1-25 January 1916: Ypres. Continuing action.
21 January: According to Frank’s Service Record, he was admitted to hospital with Pyrexia (medical term for trench fever).
22 January: Frank’s Records indicate that he was “discharged to duty” after one day in hospital.
23-31 January: Ypres. Continuing action.
1 February: Ypres. Continuing action. Lots of shelling and retaliation.
2-11 February: -
12 February: 24th Bty shelled House X. Germans bombarded 20th Division on left – an aftermath on 12 using smoke barrage which drifted on to 24th Bty zone. 24th Bty opened a barrage. Retaliated and shelled Low Farm tramway. 34th retaliated throughout the day and shelled screen which again appeared on Oskar Farm.
13-23 February: -
24 February: Brigade retires to rest in Houtkerque.
25-29 February: -
1-9 March: -
10 March: Frank’s Service Records indicates that he was posted to 72nd Battery of 38th Brigade RFA.
11-15 March: -
16 March: Brigade distributed as follows: 2 Section 24th Bty in action at Ypres; 72nd Bty at Berthen; remainder about Zeggers Cappel.
17-31 March: -
1-18 April: Berthen.
19 April: 72nd Bty relieved at Berthen by 42nd Bty, 2nd FAB.
20 April: Ypres. 38th Bde (72nd Bty position B28.b91/2.1).
21 April: Trenches having been lost in the night. 72nd Bty fired intermittently on trench and shelled at Willow Walk.
22-23 April: Systematic bombardment carried out on night of 22nd/23rd from 10pm to re-take lost trenches. “Attack successful”. 72nd Bty dispersed working party near Von Kluck cottages at 7.30am on 23rd.
24 April: 72nd Bty shelled suspected working party.
25+26 April: Continuing action.
27 April: 72nd Bty retaliated for trench shelling (also obtained direct hits on Trench Mortar emplacement).
28+29 April: All batteries retaliated for shelling and trench mortaring.
30 April: 72nd Bty stopped working party at Von Kluck cottages at 4.35am.
1 May: Ypres.
2-4 May: Continuing action.
5 May: 72nd Bty shelled machine gun at 12.30am and working party on Mushroom at 9.30am. Later retaliated on Mushroom for shelling of our trenches.
6 May: Retaliated on trenches.
7 May: 72nd Bty shelled Gournier Farm and neighbourhood and also retaliated on Mushroom and High Command Redoubt.
8+9 May: Continuing action.
10 May: “The Brigade retaliated heavily for very heavy shelling of all on front and support lines”.
11-31 May: Continuing action every day (eg. 30 May: 72nd shelled MGs on High Command Redoubt at 9.16pm at request of the infantry”).
1-18 June: Continuing action.
19-30 June: Brigade rest at Zegger Cappel.
The Battles of the Somme 1 July-18 November 1916
http://www.1914-1918.net/bat15.htm
http://www.1914-1918.net/bat15_what.htm
1-11 July: Brigade rest at Zegger Cappel.
12 July: 72nd went into action at Brielen Farm to relieve Battery of guards. DA doing digging fatigues. Brigade relieves batteries of Lahore Division supporting the Canadians.
13 July: 24th and 72nd Bty marched up to wagon lines and each relieved one section of two Batteries in action.
14 July: Ypres. Brigade HQ marched up into action.
15-20 July: Continuing action every day.
21 July: A bombardment of trenches about Hooge was carried out by 6” howitzers and 4.5” howitzers. 72nd Bty and 11th CFA fired shrapnel over bombardment area. The bombardment referred to lasted from 11am until 12.25pm (with 20 minute interval at 11.30am).
22-26 July: Continuing action.
27-31 July: Brigade in XIV Corps Reserve Area at Houtkerque.
1-3 August: Brigade in XIV Corps Reserve Area at Houtkerque.
4+5 August: Brigade billeted in Louvencourt.
6 August: Brigade marched to Bertrancourt.
7 August: Bertrancourt. Batteries commenced action in front of Beaumont Hamel covering 25th Division Infantry.
8-15 August: Mailly-Maillet. Right group in action.
16 August: Brigade relieved in the line by 29th DA and returned to wagon lines at Bertancourt.
17 August: Brigade marched to 6th Divisional Artillery at Vauchelles Les Authie.
18 August: Marched to Outrebois.
19 August: Marched to Havernas.
20 August: Marched to Daours.
21+22 August: Marched to Bois Des Tailles.
