FENWICK, Corporal Thomas Surtees, 43 Hazelwood Avenue, Newcastle–upon-Tyne.
He joined the 3rd line under Captain White in November, 1915. The following spring he came to C Company, 2/1 N.C.B. at Anderby Creek, where he says, he met ”some of the staunchest friends he had so far come across in the army.”

He was promoted to Corporal, musketry being one of his specialities/ He was a regular contributor to the Mudguard, finally becoming joint-editor. Of his experiences overseas he writes as follows:-

I was with Sergeant McGilligan on the Wainfleet Station when I was selected with other N.C.O.s for the Tyneside Scottish in June, 1917. But I never saw the kilties, nor did any of those who went out with me. We were posted to them at the I.B.D., but at the end of the ten days endurance vile in the Bull Ring, we were split up amongst regiments that had suffered heavily in casualties in the July push, 1917, and most of us went to the York and Lancs. Only about three of us went to the 8th York. and Lancs. I think, the others going to the 9th.

With me, I remember, was Johnson, of Boston, whom I saw leaving the trench known as Jasper Avenue, wounded in the leg by a shell which had wiped out two or three of our fellows. I never heard of him again, and often wondered what happened to him, but he was well out of the subsequent trouble of that day, as we were called upon to entertain afternoon callers from over the way. We entertained them right warmly!

I naturally had all sorts of experiences. I will mention but one. It was immediately before a push somewhere, September, 1917, and we were ordered to go out and get prisoners for information purposes at G.H.Q. We lay out in shell holes all night, and over we went at 6.2a.m. I was on the Lewis gun all the time I was in France, and it was my job to keep the Germans from rushing up their trench from the right. The manoeuvre was entirely successful. We went for “at least four” prisoners, and brought back something like twenty, and we only had two casualties. A man fell on his own bayonet in the excitement, and another chap went west along with his German prisoner, who dropped a hand-grenade on the way back to our front line.

I was wounded by a shell in November of the same year. Our platoon was making up towards Polygon Wood to take cover, when my section was cut off by shell-fire from the rest of the Company, all of whom had to scatter and take cover. My section found itself in a shell hole to which Jerry was playing from two sides. We couldn’t get away, and towards daylight we felt we had better get further into the ground, as the break of dawn was bound to bring its “Hail, Smiling Morn” shower of heavies. We had just finished digging down as best we could whilst keeping cover, and having only our entrenching tools to work with, and I stood up to put my ground sheet on, as it was raining like it does in Newcastle on a bank holiday. At that moment a shell landed on the crest of the hole, and I took all there was of it for our little bunch. I was hit in the right elbow, and the right jaw, so that for a time I could not move my arm or chew. But I am all right now again, and can even play golf as well as in pre-war days.

After coming out of hospital I joined the 4th Yorks. and Lancs. I was given back my stripes, which again went west on transfer-a hard rule that, under which I suffered three times-and was sent on a general course. Got top certificates for everything, went on a gas course and qualified as an instructor, and went to Otley and got a bombing special, so I settled down as a Bombing Instructor at Rugeley Camp, and finally at Southend, from where I was demobilised. In the meantime I had appeared once before the M.O. for draft, when the wind was up in the middle of 1918, and was turned down.