Thomas LANGMAN

Private Tom Langman (Courtesy of the family of Thomas Langman)

Tom Langman – 11274 2nd Batallion, Duke of Wellington’s Regiment

Died 5th May 1915 of gas poisoning.

Buried at Reninghelst Churchyard Overflow Cemetry, grave 31.

Tom was a regular soldier, the son of a Railway Guard and a Mill Hand. He lived at 72 Broughton Road.
His movements in 1914-1915 were as follows:–

August 1914 Malta
14th September 1914 to England on SS 'Galicia'
25th September 1914 arrive Southampton and to Hursley Park, Winchester to join 23rd Brigade, 8th Division.
4th November 1914 to France
5th November 1914 arrive Le Havre
11th November 1914 to Neuve Eglise
13th November 1914 Messines Ridge
14th November 1914 3 wounded
18th November 1914 Neuve Eglise, 3 days in trenches, 3 days billets
December 1914 Neuve Chapelle, Red Barn billets, Estares-La Bassee
18th December 1914 Attack Moated Grange
19th December 1914 German counter attack, Major Cooper-King, Lt. Shaw and 2 other officers killed. 120 other ranks killed / wounded.
25th December 1914 return to front line at La Flinque. No shots fired.
29th December 1914 first bath at La Gorgue
1915 In the Hooge area

2/Dukes then were involved in the bitter fighting around Hill 60.
17th April 1915 Took part in attack on Hill 60, which was taken after 3 mines were exploded beneath the German trenches at 7pm on the 17th.

The following is taken from a report bt Lt. CWG Ince, the adjutant at the time, which was first printed in the Times as Eye-Witness at Headquarters in France in April 1915:–

At the time the mines were fired, the 2nd Battalion was in its billets in the town. Some of us were enjoying a well-earned and excellent dinner cooked by our soldier staff. It was not long before we received orders to move up in support of the units of the 13th and 15th Brigades on Hill 60.

At 3 am on April 18th A Company was ordered up into the line and at 6 am the remainder of the battalion moved up in relief of 1/RWK and 2/KOSB, taking over the trenches these regiments had captured the previous evening. A Company were already in the advanced craters.

Poor old A Company in its advanced position suffered badly owing to the close proximity of the enemy. The latter, as already stated, had regained ground during the night prior to the Battalion taking over the hill. A Company was heavily bombed with hand grenades and early in the day had severe casualties, which included its commander, Captain RC Milbank, who was badly wounded, subsequently dying of his wounds. Things got hotter and hotter. Just before noon the Commanding Officer, together with his adjutant and a couple of orderlies, visited these advanced trenches. This was a most precarious journey, as the very shallow communication trench leading to them was almost blocked with dead and wounded. None of this small party was hit, however, either going or coming back, although at times in full view of the enemy.

On his return, about noon, Lt-Colonel Turner ordered B Company augmented by one platoon each of C and D companies, to reinforce A Company, which for many hours had grimly held its ground until nearly wiped out. It was while taking his men up to the craters that Captain Thomas Ellis was killed.

About 4.30 p.m. an order was received from Brigade Headquarters that the battalion was to attack and dislodge the Germans from that portion of the Hill that they had regained during their counter-attacks made the previous night. Lt-Colonel Taylor at once issued orders for the remainder of the Battalion to move up into the craters in readiness, whilst 2/KOYLI occupied the trenches they vacated in readiness, and joined in to support the attack as a second wave.

B Company was given the right section of the attack, C the centre and D the left section, whilst A company, which had suffered so heavily during the day, was held in reserve. Battalion Headquarters was in the centre crater.

Under supporting artillery fire, with bayonets fixed, at 6 p.m. the Battalion went over the top, B Company reached their objective without much difficulty. C Company had to charge over open ground and suffered very heavily, Captain Barton and a few men only reaching their objective. They, however, captured the trenches allotted to them, killing and capturing a number of the enemy.

D Company had some distance to charge over open ground and lost all their officers at the start, four being killed and two wounded. Ably supported by 2/KOYLI this company nevertheless captured the German trenches allotted as its objective. Not an inch of ground was lost.