23 August: Marched to Carnoy (relief of 2nd DA by 6th DA completed).
24 August: Carnoy. Brigade registered during day and shelled communications by night.
25-28 August: Shelled communications.
29 August: Commenced bombardment – as preliminary to attack on Guillemont in morning. This was stopped by order at 3pm.
30 August: At 6.15pm, fired for a short time in reply to SOS signal.
31 August: Continuing action.
The Battle of Guillemont 3-6 September 1916
http://www.ww1battlefields.co.uk/somme/guillemont.html
http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/guillemont.htm
1 September: Carnoy. All batteries retaliated for the shelling of our trenches.
2 September: During the night, carried out bombardment about the north end of Guillemont (8am-6.30pm) as preliminary to attacking the village.
3 September: Bombarded as 2 September from 6am-12 noon. Infantry attacked at 12.04pm along whole front from Ginchy to junction French and British (72nd Bty “formed a creeping barrage all the way”). At 4.10pm all objectives reported gained. At 5.50pm Ginchy reported re-taken from 7th Division.
4 September: “At 9.30am firing ceased. Guillemont in our hands”.
5-8 September: -
9 September: 4th Army resumed attack. 38th Bde supported a Bde of 16th Division in attack south of Ginchy.
10 September: -
11-14 September: New positions.
15 September: General attack started at 6.20am. 38th Bde supported attack of 2nd Guards Bde. Objective = Les Boeufs.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/mirror05_02.shtml
16-23 September: Attack continued 10am on 16 September. Held up about 300yds from Les Boeufs. 38th Bde formed creeping barrage. Trones Wood: counter-attack repulsed. Main line is now 500yd short of Les Boeufs.
24 September: Guillemont. Searched ground in Brigade zone.
25-27 September: Attacks resumed.
28-30 September: nil (just night-firing).
1-4 October: Infantry attack line. 38th Bde put up creeping barrage. “Attack successful”.
5 October: SOS signal received at 7.40pm. Stopped firing at 8pm as German attack appeared to be well in, left of our zone.
6 October: -
7 October: Guillemont. Series of diary entries of battle
“3.15pm: Enemy fire in N28+29 slackening, but heavy shelling of Les Boeufs. 150 prisoners coming down”;
“11.06pm: stopped. All quiet. This attack eventually proved to have reached Spectrum trench only”.
8 October: Continuing action.
9+10 October: Fired about (Le?) Transloy.
11 October: “Bombardment by our heavies. Chinese attack at 3.15pm”.
12 October: Attack resumed.
“2.05pm: zero hour; 4.10pm: infantry asked for thicker barrage on line N28.b8.2-29.C.3.3. Quickened up 72nd Bty; 5.00pm: infantry satisfied with barrage”.
13-27 October: Continuing action.
28 October: Dewdrop trench taken.
29 October: Continuing action and night firing.
30+31 October: nil (night firing at 29 October).
1-3 November: Continuing action.
4 November: Guillemont. Night firing about trenches near Le Transloy.
5 November: Attack resumed. 24th and 72nd Bty shelled Sleet trench. Stopped firing at 5.30pm.
6 November: nil.
7+8 November: Batteries considered out of action.
9 November: Brigade withdrawn to Meaulte. No Brigade taken its place.
10 November: Meaulte.
11 November: Marched to Talmas at 4am.
12 November: Talmas.
13 November: Brigade marched to Amplier at 8.30am.
14 November: Brigade marched to Grand Buret at 10.00am.
15 November: Brigade marched to Orlencourt at 9.25am.
16 November: Brigade marched to Cauchy a la Tour at 9.50am.
17+18 November: Brigade marched to St Venant.
19 November: Brigade HQ in La Ventie.
20 November: La Ventie. Brigade in action.
21-30 November: Continuing action every day.
1-5 December: La Ventie. “Normal. Trench Mortars bombarded front line”.
6 December: Fouquieres. Relief completed.
7 December: -
8 December: Annequin. Relief completed.
9+10 December: Registrations.
11-27 December: Continuing action “normal”.
28 December: “Germans at 10pm on night of 27 December shelled batteries and village of Annequin with gas shell continuously for six hours. We retaliated, supported by the heavens”.
29-31 December: Continuing action.
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