire on the 22nd owing to the retirement of battalions to the left and right, retiring to Aubigny and making a stand which inflicted casualties on the enemy at Mill Hill. Before having to further fall back to Ham and then defend the canal bank to the right of Voyennes. The battalion held the latter position under heavy shelling during the day of the 23rd and into the 24th. The 25th saw the battalion withdrawing to Rethonvillers and there establishing a line before being ordered to further withdraw to Roye and then early on 26 March to Le Quesnil. That afternoon the battalion was ordered to join the brigade at Arvillers, holding various positions around it into the 27th. On the morning of the 28th two German attacks were repulsed by machine gun and rifle fire but other units retiring on the flank led to ‘B’ Company being required to take over a ridge to the vacated by stragglers of the 36th Division and reorganise them; however the right eventually gave way, eventually causing the battalion to retire upon Fresnoy and then to Rifle Wood. The 29th saw the battalion at Villers aux Erables and Mesieres, counter-attacking along with the 12th King’s Royal Rifle Corps and re-taking the latter at considerable costs to the Germans. On the 30th the battalion was forced to fall back on Domart, and then counter-attacked and retook the former day’s position on the Moreuil-Demoin Road, taking numerous prisoners. Rfn Kelly was taken Prisoner of War circa 30 March 1918, being wounded when captured. At this time he was serving with 'B' Company of 12th Rifle Brigade. Kelly was further listed as Wounded in May 1918 (War Office Daily List No.5564, Report Date 13 May 1918); this was later amended to Wounded and Missing in War Office Daily List No. 5597 of 20 June 1918, and later Wounded and a prisoner of war (‘Reported in list received from the German Government’) in War Office Daily List No.5677, 23 September 1918. He was entitled to wear a "Wound Stripe" as authorised under Army Order 204 of the 6th July 1916. These lists confirmed his Next of Kin Address as St Pancras, N.W.

His postwar address was 60 Charrington Street, St Pancras, London NW. Pte Kelly was pensioned at a rate of 11 Shillings weekly after demobilisation (with effect from 30 March 1919). He appears to have died on or about 10 August 1926.

376096 [and 3220?] Pte Robert Heywood 1/10 Manch R Victory Medal, wounded in action 25 August 1918

376096 [and 3220?] Pte Robert Heywood 1/10 Manch R Victory Medal, wounded in action 25 August 1918

376096 Pte Robert Heywood, seemingly from Hollinwood, enlisted on 25 January 1915, most probably in the Manchester Regiment, serving with the 1/10th (Oldham) battalion, a unit of the Territorial Force. Indeed, he can probably be identified with 3220 Pte R Heywood (both share the same battalion and disembodiment/discharge date – 18 February 1919). 3220 Heywood entered the Balkan theatre at Gallipoli (theatre code 2B) on 23 October 1915 – as such apparently a later draft from the 2/10th to the 1/10th, which had been there since early May. (There is no Medal Index Card or Medal Roll entry setting out eligibility for the British War Medal and Victory Medal for a man with that number, indicating that he must have been issued with these medals under another regimental number.)

After serving for a further two months on Gallipoli (unless previously evacuated for reasons of accidental injury or sickness) Pte Heywood would have been evacuated to Egypt via Mudros in December 1915, remaining in the Egypt on various duties, including manning the Suez Canal defences, until the 1/10th battalion, along with the rest of the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division was transferred to the Western Front in March 1917. It is about this time he would have been issued with his new six-digit TF number of 376096.

Subsequently he would have been in line, after some months of familiarisation with Western Front conditions, to support (via the movement of supplies and ammunition) the divisions taking part in the Third Battle of Ypres, before being sent to Nieuport on the Belgian coast where the 42nd Division remained for some time. In March 1918 he would have been in a position to take part in the efforts to stem the German Spring Offensive before the Allied forces eventually went back on the offensive in August 1918. By 21 August the battalion was on the Somme, having spent the earlier part of the month patrolling out of Colincamps to test the extent to which the enemy was holding the opposing trenches, furnishing working parties, etc. Following a cancelled attack towards Miraumont on 21 August, on 22 August elements of the battalion were involved in repulsing an enemy attack under heavy shelling, and on the 23rd the battalion attacked and took an enemy trench at map reference K33, taking 4 prisoners and driving the rest of the garrison of the position into the Lancashire Fusiliers (to the left of the battalion) for the cost of 1 officer and 7 other ranks killed and 28 other ranks wounded. On 24 August the battalion was part of a movement on Miraumont itself: “2 platoons of c Coy pushed forward to NW edge of MIRAUMONT but held up by machine guns. The 5th East Lancs Rgt on the left of the Battalion sent 2 Coys to IRLES at 1-30 pm. At 1-30 pm B Coy was sent to R3 with orders to work up the North Bank of the ANCRE to MIRAUMONT. At 3-30 pm A & C Coys advanced from the NE of MIRAOUMONT into the village. All 3 Coys met in the village and then advanced over the ANCRE to the high ground in R12a. 40 prisoners and 18 machine guns taken n MIRAUMONT also other war material (wireless set etc). At 7 pm orders received that 5th East Lancs Rgt and 8th Manchesters would advance on LOUPART Rd and that the Battalion would be in Reserve.” It is almost certainly in the course of this action that Pte Heywood was wounded and then admitted to the care of 1/2nd East Lancashire Field Ambulance.

Under Index Number of Admission 50125 3825, 376096 Pte Heywood was admitted to No.3 Casualty Clearing Station from 1/2nd East Lancashire Field Ambulance on 25 August 1918 with a Gunshot wound of the back or spine . He was transferred the same day to No.37 Ambulance Train. The record noted his religion as Church of England and confirmed that at the time he was serving with the 1/10th Battalion, Manchester Regiment, 42nd Division . Accordingly, he was listed on War Office Daily List No.5677, Report Date 23 September 1918 as wounded, being 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 being named in this list. The list gave his Next of Kin Address as Hollinwood, south-west of Oldham.

