Military History

Carlton is listed as being killed in action on 22nd August 1917. The 43rd Company war diary entries for the period 21st to 23rd August are transcribed below

E of Hooge – 21 Aug 1917: Nothing special to report

E of Hooge – 22 & 23 Aug 1917: 16 guns in the line – 8 defensive, 6 to assist in consolidation of captured trenches and 2 in reserve, which were later required to replace casualties before zero hour.

At 7pm, 22^nd, the infantry attacked Inverness Copse, 2 guns were attached to left Battalion, 2 to right Battalion and 2 to Battalion supporting the right flank. The guns attached to left Battalion assembled in shell holes & moved forward behind the last wave of infantry. At the outset the infantry were held up by [enemy] machine gun fire & the Offucer i/c of Machine Guns got into action, knocked out an enemy machine gun & dispersed a [enemy] bombing party, whereupon the infantry were able to advance & consolidate.

In the meantime these two machine guns engaged many targets with good effect. They were then moved to a position where they commanded the area between Glencross Wood and Inverness Copse & also have flanking fire both ways.

On the following day, 23^rd, they fired in response to our SOS signal & also knocked out a troublesome hostile machine gun at L Shaped Farm.

The two guns attached to the Right battalion moved forward on morning of the attack [22^nd] & took up positions in Inverness Copse on either flank. The right gun engaged several targets, but owing to the arrival of infantry reinforcements & in the general confusion, it was left isolated about 50 yards in front of our infantry. In the early morning of the 23^rd a strong hostile party appeared within 20 yards of the gun. The NCO in charge attempted to get it away but was obliged to leave it, one of his men being killed. Later he crawled out & recovered the gun & some ammunition making three journeys in all.

A battalion was detailed to form a defensive flank on the right but the 2 guns attached to it suffered heavy casualties from the enemy barrage which dropped immediately on the trench they occupied & lost 75% of personnel & one gun. The other gun was rushed out into No Mans Land & escaped further shelling. Another gun & team was sent up to reinforce. These guns were troubled by snipers from wooded ground S of Inverness Copse, but in spite of this they obtained many targets including a party of 20-30 men of which only 4 were seen to escape.

Only 2 of the defensive guns were able to fire & these did good work on the line held by the enemy.

Casualties 22^nd & 23^rd 8 OR killed, 1 OR missing, 1 officer wounded & 21 OR wounded