Tag: Leonard

Monday 12th March, 1917

On By Sue JenkinsIn First World WarLeave a comment

Left Frise at 2.00pm, arrived B209 at 3.00pm. Here I found my old Longmoor chum Bob Baker*. I am now about 2 miles from the trenches. This is a cosy little dugout, all boarded-in and no rats or mice. Shells whizzing over us all the time.

*It would be nice to think that this might have been Robert Lionel Baker (1885-1971), June’s Uncle Rob, and that this was how the connection between the families was first established. Whilst not impossible, this does seem unlikely as I am not aware of Leonard and Rob ever having met except at Alec and June’s wedding. My theory has always been that the first meeting took place when Alec went into lodgings run by June’s Aunt Eva; when describing June to his parents for the first time he referred to her as ‘Miss Baker’s niece’ rather than ‘Mr Baker’s niece’, which would have been the case if Rob had been the first point of contact. Unfortunately, therefore, I suspect this is merely a coincidence of (not uncommon) names.

Wednesday 7th March, 1917

On By Sue JenkinsIn First World WarLeave a comment

30 men transferred to our lot from Marignolles. (1st Train Crew ) Out all day learning road.

The following additional information is from Martin Farebrother:

  1. I cannot identify a place called Marignolles, or anything close. The Train Crews Companies (TCCs) were numbered 18th to 22nd. This transfer was probably from the 18th TCC, since it was the 18th who were transferred away on May 16th 1917 (see below). We have no other information on the 18th TCC.
  2. [Later]‘Marignolles’ is Merignolles, a station just south of Froissy on the newly constructed SG line from Wiencourt, and on the light railway. This station is adjacent to Chuignolles (see 4 March). Information from British Army trench maps of the area.