11th Essex/6th Division following tanks

[J T Gray]

I found out recently approximate dates (from postcards!) of my grandfather's service in France in WW1. He was in the 11th Battalion Essex Regiment from about March 1917, and was a POW by the date of the start of the second German spring offensive in 1918 (sorry - exact date in April currently escapes me - but his POW postcard is franked the day after it began).

Talking about it to my father, he recalled his dad had talked of running behind the tanks - given the dates above, can anyone suggest any OTHER occasion than the Battle of Cambrai this might have been? In the absence of his service papers I'd always assumed that he was there (rather than in reserve, temporarily allocated elsewhere or all those other things that keep soldiers from where you think they were) and this reminiscence is an even stronger pointer, but I'd just like to check that there were no other likely occasions - over to the experts!

Any assistance much appreciated!

Adrian

[Guest suzanne27]

Hello

If you are still interested there is a book by J Burrows Essex Regiemnts in The Great War, I have a copy of this as my great grandfather was in the 9Th, my book also covers 11th and others.

Gives a day to day accounts of each bttns movements over the whole war.

If you want me to have a look for you can you clarify the dates I would need to flick through, ie do you know when he served with the 11th rough dates, as there is quite a lot of info to go through.

let me know if you want help, you may have already found out by now anyway.

Kind regards

Suzanne

[J T Gray]

Hi Suzanne,

Michael Thierens ("Grandson Michael") was kind enough to provide me with a copy of the pages of Burrows book covering the period we think my grandfather was in the 11th Battalion. However it's a very kind offer - thank you very much. Between you, me and Michael lets keep the Essex appearing in threads!

Adrian

[Guest suzanne27]

Hello Adrian

I thought that you probably would already have the info but what the hey!

It was just nice to see someone else was interested in the same regiment as me, if you ever need a look up in J Burrows let me know,

Kind regards

Suzanne

[Robert Dunlop]

11th Essex/6th Division were involved in following tanks at Cambrai. The tanks were from B and H Battalion, including Brig-Gen Elles in 'Hilda'. I think it is unlikely to be anywhere else. Tanks were used piecemeal in the Arras and Third Ypres battles so the plural 'tanks' is probably significant. I don't know if 11/Essex were involved at Arras. They weren't in Third Ypres.

Robert

[J T Gray]

Thank you for that, Robert, much appreciated! I'd come to a similiar conclusion, and I don't recall Burrows mentioning tanks anywhere other than Cambrai either.

Now I know what battalions, I wonder whether anyone has any pictures of them at Cambrai?...

Adrian