With regard to the dates you mention, the SA Brigade was in the Monchy-Breton district at the end of April 1917, they were their divisional reserve in the Arras sector in June and provided two composite battalions to attack Greenland Hill, but were not needed, so the men returned to the brigade.
Your man would have been one of over one thousand four hundred men who had been sent in April to replace losses incurred on the Somme.
The strength of his regiment on the 3oth of June was given as 39 officers and 818 rank and file, it was the largest of the four regiments at that point in time.
In July the brigade returned to the Somme, on the 28th it went into the line at Trescault, it was a relative quiet area.
Afterwards, of course, came the wretched Third Ypres and by October just between the 13th and the 23rd alone, the brigade took over two hundred and sixty casualties, so dark days and it should be remembered these men were all volunteers, they did not have to do what they did.
Last edited by Frank Kelley; 26-04-17 at 11:44 AM.
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