Dusk was now rapidly approaching, and under cover of darkness, the trenches won were consolidated, the German communication trenches blocked and new communication trenches to our reserves dug.

It was while superintending the attack, accompanied by the adjutant, they Lt-Colonel Turner was unluckily hit first in the right leg and quarter of an hour later in the other leg, thus becoming a casualty.

Beyond some unsuccessful grenade throwing, sniping and heavy shelling, no counter-attack was made that night by the Germans on the captured trenches.

The attack and defence of Hill 60, a mere episode in the British operations, and a very minor occurrence on the whole of the front held by the Allies, will nevertheless go down in history as amongst the finest exploits performed by British troops during the war. Officers who experienced the bombardment prior to the attack of the Prussian Guard on November 11th, and also underwent that directed on Hill 60 state, indeed, that the latter was by far the worse of the two.

What our troops withstood can to some degree be realised if it be remembered that the space fought over on the four and a half days between April 17th and 21st was only 250 yards in length, about 200 yards in depth. On to that small area the enemy for hours on end hurled tons of metal and high explosive, and at times the hill top was wreathed in poisonous fumes. And yet our gallant infantry did not give way. They stood firm under a fire which swept away whole sections at a time, filled the trenches with dead bodies, and so cumbered the approaches to the front line that reinforcements could not reach it without having to climb over the prostrate bodies of their former comrades.
In these circumstances the losses have naturally been very heavy. Nevertheless, they have not depressed the men, who are all, including the wounded, extremely cheerful, for they know that the fight for Hill 60 has cost the Germans far more than it has us.

The battalion had suffered 15 officer casualties (7 dead), 406 other ranks (29 dead, 43 missing believed dead)

After the battering the battalion suffered at the time of the capture of Hill 60 it had some time to recover, included in this process was the arrival of drafts of some 350 other ranks and 15 officers by 24th April; on 1st May several more officers joined, and a draft of 230 arrived on 2nd May. In the intervening time the battalion had also been involved though usually only in support or in reserve, against the German attack to the north of Ypres.

On 4th May 2/Duke’s relieved the Devons in trenches 38, 39, 40, 42, 43 and 45, completing this operation by 3.30 a.m. on the 5th. At 8.45 a.m. the Germans released gas against part of the line held by 2/Dukes. The men were dog tired after a restless night and particularly heavy fighting over the preceding three weeks, and most were asleep in their trenches with the exception of the sentries. Only one of these saw the gas coming, and he promptly gave the alarm.

The Regimental history states :-
Before anything could be done, all those occupying the front line over which it swept were completely overcome, the majority dying at their posts, true heroes. By this foul means the Germans quickly got possession of trenches 40, 43 and 45, there being practically no one left to hold them.

Tom managed to crawl away, and died in agony later on from the effects of the gas.

Private Tom Langman by Jon Blythe

TOM LANGMAN

Died 5th May 1915 of gas poisoning.
Buried at Reninghelst Churchyard Overflow Cemetry, grave 31.

Tom was one of the first to sign up as a soldier on 22nd August 1914, his father was a Guard on the Midland Railway based at Skipton in the West Riding of Yorkshire. He lived at 72 Broughton Road. He’s my Great Uncle.

2/Dukes were a regular regiment, but by April 1915 it was seriously below strength and the first of Kitchener’s army of volunteers were drafted in. Some, like Tom did not last very long at the front (arrived in France on 1st May, dead on the 5th, only spending some 5 hours in the front line).

Extracts from press cuttings:-
West Yorkshire Pioneer 28 May 1915
Private Langman enlisted in Kitchener's Army on August 22nd last. He was sent for training to Grantham in the 8th Battalion West Riding Regiment, and after a course of training there, and owing to his skill as a marksman, he was drafted into the 3rd Battalion, and sent to Newcastle, where he was trained for the work of a sniper. He was then drafted into the 2nd Battalion, and sent across to France, where he arrived on May 1st. His mother received from him a letter dated May 2nd, stating that he had arrived safely, and was quite well and happy. He was writing his letter in the tent of the Y.M.C.A., and his comrades were singing around him. They received a post-card later from the base stating that he was still all right. No further news was received until Sunday morning last, when they received the sad news given above from the Record Office at York. The sympathy of the public will be extended to the family in their sad bereavement.

