War Diaries

[nanny jan]

Did all diaries survive?  Trying to find one on Ancestry but failing.   

[MaxD]

Some units didn't make them, some didn't survive and some are hidden in Ancestry's eccentric filing system.  Which one(s) are you after??

MaxD

[nanny jan]

I'm looking for the Buffs, 3rd Battalion.
Trying to place where a soldier was when he got shot (15/1/1918), as he is not an officer he will just be with the ORs.

[MaxD]

3rd Battalion was a training battalion that didn't leave England - more clues??

MaxD

[nanny jan]

All becomes clear....I took that from a transcription on FindMyPast.

From his record....O/C (?)  8th Buffs posted 21-12-16    Occupational Group No. 1 (Farmes  5)  ?

Any clues there?

Thanks again.   

[nanny jan]

Another section of his record regarding the wounding has Cambrai in brackets.   Does that help?

[MaxD]

8th battalion were in 24 Division so in the France/Belgium/Germany war diaries on Ancestry:

Regiment/Unit - Buffs (East Kent) regiment
Division - 24th

Brings up the 8th Battalion Buffs to end Jan 1918, they were disbanded in Feb 1918.

There is no record on 15 Jan of any casualties?

The date you gave earlier was a year before, was he still in that battalion??

Just seen you other post - it helps, negatively.  The 8th Battalion were at Bullecourt on 15 Jan 18, Cambrai is 25 or so kilometres to the east which suggest there is something amiss with the date or the battalion.

Can I see the record?

MaxD

[nanny jan]

I'm researching Denis Richardson Harman, born 1890.  I found his service record on FindMyPast.

[MaxD]

His record does confirm he was in 8th Buffs.  The date though of the wounding was 14 Jan 18 which accords with the diary which says "in the afternoon, the company in reserve at L 10 a was badly shelled and had to move up to Hargicourt trench, only one man was hit and he very slightly".  If one allows for the seriousness of the wounding becoming apparent only later, then this will be it.  The annotation "Cambrai" is made by the medics at Southampton 2 months later and I'd suggest is simply wrong.

Hargicourt trench can be seen running north south just to the west (left) of Hargicourt in squares L 10 and L 4.  If you hover over the trench the right hand map shows you what it looks like today.
http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=14&lat=49.9639&lon=3.1514&layers=101465290&right=BingHyb

MaxD