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7th Battalion, West Surrey Regiment (Queens)    7th Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) was raised at Guildford in September 1914 as part of Kitchener's Second New Army and joined 55th Brigade, 18th (Eastern) Division. The Division initially concentrated in the Colchester area but moved to Salisbury Plain in May 1915. They proceeded to France in July and concentrated near Flesselles. In 1916 they were in action on The Somme in The Battle of Albert capturing their objectives near Montauban, The Battle of Bazentin Ridge including the capture of Trones Wood, The Battle of Delville Wood, The Battle of Thiepval Ridge, The Battle of the Ancre Heights playing a part in the capture of the Schwaben Redoubt and Regina Trench and The Battle of the Ancre. In 1917 they took part in the Operations on the Ancre including Miraumont and the capture of Irles, the fought during The German retreat to the Hindenburg Line and in The Third Battle of the Scarpe before moving to Flanders. They were in action in The Battle of Pilkem Ridge, The Battle of Langemarck and The First and Second Battle of Passchendaele. In 1918 they saw action during The Battle of St Quentin, The Battle of the Avre, The actions of Villers-Brettoneux, The Battle of Amiens and The Battle of Albert where the Division captured the Tara and Usna hills near La Boisselle and once again captured Trones Wood. They fought in The Second Battle of Bapaume, The Battle of Epehy, The Battle of the St Quentin Canal, The Battle of the Selle and The Battle of the Sambre. At the Armistice the Division was in XIII Corps Reserve near Le Cateau and demobilisation began on the 10th of December 1918. 25th Mar 1915 Sports Jul 1915 Training Instruction Jul 1915 Billets 6th of August 1915 Quiet Night 9th of August 1915   Bridges Guarded   10th of August 1915  Relief of French   15th of August 1915  3 Salvos Fired   22nd of August 1915 Hostile Balloons   23rd of August 1915  Normal Situation   16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme 1st Dec 1915 Derby Scheme Armlets 11th Sep 1915 Last day of Derby Scheme Recruitment 13th Dec 1915 Orders   10th Jan 1916 Group System Reopens 1st Feb 1916 Effects of Gas 4th Feb 1916 Reliefs  7th Buffs are relieved by 7th Queens from D 3. they were on our right. 7th Div taking over D s/sectors. Returned to billets in Buire. Billets fairly comfortable but need lot of improvements. 7th Buffs war diary WO95/2049 9th February 1916 Call Ups 24th Feb 1916 Inspection  Divisional General inspected the 7th Buffs Battalion, manning Becourt Redoubt after relief by 7th Queens. A Coy left as Redoubt Coy. 7th Buffs war diary WO95/2049 26th Mar 1916 Reliefs  7th Buffs are Relieved by 7th Queens relief started at 2 pm., all men in billets 8.30pm 7th Buffs war diary WO95/2049 3rd Apr 1916 Reliefs  3pm. 7th Buffs commenced to relieve 7th Queens in Y 3 Subsector (S.E. of Maricourt) Relief delayed by presence of hostile observation balloon which overlooked Suzanne, Maricourt Valley. Relief completed by dark. Distribution of Battalion A and B. trenches. C, ‘R’ and ‘S’ works. D. Battalion Reserve 7th Buffs war diary WO95/2049 11th Apr 1916 Reliefs  7th Buffs relieved by 7th Queens Commencing 7 am. Weather turned very cold and wet 7th Buffs war diary WO95/2049 19th Apr 1916 Reliefs  Commencing 6 am 7th Buffs relieved 7th Queens in Y 3 Subsector Relief complete, Distribution A and B trenches, C Coy Bn Reserve, D Coy ‘S’ works, Weather very wet and trenches very muddy. Note- ‘R’ works Has now been taken over by Battalion holding Y 2 subsector 7th Buffs war diary WO95/2049 27th Apr 1916 Bombardment  2am Enemy opened two short bombardments, first with 77mm and 10.5 howitzers and later with 15 cm howitzers, It had been intended to commence relief of Battalion by 7th Queens, but as hostile observation balloon was up, relief had to be postponed. 10.20am Conference of Battalion Commanders at Bde H Q, Very hot day, Enemy artillery inactive. Relief of 7th Buffs by 7th Queens commenced and was completed by 10.55 pm, Battalion to billets at Suzanne. 7th Buffs war diary WO95/2049 28th May 1916 Brigade Sports  Brigade sports held.   BRIGADE SPORTS HELD IN THE FIELD MAY 28. 1916. Event 1st Place 2nd 3rd Time 1. 1 Mile race Pte. Parkins M.G.C. Pte. Wood. R.W.K. L/c. Edwards E.S. 5.46 3/5 2. ½ Mile L/c. Wickington. BUFFS L/c. Edwards. E. SURREY. Pte. Wood. BUFFS. 2.36 4/5 3. ¼ Mile L/c. Edwards E Surrey. L/c. Wickington. Buffs Sgt Whipps. Buffs. 1.8 3/5 4. 220 Yards Pte. Thacker. Buffs L/c Edwards E. S. Pte Jackson. Buffs. 31 1/5 5. 100 Yards. Sgt. Guest M.G.C. Pte. Thacker BUFFS Pte. Smith BUFFS .13 6. 50 Yards Sack. Tothergill. M.G.C. Pte. Russell R.A.M.C. L/C. Gunner QUEENS. 7. Three legged L/C. Browne. F/ L/C. Browne. G BUFFS Pts. Southwell/ “ Harris. BUFFS Sgt Killick/ “ Halliday. BUFFS. 8. Obstacle. Cpl. Stubbins. T.M.B. Pte. Moore. Buffs Pte. Barton. Buffs. 10. High Jump. L/c. Stewart. Buffs Cpl. Turner. R.W.K. Pte. Jarman. Queens. 4’11” 11. Band Race Pte Wood. Queens. Pte. Mills. Queens Cpl. Bonner Queens. 12. Wheel barrow Pte. Gilbert/ “ Seymour Queens Pte. Lewis/ “ Curtis R.W.K. 13. Jockey Race. Pte Ashford/ “ Dalton. E. Surrey Cpl. Thomson/ Pte. Preed. M.G.C. 14. Sack fight BUFFS SURREYS 15. Hurdles L/c. Stewart. Buffs Pte. Smith E.S. Cpl. Turner R.W.K. 16. Pillow Fight Pte. Hanton A.S.C. Pte. Dennington E.S. Pte. Marney BUFFS. 17. Drilling 25 men All blindfolded BUFFS QUEENS W. KENTS. 18. Tug of War. E. SURREYS. QUEENS. W. KENTS. 19. Officers 220 yd Handicap Lieut. Tindal. R.W.K. Lieut. Hett. Buffs. Capt. Black. Buffs. .32 20. “ 100yds. Lieut. Tindal. R.W.K. Capt. Bowen. E.S. Lieut. Hett Buffs. .13 ----------------------- ---------------------- ------------------------ 1st Places 2nd 3rd Total BUFFS. 7 5 8 20 QUEENS. 2 3 3 8 SURREYS. 3 6 1 10 W. KENTS. 2 3 4 9 T.M.B. 1 1 A.S.C. 1 1 M.G.C. 3 1 4 R.A.M.C. 1 1 7th Buffs war diary WO95/2049 14th June 1916 Training Programme 16th Jun 1916 Relief Complete 1st Jul 1916 Consolidation   16th Aug 1916 Reliefs  10.15pm 7th Buffs commenced to relieve 7th Queens in Y 3 Subsector (S.E. of Maricourt) Relief delayed by presence of hostile observation balloon which overlooked Suzanne, Maricourt Valley. Relief completed by dark. Distribution of Battalion, A and B. trenches. C, ‘R’ and ‘S’ works. D. Battalion Reserve 7th Buffs war diary WO95/2049 10th Sep 1916 On the March   8am 7th Buffs started from Road Junction South of R in Maizieres at 8.0 a.m., the order of march being B, C, Drums, D, A, Companies. Battalion marched via Magnicourt Sur Canche, Moulin Mouvigneul to cross-roads at East end of Canettemont (the Brigade Starting Point). The Battalion was third in order of march, following the 7th Battalion Queens W. Surrey Regiment. The Brigade and attached Troops marched via Rebreuviette to Le Souich, marching past Gen Maxse at the entrance to Le Souich. The Battalion were reported to have occupied their Billets at 1.15 p.m. Lieut Col Ransome and Lieut Burnside returned from leave. 7th Buffs war diary WO95/2049 2nd Sep 1916  Training  7.10am 7th Buffs marched out to Magnicourt where the rendezvous was at road junction at O35a.0.0. reaching there by 8.30 a.m. The Commanding Officer and Adjutant rode on and met the Brigadier at road junction ¼ mile N.E. of the N in Houvelin where the Brigade scheme was read and orders issued. Coy commanders were then assembled and told the scheme. The Brigade. was detailed to attack and capture the three woods on square U 10, the 7th Buffs on the right, the 8th East Surrey Regiment . on the left and the 7th Queens in support. B and C Coys 7th Buffs were the leading Coys. with D Coy in support and A Coy in reserve. 7th Royal West Kent Regiment. acted as Enemy. Maj. Gen. Maxse held a conference of all officers at the close of operations, the Battalion having had dinners and marched back under Coy. Sergt Majors. 6pm A Coy 7the buffs gave a bombing demonstration in Tactics of Bombing Parties at Rocourt. Lt. Col Ransome went on leave. 7th Buffs war diary WO95/2049 28th Sep 1916 Attack Made 21st of October 1916  Bn Attacks   22nd of October 1916 On the Move 21st Nov 1916 Reliefs   10th Aug 1917 Attack Made   3rd Sep 1917 Exercise   4th Sep 1917 Exercise   7th Sep 1917 Training and Football   8th Sep 1917 Exercise   1st Mar 1918 Zones 19th Mar 1918 Information 21st March 1918 7th Battalion, East Kent Regiment (The Buffs). 21st Mar 1918 Dispositions   21st Mar 1918 Attack Made   21st Mar 1918 Hard Fighting   21st Mar 1918 Critical Situation   21st Mar 1918 Counter Attack 21st Mar 1918 Withdrawal 21st Mar 1918 Gallant Actions   22nd Mar 1918 Enemy Attacks   22nd Mar 1918 The Fight for The Crozat Canal   22nd Mar 1918 Orders Issued   22nd Mar 1918 Bridges not Blown 23rd March 1918 Received head injury 23rd Mar 1918 Orders Received 23rd Mar 1918 Attack Made   23rd Mar 1918 Heavy Attacks 23rd Mar 1918 Heavy Attacks   24th Mar 1918 New Line   3rd Sep 1918 Patrols   4th Sep 1918 Reliefs If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. Want to know more about 7th Battalion, West Surrey Regiment (Queens)? There are:5291 items tagged 7th Battalion, West Surrey Regiment (Queens) available in our Library   These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War. Those known to have served with 7th Battalion, West Surrey Regiment (Queens) during the Great War 1914-1918. Anderson Robert. Pte. (d.23rd Mar 1918) Blackman Arthur. L/Cpl. (d.23rd Mar 1918) Brennan James. Pte. (d.28th May 1917) Bull Walter George. Pte. (d.10th Aug 1917) Bushell VC, DSO Christopher. Lt Col. (d.8th August 1918) Doe Robert. Pte. (d.1st Jul 1916) Driver Frederick Charles. Pte. Fowler George Michael. French Charles Ernest. Cpl. (d.27th Feb 1917) Graves Frank. Pte. (d.3rd May 1917) Green William John. Pte. (d.23rd March 1918) Haffenden Charles Israel . Pte. (d.28th Sep 1916) Hawes Charles Godfrey. Pte. (d.18th Nov 1916) Hawkins T.. (d.22nd Nov 1917) Longley Benjamin. Cpl (d.26th August 1918) Neale Edgar John. Pte. Neale Edgar John. Pannell Harry. Pte. Patience Charles Frank. Pte. (d.21st April 1917) Pattison R. G.. Pte. (d.4th Jul 1917) Penrose-Fitzgerald Maurice. Lt. (d.26th July 1916) Reardon John. Pte. (d.1st Jul 1916) Sanderson James H.. Pte. (d.1st July 1916) Shears Joseph Stanley. Cpl. (d.1st Jul 1916) Walter MC MID Joseph S.. Capt. (d.21st May 1918) Whittle Thomas Henry. Pte. (d.10th Aug 1917) Wright Harry William. Sgt. (d.1st July 1916) All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List Records of 7th Battalion, West Surrey Regiment (Queens) from other sources. The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website. 1st of September 2024 marks 25 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. 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We also have a section on World War Two. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.   Lt Col. Christopher Bushell VC, DSO 7th Btn. The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) (d.8th August 1918) Christopher Bushell was killed in action 8th August 1918, aged 30 and buried in the Querrieu British Cemetery in France. He was the younger son of the late Reginald Bushell, of Hinderton Lodge, Neston, Cheshire, and of Mrs. Caroline Bushell, of Hillside, St. Margaret's-at-Cliffe, Dover; husband of Rachel Bushell, of Boughton Aluph, Kent, late of Wye Vicarage, Kent An extract from The London Gazette No. 30667, dated 30th April 1918, records the following:- "For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty when in command of his battalion. Lt. Col. Bushell personally led C Company of his battalion, who were co-operating with an Allied regiment in a counter-attack, in face of very heavy machine gun fire. In the course of this attack he was severely wounded in the head, but he continued to carry on, walking about in front of both English and Allied troops encouraging and re-organising them. He refused even to have his wound attended to until he had placed the whole line in a sound position, and formed a defensive flank to meet a turning movement by the enemy. He then went to brigade headquarters and reported the situation, had his wound dressed, and returned to the firing line, which had come back a short distance. He visited every portion of the line, both English and Allied, in the face of terrific machine-gun and rifle fire, exhorting the troops to remain where they were, and to kill the enemy. In spite of his wounds this gallant officer refused to go to the rear, and had eventually to be removed to the dressing station in a fainting condition. To the magnificent example of energy, devotion and courage shown by their Commanding officer is attributed the fine spirit displayed and the keen fight put up by his battalion not only on the day in question but on each succeeding day of the withdrawal." s flynn Add to this record.   Cpl. Joseph Stanley Shears 7th Btn. West Surrey Regiment (d.1st Jul 1916) Joseph Shears is buried at Dantzig Alley British Cemetery. Alan Shears Add to this record.    Edgar John Neale 7th Btn. Queens West Surrey Regiment Edgar Neale was wounded and gassed, but he lived until 1981. Steuart Neale Add to this record.   Pte. Robert Doe 7th Btn. West Surrey Regiment (Queens) (d.1st Jul 1916) Robert Doe was my Great Great Great Uncle. He served in the Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment with 3 of his brothers. He was the only one to not survive the war. A 4th brother also served in the Royal Engineers. Adam Doe Add to this record.   Pte. Walter George Bull 7th Btn. Queens (Royal West Surrey) Regiment (d.10th Aug 1917) Walter Bull was my 2nd cousin, 4x removed. His death is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres. Stuart Hill Add to this record.   Cpl Benjamin Longley 7th Btn. C Coy. Quieens Royal West Surrey Regiment (d.26th August 1918) Benny Longley was the only son of Mr Benjamin & Mrs Jane Longley 56, Hempstead Street, Ashford, Kent. He left school at the age of 14 and went to work at Ashford West Railway Station Goods Yard off Godinton Road Ashford. He was a member of the Ashford Goal Running Team (similar to adult tag) no teams exist to-day. It finally stopped at the start of WW1 as all the young men went to war. When the war started Benny joined up aged 16 years. He was assigned to the 7th Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment as part of Kitchener's Army of 100,000 After initial training he went to France on the 25th of May 1915. Somewhere in time he became a Corporal. He was killed in action on the 26th of August 1918 and is buried in the Dantzig War Cemetery, at Mametz near Albert in France. He had no brothers but a lot of sisters and he was worshipped by his mother and father. Ian Add to this record.    George Michael Fowler 7th Btn. Queens Royal West Surrey I can only relate what my grandmother told me that my grandfather, George Michael Fowler, was in the 7th Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment during WW1 and somewhere in France in the trenches. The group he was with decided to surrender to the German forces before they were overrun. He spent the rest of the war in the camp and worked on nearby farms. He made friends with one of the German guards and at the end of the war when he was released, they swapped St. Christophers which I inherited and then passed on to my eldest son. The inscription on the back reads "Gott ist mein freund". He was also sent a Red Cross parcel of food etc. by my grandmother but he sent it back saying he was well looked after and my grandmother needed it more than he did as she had two young children to look after. I am busy researching my family trees but I cannot find any information from military records of my grandfather. The above information was written on the back of a photograph of my grandfather and his fellow prisoners which he sent to my grandmother with the camp's address. Linda Allardyce Add to this record.   Cpl. Charles Ernest French 7th Battalion Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) (d.27th Feb 1917) Charles French was one of four brothers who died in battle during WW1. Two served in the BEF and two in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Sadly, their deaths so weighed on the family that these gallant brothers were rarely mentioned after the war. My grandmother Josephine was their sister. Alan Smith Add to this record.   Lt. Maurice Penrose-Fitzgerald 7th Btn. The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) (d.26th July 1916) Lieutenant Penrose Fitzgerald was the Son of the late James H. B. Penrose Fitzgerald, of The Grange, Midleton, Co. Cork; husband of Louisa J. P. Penrose Fitzgerald, of Hillside, Milford-on-Sea, Hants. He died of wounds, age 23, and is buried North of West end of the Church, in the Corkbeg Church of Ireland Churchyard, Co. Cork, Ireland. s flynn Add to this record.   Pte. Frederick Charles Driver 7th Btn. Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment The following transcription is of an oral interview recorded in 1972, in which Frederick Driver related to his Grandson Robert his experiences during the First World War, with the help of his wife Dorothy. Many thanks to his great-granddaughter Angela Scott for taking the time and trouble to listen to the tape and type out the following account into a readable document for future generations to read. Track one: Joining Up Dorothy: Tell him why you joined up. Frederick: Why I joined up? I did, that's all. Robert: Why did you volunteer? Frederick: Just so we could go in the regiment of our choice, see. Robert: Yeah. Frederick: Then we get a choice of regiment, see. Dorothy And your brother was in. Frederick: If you waited later on, till 1916, you'd[ve] been forced to go. So you might just as well volunteer, you see. And I'd been used to horses and went on to the cavalry. Robert: Surely you knew all about the people that were being killed in Flanders in '14 and '15. Frederick: Yes. Well, we knew of course, of course you did. But you didn't know how many, did ya? Robert: You didn't. Frederick: No. Robert: You thought it [was] just sort of a side-show, Frederick: Pardon? Dorothy: Well, you really, you really went in because Jack was in it, didn't you? Robert: Yeah, yeah. Dorothy: So he could get in the 5th Lancers. Robert: Yeah, but you know, I've heard stories about women at the time, I mean, blokes who are walking around the streets without a uniform they were, er... Frederick: Well, you're thinking about the white feather business. Robert: That's it, yeah, the white feather. Frederick: No, never see none of that. Dorothy: Not in his time. Robert: No? Dorothy: No. Robert: Yeah, but when conscription came in, that ended all that didn't it? I mean, you had to go anyway. Dorothy: Yes, you had to go where they like to send ya. And them all in, in Ipswich and that, see, had to go in the Suffolk regiments. Track two: Dublin Uprising When we got down to the town, the middle of Dublin down Sackville street opposite the post office, the General post office they opened fire on us, see, rotten shots all they hit was three men and three horses and as soon as they opened fire the old captain says about turn and went back to barracks and he said we're going out as soon as we can dismounted so we went out as infantry more or less just with bandoleers full of ammunition rifles we went and routed them out of the post office in the morning see before dinner, and in the mean time artillery were ordered up from the Curraugh and they brought the guns into the dock at Sackville street right opposite the lawcourts, they were in the lawcourts as well these Sinn Fieners in the post office and the lawcourts, lawcourts were at the bottom of the Sackville street and they opened fire and knocked the lawcourts down the artillery from the Curraugh and in the meantime we went and took up positions some in the old Jacob's biscuit factory and and all the places they were likely to be in you see, took them over and simply rounded them up., And within a fortnight we'd got them all rounded up look and there they still carrying on we quieted them down in a fortnight. : - Yeah. Yeah then after the war was over cause they started again that's when they formed the black and tans they're volunteers you know from England the black and tans were. And they had to clear em up again in the meantime they're clamouring for home rule and they got it see cause Ireland was partitioned wasn't it the south from the north. Track Three: The Western Front Yeah, but when you, after you had joined up and that, I mean, what, Robert: When did you first go over to France then? Frederick: Umm. August 1916. August '16. We went over and we joined the Queens out there, you see, the Queens regiment. The 7th Queens. That was, the 55th Brigade. The 18th division we come up in. Robert: What sort of ship did you go over in? Frederick: Ooo, don't know, well, er, old freighter thing, you know. Robert: Yeah? Frederick: Yeah. From Folkstone we went, to Folkstone, to Boulogne. Robert: And then you went up. Did you go straight to the front? Frederick: And then we went...No, we had to go to...we stayed the night in Boulogne, up on the camp there. And the next day we had to go join the Queens. They were up, um, near Albert, place called Albert, out at rest at the time. Then we done some, done joined the battalion, you know. I was put on headquarters battalion, with Machine gun, headquarters machine gun. By going to headquarters They could put us anywhere, you know what I mean? To any company. Robert: Yeah. Frederick: See? A, B, C or D company. We could go anywhere. They could put us in the line, you see, or, which company was ever in the line you'd have to be with 'em, you see? Robert: Can you, visualise now what it was like? I mean, can you visualise what it was like at that time? Frederick: Well, plenty of shells dropping around. In as soon as you got in range, you know? Robert: Yeah? Dorothy: What about the time when you all pinched the bread from the bakers? Frederick: Oh yes. Yeah, yeah. Well, we were going right up, right up into the, up in the front line, you see. We're going up right, going into the front line and we was way back at rest, and we was put in a billet, in an old bakery, you know? A bakery. One what was using, they were still in use; French bakery, see. And the old Baker he used to bake his bread, you know, during the night time, ready for sale the next day. And my brother, and another: an ol' Kelly, watched the old baker leave and then went and pinched his bread. We got the gun: we'd got gun limbers for Lewis gun, you know, and the guns had gone up on the horse limbers, you know? A horse wagon like. Our guns had gone up with them so our little gun carriages were empty. Two wheeler gun carriages, see, for a gun, carry the Lewis guns and ammunition see, plenty of ammunition. And they were empty. So what old, what my brother did, and the old Irishman, they stole the bread and went and put it in the trucks, empty trucks. They were all lined up beside a wall, you know, and they filled them up with bread. And the old Froggie come in daybreak and found his bread all gone. Played up merry Hell. French Police, he called the French Police up and our Police, you know; Military Police. Played up the Devil, he did. They looked everywhere. They searched our billet and everything. Packs - everything. Never found a loaf. And they were right in front of their noses, in the, in the gun trucks. Full of bread they were, yeah. Robert: What did you do with all that bread then? Frederick: We had a good feed. And the next day we got on the march up to the line, you know? And as soon as we got under shell fire the young captain he says, "Halt!", you know, "Fall out on the left of the road." And we opened up our gun trucks, you know, and out come the bread [laughs]. So, one of the boys picked up a loaf; "Would you like a piece, sir?", you know. We was all under shell fire then - only about two miles from the line. Yeah. And nothing was said about that. Never got into trouble over it at all, 'cause he never reported us, you see? Dorothy: He asked, he asked where you got it from, didn't he? Frederick: He knew. He knew, didn't he. All the officers knew, all the blokes knew, didn't they. But as soon as they was opened up it was a laugh. Everybody was eating the French toopang, you know, long loaves. Dorothy: See, didn't you get some cheese from somewhere for them? Frederick: Pardon? Dorothy: Didn't you get some cheese? Frederick: Cheese? Dorothy: Yeah. Frederick: Oh, we had plenty o' cheese. Half the blokes wouldn't eat the cheese, you know. It used to lay about in the billets. Robert: Where did you first go into action, then? Frederick: Erm. When? Robert: Where. Frederick: Up at Thiepval. Thiepval on the ridge, at Thiepval. Thiepval, Mericourt, Grandcourt. Robert: You was in all them places were you? Frederick: Lotacourt. In front too, Frederick: Yes, in front of that, we were cause. Robert: Yes. Frederick: 'Cause, April, when they went over, the Vimy Ridge, see, we was in front of that. Yeah. Robert: What did you do in the line? Frederick: Well, we just had to hold the line, you see - go in t' the front line. Plenty o' shellin' an' all that business, you know? On our way up he was dropping shells, gas shells of one sort or another. You know, all sorts. Frederick: Several times we laid out in the shell hole, you know, with the old gun, between the two lines. Didn't mind it, and used to like it because the shells were going right over us, like that, see? Robert: Yeah? Frederick: All the heavy stuff, and light stuff an' all, goin' right over. If you was in No Man's Land you was the best off. Through that winter, anyhow. Frederick: If you laid quiet a German patrol would pass you, perhaps. Bullets would be whizzing over the top of your heads. Zip, zip, zip, zip, you know. Just lay doggo for the night. Bloomin' cold though, frozen. Dorothy: Jack got wounded? Frederick: Oh yes he did, and a night or two before that. Dorothy: Yes. Frederick: When we were laying in support a shell came over: A whizz-bang. And we were in a fairly big trench, and... Both together in the front line, look, and a whizz-bang came over. What they call a whizz-bang - that was their light artillery. Good guns they were, similar to our twenty five pounder. And a shell - I could hear it coming. It hit the top of the parapet and burst. It blew my rifle right out of my hand. My brother got a bullet, behind his ear here in the neck. Robert: Yeah? Frederick: Yeah. Got back to Blighty with that. I took him back to the end of the trench. The old Sergeant Major, they were in the dugout there, I said, "Well, I'll take him back." He say, "You won't. You won't.", he say. "You'll stop in the front line" [laughs] So, he got back to Blighty, look. Another few days after that, then, I was captured. Robert: You were captured in 1916 then? Frederick: No, '17. vRobert: When? Frederick: 1917. February 1917. February '17. Robert: Yeah? Frederick: And that was a place called, er, Irles. I.R.L.E.S, Irles and that was too...we was... See, which I tell you what was happening: The Germans were falling back at that time, which they used to do. They'd pulled back on to better ground and that, you see - leave you in the muck and mire and shell, you see [laughs]. And (pause) Oh, a dawn patrol. When they were falling back, see; "Any volunteers for a dawn patrol?", so we all volunteered, with the old gun, you know, and just a rifleman or two, see, to go out before dawn, an hour before dawn. We was to go up the communication trench into Gerries front line; a village. And part right along the front of the village, a place called Irles, I.R.L.E.S., and went past the front of it and up his communication trench for about a mile, see. Never saw, never saw anything of them. They kept doggo, you know, they laid quiet, they let us come. And and all of a sudden they jumped. Some of them jumped out the trench, and we let the old, I let the old Lewis gun let 'em have it, you know, as they ran way. Then the old gun blocked, you know, which they would do, a Lewis. They used to jam. Two bullets used to. A couple of cartridges used to try to get in the [barrel at once], and that'd block, you see. Tried to get up the barrel. So when the old, stopped, and we were in their communications trench he simply come round us, you know, they come up from other trenches, 'cause they knew the trenches better than we did, you see. We was in their communications trench, therefore they got, they got, surrounded us, and just cut us down in the trenches as we were...see? They could get right, they could get forward or to the side of us or behind us - which they did do. Got right behind us, because we was through their lines, see. through their front line about two miles. Frederick: ...A funny thing, where you used to talk about what would, what would happen to us. When we was in support, or quiet, or back at rest, used to think about what would happen to us. Somebody would say, "I shall get killed, I know I shall.", see, and they used to too... I said, I thought I wasn't. Something told me. Well, I didn't know what was going to happen, you know. What I mean, I wasn't going to get killed but I couldn't fathom out what was going to happen to me. But I was nearly a deader mate, I was nearly gone. Dorothy: They saved his life. Frederick: Yeah. Germans saved me life. Robert: Yeah? Frederick: You know, by binding up, you know. The blood was coming out in a stream like that out of my stomach here. They simply got my doings, you know, bound me up tight and that. And still the blood was coming through. So he took the... Dorothy: Off another... Frederick: Yeah. Another fella who was shot beside me, he weren't...he's right next to me. Right there, in the temple. And they took the bandages of his, you know, bound me up double lot, you know, really bound me up tight. Dorothy: Didn't they put a stone in to stop it? Frederick: No, not a stone. No, no. They bound it down solid, you know. That stopped the bleeding. And they... I wondered what the Devil they were going to do with me, you know. They took me out [of] the trench, lugged me out the trench, and they put me [on a] couple of oil sheets, laid a couple of oil sheets down and laid me in it, and they brought the sheets together, you know, at the top, and laced them through, and then put a pole through. That's how they carried me back, Germans. Good idea that, was no waiting for the stretcher bearers. They were smart in the trenches... They'd all had medical [training] and all that, they know exactly what to do. We lost a lot of lives through that you know, because our chaps didn't know what to do, you know. They'd all been trained in medical [first aid] you see, and I, I, pretty thirsty, I kept asking for water. They, they, you know what they done? Got a bit of bandage and dipped it in their coffee, you know. They'd coffee in their, they used to carry coffee instead of water in the water bottle. They dipped the bandage in the coffee and let me suck it. They wouldn't give me a drink you know, it would've been fatal, see. Although I'd lost a lot of blood, must o' done, 'cause I was sinking, you know. Felt I was. Robert: You was wounded with a bullet? Frederick: Pardon? Robert: You was wounded with a bullet? Frederick: Yeah, yeah. Bullet, yeah. Robert: When you was surrounded, didn't you surrender or anything then? Dorothy: Well, you didn't know, did you? Frederick: No need mate, no need. No, no need to put your hands up or anything. Just taken over. You're, ain't it, you're finished, you know that, and the Gerry knows it too. Frederick: Well, if you get into their lines anything could happen. Same thing would happen with a German patrol. They was pinched as well, just the same and that. That was only done so that each side should know where the others are, that's what they wanted to know Dorothy: That was nothing for you to be up to your waist in water and mud was it? Frederick: Cor, if you slipped off the duck board you was in it, you know. ..My feet were swollen so much they cut the boots off, and the trousers. They were rotten in blood, you know. They just tore that off, leggin's too, yeah. Frederick: ou know that took us some a day and two nights to dig a bloke out. Robert: Yeah? Frederick: Yeah. To dig him out! The more you kept digging the deeper he kept sinking, you know. The water and the mud, we kept throwing it out. Dig behind him, we used to dig down behind him and put a blanket under the backside when you got him over. So you pull him back and lift him out with this blanket, see, 'cause the old mud and ooze and stuff was all...it used to hold you like glue. Just like glue. Track Four: Prisoner of war Frederick: They took me into a dressing station you know, the Gerries did and that, and then into a horse ambulance, you know, course they were nearly all horses in them days see. And then we went up an old disused railway, you know, that had been cleared away and that. Was in a sunken, sunken road for about three or four miles up towards Cambrai. They took the rails up and used that as a road, see. And that un and that was deep, about as deep as this house perhaps, you know. Robert: Mmm. Frederick: Between two banks they used to use that for ambulances to go up and down, see, from the front line up to Cambrai. And even then they went, they took me from Cambrai up to Mons by train, you know. Robert: Mmm. Frederick: And their hospital there, what they call reserve hospital. Prisoners and Germans all went into the same hospital, see, in the clearing station like. Big clearing station; Mons. I remember I was operated on in that same evening. I laid there for a day or two before they moved me right up north to Munster, in an old Monastry that was supposed to be a hospital. We had our beds, was three boards with a straw mattrass on it. Bag o' straw, that was hospital, look [laughs]. Robert: What did you do there? Frederick: I was in there several weeks. They kept the wound open for weeks. They used a bandage, you know, a sterilised bandage, used to tuck in, like that cause that was septic. Dorothy: Did that turn septic? Frederick: I reckon it did because I..., weeks and weeks they were poking this, these bandages in every day, see. Dorothy: Yes. Robert: Where did you go to prison camp, then? Where was you a prisoner of war? Frederick: Pardon? Robert: Where was you a P.O.W. then? Frederick: All over, in different camps, you know. Er, from...Parsham was the name of one. Frankfurt, Franfforter, Maine. The, all different places, you know. Doblemann was another camp. And I used to volunteer to go out on the... It wouldn't do to stop in camp, you know, to, no. Volunteer to go out on working parties, see, on the farms or anywhere else. Dorothy: What about the time you went where there was some ducks? Frederick: Oh yeah, yeah. On a big farm we had, they had four ducks there. We managed to get them. Dorothy: You was with... You was with Russians, weren't ya? Frederick: We used to live in a big room, in a lock up, you know. Big room with a big old stove in, with twenty or thirty prisoners. [Among] twenty [of us there] might have been only four Englishmen and a few Frenchies, you know, and Russians, chiefly Russians. And Poles, yeah. So, two Englishmen, they took the, they took the bars apart, you know, from the window, and went out and got, pinched these ducks off the pond. They were locked up in a duck house on the pond, big pond, you know. And they went round the field so they shouldn't follow the feathers. and that, you know. Got 'em in a sack and brought 'em home. This old sentry had gone out, Saturday night it was. He'd gone down the town to have a drink, see, only one sentry. And we got a bucket and cooked these ducks, you know. Drawn, plucked 'em and put them in a bucket and boiled 'em up. Dorothy: Ah. but how did you get rid of the innards? Frederick: Ay? Dorothy: You burnt all the innards. Frederick: Buried the feathers and stomach and that, you know. Buried them. Robert: How did you get on with the Germans in general then, at that time? Frederick: Pretty well, you know. Yeah. Dorothy: Bar once when you couldn't eat the potato soup. Frederick: Oh yeah, yeah. That was on one job, couldn't drink the soup. It'd got maggots floating about on it. Potato soup, and a little bit o' meat here and there, but maggots. Seventeen Englishmen on that job, and we none of us, us Englishmen, wouldn't touch it, you know, wouldn't look at it. And so the old Sergeant Major what was in charge, German Sergeant Major, you know, he say, "You won't drink it?" "No, we're not going to have that!". He lined up seventeen sentries [and] he lined up us seventeen, here. He said, "If you don't, if you don't have the soup I'll shoot yer." See? One man: [One] sentry, we knew he doesn't do that, not on a big job like that, you know. We was, "No!" He