Craven Herald 28 May 1915
Prior to the war, Pte. Langman, who was 23 years of age and single, was employed by Mr. A. Green, timber merchant. He joined Kitchener's Army in August, and since that time had been in training, principally at Newcastle. He had only been at the front three weeks. Pte. Langman was a well-known and very popular young fellow, and news of his untimely end will be received with general regret.

The movements of 2nd Dukes in 1914-1915 were as follows:-
(Source – Duke’s Regimental History, various books and articles)
August 1914 Malta
14th September 1914 to England on SS 'Galicia'
25th September 1914 arrive Southampton and to Hursley Park, Winchester to join 23rd Brigade, 8th Division.
4th November 1914 to France
5th November 1914 arrive Le Havre
11th November 1914 to Neuve Eglise
13th November 1914 Messines Ridge
14th November 1914 3 wounded
18th November 1914 Neuve Eglise, 3 days in trenches, 3 days billets
December 1914 Neuve Chapelle, Red Barn billets, Estares-La Bassee
18th December 1914 Attack Moated Grange
19th December 1914 German counter attack, Major Cooper-King, Lt. Shaw and 2 other officers killed. 120 other ranks killed / wounded.
25th December 1914 return to front line at La Flinque. No shots fired.
29th December 1914 first bath at La Gorgue
1915 In the Hooge area
2/Dukes then were involved in the bitter fighting around Hill 60.
17th April 1915 Took part in attack on Hill 60, which was taken after 3 mines were exploded beneath the German trenches at 7pm on the 17th.
The following is taken from a report by Lt. CWG Ince, the adjutant at the time, which was first printed in the Times as Eye-Witness at Headquarters in France in April 1915:-
At the time the mines were fired, the 2nd Battalion was in its billets in the town. Some of us were enjoying a well-earned and excellent dinner cooked by our soldier staff. It was not long before we received orders to move up in support of the units of the 13th and 15th Brigades on Hill 60.
At 3 am on April 18th A Company was ordered up into the line and at 6 am the remainder of the battalion moved up in relief of 1/RWK and 2/KOSB, taking over the trenches these regiments had captured the previous evening. A Company were already in the advanced craters.
Poor old A Company in its advanced position suffered badly owing to the close proximity of the enemy. The latter, as already stated, had regained ground during the night prior to the Battalion taking over the hill. A Company was heavily bombed with hand grenades and early in the day had severe casualties, which included its commander, Captain RC Milbank, who was badly wounded, subsequently dying of his wounds. Things got hotter and hotter. Just before noon the Commanding Officer, together with his adjutant and a couple of orderlies, visited these advanced trenches. This was a most precarious journey, as the very shallow communication trench leading to them was almost blocked with dead and wounded. None of this small party was hit, however, either going or coming back, although at times in full view of the enemy.
On his return, about noon, Lt-Colonel Turner ordered B Company augmented by one platoon each of C and D companies, to reinforce A Company, which for many hours had grimly held its ground until nearly wiped out. It was while taking his men up to the craters that Captain Thomas Ellis was killed.
About 4.30 p.m. an order was received from Brigade Headquarters that the battalion was to attack and dislodge the Germans from that portion of the Hill that they had regained during their counter-attacks made the previous night. Lt-Colonel Taylor at once issued orders for the remainder of the Battalion to move up into the craters in readiness, whilst 2/KOYLI occupied the trenches they vacated in readiness, and joined in to support the attack as a second wave.
B Company was given the right section of the attack, C the centre and D the left section, whilst A company, which had suffered so heavily during the day, was held in reserve. Battalion Headquarters was in the centre crater.
Under supporting artillery fire, with bayonets fixed, at 6 p.m. the Battalion went over the top, B Company reached their objective without much difficulty. C Company had to charge over open ground and suffered very heavily, Captain Barton and a few men only reaching their objective. They, however, captured the trenches allotted to them, killing and capturing a number of the enemy.
D Company had some distance to charge over open ground and lost all their officers at the start, four being killed and two wounded. Ably supported by 2/KOYLI this company nevertheless captured the German trenches allotted as its objective. Not an inch of ground was lost.
Dusk was now rapidly approaching, and under cover of darkness, the trenches won were consolidated, the German communication trenches blocked and new communication trenches to our reserves dug.
It was while superintending the attack, accompanied by the adjutant, they Lt-Colonel Turner was unluckily hit first in the right leg and quarter of an hour later in the other leg, thus becoming a casualty.
Beyond some unsuccessful grenade throwing, sniping and heavy shelling, no counter-attack was made that night by the Germans on the captured trenches.
The attack and defence of Hill 60, a mere episode in the British operations, and a very minor occurrence on the whole of the front held by the Allies, will nevertheless go down in history as amongst the finest exploits performed by British troops during the war. Officers who experienced the bombardment prior to the attack of the Prussian Guard on November 11th, and also underwent that directed on Hill 60 state, indeed, that the latter was by far the worse of the two.
What our troops withstood can to some degree be realised if it be remembered that the space fought over on the four and a half days between April 17th and 21st was only 250 yards in length, about 200 yards in depth. On to that small area the enemy for hours on end hurled tons of metal and high explosive, and at times the hill top was wreathed in poisonous fumes. And yet our gallant infantry did not give way. They stood firm under a fire which swept away whole sections at a time, filled the trenches with dead bodies, and so cumbered the approaches to the front line that reinforcements could not reach it without having to climb over the prostrate bodies of their former comrades.
In these circumstances the losses have naturally been very heavy. Nevertheless, they have not depressed the men, who are all, including the wounded, extremely cheerful, for they know that the fight for Hill 60 has cost the Germans far more than it has us.
The battalion had suffered 15 officer casualties (7 dead), 406 other ranks (29 dead, 43 missing believed dead)
After the battering the battalion suffered at the time of the capture of Hill 60 it had some time to recover, included in this process was the arrival of drafts of some 350 other ranks and 15 officers by 24th April; on 1st May several more officers joined, and a draft of 230 arrived on 2nd May, Tom being part of this draft. In the intervening time the battalion had also been involved though usually only in support or in reserve, against the German attack to the north of Ypres.
On 4th May 2/Dukes relieved the Devons in trenches 38, 39, 40, 42, 43 and 45, completing this operation by 3.30 a.m. on the 5th. At 8.45 a.m. the Germans released gas against part of the line held by 2/Dukes. The men were dog tired after a restless night and particularly heavy fighting over the preceding three weeks, and most were asleep in their trenches with the exception of the sentries. Only one of these saw the gas coming, and he promptly gave the alarm.
The Regimental history states :-
Before anything could be done, all those occupying the front line over which it swept were completely overcome, the majority dying at their posts, true heroes. By this foul means the Germans quickly got possession of trenches 40, 43 and 45, there being practically no one left to hold them.

