Current Information:

Born-Richmond

Philosophe British Cemetery, Mazingarbe, France

40th Division, including 13th East Surrey of 120 Brigade, landed in France at the beginning of June, 1916 and after the requisite period of trench warfare instruction, the division took over the front line in the old Loos battlefield, near Lens. On 4th August, 1916, 13th East Surrey moved into the front line trenches in the Loos sector where they stayed for five days. At this time most attention was fixed on the battle unfolding further south on the Somme  but that was not to say that things were quiet on this sector of the line. The Battalion Diary records that both sides sent over rifle grenades and trench mortars, which they called ‘rum-jars’, on a regular basis and there were of course casualties as a result. 8th August, 1916, was a particularly bad day when five men were killed as the enemy retaliated to a bombardment of their positions. One of those killed was Thomas Long.