Thomas's Story.
Thomas Daniel was born in Mobberley in 1897, the son of Henry (a publican) and Annie of Mobberley.
He joined the 1/5th Royal Warwickshire Regiment as Private 29135.
The war diary (Appendix II) states:
4.10.17
The enemy opened a heavy fire along our forming up line at twenty minutes before zero, & B Coy suffered 7 casualties (O.R) and 1 officer before zero.
Right Company (A) Coy)
No. 1 platoon under 2/Leiut. W. Shadbolt got to VALE HOUSE with only a few casualties & consolidated the flanks.
No. 2 platoon passed through No. 1, had some severe fighting around WINZIG took twenty prisoners & consolidated.
No. 3 & 4 platoons cane through Nos 1 & 2 but the NEW ZEALANDERS (1 AUKLAND BN.) lost direction & pushed our men over to the left.
No. 3 platoon under 2?Leiut. A. F. Foreman got on to the high ground about D.2. central and consolidated with the 1/6th R.War. R. on the left and the NEW ZEALANDERS on the right, he had about 10 men remaining.
No.4 platoon after casualties from M.G. fire on the left reached D.c 7.1 & dug in.
About zero plus 50 minutes heavy shelling of VALE HOUSE commenced, almost wiping out No.1 platoon, wounding the platoon commander & killing or wounding all of the forward H.Q. which had moved up there.
(Capt. E. Holt, 2/Leiut. S.G. Mincher, & 2/leiut. W. Shadbolt, wounded).
B Coy (left front company)
As soon as the leading platoons started moving forward heavy M.G. fire was opened from the front from about XXXXXX , iun all about 5 (light pattern) M.Gs. and many snipers. These places were eventually cleared up but the company was only about 30 strong. Leiut. C.E. CARRINGTON with about 10 men worked across to D.2. central & consolidated there. The remainder of the Coy consolidated in the positions they had taken.
C Company (right support company).
Moved up at zero plus 20 minutes and some of the leading men became somewhat involved in the fighting around WINZIG.
The pressure from the NEW ZEALANDERS on the right pushed the Coy over and 2/Leiut. F.W. HALE with the No. 9 platoon got to about D.2. central & consolidated just in the rear of the NEW ZEALANDERS.
No. 10 & 11 lost direction & I found them about 9.15 a.m. about XXXX but apparently they crossed the STRONBEEK about XXXX & working to the left consolidated behind the NEW ZEALANDERS about XXXX.
D Coy (left support company)
Moved up at zero plus 20 minutes & soon lost all its officers & 3 platoon sergeants from shell fire & snipers who still held out at about XXX
The remains of 2 platoons I found about XXX where they dug in close to the 2 M.Gs. of A Section (Lt. WHYTE) the other 2 platoons were in shell holes when I arrived up at 9.30 a.m. and I ordered C.S.M. SCOTT to dig in along the line of the STROONBEER about XXX.
About 100 prisoners, wounded and unwounded were taken by the Bn.
During the day Lieut. C.E. CARRINGTON was ordered to withdraw and form a support Coy about ALBATROSS FARM. Also in the afternoon the NEW ZEALANDERS moved to the right, thereby leaving about 30 men of the 1/5th R.War.R under 2/Leiut. F.W. HALE & 2/Leiut. A.F. FOREMAN betwwen D.2. central & WELLINGTON FARM. This thinning out was very necessary as there were too many men in the area & it was being heavily shelled.
About 4.45 p.m. 3 Coys of the 1/5th Gloucesters advanced to advance our line but although Capt. E.P.Q. CARTER & 2/Leiut. G.T. GAUNTLET directed them on to our front the high ground D.2. central & the fact of having to cross the stream diagonally if they kept in the right direction attracted them towards D.2. central where they dug in.
The war diary says that this action went on for a further 3 days and concludes:
Officers killed - 4
O.R. 61 killed 9 missing wounded 254.
Researched and compiled by Tony Davies.