New Blood

Saturday 4th May 1918

Having spoken with the adjutant of 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment yesterday, he again got in contact today. The battalion is rebuilding slowly after losing so many men in the enemy's great advance in March and April. Today a precious twenty-eight more men joined or, as the adjutant put it, practically a platoon.

Source: X550/5/3

Roll of Honour - 4th May 1918

Killed in Action

1st Battalion: work in the support line near Steenbecque

• 205856 Corporal Ernest FORSTER, 30, ex-265102 Suffolk Regiment, son of John Forster, husband of Anna Laura of 13 Trafalgar Street,Lowestoft [Suffolk] (Merville Communal Cemetery Extension)

Died of Wounds

2nd Battalion

• 29239 Private Edwin Bertie BROWN, born Marham [Norfolk], son of R Brown of Bradmore, Pentney [Norfolk] (Arneke British Cemetery)

Died

2nd Garrison Battalion

• 205561 Acting Lance Corporal John Wright STANDLEY, ex-200090 Hampshire Regiment, born Godstone [Surrey], resided Alton [Hampshire] (Delhi Memorial (India Gate)

Memories

Friday 3rd May 1918

Today marks the anniversary of the action at Cherisy which, as the adjutant admitted unhappily, has been the only reverse suffered by the 7th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment in this war. Today the battalion is at Avesnes-Chaussoy west of Amiens, training.

Lieutenant-Colonel Collings-Wells

The 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment is gradually recovering from the hardships and losses of the March retreat, including the action at Bouzincourt Ridge in which they lost their commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Collings-Wells. A few days ago the battalion heard that Lieutenant-Colonel Collings-Wells had been awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for his leadership during the retreat and his courage immediately before his death. Second-Lieutenant Charles Lovatt, who was killed on 12th April after only eight days with the battalion has also been awarded a posthumous Military Cross; he had previously served with 26th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. The battalion is currently at Talmas, south of Doullens and today welcomed back a working party of four hundred which had been employed at Varennes, a couiple of miles from Bouzincourt.

Sources: X550/5/3; X550/8/1

Roll of Honour - 3rd May 1918

Killed in Action

2nd Battalion: camp north-west of Ouderdom

• 18076 Private Oliver COOK, 33, born Husborne Crawley, husband of Lily of 29 Church Street, Ridgmont (Nine Elms British Cemetery)

Died of Wounds

2nd Battalion

• 43067 Private Frederick John MILLS, ex-1189 Huntingdonshire Cyclists, born Abbotts Ripton [Huntingdonshire] resided Warboys [Huntingdonshire] (Premont British Cemetery)

Died

2nd Garrison Battalion

• Temporary Captain Herbert Richard THOMPSON, 34, son of Thomas Richard and Ellen Thompson of Gillingham [Kent]; returned from Argentina to offer his services in 1914, served in France 1914-1915 (Karachi Cemetery)

Roll of Honour - 2nd May 1918

Died

2nd Battalion

• 19256 Private Leslie ALBONE, born Biggleswade, resided Luton (Roye New British Cemetery)
• 12016 Private Arthur DYER, born Battersea [London], resided Stratford [Essex] (Sains-du-Nord Communal Cemetery)

In Palestine

Wednesday 1st May 1918

The last six weeks have seen an almighty effort on the part of the enemy here on the Western Front and we have been reporting on these dramatic and drastic events t the exclusion of all else. Given this fact it is useful to be reminded that this is truly a World war with British and Empire soldiers in action in Africa, in Italy, in the Balkans, in Mesopotamia and in Palestine.

The 1st/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment has been in the front line facing the Turks for much of the last six weeks and, while there have been no great battles in which they were involved, they have been involved in patrolling and minor actions and taken their share of artillery fire and snipers. The adjutant wired the casualty figures for April. which demonstrate this fact. During the month three other ranks were killed and twenty-one wounded, of whom nine remain at duty. The biggest problem, as ever in a hot climate, dogged with flies, has been disease. Ninety-seven men were admitted to hospital last month, of which twenty-five have returned to duty.

Source: X550/6/8

Roll of Honour - 1st May 1918

Died

4th Battalion

• 51238 Private Thomas Henry Clifford PANTER, born and resided Desborough [Northamptonshire] (Saint Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen)