Trench Lincs 1st June 2025

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Good Morning,

Welcome to this week’s Trench Lincs which contains a myriad of articles and snippets which I hope you will find of interest. It is now June, and in just three weeks it will be the longest day, and then we shall be on countdown to Christmas once again!!

Memorialisation and Remembrance feature heavily in Trench Lincs each week, and I see it as my aim to tell the stories of as many men and women who served in the Great War as possible. This week is no exception.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS.

Next Meeting - Lincoln & North Lincolnshire Branch WFA – (TOMORROW) Monday, June 2nd - Doors open 7.00pm for prompt start at 7.30pm - Venue: Royal Naval Association Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG.

This evening sees Joanna Costin travelling from her home in Ely (a truly historic and beautiful fenland city) to present her talk on the subject of "Answering the Manpower Question" during World War 1. Keeping enough manpower at home to oil the machinery of industry, whilst answering the urgent call for men to join the fight against Germany, Austro-Hungary and Turkey became increasingly difficult as the war progressed. The initial enthusiasm waned as reports of the fighting and the casualty figures filtered back to those at home, eventually forcing the government to introduce conscription for the first time ever in British history. The so-called "Spanish Flu" outbreak also added to the British Army's manpower problems in 1918. In this talk Joanna, who was booked at the request of a branch supporter, provides the answers to these questions and more. This is a new subject for the branch, which promises to be very interesting and educational, to which everyone is invited. You will be made very welcome.

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The East Midlands (Nottingham) WFA Branch meets again on Friday 13th June at 7.30pm at St. Peter’s Church Hall, Church Street, Ruddington, Nottingham, NG11 6HA. All welcome.

The speaker is Nigel Atter who will speak about ‘The 8th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment at the Battle of Loos, September 1915.’

This K3 Kitchener battalion was rushed to the front on the opening day, 25th September, and paid a heavy price for the poor planning by Sir John French and his staff. The disappointment of Loos would see French lose his command and be replaced by Haig in December.

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Next Meeting - Spalding & South Lincs Branch WFA - Thursday, June 26th - A summer evenings ramble with Paul - Meeting 7.30pm at Sutterton Parish Church, Station Road, Sutterton, PE20 2JH.

This month, Spalding Branch foregoes the usual indoor lecture meeting for their traditional summer evening "Out and About" ramble in the beautiful Lincolnshire countryside looking at and discussing interesting memorials, monuments and buildings. Led by Chairman Paul Berry, the tour departs from Sutterton Church, Station Road, Sutterton, PE20 2JH at 7.30pm. Whilst Paul is not giving anything away by revealing where he will be leading the tour, past events have always been highly interesting and enjoyable. If you don't wish to drive yourself, car sharing is available and encouraged.

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The Leadenham Military History Group’s next meeting will be on Tuesday 24th June, at Leadenham Village Hall with a start time of 7.30pm.

I am pleased to let you know that I will be the speaker on this night when I shall talk about ‘The Robin Hoods at Gommecourt, 1st July 1916 and the Subsequent Court of Enquiry.’

The opening day of the Battle of the Somme was a disastrous day for the British Army which sustained some 57,000 casualties, of whom, 19,000 were killed. Little progress was made on this day and yet, only the 46th Division faced a Court of Enquiry. Why?

If you missed this talk in Lincoln and Spalding last year, come along and find out. Everyone welcome.

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The next presentation in the Friends of Lincoln Tank 2025 season of talks will be held on Thursday 12th June.

The next FoLT talk will be held on the 12th June when we will welcome Andy Burn who will speak to us on how the story of Fray Bentos is brought to the movie screen! Andy comments:

“It is my intention to talk for around an hour about the process of bringing the Fray Bentos story to screen and the challenges involved in such an undertaking. I am also happy to take questions as we go along. I want to keep the evening quite informal.

The action itself will of course be covered to some extent. However, I hasten to add that I’m a film maker and not a historian. I’m also aware that many of the details surrounding the exploits of F41’s crew have become muddled over the years. Even Donald Major Richardson’s memoir from the early ‘30’s has what I would describe as some ‘misremembered anomalies”

I believe this will be a talk that will be something of a move from our normal format bringing a different viewpoint to the topic of WW1 and the way we enjoy our hobby. As you know Andy Burn is the Producer and Writer for “Tin Hat Productions”, a Lincolnshire based film production company. Past productions have included “Spitfire over Berlin”, “Lancaster Skies” and “Battle over Britain” to name but a few.

As ever, we shall meet at The Royal Naval Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln with doors opening at 7.00pm for a 7.30pm start. An entrance fee of £5.00 will be payable on the door. There is ample parking on site and a fully licensed bar will be open for refreshments. Don’t forget, you do not have to be a member of FoLT to attend. All who come will be afforded a warm welcome whether old or young, male or female. We are a friendly bunch and I hope to see many faces, new and familiar, on the night.

Trapped: The Story of Fray Bentos - The Tank Museum

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Another group who meet at the Royal Naval Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG are the Lincs Aviation Society.

I now have great pleasure in advertising their forthcoming events, which take place on the third Thursday of each month - entry is £2 for members and £3 for visitors.

The next speaker event will be on Thursday 19th June when Alwyn Killingsworth will talk about ‘The Handley Page Hampden AD874 Accident.’

Please arrive 7pm for a 7.30pm start.

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I have news of an unusual but what I believe will be a very interesting outing for June to Saltfleetby National Nature Reserve on the north Lincolnshire coast. [Locals tell me it is pronounced Soller-bee – Ed]

Meeting at 10am on Friday 20th June, Chris Sanderson will be our host for a gentle three hour walk and talk where we can view the remains of the WWI coastal defences that still exist on the reserve, and believe it or not, Chris tells me that there is an area of land that resembles the Menin Road in Belgium, and Chris gives a talk based on the events of autumn 1917 from the diary of a soldier who fought on the Menin Road with the King’s Liverpool Regiment.

Following the tour and talk, there will be the opportunity for a light pub lunch should you so wish.

So that I can confirm the numbers attending, please will you let me know if you are joining the tour? Thanks. New faces always welcome.

STOP PRESS – Five people have signed up already. Please let me know if you want to join the party.

Meet 9.45am at LN11 7TS

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On the weekend of 7th and 8th June, there will be a WWI themed exhibition at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life, Burton Road, Lincoln, LN1 3NY.

Museum of Lincolnshire Life – About the museum - Lincolnshire County Council

Friends of the Lincoln Tank, Lincoln WFA branch and many others will have stands for you to visit in what will be a most informative weekend.

In the main museum, you can also view a genuine WWI Lincoln built tank and Charles Sharpe’s medals including his Victoria Cross.

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In order to tie up some loose ends from recent weeks, we are indebted to John Robinson who attended the service of remembrance last week for Squadron leader Mark Long. You will recall that Mark Long was tragically killed one year ago whilst taking off in a BBMF Spitfire and that a plaque was unveiled at Market Stainton on May 24th, to remember him. Here are John’s photos.

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Mike Credland noted my comments about the anniversary of Operation Chastise last month [The attack on the dams by 617 Squadron – Ed]. Mike continues; ‘With reference to the anniversary of the Dambusters Raid in Sunday 18 May edition of TL, it has prompted me to relate a local story which may be of interest to your readers.

It is well known that Squadron Leader George 'Johnny' Johnson born at Hameringham near Horncastle, Lincolnshire in 1921 was the last surviving member of No.617 Squadron on Operation Chastise who sadly died in 2022 aged 101.

Not so well known is Flying Officer James Herbert Warner, the eldest of two sons of Harry and Janetta Warner, who was born at Horncastle on 19 May 1914. He joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve in 1940 and initially trained as a pilot before transferring to an observer course and was commissioned in October 1942. He then completed heavy bomber training with No.1654 Conversion Unit and posted to No.467 Squadron on 5 February 1943. He flew his first operation on 9 March 1943 before being transferred to No.617 Squadron at RAF Scampton on 24 March 1943.

As Navigator in Avro Lancaster III ED934/G (Call Sign AJ-K) the aircraft took-off from Scampton at 21:30hrs on Sunday 16 May 1943 to attack the Sorpe Dam, but at 22:57hrs they were shot down by German Flak from Texel over the Waddenzee west of Harlingen in the Netherlands. All seven crew members were killed with only one identified and buried (Flight Sergeant James McDowell RCAF) and the other six, including F/O James Herbert Warner aged 29, recorded on the Runnymede Memorial.

James is also listed on Horncastle War Memorial, St Mary's Church Memorial Horncastle, No.617 Squadron Memorial at Woodhall Spa, the International Bomber Command Memorial, Canwick Hill, Lincoln and Boultham War Memorial in Lincoln where his parents lived.

His Avro Lancaster was the first aircraft on the Dambusters Raid to be shot down by the enemy.’

We Will Remember Them.

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David Williams, the Hon. Secretary of the Friends of the Tank Memorial Ypres Salient, writes; ‘I am pleased to inform you that we, the Friends of the TMYS, will be holding our next scheduled Remembrance Ceremony on the Ramparts adjacent to the Menin Gate Memorial on Saturday 7th June 2025.

The well-known and iconic Menin Gate Memorial is now fully open having recently been renovated making long overdue repairs to the roof and the pressing need to update the name panels thereon.

One of these panels is dedicated to the Tank Corps. This will be our focal point for our next Remembrance Service to remember and honour those Tank Corps Soldiers named there. In keeping with our dedication to remember all the Soldiers who fell on the Ypres Salient.

Our Act of Remembrance will be to observe and show our respect to those who have no known graves as well as those who are laid rest on the Ypres Salient in a CWGC cemetery.

The attached document [See link below – Ed] will give all the information appertaining to this Ceremony, however if you need any further information then please do not hesitate to get back in touch with me.

The Toasts will be taken at the Ypra Inn, where all those attending the Ceremony will be invited to attend and partake in the toasts to the Fallen and to our Absent Friends.

Those who wish to dine with us after the toasts will be requested to make their intentions known in order that we are able to secure a table for us all.

We will be dining at a Restaurant in Ypres, this will be known to those wishing to attend as soon as the booking is confirmed. At this time we have selected a suitable place but the booking availability will reflect on the numbers attending.

In the past we have had difficulties obtaining sufficient places to accommodate all those wishing to attend, hence I would be grateful if you would let me know if you are dining to inform me no later than the end of the month.

I look forward to seeing all our friends on the ramparts on the 7th June 2025.

https://mcusercontent.com/363e2db896f2f8d9553fda5f9/files/52a11e5c-521b-bddd-0138-b009a538e87a/7_June_2025.docx

Any of you who happen to be in Belgium next weekend will be made very welcome.

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Staying in Belgium, Matt Colley has been on a family pilgrimage and I am always delighted when I get to hear of Remembrance Pilgrimages made by families to remember their ancestors who fought and died over one-hundred years ago.

Matt notes; ‘To remember my grandfather’s brother, James Colley, we spent quite a while looking for Marsh Bottom which was the jumping off point for the Hallamshire Battalion of the York and Lancaster Regiment on 9th October 1917.

We could not walk to the exact location because of crops and cattle but we narrowed it down after checking various points.

We attached this wooden plaque to a tree. Notice the barbed wire stake that is still in use 100 years later!

We also paid our respects with a visit to Tyne Cot Cemetery.’

Matt, knowing of my interest in the Sherwood Foresters, sent me two photos of great interest that he took at Tyne Cot.

The first is the dedication stone to all of the men who served with the Foresters on the Western Front between 1914-18, and the second shows the headstone of 268741 Private William Marsden 2nd/7th Battalion (Robin Hood Rifles).

The attack at Kansas Cross and Dochy Farm by the so called ‘Second Line’ Territorials of 59th (2nd North Midland) Division on 26th September 1917 is one of my personal favourite actions to walk and this day features heavily in my talk on the Second Line Territorials, which some of you may have seen.

I can also reveal, that Wayne Evans in Belgium, is currently doing some detailed work on this action, particularly the part played by the Second Line Lincolnshire battalions at Dochy Farm, and I hope to share that with you later in the year.

Thank you Matt for your story and photos.

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Alwyn Killingsworth writes; ‘I have just returned after attending the wedding of my nephew at St. Mary's Church, Wilsford, near Grantham - the ceremony was yesterday but it seems to be a two-day event these days!

You may recall a few years ago, the Lincoln WFA Branch visited this location as part of one of Mike Credland's memorial tours. For the benefit of those that were not able to attend that tour, I did manage to quickly sneak back into the church following the ceremony. Please see attached a photo of the village Roll of Honour along with a photo of their splendid stained glass memorial window. The window looks even more impressive if you enlarge the photo. I would also recommend that, if you are passing, do pop in and have a look at it.’

We have recently mentioned St. Mary’s Wilsford, as it is also the home of the Altar Cross from HMS Canopus. Do you recall the tale?

Thank you for the pictures Alwyn, and talking of weddings, see my final words today below.

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John Pritchard has also been on his travels again and comments; ‘Shirley and I have been visiting family in Salthouse over the past few days.

Anyhow, we went to visit the station/railway halt at Waybourne on the North Norfolk Railway, and wandering around we found in one of the waiting rooms a pile of cases/trunks.

There was one which caught my attention, with the name; Flight Lieutenant E Merch-Chammon, RAF UK. with "PER "Empire Halladale" at the bottom.

I asked some of the railway staff if they knew anything about this person and they did not know anything, so, please can you help?

The station has been totally renovated/restored by many volunteers over the past years but the Gents and Ladies "conveniences" still have the original fittings - with a copy of the "bill of sale" (29th September 1909) framed on the wall from "Thomas Crapper Co. Ltd" Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Thomas Crapper's water closet, still going strong after 115 years!

Whilst we were there a steam locomotive passed the diesel "DMU" (Diesel Multiple Unit) which was waiting to depart.

I can certainly recommend a visit to this preserved branch line which goes from Sherringham to Holt.’

In answer to John’s request for help, I did a quick search and found that the ‘Empire Halladale’ was a post war steamer that spent most of 1946 reuniting families at the end of the war between Germany and the UK and then acted as a troopship between the UK and the Middle East before it was scrapped in 1956.

A quick search for Flight Lieutenant E [Edwin – Ed] Merch-Chammon found a London Gazette entry for late 1948 detailing his promotion from Flying Officer to Flight Lieutenant. However, the best find was the news that during the war he had served as a sergeant air-crew and that Flight Sergeant A F Wimsett, Sergeant T W J Hatton, Sergeant E Merch-Chammon were prisoners of war after their aircraft force landed at Burye, Ethiopia due to enemy action, Wellesley K7765, 47 Squadron, 28th February 1941.

I hope that has answered your question John?

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Bill Pinfold has set us all a conundrum this week. Bill writes; ‘I suspect that this may be a subject that you have visited before, but perhaps not this name?

I am in Swanley in Kent for a funeral and spotted the local war memorial and so went to have a look. As you can see in the second photo it asserts that Paymaster J T Gedge was the first British officer to die in WW1 after HMS Amphion hit a mine and sank in the Thames Estuary on 6 Aug 1914.

I know we discussed some other candidate’s names with Dudley when we were in Turkey, but they were presumably Army rather than Navy?

Other Gedge family members are also remembered on the Swanley memorial.’

Certainly, we can say that as HMS Amphion hit a mine, J T Gedge was killed in action on 6th August 1914. Another early death was that of Lieutenant-General Sir James Grierson, who having been given command of II Corps in the initial deployment of the BEF, died of an aneurism on a train near Amiens on 17th August 1914. Grierson was replaced by General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien and the rest is history, as they say. Smith-Dorrien’s decision to ‘stand and fight’ at Le Cateau on 26th August, is covered in my new talk which will be premiered at the Lincoln WFA branch meeting in November.

As far as I am aware, the RFC's first casualties were before the Corps even arrived in France. Lieutenant Robert R. Skene and Air Mechanic Ray Barlow were killed on 12th August 1914 when their probably overloaded plane crashed at Netheravon on the way to rendezvous with the rest of the RFC near Dover.

Bill has also sent me this link to a piece of work that he carried out in 2022 with regard to Arthur Hughes Onslow who sadly committed suicide whilst on active service at Le Havre, also on 17th August 1914.

Please click this link to read Bill’s work https://mcusercontent.com/363e2db896f2f8d9553fda5f9/files/b7852e0c-3e15-77e8-5748-755921e75dbd/Arthur_Hughes_Onslow_1st_to_die.docx

Therefore, Bill’s question is this – ‘Private John Parr of the Middlesex regiment is always stated as being the first ‘soldier’ to die in action on 21st August 1914, and arguably, J T Gedge is the first sailor when killed on 6th August 1914, but can anyone throw any further names and dates into the hat?’

I look forward to hearing from you.

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This week’s offering from Colour by CJS is of Captain Richard Knight.

Captain Richard Brodnax Knight was born in 1880 in Alton, Hampshire where his father was Rector at the village church, and the family were distantly related to Jane Austen.

After schooling, he went to Keble College, Oxford where he was remembered as being a fine hockey player, and in 1902 he joined the 3rd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment.

From 1914 he served in West Africa with the Nigeria Regiment and was posted to France in 1917, where he was attached to 4th Battalion, Befordshire Regiment from the 6th April 1918.

Richard Knight was shot by a sniper on 27th August 1918 during an attack on the village of Thilloy near Bapaume. He was evacuated to a base hospital at Rouen but died of his wound on 5th September, and today he is buried in St. Sever Cemetery, Rouen.

Richard Knight was 37 years old.

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VERDUN in 2025.

The 1916 battle of Verdun opened on 21st February with a massive artillery bombardment followed by a large scale advance by the German V Army. After just five days, the first major French fort, Douaumont, fell to the enemy and all seemed to be going well for the Germans in their attempt to ‘bleed the French Army white’.

However, by the time the battle closed in December, and following the fighting on the Somme between July and November 1916, it was the German Army that was suffering most from a manpower shortage.

At Verdun, some 300,000 men of both sides were killed and total casualties amounted to approximately 700,000. To read more about the fighting and the French efforts to keep the Voie Sacrée open, the road from Bar Le Duc to Verdun which the French used to supply the Verdun front, please click on the link below.

What Was The Battle Of Verdun? | Imperial War Museums

My article will cover the battlefield visitor in 2025, and what is there to be seen today.

As I mentioned last week, Verdun in 2025 is a modern, vibrant town with a long water frontage to the river Meuse, which harbours an array of restaurants, bars and café culture. There are a number of WWI memorials to view but the actual scene of the fighting, the hills around the town, are today heavily wooded and whilst public access and paths are available, it requires a backpack, flask and stout boots to take on these walks, especially as on our second day, the temperature reached 30 degrees centigrade.

We started our adventure at the site of a Destroyed Village.

The Destroyed Villages.

If my memory serves me correctly, there were nine villages completely obliterated from the surface of the earth during the fighting which it was decided not to rebuild in the 1920s. Today, these villages still have a Mayor appointed, and on behalf of the long dead residents and soldiers, the Mayors still play a part in local politics and decision making.

The one we spent most time at was Douaumont-Fleury. It is impossible to walk on the site of the lost village without walking in shell craters. There is hardly a square yard that did not receive an artillery shell.

The line of the old streets and the names of the shops, butcher, baker etc. are denoted by small raised marker boards. As the fighting continued, many French regiments rotated in and out of the line, and their regimental memorials adorn the site of the old village and give you time to ponder the bravery and spilt blood that once lay around you.

The Forts.

There are a number of fortifications to visit, the two most famous being Douaumont and Vaux. The ring of forts around Verdun were constructed after the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71 and by the start of the 20th Century, they were found to be obsolete against the new generation of weaponry available to the Germans, much of it designed and manufactured by Krupps.

Before 1914, a large scale programme of improvements was carried out which entailed adding thick layers of reinforced concrete to the outer walls of the forts, and yet by the time of the fighting in 1916, the forts were rendered useless as high level defensive positions after Joffre’s decision in 1915 to remove the biggest calibre guns from the forts for use elsewhere on the Western Front.

Nevertheless, the loss of these forts after stout and brave defence from the garrison within, was a huge blow to French national morale. Many a good man lost his life in the French attacks to recapture the forts, an achievement which was completed in the autumn of 1916.

The forts are very impressive to visit, and at the Museum of Peace (see below) you can buy a day pass that gives you access to the museum and the forts. Large areas of the forts are available to the general public and there are tri-language explanation boards which tell the story of the fighting, the history of the forts and life inside them for the garrison.

Fort Douaumont

Interior of Fort Vaux

The tomb of Heroes at Fort Vaux.

The Verdun Peace Memorial Museum.

Like the forts above, the Peace Museum, situated close to the destroyed village of Douaumont-Fleury, is a must visit location.

The museum, on two levels, contains a wealth of information and maps and uses modern electronic moving dioramas to explain the ebb and flow of the fighting between February and December 1916. The main point that I took from this, was that for the loss of 300,000 men killed, no significant tactical or strategic gains were made by either army, but that French national morale was maintained, and several generals, including Robert Nivelle [More about him in a fortnight – Ed] made their names and reputations.

The museum also does a very good job in explaining the significant sacrifice made by the black and Arab soldiers of the French Empire – men from Morocco, Senegal, Algeria etc. all of whom fought with great distinction for the Empire.

The museum, as you would expect, contains a remarkable collection of war time artefacts pertinent to Verdun, from vehicles, to weaponry, uniforms, photographs, personal stories etc. and it is very easy to spend two or more hours here. With a café and toilets on site, it is also a good location to build into your itinerary for a lunchtime visit.

The National Necropolis.

Is a remarkable location to visit. There is a large scale French cemetery on site, one of many in the area, and the beautifully designed and built Ossuary and chapel, contains the assorted bones of over 135,000 troops of all nationalities found on the battlefields.

Your visit, starts with a twenty-minute film show which again explains the sequence of events that took place around Verdun in 1916, and shows many contemporary film clips. It is also possible to climb some 240 steps to the top of the tower which gives a panoramic view across the battlefields, albeit, much of it now hidden by trees.

A view from the top of the tower.

At the halfway stage of your climb, there is another small but impressive museum where you can stop to catch your breath before completing the climb.

Given the troubles currently taking place in Gaza and the immigration issues prevalent today in France and the UK, it gives us hope when we view the very large and significant French Jewish and Islamic memorials which are on site adjacent to the Ossuary. These men fought bravely, side by side, and one can only hope that peace will prevail once again in the near future.

Jewish soldiers memorial.

Islamic soldiers memorial

The Trench of Bayonets.

Is a well signed location close to the National Necropolis and is well worth a visit. Through an impressive entrance way, you make your way to a monument that encompasses the site of a trench that was defended by men of the 137th Infantry Regiment and today several graves of unknown men are built into the monument. The regimental memorial sits proudly atop a small rise in the ground, and on the rear of the monument, you can walk into the wooded area and easily follow the depressions in the ground that mark the lines of the French trenches.

Whilst walking in the wood, I struck up a conversation with a chap walking with his dog, who I assumed to be French. Doing my best schoolboy French, I discovered that he was in fact Belgian. I mentioned our dear friends Nadine and Philip from Ronse in Belgium and lo and behold, he told me that he knew Ronse well and was in fact married there! What a coincidence.

Mort Homme (Dead Man) and Hill 304.

Are two high points to the north-west of Verdun and about a 10-mile drive. Mort Homme, we discovered, was named before the Great War but was very aptly named. Here the French defended this high ground with a ferocious determination as to surrender the ground would have given the Germans a huge advantage. The main memorial at Mort Homme simply states ‘They Shall Not Pass’, and there are two further memorials to the regiments that served in the 40th and 42nd Infantry Divisions.

They shall not pass.

To give you some idea of the ferocity of the fighting here, when Hill 304 was surveyed at the end of the war, the German bombardments had reduced its height between 7 and 10 metres. How anyone lived through that is unimaginable.

Colonel Driant.

I always love a good tale of an individual man’s bravery, and they don’t come much better than that of Colonel Driant’s story.

Colonel Emile Driant was a late 19th Century soldier in the French Army who resigned his commission in 1906 to pursue a career in politics. He was elected MP for Nancy, a position he still held on the outbreak of war.

Despite now being 58 years of age, he re-enlisted as a Captain, was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel and given command of the 56th and 59th Chasseurs (Light Infantry) Reservist battalions. Using his position as an MP, Driant was a very vocal critic of Joffre’s decision to strip the Verdun forts of their big guns.

When the Germans attacked on 21st February, Driant gallantly led his men in a defensive action that held the German advance up for more than 24 hours in this sector. He was seen standing on the roof of his concrete command bunker directing the fire of the defenders, and being a first class shot, he also shot over 20 Germans whilst shouting out his personal tally to his sergeant.

Eventually, Driant gave the order to the survivors to fall back across the road that today runs behind Driant’s bunker, and during this withdrawal, Driant was overrun and killed.

The Germans, noting his bravery and leadership, buried him with full military honours and wrote, via the Red Cross in Switzerland, to his wife.

You can read more here Colonel Driant's Division | Chemins de mémoire

Driant's command bunker from where he directed the fire of his men.

Memorial to the 56th and 59th Chasseurs.

WWII Resistance.

Whilst driving to Fort Vaux, we spotted a sign and turned off to discover the execution site of 16 members of the French Resistance who were murdered by the Gestapo in late August 1944 as the Americans liberated Verdun town.

The men, 15 French and 1 Belgian, were taken from the town prison into a wooded depression and shot on 31st August.

Like many of these sites, they feel cold and eerie and there always seems to be a complete lack of birdsong. We paid our respects and moved on.

Site of the execution of WWII Resistants.

Whilst trips like these are educational and taken seriously given the subject matter and the amount of blood spilled on the ground over which we walk, nevertheless, there is time for bonhomie too!

Next week, I will pen a few words regarding Black Jack Pershing and the American Doughboys who fought in the Meuse-Argonne in the last seven weeks of the war.

I do hope I have whet your appetite to pay a visit to Verdun? If you would like some help putting an itinerary together, please drop me a line.

IN MEMORIAM - The Lincolnshire Regiment 1st June.

1915

Lieutenant Charles Hugh Ellwood, 4th Battalion, aged 27. Buried in Dranouter Churchyard, Belgium.

France.

2399 Drummer Herbert Francis Drake, 4th Battalion, aged 20. Buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, France. (**)

1916

1366 Private Arthur Bean, 10th Battalion, aged 31. Buried in London Cemetery, Longueval, France.

1917

30292 Private P H W Little, 4th Battalion. Buried in Mont Huon Military Cemetery, France.

240020 Sergeant W H Chandler, 2nd/5th Battalion, aged 36. Buried in Metz en Couture Communal Cemetery, France.

200037 Private O Hughes, 4th Battalion. Buried in Bully-Grenay Communal Cemetery, France.

16916 Private H Brown, 10th Battalion. Buried in Fampoux British Cemetery, France.

43513 Corporal H Hazell, 10th Battalion. – Ditto. –

43552 Private H T W Knight, 10th Battalion. – Ditto. –

1918

235327 Private H Drake, 4th Battalion. Buried in Golcar St. John Churchyard, UK. (**)

57467 Private T Sarginson, 1st Battalion, aged 30. Buried in Sissonne British Cemetery, France.

Captain Hewson Street, Depot, aged 24. Buried in Marfaux British Cemetery, France.

44802 Private Clifford Croxall, 7th Battalion, aged 19. Buried in St. Sever Cemetery Extension, France.

52417 Private W Harris, 7th Battalion. – Ditto. –

1919

15472 Private A Ormsby, 3rd Battalion, aged 33. Buried in Lincoln Newport Cemetery, UK.

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

(**) I noted above that two men who died on this day in 1915 and 1918 both had the surname Drake. This is not a common surname and the CWGC database does not mention if they are related. As I have been on half-term Grandpa duties most of this last week, I have not had time to check them out.

Is there a willing volunteer amongst the readers who would like to look into these two men and see if they were perhaps brothers or cousins? I look forward to hearing from you.

We have two family weddings to attend in June, the first of which is in Portugal next Friday. Therefore, all being well, Trench Lincs will wing its way to you from Peral near Sao Bras next Sunday.

The second wedding, that of my step-son, Matthew, and his bride to be, Ruby, takes place in the UK on the 26th. Lots to look forward to.

Until next week

All best wishes

Jonathan

www.jonathandhooghe.co.uk

e: trenchlincs@gmail.com

© Jonathan D’Hooghe

Copyright © J C J D'Hooghe. All rights reserved.