Herbert is listed as dying of his wounds on 29 Jun 1915. A newspaper report (see below) states that he was wounded on the 24rd June whilst acting as a stretcher bearer and died in hospital on the 29th. At that time the 2nd, 3rd & 8th Casualties Clearing Stations were based at Bailleul and he would have died in one of them.
War Diary 24 Jun 1915
Trenches - Railway Wood E of Ypres - 24/6/1915: A good deal of enemy shelling today, probably registering on our trenches & Hd Qr dugouts. New gun used against us today, 13 cc High Velocity field gun. Very unpleasant because one can't hear the shell coming on account of its speed.
Plan of Railway Wood Trenches - click to enlarge
Battalion relieved by 6th Somerset L.I. 43rd Inf Bde in trenches. First party of relief should have arrived at our Hd Qts at 10pm did not arrive till 11.30pm, delay caused by our guides leading reliefs up Communication trench instead of up the road, which was quite fairly safe, there being practically no shelling. Relief completed by 2.30am. Reliefs came up by platoons 20 minutes between each & were led by guides directly to their trenches.
Casualties Killed O.R. 2; Wounded O.R. 6
Newspaper Article
Rugby Advertiser - 17 July 1915
HILLMORTON
OFFICER'S APPRECIATION OF HIS BRAVERY
Mrs. Astill of Hillmorton has received a letter from an officer in which he speaks in glowing terms of the bravery of her son, Pte Herbert Astill, 5th Oxon and Bucks L.I, whose death from wounds we reported in our last issue and whose photograph we reproduce.
The writer says: "As a stretcher-bearer he was excelled by no-one in the regiment, and he earning high praise from his senior officers, for in the action of the 22nd of June he went out under heavy rifle fire over a barricade before the German lines, not once but many times, and brought in wounded men on his shoulders. It was two days after this, on June 24th, that he was hit in several places by a high explosive shell, which burst near him as he was running out to search for wounded men who had been hit by another shell that fell just before. He had a wound in the stomach which finally proved fatal after 8 days in the hospital.
We are all very sorry to lose this brave lad, who had disguished himself by his very plucky work under fire, and who, I believe is to be recommended for the D.C.M. His name was sent in to headquarters for gallantry in action.
Residents of Hillmorton, while joining with the mother in mourning his loss, may well be proud that such a brave soldier has been produced by their village.