Hill 60 is now a stopping off point for battlefield tours, with some new paths made for easier access. There is a cafe nearby, which is more or less where the trenches were situated in which Tom and many others met their end. I visited Hill 60 at 08:45 on 5th May 2015 to pay my respects.

Tom was one of the first to sign up as a soldier on 22nd August 1914, his father was a Guard on the Midland Railway based at Skipton in the West Riding of Yorkshire. He lived at 72 Broughton Road. He’s my Great Uncle.

2/Dukes were a regular regiment, but by April 1915 it was seriously below strength and the first of Kitchener’s army of volunteers were drafted in. Some, like Tom did not last very long at the front (arrived in France on 1st May, dead on the 5th, only spending some 5 hours in the front line).

Extracts from press cuttings:-
West Yorkshire Pioneer 28 May 1915
Private Langman enlisted in Kitchener's Army on August 22nd last. He was sent for training to Grantham in the 8th Battalion West Riding Regiment, and after a course of training there, and owing to his skill as a marksman, he was drafted into the 3rd Battalion, and sent to Newcastle, where he was trained for the work of a sniper. He was then drafted into the 2nd Battalion, and sent across to France, where he arrived on May 1st. His mother received from him a letter dated May 2nd, stating that he had arrived safely, and was quite well and happy. He was writing his letter in the tent of the Y.M.C.A., and his comrades were singing around him. They received a post-card later from the base stating that he was still all right. No further news was received until Sunday morning last, when they received the sad news given above from the Record Office at York. The sympathy of the public will be extended to the family in their sad bereavement.

Craven Herald 28 May 1915
Prior to the war, Pte. Langman, who was 23 years of age and single, was employed by Mr. A. Green, timber merchant. He joined Kitchener's Army in August, and since that time had been in training, principally at Newcastle. He had only been at the front three weeks. Pte. Langman was a well-known and very popular young fellow, and news of his untimely end will be received with general regret.

The movements of 2nd Dukes in 1914-1915 were as follows:-
(Source – Duke’s Regimental History, various books and articles)
August 1914 Malta
14th September 1914 to England on SS 'Galicia'
25th September 1914 arrive Southampton and to Hursley Park, Winchester to join 23rd Brigade, 8th Division.
4th November 1914 to France
5th November 1914 arrive Le Havre
11th November 1914 to Neuve Eglise
13th November 1914 Messines Ridge
14th November 1914 3 wounded
18th November 1914 Neuve Eglise, 3 days in trenches, 3 days billets
December 1914 Neuve Chapelle, Red Barn billets, Estares-La Bassee
18th December 1914 Attack Moated Grange
19th December 1914 German counter attack, Major Cooper-King, Lt. Shaw and 2 other officers killed. 120 other ranks killed / wounded.
25th December 1914 return to front line at La Flinque. No shots fired.
29th December 1914 first bath at La Gorgue
1915 In the Hooge area
2/Dukes then were involved in the bitter fighting around Hill 60.
17th April 1915 Took part in attack on Hill 60, which was taken after 3 mines were exploded beneath the German trenches at 7pm on the 17th.
The following is taken from a report by Lt. CWG Ince, the adjutant at the time, which was first printed in the Times as Eye-Witness at Headquarters in France in April 1915:-
At the time the mines were fired, the 2nd Battalion was in its billets in the town. Some of us were enjoying a well-earned and excellent dinner cooked by our soldier staff. It was not long before we received orders to move up in support of the units of the 13th and 15th Brigades on Hill 60.
At 3 am on April 18th A Company was ordered up into the line and at 6 am the remainder of the battalion moved up in relief of 1/RWK and 2/KOSB, taking over the trenches these regiments had captured the previous evening. A Company were already in the advanced craters.
Poor old A Company in its advanced position suffered badly owing to the close proximity of the enemy. The latter, as already stated, had regained ground during the night prior to the Battalion taking over the hill. A Company was heavily bombed with hand grenades and early in the day had severe casualties, which included its commander, Captain RC Milbank, who was badly wounded, subsequently dying of his wounds. Things got hotter and hotter. Just before noon the Commanding Officer, together with his adjutant and a couple of orderlies, visited these advanced trenches. This was a most precarious journey, as the very shallow communication trench leading to them was almost blocked with dead and wounded. None of this small party was hit, however, either going or coming back, although at times in full view of the enemy.
On his return, about noon, Lt-Colonel Turner ordered B Company augmented by one platoon each of C and D companies, to reinforce A Company, which for many hours had grimly held its ground until nearly wiped out. It was while taking his men up to the craters that Captain Thomas Ellis was killed.
About 4.30 p.m. an order was received from Brigade Headquarters that the battalion was to attack and dislodge the Germans from that portion of the Hill that they had regained during their counter-attacks made the previous night. Lt-Colonel Taylor at once issued orders for the remainder of the Battalion to move up into the craters in readiness, whilst 2/KOYLI occupied the trenches they vacated in readiness, and joined in to support the attack as a second wave.
B Company was given the right section of the attack, C the centre and D the left section, whilst A company, which had suffered so heavily during the day, was held in reserve. Battalion Headquarters was in the centre crater.
Under supporting artillery fire, with bayonets fixed, at 6 p.m. the Battalion went over the top, B Company reached their objective without much difficulty. C Company had to charge over open ground and suffered very heavily, Captain Barton and a few men only reaching their objective. They, however, captured the trenches allotted to them, killing and capturing a number of the enemy.
