28 April

Lonsdale Battalion events that took place on 28 April.
For events that took place elsewhere, see our sister project The Great War On This Day

1915 (Wednesday)

Mock attack takes place by D Company on C Company.^[1]
Lt-Col. Machell to Lord Lonsdale: "Today received orders appointing Lonsdale to 97th Brigade with three battalions Highland Light Infantry to assemble at Prees Heath [near Whitchurch in Shropshire] and advanced party to be held in readiness proceed early so all is well. I expect we have to thank you and am deeply grateful." ^[2]
Copy letter of Machell: "The original 'fields' [leased] have of late been merged to a great extent, and there is no doubt that the troops use practically the entire area....though of course part of the ground, immediately in front of the Stand is used most. I suppose Mr. Irving’s claim for £57 10s represents something a little over 25% of his rent, and, having regard to everything, especially the fact that it has been impossible for him to turn out more than perhaps 1/3 of the usual number of ewes this spring, I am inclined to consider his claim to be reasonable." ^[3]
Telegram from Western Command: "hold 11th Border Regiment (Lonsdale) in readiness to proceed shortly to Prees Heath. Please arrange for despatch of an advance party 4 officers 200 other ranks required at Prees Heath early to prepare camp." ^[4]

Contay Wood: Battalion in isolation camp (measles) involved in Divisional and Brigade manoeuvres, training and small working parties.^{[note 1]}
Newspaper articles Been Back a Bit, but Moved Up Again and May Be Called Upon Any Minute are published.^[5]
Private T.R. Lamont writes to the Workington Star and Harrington Guardian: "Dear Sir, I received your welcome parcel of tobacco in the best order, and I thank you very much for the same. We had just come out of the trenches after having a wet time of it, so I could not have received the parcel at a better time. I shared it amongst the boys, which is the general custom with any parcels from England, and it would have done you good to see the pleasant smiles on the faces of the lads when I handed a laal bit of bacca across to them. Well, I am just thinking of the Uppies and Downies do that will be taking place to-day. I would have liked to have had a go in with them; but duty first and pleasure afterwards. I am living in full confidence of coming back again to the old town. Again thanking you and the subscribers to the STAR fund for their welcome gift." ^[6]

Lahertie: Church parade for Brigade held at Bazéque Farm at 11am.
Whole brigade marches past the G.O.C., the battalion leading.
Football competition (final round) during afternoon and evening; all four teams of Lonsdale battalion lose.

Notes

↑ Training continues for those who are able during the whole period of isolation.

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 (28 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.