About Me

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Born in August 1887 in Awsworth Notts, to Henry and Sarah Lamin. Elder Sisters Catherine (Kate), Mary Esther and Sarah Anne(Annie) and Elder brother John (Jack). Educated at Awsworth Board School, just outside Ilkeston, Derbyshire, England. I served with honour in the 9th Battalion York & Lancaster Regiment seeing front line action in Flanders and Northern Italy from the end of 1916 to January 1920.

October 1917

Menin Road
1st
During night Sept 30th - Oct 1st front line garrison was increased by 3 sections & wire was repaired. 5 am to 6 am heavy enemy shelling: our protective barrage opened at 5.15 am. S.O.S. went up on our left at 6am but no infantry action followed on our front. Heavily shelled about 12.30 pm especially round Batt H.Q. Enemy aeroplanes active all day flying low and firing : fire was opened from the ground but without effect. 6.30 pm enemy bombarded & at 7 pm was seen massing: the artillery put down the barrage promptly in reply to our S.O.S. & quashed the attack; after this, the night was quiet.
2nd Protective barrage at dawn. Intermittent shelling during the day. Relieved by 1st R. West Kents. Relief complete 11.45 pm.
Casualties during tour killed 1 officer 3 O.R. Wounded 3 officers 22 O.R.s: Missing 3 O.R.s

3rd Battalion moved to METEREN area by bus, embussing at 2 pm and arriving in billets by 6 pm.
METEREN
4th - 8th
Kit, clothing, box respirator, rifle inspections etc. Specialists carried out training under their own officers.

5th The Commanding Officer inspected the Bn. on the 5th inst.
2nd Lt D H WEBBE was transfered to England & struck off the strength. Capt C Palmer ordered a Medical Board and also struck off (Authy A G No D/1981)
7th The Bn attended a Brigade Church Parade. Winter time was adopted on this date.
8th All officers attended a Lecture by the A.D.M.S. in the Y.M.C.A. hut at METEREN.
A.D.M.S. stands for Assistant Director of Medical Services. Thank you Paul & Tim
9th Two companies fired on No. 2 Range whilst the other 2 companies carried out Musketry and Physical training and Bayonet Fighting. A class for Junior N.C.Os under the RSM was held during the morning. At 4 pm the Bn embussed for RIDGE WOOD arriving there at 7 pm and bivouacking for the night.
10th At 2pm the Bn moved to the front line and relieved the 11th Bn W. Yorks.
11 to 14 Casualties Capt. S. Riddell killed 2Lts A. J. Walters & R Coyles wounded 12 O.R. killed 77 OR wounded 4 OR missing believed killed. Night of 14th to MICMAC camp.
(Around 10% of the Battalion killed or wounded in 3 days.)

Major Gylls A.R. wounded to England 1-10-17. 2Lt A Barber ditto 2-10-17. 2Lt H G Smith ditto 29-9-17 2Lt J.E. Hall ditto 25-9-17
15 & 16 MICMAC CAMP. cleaning up: C.Os inspection. 2Lt A J Walker died of wounds 16th: Capt S. W. Wicks hosp? sick 16th.
17 Relieved 11 W Yorks in reserve Zillebeke Bund about5.30 pm
18 Batt moved to line and relieved 8 KOYLI. 2 Lt Wheliker to England.
20 Btt relieved by 11 W Yorks. Batt H.Q. B & D Coys to BUND: A Coy relieved Coy of 11 W Y nr J 11 a & became support coy to 8 York: C Coy to bout J s c in support to 11 W Y. Total casualties for tour 4 O.R. killed, 20 O.R. wounded.
21 To Brewery Camp.
22 Cleaning up 2Lt H Park to Eng wnd. 22-10-17
23 Batt less A & C Coys (Harry is in C Coy) entrained at Dickebush Stn for Wozerines - on detraining to billets in Esquerides area: arrived 5.30 pm. H. Q. in Leulise: B & D coys in Audenthun.
24 Cleaning up: A & C Coys rejoined: C. O's inspection. 2Lts N S Wilson & RCM Douthwaite joined batt 18.10.17 : 2LtH Hyes reoined 25.10.17. 2Lts F Lempton & R Roberts joined 24.10.17. Hon Lt & QM J Bll to Engand 24.10.17 & struck off strength. In this area, programmes of work were carried out, close order drill, P.T. Arms Drill. specialists trained: G.O.C. brigade inspected billets.
26: scabies inspection by M.O.
27 range practice at Quelms.
28 To billets in Wizennes 2.15 pm arrived 5 pm. instructions recvd to recall all men on leave, courses etc.
29 G.O.C. Div inspected batt 10 a.m. draft of 95 O.R. joined.
30 range practice for the draft; cleaning up etc. for C in C's inspection. 2Lt W T S Smith joined.
31 C in C inspected the Brigade
drafts of 50 O.Rs & 75 O.R.s joined.

8 comments:

Tim said...

I think ADMS is probably Assistant Director of Medical Services

Paul said...

I to believe it stands for Assistant Director of Medical Services

I found it on the following link.

http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/GREATWAR/2004-06/1088332207

Keep up the great work. My 10 yr old is really interested in the blog and if it teaches him anything about WW1 and it's horrors, all the better.

Jackie said...

I have never been a history buff, but this blog highlights the importance of learning about the past.

Anonymous said...

the mention of the Micmac camp on the 15th and sixteenth is intriguing.

The Micmac tribe is a native Canadian tribe in New Brunswick & Nova Scotia.

I wonder if there is a Canadian connection here, specifically with a Maritime regiment.

Dave P (Canadian Maritimer)

Anonymous said...

Es una página excelente.
Le agradezco su publicación.

Desde Catalunya (spain).
Un saludo : Miguel-Ángel Cerveró.

Anonymous said...

Dave P [Canadian Maritimer]: The Battle of Vimy Ridge was THE defining battle for Canada, getting her out from under the shadow of Great Britain [which had gotten Canada into the War anyway]. This Battle, from 9-12 April 1917, is remembered with a memorial [actually Canadian territory] in Northern France not too far from Calais [see http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/vimy/index_e.html].
Five hundred of the first 32,000 troops sent from Canada were Newfoundlanders -- were they Maritimers?
I don't know if they were stationed at the same place as Harry Lamin, but the Canadian War Museum's site says that many Canadian troops were stationed in the eastern Mediterranean ... maybe that includes Italy, where Harry seems to "be" now.
frogprof

Anonymous said...

By the way, Dave P, I hope I wasn't insulting your intelligence -- if you knew all about Vimy ridge already, my apologies! :)
frogprof

Anonymous said...

There was a reference elsewhere to Chippawa (sic) camp. It was a common practice to give similar features related names - e.g. a whole series of trenches might have nicknames beginning with the same letter, or streets or towns from the same area. Chances are that there are other camps with the names of Indian nations in the area, and that references to them will pop up, and linking them to their territories in North America may give some idea of the origin of whoever chose the names.

BTW, in WWI, the Newfoundlanders insisted very strongly that they were not Canadians.

At this point in the war we are definitely in Flanders, Belgium, in the area around Ypres. I've visited the railway dugouts, there are still traces of them.