No Rest ...

Monday 15th January 1917

8th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment are mostly resting in huts at Noyelles-lès-Vermelles resting. The exception is one company closer to the front line at Lancashire Trench. The adjutant has contacted me today to say that at 10.30 this morning they were all ordered to stand to and another company was sent up to support a planned attack. He went on, somewhat ruefully that “as expected” the attack was cancelled but the unlucky company will not return to rest until tomorrow. The weather has been frightful and this, no doubt, was the reason for the attack’s cancellation.

 Second Lieutenant H D Chester [X550/1/81]

The adjutant of 2nd Battalion tells me that Second Lieutenant H D Chester was due back from leave today. Unfortunately, however, he was been admitted to the Southern General Hospital in Bristol.

Sources: X550/9/1; X550/3/WD

Instant Promotion

Lieutenant-Colonel H S Poyntz [X550/1/82]

Sunday 14th January 1917

Yesterday Captain Massey Poyntz was promoted to major and became second-in-command. He has received an instant promotion. His brother, Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Poyntz has departed 2nd Battalion for 3rd Army School, so Major Poyntz is now commanding officer, albeit only on a temporary basis until his brother’s return.

Source: X550/3/WD

One Captain Leaves, One Captain Takes Over

Major J W H T Douglas [X550/1/81]

Saturday 13th January 1917

The adjutant of the 2nd Battalion, in billets at Mondicourt, tells me that one cricketing captain has been replaced by another. Major J W H T Douglas, captain of Essex and England has left the battalion this morning to command 1st/6th Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment, part of 46th (North Midland) Division, which was based in and around Luton from August 1914 to February 1915.

Major E S M Poyntz [X550/1/81]

Major Douglas’ successor as second-in-command is the captain of Somerset, Captain E S M Poyntz, who has been promoted to major. Major Poyntz is, of course, brother of Lieutenant-Colonel H S Poyntz the battalion’s commanding officer.

Source: X550/3/WD

Roll of Honour - 13th January 1917

Died of Wounds

8^th Battalion

• 28976 Private Ernest Alfred BRAKENBURY, 35, son of Alfred and Annie Brakenbury of Briggate, Worstead [Norfolk], born North Walsham [Norfolk] (Boulogne Eastern Cemetery)

A Commotion "Over the Pond"

Friday 12th January 1917

Readers will recall that we reported that between 1st and 9th January the Regiment had received 414 reinforcements. Today 2nd Battalion received another 56 of them.

There is some talk of the former colonies in the army today. News reached us early this morning of a great explosion at a munitions factory in the state of New Jersey. The United States of America is, of course, neutral in this war, but its munitions industry has grown greatly since the outbreak of hostilities and the insatiable need of the allied armies for ammunition from bullets to shells of the largest calibre.

This explosion, we understand, is rumoured to have been caused by a German agent. Whether this is true or not, it shows that the people of America have a distrust of the Germans and their allies which might, in time, drive them into the alliance against the Central Powers(1)

Source: X550/3/WD

(1) The Kingsland Commission, reporting in 1931, concluded that no German agent was implicated in the explosion and fire which destroyed the whole factory but, mercifully, took no lives.

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