His record is at first sight not entirely clear as to which unit he was serving with during those 3 months he was in France. His medal roll entry and medal card say West Somerset Yeomanry. However, the only West Som Yeo unit that went overseas was 1/1st who went to Gallipoli and later Egypt at the time he was overseas.
The date 13 August 1916 which is related on his record to a transfer to the SLI adds up with the arrival with 1st Battalion SLI in France on 13 August 1916 of a draft including 30 men of the West Somerset Yeomanry (war diary). Arrival in France on 4 August and arrival some 9 days later at his battalion would be typical.
Always difficult to comment on a family story but when with the SLI he was highly unlikely to have ridden a horse. 1st Battalion SLI did have a torrid time of it on the first days of the Somme but he didn't arrive until a month later but the battalion were heavily engaged towards the end of his time with them in a later phase of the Battle of the Somme.
On 16 September when he was awarded 7 days Field Punishment No 2 (imprisoned, remained shackled or in handcuffs but not fixed to an object) the battalion were out of the line resting and having baths.
Difficult to square the last part of his overseas service which ended in mid November as the battalion had been out of the line since Oct 25th so what the circumstances were that brought him home, his record does not divulge.
The war diary that covers the period he was with them can be downloaded from the National Archives for £3.50 at
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14017004 although more readable is this little history
https://archive.org/details/somersettinfantry00majeuoft/page/n6 (click the pages to turn them) p[ages 13-20 cover the period.
MaxD
PS note that there is a conduct sheet mixed in his record with offences in 1915 which isn't his.
