11 April

Lonsdale Battalion events that took place on 11 April.
For events that took place elsewhere, see our sister project The Great War On This Day

1915 (Sunday)

Letter to Lt-Col. Machell from B.L. Montgomery: “As the move is put off for at least two weeks I hardly think it necessary to send a section from each company to Grantham. Your advance party will have plenty of time to get things straight, while we go on with the training. You can if you like bring back one of the two officers you sent down there. One officer at Grantham would be quite enough; however that is as you like.^[1]
Private F.G. Atkinson is 25 minutes late at tattoo and is confined to barracks for three days.^[2]

Senlis: Situated in billets involved in training.
Lance Corporal W.H. Postlethwaite writes a letter to the Workington Star and Harrington Guardian from a home hospital: “Dear Sir, I have received with much pleasure your postcard informing me that my Uncle, Mr. W.T. Pursglove, of Philadelphia, U.S.A, has sent to you money and instructions for you to forward to me a parcel of your cigarettes to the value of £1. It is evident that my uncle at time of writing was unaware that I had been wounded, and naturally expected you carrying out his wishes by sending them out to me in France. Therefore, it is my wish that you would kindly send out the parcel of cigarettes and twist tobacco, to the value of £1, to my Platoon in France, with the exception of a small amount of cigarettes, which I should be obliged if you would send on to me in this hospital. I know only too well the value of a cigarette in the trenches, and I am sure the men of my Platoon will appreciate the parcel so much. In concluding, I am pleased to say that I am well on the road to recovery, and trust soon to be up North to see the old home town once again. Wishing yourself, your staff and readers the very best of health and luck.^[3]

Holnon: In front line improving trenches, fire positions and communication trenches. Reconnaissance of ground in front.
Deaths: John Reuben Hampson (24382 Pte.)

In the Line: Day quiet except for shelling of front line shortly after dawn.
Protective and reconnoitring patrols go out early morning.
From observation post movement is seen in enemy outposts, round Moyenville and along the roads opposite our front.
D Company relieves A Company – A Company moves into Brigade Reserve. Here they dig themselves in.
C Company relieves B Company.
C Company's old positions in support are abandoned and B Company occupies old reserve positions.

Notes

References

Acknowledgements

Various sources contemporary to the war have been used to compile The Lonsdale Battalion On This Day. The majority of the events shown on this day (11 April), including any supplementary notes, enlistments and statistical data etc., have been primarily sourced from the Lonsdale Battalion War Diary (November 1915 to June 1918), Record of the XIth (Service) Battalion (Lonsdale) and abridged material from Timeline and Chronology of the Lonsdale Battalion (September 1914 - May 1915), which are sourced from the original DLONS/L/13/13 Lowther Estate Archives. Events from that chronology are reproduced here with kind permission of Jim Lowther (2016). They are identified and referenced separately by their unique DLONS numbers. Please do not publish these events without prior permission from the Lowther Estate. All casualty names, numbers, ranks, date of deaths and places of burial/commemoration have been sourced from Soldiers Died in the Great War 1914-19, Volume 39, The Border Regiment and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission database respectively.