Roll of Honour - 12th January 1917

Died

4^th Battalion

• 40188 Private George Frederick DEAN, 30, ex-28249 Essex Regiment, son of David and Louisa Dean of Weston Colville [Cambrideshire], husband of A E Dean, of Church Street, Ickleton, resided Bartlow [Cambridgeshire] [Essex] (Abbeville Communal Cemetery Extension) 

What is Intelligence?

Thursday 11th January 1917

The adjutant of the Bedfordshire Yeomanry mentioned to me today that Second Lieutenant Procter went on an Intelligence Course yesterday. He also stated that, in the opinion of the brother officers he spoke with, the conclusion was aired that man cannnot teach what God has not given!

This flippancy aside, the term intelligence does get bandied about somewhat in this army and your reporter has, perhaps, been guilty of using it without explanation. What is meant by “intelligence” is, essentially, knowledge of the enemy - his positions, his state of mind, his plans and so on. Thus the unfairly abused Second Lieutenant Procter has gone on a course to study how best to elicit this intelligence from patrols, raids, listening posts and similar dodges to overhear enemy conversations or obtain enemy prisoners.

The adjutant also mentioned that Sergeants Raymond and Dale have gone to England for commissions. The phenomenon of soldiers being promoted from the ranks to be officers is happening with increasing frequency as resources at home dwindle and as it is realised what great gifts of leadership and resource ordinary soldiers possess, regardless of their social class.

Source: WW1/WD2

Roll of Honour - 11th January 1917

Died

8^th Battalion

• 33297 Private Arthur LOVETT, 28, ex-21840 Middlesex Regiment, son of Amos Lovett of Keston, Hayes [Kent] (Chocques Military Cemetery) 

The Shooting Goes On

Trench Mortar at the Imperial War Museum

Wednesday 10th January 1917

A conversation with the adjutant of the 8th Battalion on the telephone today reminded me that, even though both armies are, unofficially in “winter quarters”, the firing goes on. Winter Quarters used to mean a suspension of hostilities for the winter whilst both armies built up their strength and planned and trained fro the year to some. Of course, that still happens, but in this modern, industrial war of constant siege the front lines are still manned and so fire is exchanged on a regular basis. Today the battalion gave thirty of its men to the Royal Engineers to make new dugouts in the support line. Seeing this activity the Germans fired about two hundred light trench mortars over the front line. Fortunately no casualties accrued to the Bedfords. The adjutant remarked that the enemy: “Received good retaliation from our artillery”.

Source: X550/9/1

Roll of Honour - 10th January 1917

Killed in Action

3rd Battalion

• Temporary Lieutenant James Hamilton MACGREGOR, attached 132nd Company, Machine Gun Corps (Amara War Cemetery, Iraq)

Died of Wounds

8^th Battalion

• 17388 Private Joseph STANDISH, 37, son of Samuel and Rosanna Standish, of 355 Shoreham Street, Sheffield [Yorkshire] (Longuenesse Souvenir Cemetery, Saint-Omer)

And More Reinforcements

Captain H A W Pearse [X550/1/81]

Tuesday 9th January 1917

The adjutant of the 2nd Battalion tells me that they have today received 37 other ranks as reinforcements. In the first nine days of this year the battalions of the Regiment have received the following numbers:

• 2nd Battalion: 87;
• 6th Battalion: 54;
• 8th Battalion: 273

A total of 414 officers and men. Meanwhile the Battalion has lost an officer, hopefully purely temporarily, as Captain H A W Pearse has gone on leave.

Source: X550/3/wd

Roll of Honour - 9th January 1917

Died

1^st Garrison Battalion

• 23986 Private Thomas MCCARTHY, ex-3841 Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment), born Rotherhithe, [London] (Delhi War Cemetery)