6th Battalion War Diary, October 1915

6th Border Regiment War Diary Transcriptions (1915-1918) The National Archives WO/95/4299 & WO/95/1817/1
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
1914
1915							✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
1916	✔						✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
1917
1918

Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events
[BLANK]^[1]	1/10/15		Bn in firing line. Night working parties on GREEN LANE. Work interfered with by fairly heavy shelling five casualties.
	2/10/15		Bn in firing line. Night working parties on GREEN LANE. 2nd Lt Ross W.S. rejoined (having been wounded).
	3/10/15		Bn in firing line. Night working parties on GREEN LANE. GREEN KNOLL (135-P-5) held by 2 officers and 20 men. A few Turks were in position on the knoll but were driven off with bombs.
	4/10/15		Bn in firing line: 2 officers & 20 men sent out at 18.45 to hold the knoll. The party was fairly heavily fired on when 200 yards from the knoll; it accordingly advanced slightly and took up position on edge of Nullah W of knoll writing back for instructions. Bombs thrown by Turks and us fell short in nullah. About 24.00 GREEN LANE & KNOLL parties withdrawn and the knoll shelled fairly heavily no more parties sent out that night.
	5/10/15		Bn in firing line. 18.15–18.45 GREEN KNOLL [searched?] with MG fire – a party of Turks (about 70) dispersed. 18.30-19.00 Artillery bombardment of the knoll. 21.00 knoll occupied by 150 men of Sherwood Foresters. Our working party on GREEN LANE not interfered with and much more comfortable than usual.
	6/10/15		Bn in firing line. Same procedure for GREEN KNOLL as on the 5th. The following N.C.O.s & men were awarded the DCM for gallantry in the field: No. 20028 C.Q.M.S Prosser A.V, 6th (S) Battalion The Border Regt. 5101 a/C.S.M. Gibson C., 11281 Pte. Sutherland. Officers joined as follows: Lt. T.E. Bjerre & Lts. A.A. Patterson, E.N. Park, R.B. Wood^[2] E.B. Mason all 6th Bn attached 10th Btn Border Regt.
	7/10/15		Bn relieved during day by 7th (S) Bn S.Staffordshire Regt (completed 16.00) & moved into Btn reserve in SHAFTESBURY AVENUE. Distinguishing letter of E section of trenches changed to D. Work on 135-0-5 to 3. Bn reorganised in 4 Coys under command of A Coy Lt. T.E. Bjerre; B.Coy. Capt. K.M. Chance; C Coy 2 Lt. A.L. Bainbrigge; D Coy Lt. R.N. Carr.
	8/10/15		Bn in reserve men at work clearing SHAFTESBURY AV to breadth of 4 ft Following officers joined for duty from 10th Btn. 2 Lts. J.J.Dedman A. Fulton, C.F. [Ingledow?]; from Egypt 2 Lt. K.A. Morris.
	9/10/15		Bn the reserve. Divine Service by Rev W.W. Warburton 09.30 Work on Shaftesbury Avenue & 135-0-5 to 3.
	10/10/15		Bn in reserve. (135-0-5 to 3 named Cliff Walk) Work on Shaftsbury Avenue & Cliff Walk.
	11/10/15		Bn in reserve. Draft of 150 NCO & men & 6 officers 2 Lt. F.R. Poole 6 Bn & Lts. N.D. Williams. F. Ridley, 2 Lts. W.L. Beattie,^[3] J.W. Wood 10th Bn, 2nd Lt. H.F. Samson 2nd Bn The Border Regt. Workon Shaftesbury Avenue.
	12/10/15		Bn in Reserve Shaftesbury Avenue. Toe Redoubt (135–P-1?2) commenced under RE. Work on Cliff Walk.
	13/10/15		Bn in Reserve Shaftesbury Avenue. Toe Redoubt (135–P-1?2) commenced under RE. Work on Cliff Walk.
	14/10/15		Bn in Reserve Shaftesbury Avenue. Toe Redoubt (135–P-1?2) commenced under RE. Work on Cliff Walk. Capt Chance to rest camp.
	15/10/15		Bn in Reserve Shaftesbury Avenue. Toe Redoubt finished. Work on Cliff Walk.
	16/10/15		Bn in Reserve Shaftesbury Avenue. Divine Service 10.30. 2 Lt. R.N. Carr to rest camp.
	17/10/15		Bn in Reserve Shaftesbury Avenue. Work on Cliff Walk.
	18/10/15		Bn in Reserve Shaftesbury Avenue. Work on Cliff Walk.
	19/10/15		Bn in Reserve. Extension of Toe Redoubt commenced from P2 to P3. Work on Cliff Walk.
	20/10/15		Bn moved to Div Reserve at Lizard’s Tail (135-R-5 to 9) being relieved by Yorkshire Regt and relieving York & Lancaster Regt. 2 Lts. R.N. Carr; J.W. Wood: W.L. Beattie to 35th Field Ambulance.
	21/10/15		Bn in Div Reserve. Work on stone dugouts in own nullah. The following warrant officers granted temporary commissions General List. AU [th?] G.R.O. 41. No 5781 R.Q.M.S. Price S.J. to be Temporary 2 Lt. No 20028 C.Q.M.S. Prosser A.V. to be Temporary 2 Lt.
	22/10/15		Btn in Div Reserve. Work continued on our dugouts which are progressing very well.
	23-26/10/15		Btn in Div Reserve. Work continued on our dugouts which are progressing very well.
	27/10/15		Btn in Div Reserve. Work continued on our dugouts. Address at 18.30 by Rev [Corcoran?] very successful. [Not Signed]
Alternative diary for the dates 12th—31st October, 1915 in different writing (by Major Mathers)
	12-16/10/15		Bn in reserve. Employed improving and entrenching Cliff Walk and Toe Redoubt.
	17/10/15		Lt. Carr to hospital.
	18/10/15		Battn moved to Lizard Point in reserve employed in making winter quarters in Nullah.
	19-30/10/15		ditto
	31/10/15		Battalion moved to Area A in Corps Reserve. [Signed] Major Mathers Comdg. 6th Border Rgt.

References / notes

National Archives Catalogue Reference: WO/95/4299
The transcription above is available under the National Archives Open Government Licence for public sector information.
War diary transcribed by P. Bramham.

↑ No places are listed in this column in the war diary for the entire month.
↑ 2nd Lieut. Robert Basil Wood. Died: 12/10/1916. 6th Border Regiment (attd. 2nd Border Regiment). Buried at Tancrez Farm Cemetery. Son of Ernest Richard and Katherine Grace Wood of Melton Cottage, East Bergholt, Suffolk. His brothers Richard Poingdestre Wood and Geoffrey Dayrell Wood also fell.
↑ Lieut. William Lindsay Beattie. Died: 27/01/1917. Age: 26 serving with 1st Border Regiment. Buried at Quarry Cemetery, Montauban. Son of Margaret Beattie of 8, Carnegie St., Moffat Rd., Dumfries, and the late William Beattie.

[1] No places are listed in this column in the war diary for the entire month.

[2] 2nd Lieut. Robert Basil Wood. Died: 12/10/1916. 6th Border Regiment (attd. 2nd Border Regiment). Buried at Tancrez Farm Cemetery. Son of Ernest Richard and Katherine Grace Wood of Melton Cottage, East Bergholt, Suffolk. His brothers Richard Poingdestre Wood and Geoffrey Dayrell Wood also fell.

[3] Lieut. William Lindsay Beattie. Died: 27/01/1917. Age: 26 serving with 1st Border Regiment. Buried at Quarry Cemetery, Montauban. Son of Margaret Beattie of 8, Carnegie St., Moffat Rd., Dumfries, and the late William Beattie.

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