D Company had some distance to charge over open ground and lost all their officers at the start, four being killed and two wounded. Ably supported by 2/KOYLI this company nevertheless captured the German trenches allotted as its objective. Not an inch of ground was lost.
Dusk was now rapidly approaching, and under cover of darkness, the trenches won were consolidated, the German communication trenches blocked and new communication trenches to our reserves dug.
It was while superintending the attack, accompanied by the adjutant, they Lt-Colonel Turner was unluckily hit first in the right leg and quarter of an hour later in the other leg, thus becoming a casualty.
Beyond some unsuccessful grenade throwing, sniping and heavy shelling, no counter-attack was made that night by the Germans on the captured trenches.
The attack and defence of Hill 60, a mere episode in the British operations, and a very minor occurrence on the whole of the front held by the Allies, will nevertheless go down in history as amongst the finest exploits performed by British troops during the war. Officers who experienced the bombardment prior to the attack of the Prussian Guard on November 11th, and also underwent that directed on Hill 60 state, indeed, that the latter was by far the worse of the two.
What our troops withstood can to some degree be realised if it be remembered that the space fought over on the four and a half days between April 17th and 21st was only 250 yards in length, about 200 yards in depth. On to that small area the enemy for hours on end hurled tons of metal and high explosive, and at times the hill top was wreathed in poisonous fumes. And yet our gallant infantry did not give way. They stood firm under a fire which swept away whole sections at a time, filled the trenches with dead bodies, and so cumbered the approaches to the front line that reinforcements could not reach it without having to climb over the prostrate bodies of their former comrades.
In these circumstances the losses have naturally been very heavy. Nevertheless, they have not depressed the men, who are all, including the wounded, extremely cheerful, for they know that the fight for Hill 60 has cost the Germans far more than it has us.
The battalion had suffered 15 officer casualties (7 dead), 406 other ranks (29 dead, 43 missing believed dead)
After the battering the battalion suffered at the time of the capture of Hill 60 it had some time to recover, included in this process was the arrival of drafts of some 350 other ranks and 15 officers by 24th April; on 1st May several more officers joined, and a draft of 230 arrived on 2nd May, Tom being part of this draft. In the intervening time the battalion had also been involved though usually only in support or in reserve, against the German attack to the north of Ypres.
On 4th May 2/Dukes relieved the Devons in trenches 38, 39, 40, 42, 43 and 45, completing this operation by 3.30 a.m. on the 5th. At 8.45 a.m. the Germans released gas against part of the line held by 2/Dukes. The men were dog tired after a restless night and particularly heavy fighting over the preceding three weeks, and most were asleep in their trenches with the exception of the sentries. Only one of these saw the gas coming, and he promptly gave the alarm.
The Regimental history states :-
Before anything could be done, all those occupying the front line over which it swept were completely overcome, the majority dying at their posts, true heroes. By this foul means the Germans quickly got possession of trenches 40, 43 and 45, there being practically no one left to hold them.

Hill 60 is now a stopping off point for battlefield tours, with some new paths made for easier access. There is a cafe nearby, which is more or less where the trenches were situated in which Tom and many others met their end. I visited Hill 60 at 08:45 on 5th May 2015 to pay my respects.

Tom was one of the first to sign up as a soldier on 22nd August 1914, his father was a Guard on the Midland Railway based at Skipton in the West Riding of Yorkshire. He lived at 72 Broughton Road. He’s my Great Uncle.

