Samuel Spowart Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders War Diary

[derekjwatson25]

My wife's grandfather Samuel Spowart war diary from 1918 has him in Victora Barrack's Cork then shipped to St Venant in France , late April. He was awarded the Military Medal for action he took on 17th Sept. He has scribbled out what happened on his diary for the 17th. His Regimental Number was 11493 and he was with The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (?) Can anybody assist with information as to what happened on that night ?

[derekjwatson25]

Diary page from 17th Sept

[MaxD]

It seems he was serving at the time with 8th Battalion A&SH.  The war diary for March 1918 onwards is here http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7352800. On 17 Sep 1918 he took part in a bombing (throwing grenades) raid and was wounded.  His own diary has him in the Casualty Clearing Station the next day and on his way to hospital a day later. Nothing obvious in the diary about an award, Is the date definitely related to his action or to when it was awarded, which is often much later?

MaxD

[derekjwatson25]

Max , the last page in his diary mentions the award of the medalfor action he undertook on 17th Sept.

[MaxD]

Absolutely splendid, you are very lucky to have his diary.  Love the part when he names the lady he was fighting for  - did he marry her?

His diary and the war diary are clearly describing the same action, a bombing raid during the Allied offensive that ended the war (The Hundred Days) (the Argylls were at the time occupying trenches taken from the enemy).  I fear you will not find the official write up which would have found its way up the chain of command , very few MM citations are to be found.  Significant perhaps that the war diary records "want of skillful hand bombers badly felt" which could well indicate that he was among those that men who were skillful and perhaps that is why he was subsequently put up for the award.  London Gazette 7 Feb 1919
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/31173/supplement/2118

MaxD

[MaxD]

The action took place to the north east of the Quarries G12 a 5 5 on the trench map.  The large quarry  can still seen on the present day map
http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=15&lat=50.4949&lon=2.8013&layers=101465005&right=BingHyb 
The town in the bottom right is Hulluch

MaxD

[jim1]

Can't add anything to what MaxD has given but as an aside if you look at the map you can still see the Glass Lane, Fosse Alley & Gypsy Alley trenches below the surface.