He was discharged from the Manchester Regiment Depot under paragraph 392 King's Regulations (xvia) (Surplus to military requirements (having suffered impairment since entry into the service)) on 18 February 1919. He was subsequently pensioned at 5/6 weekly for one year from 31 October 1919 and would have received his Silver War Badge (number 463664) some time after February 1920.

5-5629 Pte H J Howard, 1/5th Northumberland Fusiliers, German Spring Offensive/Battle of the Lys 1918 casualty

5-5629 Pte H J Howard, 1/5th Northumberland Fusiliers, German Spring Offensive/Battle of the Lys 1918 casualty 

Herbert James Howard was from Great Yarmouth. Enlisting on 18 March 1915, he served as a Private in the Northumberland Fusiliers under the regimental numbers 5-5629 (the prefix indicating that he passed through the 5th (Reserve) Battalion, N.F., a Territorial battalion) and 241338. 

His medal entitlement (British War Medal and Victory Medal) indicates that he entered a theatre of war after 31 December 1915, whilst the fact that he has his 4-digit Territorial Force regimental number impressed upon his medals would suggest that he entered theatre before the renumbering of the Territorial Force Infantry took effect on 1 March 1917. His Medal Roll entry indicates that he served with the 1/5th Battalion. No other battalions are indicated on the Roll, and the fact that his new six-digit number of 241338 is also from the number bloc allocated to the 1/5th Battalion indicates that he was on the strength of the 5th Battalion at least up until March 1917 and most probably throughout the war. 

His service could therefore have taken in the following battles:

1916: Battle of Flers-Courcelette, Battle of Morval, and Battle of the Transloy Ridges (all phases of the Battle of the Somme, 1916)

1917: First Battle of the Scarpe, Capture of Wancourt Ridge, Second Battle of the Scarpe (all phases of the Battle of Arras), and Second Battle of Passchendaele (a phase of the Third Battle of Ypres)

1918: Battle of St Quentin, Actions at the Somme Crossings, Battle of Rosieres (phases of the early part of the German Spring Offensive, 1918), Battle of Estaires and Battle of Hazebrouck (both phases of the Battle of the Lys, where the battalion was engaged in holding the line at Estaires on 9-10 April, until finally forced back to Neuf Berquin and then La Couronne with losses due to partial encirclement), and the Battle of the Aisne.

As 241338 Pte, Howard, H J, Northumberland Fusiliers he was listed as ‘Wounded’ in War Office Daily List No.5580, Report Date 31 May 1918, indicating that he was probably wounded in mid to late April 1918, possibly a Battle of Estaires/Hazebrouck casualty. As such, he was entitled to wear a "Wound Stripe" as authorised under Army Order 204 of 6 July 1916. The List gave his Next of Kin Address as Yarmouth.

He was discharged from the Northumberland Fusiliers depot under paragraph 392.xvi a of King’s Regulations (no longer physically fit for war service) con 23 January 1919, and was subsequently pensioned for six months at a rate of 8s/6d weekly. He was also issued with the Silver War Badge, number B263035.

He appears to have died circa 28 May 1927.

129703 Pnr C Jenner, ‘M’ Special Company, Special (Gas) Brigade, Royal Engineers

129703 Pnr C Jenner, ‘M’ Special Company, Special (Gas) Brigade, Royal Engineers

Charles Jenner was born in Mossside, Manchester. He enlisted in the Royal West Kent Regiment on 8 August 1914, at Tunbridge Wells (or 24 November 1915, according to another source). He served with Queen's Own (Royal West Kent) Regiment under the regimental number 1796, followed by the 71^st Provisional Battalion. He had two episodes of treatment at Fort Pitt, Chatham connected with his appendix and a following operation he had, one in July and August 1915 and one in October that year. It seems quite likely that this is what held him back from going overseas as an infantryman. He remained with one of these units (probably the 71^st Provisional Battalion) until 11 March 1916, when he was discharged upon transfer to the Royal Engineers, to join the Special Brigade, Royal Engineers (concerned with gas warfare) under the regimental number 129703. In total, by his own account, he served 1 year and 8 months in England and 3 years 2 months in France and Flanders.

Following his transfer to the RE, his medical history was taken on 4 July 1916. This noted his age as 23 years 3 months and his occupation as electrician. He stood 5’11” tall, and weighted approximately 156 lbs with a 35” chest measurement. His physical development was described as ‘good’.

Following posting overseas to the 3^rd Battalion, Special Brigade, on 16 March 1916 Pnr Jenner was posted on to ‘M’ Special Company. On the night of 3 June 1917 he suffered a crushed thumb whilst unloading gas projectors and base plates from a lorry at Rue Dormaire West Camp, Erquinghem and stacking the projectors onto a dump/pile (147116 Cpl T Beaumont and 12063 Cpl WL Rees being witnesses). He was exonerated from blame for the accident.  He was placed under the care of 2/2^nd Wessex Field Ambulance and then 3 Canadian General Hospital. Passing through 10 Convalescent Depot, RE Base Depot, Boulogne, and Special Brigade depot, he rejoined ‘M’ Company on 7 August 1917, probably seeing out the war with them.

Returning to the UK on 12 May 1919, he was transferred to the Army Class ‘Z’ Reserve on 10 June 1919. His postwar address was 35 Clifford Street, Brooks Bar, Manchester. Upon medical examination at Helfaut prior to discharge in May 1919 he was found to have 20% disabling Appendicitis. His pension application, however, was rejected.

He would have received his British War Medal and Victory Medal, being his full entitlement, some time in the early 1920s.