2/Dukes were a regular regiment, but by April 1915 it was seriously below strength and the first of Kitchener’s army of volunteers were drafted in. Some, like Tom did not last very long at the front (arrived in France on 1st May, dead on the 5th, only spending some 5 hours in the front line).

Extracts from press cuttings:-
West Yorkshire Pioneer 28 May 1915
Private Langman enlisted in Kitchener's Army on August 22nd last. He was sent for training to Grantham in the 8th Battalion West Riding Regiment, and after a course of training there, and owing to his skill as a marksman, he was drafted into the 3rd Battalion, and sent to Newcastle, where he was trained for the work of a sniper. He was then drafted into the 2nd Battalion, and sent across to France, where he arrived on May 1st. His mother received from him a letter dated May 2nd, stating that he had arrived safely, and was quite well and happy. He was writing his letter in the tent of the Y.M.C.A., and his comrades were singing around him. They received a post-card later from the base stating that he was still all right. No further news was received until Sunday morning last, when they received the sad news given above from the Record Office at York. The sympathy of the public will be extended to the family in their sad bereavement.

Craven Herald 28 May 1915
Prior to the war, Pte. Langman, who was 23 years of age and single, was employed by Mr. A. Green, timber merchant. He joined Kitchener's Army in August, and since that time had been in training, principally at Newcastle. He had only been at the front three weeks. Pte. Langman was a well-known and very popular young fellow, and news of his untimely end will be received with general regret.

