A Good Raid

Dennis P Cross [X550/1/81]

Monday 26th June 1916: The 2nd Battalion are at Maricourt on the Somme. All day yesterday our guns were bombarding enemy positions ahead  of the big push which everyone realises is coming. At 11.15 last night a party of two officers and forty nine other ranks carried out a raid on the enemy's lines opposite. It was quite a success, all the party returning to our lines safely and capturing one wounded prisoner. Six of our men were wounded, one has been temporarily blinded by the flash of a shell and one was given a nasty gash by getting tangled up in barbed wire.

The divisional commander, Major-General Shea has sent the following message: “Hearty congratulations on your success of last night due to careful and thorough preparation. I am very pleased. Please thank Officers and men”. The names of the raiding party are as follows:

• 2/Lieutenant G. A  Anstee
• 2/Lieutenant D. P. Cross 24th August 1918
• No 10270 Pte Barker W. "B" Company 11th July 1916 kia
• No 20905 Pte Bean A. "A" Company 12th October 1916 kia
• No 4/4964 Pte Bennett J. "C" Company
• No 9387 L/Cpl Boyce F. "A" Company 11th August 1916 dow
• No 18639 Pte Bristow W. "C" Company
• No 9646 Pte Cann F. "D" Company
• No 3/7234 A/Cpl Cannon E. "A" Company
• No 17572 Pte Church W. "B" Company
• No 10731 L/Cpl Clark C. "D" Company
• No 13082 Pte Cleaver W. "D" Company
• No 18600 Pte Cleeve J. "D" Company 12th October 1916 kia
• No 9931 Sergt Compton P. "A" Company 21st September 1918 kia
• No 18550 L/Cpl Dawson F. "A" Company
• No 20973 Pte Dawson W.A. "C" Company 4th July 1916 dow
• No 10060 Pte Fairweather C. "D" Company 11th July 1916 kia
• No 18817 L/Cpl Fynn D. "A" Company
• No 9178 Pte Fynn L. "C" Company 30th July 1916 kia
• No 9726 Pte Gilbey A. "D" Company
• No 18180 Pte Gray H. "C" Company
• No 6584 Pte Gurdler A. "A" Company
• No 17754 Pte Hall C. "B" Company
• No 17590 Pte Hands T. "C" Company
• No 21156 Pte Henry J. "A" Company
• No 7198 Pte Higgins H. "B" Company
• No 9700 Pte Hoval J. "B" Company
• No 10016 A/Cpl Howard A. "B" Company
• No 17738 Pte Jarman H. "B" Company
• No 21168 Pte Kidd J. "A" Company 25th June 1918 kia
• No 6542 Pte Marrables J. "C" Company
• No 9578 L/Cpl Mason A. "D" Company
• No 9891 L/Cpl Mee A. "B" Company
• No 9022 Pte Milliard A, "B" Company
• No 9212 Sergt Nicholls.H. "D" Company
• No 4/6813 Pte Osborne E. "A" Company
• No 4/7476 Pte Osborne P. "D" Company
• No 3/7372 Pte Poole G. "C" Company
• No 4/6655 Pte Reed H. "B" Company 11th July 1916 kia
• No 13050 Pte Sams A. "D" Company 23rd October 1918 kia
• No 9818 L/Cpl Seagrave H. "A" Company
• No 10226 Pte Senior F. "D" Company
• No 21090 Pte Sharp E. "C" Company
• No 9759 L/Sgt Simons S. "C" Company
• No 17923 Pte Sinfield A. "D" Company
• No 9909 L/Sgt Smith L. "B" Company 30th July 1916 kia
• No 14429 Pte Staughton E. "D" Company
• No 10797 Pte Stratton F. "A" Company
• No 9757 L/Cpl Thorogood A. "C" Company
• No 3/7644 Pte Waldock D. "C" Company
• No 21050 Pte Walker A. "A" Company
• No 7017 Pte Wood B "C" Company(1)

Source: X550/3/wd

(1) Of these the following twelve did not live to see the end of the war: Private W Barker was killed in action on 11th July 1916 ; Private A Bean was killed in action on 12th October 1916; Lance Corporal Boyce died of wounds on 11th August 1916; Private J Cleeve was killed in action on 12th October 1916; Sergeant Compton was killed in action on 21st September 1918; Private Dawson died of wounds on 4th July 1916; Private Fairweather was killed in action on 11th July 1916; Private L Flynn was killed in action on 30th July 1916; Private Kidd was killed in action on 25th June 1918; Private Reed was killed in action on 11th July 1916; Private Sams was killed in action on 23rd October 1918; Lance Sergeant Smith was killed in action on 30th July 1916.