THOMAS WEBSTER Thomas Webster joined the Army as a volunteer and enlisted at Thirsk. He entered France on June 30th 1915, as a private in the Yorkshire Regiment, so he would have joined-up anytime between August 1914 and early 1915. He served with the 2nd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. It seems likely he spent all his time with that battalion and would therefore have joined them as part of a draft of reinforcements. At the s**** of the war the battalion was grouped in the 21st Infantry Brigade which was part of 7 Division. Tom was 18 when he joined up. He was the second born son of Tom and Clara Webster who lived next door to the Porter Vaults owned by Matthew Bowser in Chapel Street, Thirsk. He had four brothers, two Frederick and Herbert also entered the Yorkshire Regiment (Fred was soon invalided out with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Herbert surviving). When Tom arrived in France in June 1915, his battalion was in the area of Givenchy-en-Gohelle and Loos. He would have joined them at a time when they were in trench routine – spending a few days in the front line alternating with a few days in billets a mile or so to the rear. The Battalion was preparing for the forthcoming Battle of Loos on September 25th. This was the first battle in which the British fired chlorine shells, but much of the gas blew back onto the British troops. The 7th Division secured the Hohenzollern Redoubt, but any successes were reversed as the enemy brought up reserves on the second day and the British eventually had to retreat back to their trench lines with sporadic fighting continuing until the Loos attack was renewed by the British on 13 October, when further heavy losses combined with poor weather caused the offensive to be called off. On December 20th 1915 the 21st Infantry Brigade, which included the Yorkshire Regiment, was transferred to the 30th Infantry Division. The 30th was relatively new and would benefit from the addition of seasoned troops. 1916 saw the 30th Division training for the forthcoming Spring offensive which involved a move further South in the area around Albert. The planned offensive became the First Battle of the Somme which opened on July 1st 1916. The 21st Infantry Brigade now included the 2nd Bn Yorkshire Regiment fighting alongside men from Liverpool and Manchester as well as Wiltshire. The night of June 30th was spent huddled in ***embly trenches, too tightly crowded to sit down. It was Tom's first anniversary of arriving in France. On July 1st the dawn broke with a chill in the air and the sun rose through a mist that lay over the ground. The sun's light turned the yellow and white explosions of shrapnel shells an unusual pink colour. Tom's battalion was in the area of Maricourt with the objective of taking the enemy-held village of Montauban. Because of a kink in the front line, the enemy position was to the North of them, rather than to the East. The 30th Division had the advantage of being led by Major General J S M Shea who was described as "liberal and free thinking in his planning". At six a.m. the intense Allied bombardment began; word was p***ed down that 'zero' was 7.30 a.m. At zero hour the 21st Brigade went over and took the enemy first and second trenches and Glatz Redoubt and Dublin Trench. Glatz redoubt was half way between the British front line and Montauban on the right of the Division's advance, just South of Bernafay Wood. The Dublin Trench ran from the redoubt for about 2,000 feet to the East onto the edge of Hardecourt aux Bois. Although the losses on the first day of the Somme were not as severe in this sector as they were further North, the Brigade was frustrated by shell-fire and machine-guns. One officer recorded: "The German shells littered the battle field with dead and wounded; all around us and in front men dropped or staggered about; a yellow m*** of lydite shrapnel would burst high up and a section [of men] in two-deep formation would crumple up and be gone. Every inch of the ground was churned up and pitted with shell holes. It was impossible even to locate the German front line; his second was a great irregular ditch full of craters and fresh earth." In the next few days the 30th Division was involved in the fighting for Trones Wood (Bois de Troncs) which is near Guillemont and was captured on July 14th. The 2nd Yorkshire Regiment also took Trigger Wood, south of Bronfay. July 23rd saw the official s**** of the second phase of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. The day was overcast. The fighting included fierce engagements in and around the village of Pozieres. The British recaptured the whole of Longueval but the Germans retook the northern part of the village and the outskirts of Guillemont changed hands twice. The 2nd Yorkshire Regiment opened their fight for Guillemont at 3.40 a.m. on the 23rd July 1916. "A" Company was in the front on the right led by Second-Lieutenant Scoby who was wounded. The attack failed because the enemy wire was not cut by the artillery and the men lost their bearings in the darkness and smoke barrage. When they came under machine-gun fire the survivors had to retreat back to their s****ing point. Tom was among the casualties of nine ****ed; 151 wounded and 90 missing. Tom's grave is in the Bernafay Wood British Cemetery.

HELEN BOWERS