Roll of Honour - 4th June 1918

Awards

Monday 3rd June 1918

For the last few days 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment (now two-thirds 7th Battalion) has been at Henencourt Wood, west of Albert. They are the counter-attack battalion in brigade reserve. This area is familiar to the old 7th Battalion hands as they have been here for some weeks but it is new to the 2nd Battalion men.

Today it was been learned that Second Lieutenant P A Page has been awarded the Military Cross, whilst Military Medals have been awarded to Privates F Scripps, F White, A Coles and J Fretwell. On asking which battalions these men had been in prior to amalgamation I was told firmly that they are now all in 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment and that is all that matters.

Source: X550/3/wd

Roll of Honour - 3rd June 1918

The Americans Arrive

Sunday 2nd June 1918

Yesterday we heard from the cadre of 6th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, waiting for its Americans to arrive for training. Major J T Coe, the adjutant of the other battalion reduced to a training cadre, 7th, today informed me that they had been joined by Companies H, I and K of 129th Infantry Regiment of 33rd Division for training at Rogeant, south-west of Abbeville(1)

Source: X550/8/1

(1) 129th Infantry Regiment was part of the Illinois National Guard. The division's first action was, appropriately enough, on 4th July at Hamel on the old Somme battlefield, fighting alongside British and Empire troops, though 129th Regiment did not see action that day. 

Roll of Honour - 2nd June 1918

Waiting for the Americans

Saturday 1st June 1918

The 6th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, like the 7th battalion, now reduced to a training cadre is now at Nielles, just outside Calais, waiting for the 120th American Regiment, which they will be training in the art of this war unlike any other(1).

Source: X550/7/1

(1) 120th Infantry Regiment is also known as the 3rd North Carolina Regiment, being part of the North Carolina National Guard. It was formed in 1917 and, with 119th Infantry Regiment (another North Carolina unit) and 114th Machine Gun Battalion, made up 60th Brigade in 30th Infantry Division known as the Old Hickory Division after President Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) 

Roll of Honour - 1st June 1918