| Regiment | 1st Wiltshire |
|---|---|
| Location | France, La Targette |
| Entry | During the night of 7th/8th the enemy lip of the Common Crater was rifle grenaded, by day the Stokes Gun registered on the place where the enemy had been working during the night. Lieut G E Brown was killed by a sniper as he was looking over the parapet. This officer who transferred to the Battn from the ASC in the middle of January 1916 had done very valuable work in the line previously in April when the Battn was engaged on mining fatigues in this sector. He brought up a Lewis rifle in support of the Sherwood Foresters after the explosion of a mine and did most effective work. Later on Easter Monday on the occasion of the Grange Crater he was slightly wounded in the head by a piece of bomb which penetrated his steel helmet. After wrapping a bandage over the wound he continued bombing and did not go down to the dressing station until much later. In spite of his limited experience of trenches he had displayed great coolness and initiative since being in the line. At 7.57p.m. the enemy sprang a mine between the old and new craters at the top of Birkin CT. The effect was to fill up the valley between the two craters and prevent the enemy from enfilading our posts. A post of two men was buried and their bodies were not recovered. Ptes Drewitt and Woodward of D Coy. The near lip was consolidated and a sap pushed out to the North to connect with the crater which was blown up on the 3rd. In addition to the two men buried here was one killed and one wounded. At 8.13p.m. we sprang a mine NE of the top of Grange CT between the two existing craters. This had the effect of obliterating both craters and forming a crescent shaped crater about 45 yds across and 80 yds in length. It was at least 60 feet deep. After the explosion a Lewis rifle was rushed up and enfilading fire brought to bear upon a German working party which was fixing loopholes in the northern lip. Good execution must have been done as work ceased and was not resumed. A sap was run in continuation of Grange CT to the lip and a side cut was made to command the right flank. A further sap ending in a Y shaped fork was run out to the Southern extremity and two loophole plates place in position. There was no casualty. The casualties for the day were:- Killed Lieut E E Brown, L/Cpl Card D H and Pte Deering G. Missing buried by mine debris Pte Drewitt J and Pte Woodward T. Wounded Ptes Chiddey F, Dixon C F and Ball J E . Wounded, at duty Sgt Mitten W and L/Cpl Grieson H C. |
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