Name
Wilfred Tofts
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
12/08/1916
24
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
2724
East Surrey Regiment
7th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Not Yet Researched
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
Pier and Face 6 B and 6 C.
France
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
St Mary’s Church Memorial, Rushden,
Not on the Buntingford memorials,
Not on the Bygrave memorial
Pre War
Born in Bygrave, Baldock, Herts. in 1892 son of George and Jane Tofts and lived in Rushden in 1901. In this census, the family were living at Church End, Rushden. George was 52 and a shepherd on the farm and his wife Jane was 50. They had 2 children, Walter 11 and Wilfred, 9.
The family have not yet been be found on this census. We do know that Wilfred married Beatrice Annie Turner in 1915. in Rushden in 1915.
Wartime Service
Wilfred enlisted in Weston and because he was posthumously awarded the 1915 star as well as the War and Victory medals we know that he was over on the battle front before the end of 1915. In fact the medal rolls index card shows that he landed on October 5th 1915 like his other village friends. He went into the 7th. Battalion East Surrey Regiment, part of the 37th. Brigade in the 12th. Infantry Division.
The battalion were still involved at the battle of Loos (1st.-5th. October) but we must presume that he would have been involved in more training on his arrival in Europe.
Notes from War diaries of 7th. East Surrey Battalion.
- October 15th.His battalion were in trenches around Hulluch Quarries in the Loos area.
- 17th. “A new draft of 105 troops arrived, they look a very good lot of men” perhaps our Wilfred was one of these. It was said that the battalion was still not up to strength, being 200 ‘Other ranks’ (OR.) and 13 officers short.
- 19th went to billets at Vaudicourt.
- 20th. The battalion was congratulated for their efforts on 13th. near Hulluch when they had taken and held a German trench.
- 24th.Another draft of 70 arrived and these were mainly Durham miners.
- 26th. They went into the Hohenzollen Redoubt trenches to relieve the 4th. Grenadiers and because of the dreadful wet weather conditions the trenches were in an appalling state with parapets falling in and deep water.
- November 3rd. Three of the enemy deserted and crossed over laying down their arms. They gave some useful information!
- 14th. ‘We sent gas over as their front line was only 35 yards away but they retaliated 2 days later’.
- They were in and out of the trenches regularly and training behind the lines.
- 23rd. Small box respirators were tested because of the inefficiency of the former gas masks. A good Divisional concert was enjoyed too.
- 24th. Back to the trenches at Wailly.
- December 1st.-7th. They were relieved and returned to Bethune.
- 25th. Christmas Day. “ No fraternising this year although the Germans tried to make peaceful advances with white flags. Our artillery constantly pounded their trenches with some retaliation”.
- January Much training in various billets, some good some bad then back to Hohenzollen Trenches.
- February Regularly in and out of the trenches. Cleaning up and re-building.
- March Much activity with awards given at the end of the month.
- Exploding mines caused many casualties amongst the Surreys as well as gas and acid filled shells which were being sent over.
- 22nd. The Brigadier offered a week’s leave to anyone bringing in a prisoner and a week end for a dead one!
- Comments were recorded about the exhaustion of the men due to two months of hard work and bad weather. Casualties for April were 9 OR’s killed and 26 wounded.
- May The reward was that for a while they only had to work in the mornings!
- 4th A grand sports day was held when C.Q.M.S. Barker set up a ‘bookies’ for the races.
- 21st. Some grand plan was afoot but there was great secrecy. For 7 days 2-3,000 men were involved in digging trenches on the training ground merely as an exercise!
- June The battalion was congratulated by the Brigadier again saying it was the best he’d ever seen (did he give this encouraging talk to all his battalions?) for next we read that they were suddenly being moved to Albert (23rd.) with great secrecy. The battalion was now up to strength with 999 OR’s and 47 officers and much practice was now being done for what looked like a major attack.
- July 1st The big Battle of the Somme began. (see printout of War Diaries) Our battalion suffered heavy casualties in the Orvillers area, (261) in 3 days.
- 7th. Relieved and the men’s foot problems were dealt with back in Warloy billets as their trenches had had water in over the tops of their boots.
- Much praise was given for all their hard work.
- 17th. A serious accident occurred when there was a premature burst of Mills Bombs and 2 OR’s were killed.
- At the end of the month 14 Military Medals were awarded for good work in the Orvillers attack at the beginning of July.
- August Working parties were involved in support work, repairing trenches and our front line was again heavily shelled on 10th.
- 12th Again in the Orvillers area, the 7th East Surreys prepared for an attack on Skyline Trench. B&D companies advanced at 10.30pm. and met strong fire and heavy bombing. The support companies also lost heavily.
- At the end of the attack, four 2nd. Lt.’s were missing as well as 6 OR’s, 90 were wounded and 10 OR’s were killed in action.
Private Wilfred Tofts was one of those killed on that day at age 24. His body was not found or at least not identified so his name, alongside 74,000 others is on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing. Panels 6B, 6C.
Acknowledgments
Malcolm Lennox, Jean Handley
