Current Information:

Age-26

156, Victor Road, Penge

The Somme trenches were no place to be during the winter of 1916-1917.  Constant rain, snow and cold winds made them a nightmare. Men who were able to make the comparison said that the mud of the Somme was worse than that at Passchendaele, later in 1917. Simply surviving in the shell battered trenches was arduous enough but by now the plans for a major offensive at Arras were well advanced and they included a need to keep the Germans fully occupied on the Somme front. Starting early in the year, the British launched a number of attacks on the Somme front, aimed at capturing strategic points in the German line and thereby undermining their overall defences.

During the second week of February, 1917, 59 Brigade, 20th Division, moved into the front line in the Lesboeufs sector of the Somme. There was in this sector a particularly unpleasant and dangerous trench known as ‘B’ Post, in the right sub sector of the line, 1000 yards south of the village of Le Transloy. It was exposed to hostile attacks from three sides, cut off from support by old German wire in the rear and difficult to approach owing to the lie of the land. It was scandalous that this death trap should continue to be held but in line with the policy of not yielding one inch of ground, it was. Attempts to dig a communication trench back from ‘B’ Post were defeated by the hardness of the ground and enemy machine-guns. 11th Rifle Brigade took over these trenches on 8th February. For this tour 20th Division were divided into two Brigade groups, the left at Lesboeufs and the right at Morval. which in practical purposes meant two days in the front line, one at the Guillemont huts and three at the Carnoy Camps. In accordance with this timetable, 11th Rifle Brigade stayed here until relieved on 10th February. The Battalion Diary makes no mention of casualties during this short tour but there were a number of them including Charles Haines on 10th February. Whether he fell victim to shell fire or a sniper’s bullet, we shall probably never know.