12 January

Lonsdale Battalion events that took place on 12 January.

1915

• Col. Machell to Lord Lonsdale: “The War Office letter authorising first 1 Depot Company which we are rapidly completing....we have just got started again, & men are coming in splendidly – all I want is to let them go on coming in until we have got the two double companies, & then shut down – this recruiting, as far as the Lonsdale Battalion is concerned works on ‘snowball’ lines – the more we get the more come – I know Lord Kitchener wants them & propose to carry on....Today only 65 are required to complete establishment of 1st Depot Company, & over 20 recruits again will be coming in this afternoon.”
• “In future, only Civilian Instructors & Staff Sergeants will sleep in the Sergeants Room. All ... officers ... will occupy the bunks which have been specially prepared for them.”
• Enlistments to E Company:

• K. MacDonald (17490)
• R.H. Nichol (17491)
• J.T. Mounsey (17492)
• W.L. Williams (17493)
• C.J. Stevenson (17494)
• H. Doran (17495)
• William Kirkbride (17496)
• A. Hackett (17497)
• T.B. Wilson (17498)
• Robert Dixon (17499)
• T.P. Millican (17500)
• George Kidd (17501)
• Isaac Irving (17502)
• John Haydon (17503)
• J.R. Anderson (17504)
• D. Barnes (17506)

1916

• In the F1 sector near Aveluy. Day is quiet.

1917

• Battalion situated on the front line near Serre. Enemy Artillery very active.
• At 2.30pm Allied front line is systematically bombarded. Communications with Companies and Brigade is cut.
• At 4.30pm enemy barrage opens up. During evening it quiets down, then Allied artillery replies.
• Battalion is relieved by the 17th Highland Light Infantry and move to billets in Courcelles.
• The following Lonsdale men died on this day in 1917:

• James Bevan (27708 Pte.)
• Dickinson Fisher Birkett (30153 Pte.)
• Thomas Chamber (26114 Pte.)
• Herbert Chant (27718 Pte.)
• James Edyvean (19243 Pte.)
• Jack Fleming (18555 Pte.)
• Frederick Fox (28028 Pte.)
• Frank Kelly (30167 Pte.)
• John Kelly (24235 Pte.)
• William Killey (4911 Cpl.)

1918

• Battalion situated at Tournehem involved in defensive training and Lewis guns on range.

References / notes

Material from Timeline/Chronology of the Lonsdale Battalion (September 1914 - May 1915) are sourced from the DLONS/L/13/13 Lowther Estate Archives. Entries from this timeline are reproduced here with kind permission of Jim Lowther and are not available under the license of this site. Please do not publish these extracts on other publicly visible media without prior permission from the copyright holder.