19th December 1915 On this day:  Intermittent Shelling 14th DLI endure gas attack   14th Battalion Durham Light Infantry endure a gas attack near Wieltje. Casualties amongst the ranks amounted to 149 with 22 killed and a number of officers also being gassed and wounded.  Church Parade for Ongoing Action   E Battery 3rd Brigade RHA A fine day and did a good deal of shooting. The Centre Section (Innerlees ??)was shelled in the morning by 5.9 inch Howitzers. One gun pit was hit and fell in onto the wheel of the gun but the gun was not damaged. One telephone pit had a direct hit, 2 men were inside but were not touched though a good deal of kit was damaged. There were no injuries to personnel. The shelling began around 1200 and continued at intervals with single rounds until about 1500. war diaries German Attack on the Yser Canal   On Dec 19th the chateau and canal came under heavy shellfire followed closely by a gas attack. All four companies of teh 3rd Monmouths moved into the trenches to reinforce the front line against the expected German attack. The attack never came but the battalion was shelled all day and all the following night and had 40 men killed or wounded. The battalion War Diary records the following entry for that day: - About 5.30 am, message received that enemy was making gas attack. The Elverdinghe detachment had orders to move to Canal Bank. At 8.30 am the Battalion was in position; the Canal Bank detachment manning the reserve fire trenches, the Elverdinghe detachment at Canal bank dugouts. One machine gun and team in emplacement on Elverdinghe-Boesinghe road, and another at Mill Mound in Elverdinghe. Enemy bombarded heavily all day and night. During the morning 8- 17"shells fell in the grounds of Elverdinghe Chateau, where the QM branch had been left. The following message was received from 49th Division. "The divisional Commander is very pleased with the behaviour of all ranks, and the promptitude with which all necessary steps was taken this morning" There follows a list of casualties suffered by the battalion that day. One name stands out, 1881 Pte Gibson, who was one of a number of men who were gassed. Ironically being gassed could have saved his life as on Dec 27th the battalion was taken out of the front line and received orders to leave the Yser canal.  Battalion Moves  Gas Attack  Brigade on the move  Deadly Germs  Gas Attack  Reliefs  Reliefs  Church Parade  On the move  Concert  Recce  On the Move  Trench Mortars  Positions  Orders  Grenades      Orders      Trench Work  On the Move  Reliefs Completed  Church Parade  Gas  Trench Raid  Reliefs  Movement Instructions  Trench Work  In Billets  Mines Exploded  Mining and snipers  Church Parade  In Camp  In Camp  Aircraft damaged  Aircraft damaged  Aircraft Lost  Aircraft damaged  Faileur  Relief Completed  Billeting Party  Patrol Out  On the March  Training  On the Move  Two Officers on leave  Reliefs  Move  Instruction   Trenches Wired  In to Brigade Reserve  Church Parade  Reliefs  Instructions   Football Final  Church Parade  Rested in billets. Can you add to this factual information? Do you know the whereabouts of a unit on a particular day? Do you have a copy of an official war diary entry? Details of an an incident? The loss of a ship? A letter, postcard, photo or any other interesting snipts? If your information relates only to an individual, eg. enlistment, award of a medal or death, please use this form: Add a story.

Killed, Wounded, Missing, Prisoner and Patient Reports published this day. This section is under construction.

Want to know more about 19th of December 1915? There are:63 items tagged 19th of December 1915 available in our Library   These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.

Remembering those who died this day, 19th of December 1915. L/Cpl. Octavius Adcock. 14th Btn. Durham Light Infantry Read their Story. Sgt. Charles Akroyd. 4th Btn. West Riding Regiment Read their Story. Pte. Donald Alexander. 11th (Service) Battalion Highland Light Infantry Read their Story. L/Cpl. Herbert Bailey. 14th Btn. Durham Light Infantry Pte. Albert Ernest Beechey. 8th Btn. Leicestershire Regiment Read their Story. Pte. John Arthur Black. 7th Btn. Leicestershire Regiment Pte. Ernest Brady. 14th Btn. Durham Light Infantry Read their Story. Pte. Herbert Bramley. 1/4th Btn. Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) Read their Story. Pte. Joseph Callow. 7th Battalion Border Regiment Read their Story. L/Sgt. Frank Chappell. 1/4 Btn. Duke of Wellington's (West Riding) Cpl. Frank Chappell. 4th Btn. West Riding Regiment Read their Story. Pte. M. Clarke. 14th Btn. Durham Light Infantry Read their Story. Pte. Thomas Colpitts. 14th Btn. Durham Light Infantry Pte. Frederick Ditchburn. 14th Btn. Durham Light Infantry Read their Story. Pte. James Dow. 5th Btn. Highland Light Infantry Read their Story. Pte. James Henry Ellis. 14th Btn. Durham Light Infantry Pte. Thomas Edward Fender. 6th Btn. Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) Cpl. Percy Albert Fletcher. 4th Btn. West Riding Regiment Read their Story. Pte. Edward George. 4th Btn. West Riding Regiment Read their Story. Private George Gough. 14th Btn Durham Light Infantry Read their Story. Pte. George Gough. 14th Btn. Durham Light Infantry Read their Story. Pte. George Gough. 14th Btn Durham Light Infantry Read their Story. Pte. J. Handy. 14th Btn. Durham Light Infantry L/Cpl. John Hutchinson. 14th Btn. Durham Light Infantry Acting Bomb. Thomas Alfred Hutson. 6th Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery Read their Story. Gnr. Edward Jackson. 92nd Bde. D Bty. Royal Field Artillery Read their Story. Pte. H. Keeble. 14th Btn. Durham Light Infantry Read their Story. Pte. James Mason. 8th Battalion South Staffordshire Read their Story. L/Cpl. John Thomas Neilon. 14th Btn Durham Light Infantry Read their Story. Add a name to this list.

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