2nd Battalion War Diary, August 1917

2nd Border Regiment War Diary Transcriptions (1915-1918) The National Archives WO/95/1655 & WO/95/1656
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
1914										✔	✔	✔
1915	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
1916	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
1917	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
1918

Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events
			Reference Maps: FRANCE 51b SW, FRANCE 57c NW, and ECOUST Belgium and France sheet 38 1/40000
[No places listed in this column in the war diary for the entire month]	1/8/17 & 2/8/17		The Battalion remained in support. During this time hostile artillery was active in the vicinity of C.4.c. and C.3.d. ECOUST received a certain amount of attention from 4.2.s.
	3/8/17 & 4/8/17		On night 3/4th Aug the Battn relieved the 9th Bn DEVON Regt on the front the relief being completed about 1am. The Battn was distributed as follows:- Right Front:- D Company/ Left Front = B Company. Frontage U.23. c.8.1 (right) to U.22.c.98.25 (left). "C" Company in support in U.29.c. A Company and Battn Hdqrs at U.28.d.2.4. The day passed quietly with the exception of intermittent shelling at C3 and C4.
	5/8/17		Very quiet until about 10pm when RAILWAY TRENCH at U.28.c.9.2 was shelled for an hour. Slight damage was done to the trench.
	6/8/17		From 8.30am to 9am hostile TMs fired about 20 rounds on the vicinity of BUMMY HUG LANE and U.29.a.8.7. BULLECOURT was intermittently shelled throughout the day with 5.9s, 4.2s & 77mm from direction of REINCOURT and QUEANT.
	7/8/17		Hostile artillery was quiet during the morning. From 2.30pm to 4.30pm the enemy bombarded LONDON TRENCH, FOXTROT and TANK AVENUE with 5.9s, 4.2s and 77mm. From 9.30pm to 10.15pm LONDON TRENCH was bombarded with heavy TMs and 77mm. About 300 rounds were fired. The valley in C4 and C3 was also shelled during the night.
	8/8/17		Quiet during the day. At night the battalion was relieved by the 2/6th Bn W/YORKSHIRE Regtand proceeded to the camp at B.28.a.8.4. Relief was completed about 1.30am.
	9/8/17		The Battn remained in camp re-fitting.
	10/8/17		At 6.45am, the Battalion proceeded by march route to billet at BELLA COURT arriving about 12 noon.
	11/8/17		The Battn remained in billets and commenced training.
	12/8/17		The Battn continued its training.
	13/8/17		The Battn continued its training.
	14/8/17		The Battn continued its training.
	15/8/17		The Battn continued its training.
	16/8/17		The Battn continued its training.
	17/8/17		The Battn continued its training.
	18/8/17		The Battn continued its training.
	19/8/17		The Battn continued its training.
	20/8/17		The Battn continued its training.
	21/8/17		The Battn continued its training.
	22/8/17		The Battn continued its training.
	23/8/17		The Battn continued its training.
	24/8/17		The Battn continued its training.
	25/8/17		Training was suspended for the day on account of the Divisional Fair which was held at HENDECOURT X.17.b.8.7 (Ref Map 51c).
	26/8/17		The Battn continued its training.
	27/8/17		The Battn continued its training.
	28/8/17		The Battn continued its training.
	29/8/17		At 6.0pm the Battn less A Company marched to SAULTY and entrained for the North leaving SAULTY about 10.30pm.
	30/8/17		The Battalion arrived at PROVEN at about 7.30am and detrained and at 9am proceeded by march route to camp near LINDE GOED FARM. A Company arrived in camp at 12 midnight.
	31/8/17		The Battalion remained in camp reorganising. The following officers joined during months:- Lieut. G.W. O’Brien on 5/8/17. 2nd Lieut. C. Dand and J.W. Harrison on 23/8/17. Major G.O. Ramsbottom, DSO, (22nd Manchesters) on 28/8/17. Casualties:- 1 Officer killed,^[1] 4 OR wounded. Drafts:- 19 OR on 3/8/17. 57 on 5/8/17. 108 on 8/8/17. 36 on 11/8/17. 9 on 14/8/17. 79 on 16/8/17. 11 on 18/8/17. 28 on 20/8/17. 48 on 26/8/17. 15 on 28/8/17. 26 OR were evacuated sick during the month. [signed] G.E. Beaty-Pownall^[2] Lieut. Colonel Commanding 2nd Bn The Border Regt.

References / notes

National Archives Catalogue Reference: WO/95/1655
The transcription above is available under the National Archives Open Government Licence for public sector information.
War diary transcribed by P. Bramham.

↑ No 2nd Bn Officers listed by CWGC for August, hence it is probably: Wilfred Francis James Lait (2nd Lieut.) Died 03/08/1917 3rd Border Regiment (attd. 8th Border Regiment) Commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.
↑ George Ernest Beaty-Pownall, DSO (Lt-Col.) Died 10/10/1918 Age: 41. 2nd Border Regiment (attd. 1st Bn. King's Own Scottish Borderers). Buried at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery. His brother Thomas also died with 2nd Border Regiment.

[1] No 2nd Bn Officers listed by CWGC for August, hence it is probably: Wilfred Francis James Lait (2nd Lieut.) Died 03/08/1917 3rd Border Regiment (attd. 8th Border Regiment) Commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.

[2] George Ernest Beaty-Pownall, DSO (Lt-Col.) Died 10/10/1918 Age: 41. 2nd Border Regiment (attd. 1st Bn. King's Own Scottish Borderers). Buried at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery. His brother Thomas also died with 2nd Border Regiment.

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