Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

Actions in Spring 1916 covers a number of non specific actions on the Western Front in the period February to the end of June 1916. Much of this period concerned the build up to the Battle of the Somme, particularly the acclimatisation of the Service Battalions (Kitchener Volunteers) to trench routine. As the Battle of the Somme occupied the plans for 1916 no significant efforts were made in other sectors. Many of the casualties could be considered 'routine'. During the period December to June 1916 5845 British soldiers died in 'minor trench operations'.

Detail :

Trench raids were an important source of intelligence about the enemy as well as being an opportunity to gain superiority in a sector of the front line. Sergeant William STEPHEN was involved in one such raid which took place at a vital location on the Somme about amonth before the main assault. The Raid on the German Trenches at the Leipzig Redoubt 5th June, 1916, undertaken by a volunteer group of the 11th Battalion Border Regiment. The object of this raid was to gain information about a very important part of the enemy trenches. Large mounds of earth had appeared at the point of the salient, which looked as though mining was in progress, and it was clear that there were several machine-gun emplacements in, or near, a quarry shown in our photos of this part of the German line. Another feature of the air photos was a square trench, or the ?Bull?s Eye?, about 30 yards back from the front line. The curious shape gave rise to suspicions that it was being used as a very strong point in defence, which afterwards proved to be the case. The object of the raid was threefold:- To find out about the Bull?s Eye trench. This needed a separate party, which would have to go forward to the third line, and work independently of the rest. To find out about the quarry. To get as many prisoners as possible, and so extract general information about the troops holding that part of the line, and the methods of defence. Volunteers were called for, and four officers?Lieut. Barnes, with Lieuts. McKerrow, Margerison and L. Machell?and 82 O.R. were chosen. At 10.20 the tape-laying party moved across No Man?s Land in the direction of the point of the Leipzig Salient, Lieut. Margerison leading. The Boche probably expected us to go out at Oban Avenue, as it was the most direct line of approach, but we went out at Tindrum, about 100 yards north of Oban. At 10.30pm the enemy put over several salvoes of 12 pounders immediately at the head of Oban, which would certainly have caused heavy losses had the raiding party been there. At 10.35 the Ammonal torpedo party followed along the tape, halted, and lay down half-way across, the main body following and lying down immediately behind the torpedo party. At about 11 o?clock the bombardment of the enemy trenches began, and lasted till 11.13?, when the artillery ?lifted? and fired on points behind the front line, allowing the raiding party to go forward. At 11.13? the torpedo party went forward and exploded what remained of the enemy wire, leaving and entrance for the main body. Lieut. Mckerrow went forward to the Bull?s Eye and explored it, succeeding in taking several prisoners, and returned after staying about 10 minutes. Sixteen prisoners were taken in all, eleven of whom were safely conducted to our trenches. The remaining five were killed in offering resistance or while attempting to escape. The retreat was sounded by means of Klaxon horns, and was heard by every one. The return journey was difficult, as the enemy had opened fire immediately on our front line as well as on their own, and were searching No Man?s Land with high explosive shells. It was at this moment that Lieut. Barnes was killed. (?The success of the enterprise was due to the great care that he took in training the party, and his leadership up to the end was most splendid?)...His body was found later, about 20 yards from our trenches, by a patrol sent out by the Lancashire Fusiliers, who were holding the line at that time. Lieut. L . Machell Casualties During Raid Killed?Lieut. W.S. Barnes; Lance-Corporal Copeland; Privates Allison, Little, Richardson and Thompson. Missing?Sergeant Stephen. Wounded?17 other ranks. Sergeant STEPHEN was posted missing but as in so many cases, that term meant dead. The 11th Border Regiment (The Lonsdales) were brought back to the sector for the July 1st attack where the suffered over 500 casualties. Sources: http://www.kerchi.co.uk/doku.php?id=border_regiment:world_war_one:john_bardgett:raid

Masonic :

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley