207547 Cpl. Albert Oates British Army 7th Btn, D Company Northamptonshire Regiment from:Northampton (d.19th March 1916) The Northampton Independent (Date unknown but probably 1916)
"With the 7th Northamptonshire Regiment In "No Man's Land."
Dead Corporal's Thrilling Story.
The thrilling story we publish below was written by Corporal Albert Oates, a machine gunner of the 7th Northamptons, whose pen, alas will tell no more of the glorious episodes of the war. He died in Etaples Hospital from pneumonia, a few days after the story was written, and his death will be deeply regretted by a large circle of friends. Twenty eight years of age, and the son of Mrs W. Oates of 22 Garrick road, Northampton, he joined "D" Co., 7th Northamptons, in September 1914. he was a well-known footballer, and played for St. Michael's, the Nomads, and Rushden Fosse. The deepest sympathy will be felt with the bereaved mother and other relatives in their great loss.
In his story he tells of how his gun repulsed a German attack, in the following words: "Our gun," he wrote, "was sent to hold the position against a counter-attack, whilst our working party consolidated our side of the crater. To get to the crater we had to crawl through a hole in the bottom our trench and drag the gun and ammunition up a shallow sap almost two feet deep, by which times a German machine gun was traversing fire on it.
"However, the two of us with the gun and Max Ruston, who is our machine gun sergeant, reached the crater safely to find that the working party were just digging a T-shaped trench to consolidate the position. We had no cover, so just placed the gun on the edge of the crater and lay down behind it ready. In the meantime the bombing Corporal fired a powder light which showed us a deep trench running right into the crater from the German trenches. I trained my gun on this and waited. In a few minutes a terrific explosion a few yards from the gun announced the fact that the Germans were about to make a counter-attack with bombs.
"I waited a few minutes, and then pumped my gun at them. I did not heard myself, but the men on my left said it caught the Germans properly, and they screamed with fright; no doubt they never expected we should get a machine gun up so quickly. Well, the attack lasted about a quarter of an hour -bombs bursting all round us, but they could not quite reach the gun within about five yards, which was lucky for us. They soon retired, and we had the honour of repulsing the attack. These spasmodic attacks were attempted several times during the night, but were repulsed each time."
Sergt. Max Ruston, whom he mentions, is one of the six sons of the late Rev. Thomas Ruston serving with the forces.
Additional Information: | A similar but extended account, with more detail, was published in the Northampton Daily Echo of 18 March 1916.
A THRILLING TIME.
A Terrible Fight in "No Man's Land."
NORTHAMPTON CORPORAL'S STORY.
Corporal Albert Oates, of the 7th Northamptonshire Regiments, a son of the late Mr. W. Oates and Mrs. Oates, of Garrick-road, Northampton, is in a hospital in France suffering from pneumonia.
In a letter to his brother Williams, Corporal Oates (who is in the machine gun section says: -
"We have had a terrible time since about the middle of October. The weather has been putrid, and the trenches are in a pretty rotten state. The last six days we were in it rained four and a half days out of the six, and consequently the trenches soon got flooded, and 'dug-outs' collapsed owing to the weight of water in the sand-bags.
"We had a thrilling time one night! I was suddenly called out about 8.30 p.m. to take a gun along to the regiment on our left. It appears that the Germans had exploded a mine between their lines and ours, making a huge crater halfway between the opposing trenches, which at this point were about 90 yards apart, and had run a deep sap into from their trench, and were using it to throw bombs into our trenches.
"Accordingly, this particular evening our bombers made an attack and cleared them out, and our gun was sent for to hold the position against a counter-attack, whilst our working party consolidated our side of the crates (which was about 85 yards across and 10 to 20 feet deep). To get to the crater we had to crawl through a hole in the bottom of our trench and drag the gun and ammunition up a shallow sap about two feet deep, by which time a German machine gun was traversing fire on it. However, the two of us with the gun and Max Ruston - who is our machine gun sergeant - reached the crater safely to (sic) and that the working party were just digging a T-shaped trench to consolidate the position. We had no cover, so just placed the gun on the edge of the crater and lay down behind it ready.
Screamed With Fright
"In the meantime the bombing corporal fired a powder light, which showed us a deep trench running right into he crater from the German trenches. I trained my gun on this and waited. In a few minutes a terrific explosion a few yards from the gun announced the fact that the Germans were about to make a counter-attack with bombs. I waited a few moments, and then pumped my gun at them. I did not hear myself, but the men on my left said it caught the Germans properly, and they screamed with fright; no doubt they never expected we should get a machine gun up so quickly. Well, the attack lasted about a quarter of an hour - bombs bursting all round us, but they could not quite reach the gun within about five yards, which was lucky for us. They soon retired, and we had the honour of repulsing the attack.
"These spasmodic attacks were attempted several times during the night, but were repulsed each time. I was up there in 'No Man's Land' from nine o'clock at night until 5 a.m., except for a relief from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m., but from three to five I did not fire the gun, but was the non-commissioned officer in charge, in order to relieve the sergeant.
"We counted 16 dead in the crater in the morning, so, what with that and the wounded they could have got back to their own lines, I think we did well. A divisional staff officer said we had done well, but for myself I do not hunger for a repetition of the event; it was too hot a corner. However, we did not suffer any casualties but the regiment we went to had several during the night."
On the same page:
ILL
OATES, CORPL. ALBERT, 7th Northamptonshire Regiment.
Corporal Oates, the youngest son of the late Mr. William Oates, and Mrs Oates, of Garrick road, Northampton, has been taken from the trenches to a hospital at Etaple, France, seriously ill with pneumonia. Corporal Oates joined the 7th Northamptonshire in September 1914, and went to France with the battalion a year later. He was promoted Corporal in charge of a machine gun team in January. Before the war he was a clerk in the employ of the Co-operative Wholesale Society, Guildhall-road. He is well-known in local football circles, having played for St. Michael's, the Nomads and Rusden Fosse.
Mrs Oates' eldest son is also in France at the present time. He is a Staff Sergeant of the Mounted Transport, A.S.C.
Mark Thomas
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