Military History

Algernon is listed as being killed in action on 30th July 1916 near Guillemont. The 2nd Battalion war diary entries for the period 29th to 31st July are transcribed below. Our thanks to the Lightbobs website for the transcription.

Guillemont - July 29th: A quiet day and very hot. Very busy all day making preparations and getting out orders for our attack tomorrow morning, orders for which were given verbally to C.O.'s yesterday. We moved our H.Q. in the evening to Divisional H.Q.

Guillemont - July 30th: Zero was at 4.45 a.m., i.e., daylight, and much too late. The attack by B and C Companies on Guillemont Station failed after repeated attempts, and so the other attack (by A and D, towards Ginchy) failed also. We have 12 officer casualties, and more than 200 men. We naturally had no rest for the remainder of the day, and a disturbed night.

On the 30th July zero hour was 4.45 a.m., and the attack com­menced in accordance with the time-table. At 6 a.m. the Officer Commanding the Regiment sent the following message to Brigade H.Q:

"Attack on station at first held up by line of bombing posts is now getting forward, but I cannot yet tell whether it has reached objective. Heavy casualties."

The 30th Division on the right carried the village of Guillemont, but the 5th Brigade was checked at the outset, the Regiment meeting with strong resistance from the enemy's bombing-posts, which the Stokes mortars failed to silence as intended. Instead, therefore, of the attack sweeping over the bombing-posts, it became disorganized for a time, but then pushed through in two columns. Heavy machine-gun fire broke on the rear waves, and the Brigade was unable to carry its objectives, which necessitated the with­drawal also of the 30th Division from the village of Guillemont.

The farthest point reached by the 5th Brigade was Guillemont Station, which officers and men of B and C Companies of the Regi­ment are known to have entered, although none returned. Casualties 12 Officers & 205 Other Ranks. 

Guillemont - July 31st: Got orders about 2 a.m. that the H.L.I, were relieving us, with the exception of D Company, who had to be left behind. We were back in our old position, near Brigade H.Q., about 7 a.m. There was considerable shelling during the night, so we did not have a very good night's sleep, as we had hoped.