The movements of 2nd Dukes in 1914-1915 were as follows:-
(Source – Duke’s Regimental History, various books and articles)
August 1914 Malta
14th September 1914 to England on SS 'Galicia'
25th September 1914 arrive Southampton and to Hursley Park, Winchester to join 23rd Brigade, 8th Division.
4th November 1914 to France
5th November 1914 arrive Le Havre
11th November 1914 to Neuve Eglise
13th November 1914 Messines Ridge
14th November 1914 3 wounded
18th November 1914 Neuve Eglise, 3 days in trenches, 3 days billets
December 1914 Neuve Chapelle, Red Barn billets, Estares-La Bassee
18th December 1914 Attack Moated Grange
19th December 1914 German counter attack, Major Cooper-King, Lt. Shaw and 2 other officers killed. 120 other ranks killed / wounded.
25th December 1914 return to front line at La Flinque. No shots fired.
29th December 1914 first bath at La Gorgue
1915 In the Hooge area
2/Dukes then were involved in the bitter fighting around Hill 60.
17th April 1915 Took part in attack on Hill 60, which was taken after 3 mines were exploded beneath the German trenches at 7pm on the 17th.
The following is taken from a report by Lt. CWG Ince, the adjutant at the time, which was first printed in the Times as Eye-Witness at Headquarters in France in April 1915:-
At the time the mines were fired, the 2nd Battalion was in its billets in the town. Some of us were enjoying a well-earned and excellent dinner cooked by our soldier staff. It was not long before we received orders to move up in support of the units of the 13th and 15th Brigades on Hill 60.
At 3 am on April 18th A Company was ordered up into the line and at 6 am the remainder of the battalion moved up in relief of 1/RWK and 2/KOSB, taking over the trenches these regiments had captured the previous evening. A Company were already in the advanced craters.
Poor old A Company in its advanced position suffered badly owing to the close proximity of the enemy. The latter, as already stated, had regained ground during the night prior to the Battalion taking over the hill. A Company was heavily bombed with hand grenades and early in the day had severe casualties, which included its commander, Captain RC Milbank, who was badly wounded, subsequently dying of his wounds. Things got hotter and hotter. Just before noon the Commanding Officer, together with his adjutant and a couple of orderlies, visited these advanced trenches. This was a most precarious journey, as the very shallow communication trench leading to them was almost blocked with dead and wounded. None of this small party was hit, however, either going or coming back, although at times in full view of the enemy.
On his return, about noon, Lt-Colonel Turner ordered B Company augmented by one platoon each of C and D companies, to reinforce A Company, which for many hours had grimly held its ground until nearly wiped out. It was while taking his men up to the craters that Captain Thomas Ellis was killed.
About 4.30 p.m. an order was received from Brigade Headquarters that the battalion was to attack and dislodge the Germans from that portion of the Hill that they had regained during their counter-attacks made the previous night. Lt-Colonel Taylor at once issued orders for the remainder of the Battalion to move up into the craters in readiness, whilst 2/KOYLI occupied the trenches they vacated in readiness, and joined in to support the attack as a second wave.
B Company was given the right section of the attack, C the centre and D the left section, whilst A company, which had suffered so heavily during the day, was held in reserve. Battalion Headquarters was in the centre crater.
Under supporting artillery fire, with bayonets fixed, at 6 p.m. the Battalion went over the top, B Company reached their objective without much difficulty. C Company had to charge over open ground and suffered very heavily, Captain Barton and a few men only reaching their objective. They, however, captured the trenches allotted to them, killing and capturing a number of the enemy.
D Company had some distance to charge over open ground and lost all their officers at the start, four being killed and two wounded. Ably supported by 2/KOYLI this company nevertheless captured the German trenches allotted as its objective. Not an inch of ground was lost.
Dusk was now rapidly approaching, and under cover of darkness, the trenches won were consolidated, the German communication trenches blocked and new communication trenches to our reserves dug.
It was while superintending the attack, accompanied by the adjutant, they Lt-Colonel Turner was unluckily hit first in the right leg and quarter of an hour later in the other leg, thus becoming a casualty.
Beyond some unsuccessful grenade throwing, sniping and heavy shelling, no counter-attack was made that night by the Germans on the captured trenches.
The attack and defence of Hill 60, a mere episode in the British operations, and a very minor occurrence on the whole of the front held by the Allies, will nevertheless go down in history as amongst the finest exploits performed by British troops during the war. Officers who experienced the bombardment prior to the attack of the Prussian Guard on November 11th, and also underwent that directed on Hill 60 state, indeed, that the latter was by far the worse of the two.
What our troops withstood can to some degree be realised if it be remembered that the space fought over on the four and a half days between April 17th and 21st was only 250 yards in length, about 200 yards in depth. On to that small area the enemy for hours on end hurled tons of metal and high explosive, and at times the hill top was wreathed in poisonous fumes. And yet our gallant infantry did not give way. They stood firm under a fire which swept away whole sections at a time, filled the trenches with dead bodies, and so cumbered the approaches to the front line that reinforcements could not reach it without having to climb over the prostrate bodies of their former comrades.
In these circumstances the losses have naturally been very heavy. Nevertheless, they have not depressed the men, who are all, including the wounded, extremely cheerful, for they know that the fight for Hill 60 has cost the Germans far more than it has us.
The battalion had suffered 15 officer casualties (7 dead), 406 other ranks (29 dead, 43 missing believed dead)
After the battering the battalion suffered at the time of the capture of Hill 60 it had some time to recover, included in this process was the arrival of drafts of some 350 other ranks and 15 officers by 24th April; on 1st May several more officers joined, and a draft of 230 arrived on 2nd May, Tom being part of this draft. In the intervening time the battalion had also been involved though usually only in support or in reserve, against the German attack to the north of Ypres.
On 4th May 2/Dukes relieved the Devons in trenches 38, 39, 40, 42, 43 and 45, completing this operation by 3.30 a.m. on the 5th. At 8.45 a.m. the Germans released gas against part of the line held by 2/Dukes. The men were dog tired after a restless night and particularly heavy fighting over the preceding three weeks, and most were asleep in their trenches with the exception of the sentries. Only one of these saw the gas coming, and he promptly gave the alarm.
The Regimental history states :-
Before anything could be done, all those occupying the front line over which it swept were completely overcome, the majority dying at their posts, true heroes. By this foul means the Germans quickly got possession of trenches 40, 43 and 45, there being practically no one left to hold them.

Hill 60 is now a stopping off point for battlefield tours, with some new paths made for easier access. There is a café nearby, which is more or less where the trenches were situated in which Tom and many others met their end. I visited Hill 60 at 08:45 on 5th May 2015 to pay my respects.

Jon Blythe