stood, lined us up, he lined us the post, his sentries up, you know, and seventeen against seventeen. We stood there about half an hour. He got fed up. Thought what he would do I suppose, "You'll all get punishment. You'll all be confined to ground for twenty four hours." No blanket or nothing see. They had some underground, er, sort of barrack, you know what I mean? Purpose [built] for the job. So they put us down there for twenty-four hours. Just a drink of water. Coo. Dorothy: And you had to go on sleepers, didn't yer? Frederick: Ay? Dorothy: Railway sleepers? Frederick: Oh yes. Sent us up on the, sent us up on a job on railway sleepers, you know, iron sleepers they were. Frederick: Pick them up beside the railway, about a foot of snow. As you picked them up so the blinkin' skin come off yer hand, frozen, you know what I mean? Sort of pulled the skin off your hands. Another rotten job, that was. But on the farm it was decent. The German people themselves hadn't got nothing to eat. That was all sent to the front line, see. They were actually starving beginning 1917, they were. The cows weren't getting any food, they couldn't give much milk. British people didn't know that, no. Nor did the troops at the front. If they.. .All the stuff used to go to them, see. The civilians weren't getting much. Children were as thin as rakes, all with rickets, you know. Then they wouldn't give in, see, not even right up to 1918 they wouldn't. Robert Scott Add to this record.   Sgt. Harry William Wright 7th Btn. A Coy. The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) (d.1st July 1916) Harry Wright was 35 years old when he was killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. He was the oldest son of William and Annie Wright of Dorking Surrey. Harry is buried at Combles Communal Cemetery Extension. Lest we forget. Sarah Collins Add to this record.   Pte. James H. Sanderson 7th Btn. Queens Royal West Surrey Regt. (d.1st July 1916) Pte. James H. Sanderson enlisted on 03.09.14, he was posted to the 7th Btn. "The Queens" Royal West Surrey Regt. James was killed on the 1st July 1916 during the opening attacks of the Somme offensive. He is buried in Danzig Alley CWWGC and commemorated on the parish War Memorial outside St Bartholomew the Great Church in Smithfield. William Hounsome Add to this record.   Pte. Charles Frank Patience 7th Battalion Queens Royal West Surrey (d.21st April 1917) Charles Patience was in the 7th Battalion, Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment and around January 1917 he was a prisoner of war at Maretz and he was shot for stepping out of the ranks to pick up a cigarette. That he was not trying to escape is shown by the fact that the bullet that killed him wounded two other men in the ranks. He died on 21st April, 1917 and was buried at Maretz Communal Cemetery German Extension and then reburied at the Honnechy British Cemetery. He had married in December, 1915 aged 20. Sylvia Hall Add to this record.   Capt. Joseph S. Walter MC MID 7th Btn. Queen's Royal West Surrey Rgt. (d.21st May 1918) Captain Walter was a prisoner at Holzminden and Bad Colberg POW Camps. He was killed for escaping on 21st May 1918. He is buried in Neiderzwehen Cemetery, Kassel, grave III.N.3. Add to this record.   Pte. William John Green 7th Battalion Queens West Surrey (d.23rd March 1918) Born John William on the 28th of January 1899 in Heveningham Suffolk. William Green was killed on the 23rd of March 1918 in Battle of St Quentin. He has no known grave but is recorded on the Pozieres Memorial. L Stanhope Add to this record.   L/Cpl. Arthur Blackman 7th Btn. Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment (d.23rd Mar 1918) Arthur Blackman served with the 7th Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment and died on 23rd March 1918 aged 39. Geoffrey Blackman Add to this record.   Pte. Charles Godfrey Hawes 7th Batt Queens Royal West Surrey (d.18th Nov 1916) Charles Godfrey Hawes died whilst storming a trench on the 18th of November 1916. He is buried in a small cemetery at Stump Road, Grandcourt. Clive Springett Add to this record.   Pte. R. G. Pattison 7th Btn. West Surrey Queen's Regiment (d.4th Jul 1917) Pte. R.G. Pattison served with the West Surrey Queen's Regiment 7th Battalion.He was executed on 4th July 1917, aged 23 for desertion and is buried in Faubourg-d'Amiens Cemetery, Arras, France. s flynn Add to this record.    T. Hawkins 7th Btn. Royal West Surrey Regiment (d.22nd Nov 1917) T Hawkins served with the Royal West Surrey Regiment, 7th Battalion. He was executed for desertion on 22nd November 1917, and is buried in Bleuet Farm Cemetery, Belgium . The mass pardon of 306 British Empire soldiers executed for certain offences during the Great War was enacted in section 359 of the Armed Forces Act 2006, which came into effect on royal assent on 8th November 2006. s flynn Add to this record.   Pte. James Brennan 7th Btn. Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment (d.28th May 1917) James Brennan served with the 5th Lancers and subsequently with the Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment, 7th Battalion. He died of wounds in May 1917. s flynn Add to this record. Recomended Reading. 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