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12th Battlion, Durham Light Infantry
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World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great12th Battlion, Durham Light Infantry
The 12th Battlion, Durham Light Infantry was formed at Newcastle in September 1914 joined the 68th Brigade in 23rd Division, alongside the 13th Battalion. They moved to Aldershot, Hampshire in November, then to Willesborough, Kent in February 1915 and went on in May to Bramshott. They proceeded to France landing at Boulogne on the 26th of August and concentrating near Tilques. On the 5th of September 23rd Division became attached to III Corps, moving to the Merris-Vieux Berquin area, for trench familiarisation under the guidance of the 20th (Light) and 27th Divisions. They took over front line sector between Ferme Grande Flamengrie to the Armentieres-Wez Macquart road in their own right on the 14th. During the Battle of Loos CIII and CV Brigades RFA were in action attached to 8th Division. With 23rd Division holding the front at Bois Grenier, they were relieved from that sector at the end of January 1916 and Divisional HQ was established at Blaringhem with the units concentrated around Bruay for a period of rest. On the 3rd of March they returned to the front line, taking over a sector between the Boyau de l'Ersatz and the Souchez River from the French 17th Division, with the Artillery taking over an exposed position between Carency and Bois de Bouvigny where it was subjected to heavy shelling. In early March a Tunnelling Company was established and men with a background in mining were transferred from the ranks to the Royal Engineers. In Mid April they returned to Bruay area for rest until mid May when they again took over the Souchez-Angres front, just before the German Attack on Vimy Ridge on the 21st. The brunt of the attack fell on 47th (London) Division, to the right of 23rd Division and the 23rd Divisional Artillery went into action in support of the 47th. On the 1st of June the Artillery supported 2nd Division as they undertook operations to recover lost ground. On the 11th of June the 23rd Division Infantry moved to Bomy and the artillery to Chamblain Chatelain and Therouanne to begin intensive training for the Battles of the Somme. They were in action in The Battle of Albert including the capture of Contalmaison, The Battles of Bazentin Ridge, Pozieres, Flers-Courcelette, Morval and The Battle of Le Transloy including the capture of Le Sars. In 1917 they fought in The Battle of Messines, The Battles of the Menin Road, Polygon Wood and the The First and Second Battles of Passchendaele. In November 1917 the Division moved to Italy concentrating between Mantua and Marcaria before taking over the front line at the Montello on the 4th of December. In 1918 they were in action during the fighting on the Asiago Plateau and the Battle of Vittorio Veneto, including the passage of the Piave and the Monticano. At the Italian Armistice at 3pm on the 4th of November, the 23rd were midway between the Rivers Livenza and Meduna, east of Sacile. They moved to billets west of Treviso and demobilisation took place in January and February 1919.
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Please note we currently have a large backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site.
Those known to have served with 12th Battlion, Durham Light Infantry during the Great War 1914-1918.
Select a story link or scroll down to browse those stories hosted on this site.
- Pte. Albert Edward Bexfield (d.3rd May 1917)
- Capt. D. M. Chambers
- Timothy Gorman Read their Story.
- James William Robson Read their Story.
- Pte. W. Rutherford
- Pte. James Sanderson (d.21st Sep 1917)
- Pte. William Simpson Read their Story.
The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add,, or any recollections or photos of those listed, please get in touch.
James William Robson 12th Btn. Durham Light Infantry
I'm trying to find any imfo on my great granddad James William Robson who I'm told served in the 12th DLI in the first world war his number was 17090. Can anyone give me any information?
Timothy Gorman 12th Btn. Durham Light Infantry
My Grandad, Tommy Gorman, was a sinker at a colliery and served with the 12th Durham Light Infantry. I believe he came from Ireland. I found the details above on my father's birth certificate that I obtained from Gateshead Births Marriages and Deaths.There was also an article from a Hebburn paper about the death of a Thomas Gorman who after a night of drinking got caught in barbed wire on the way home and died of exposure on the 26th february 1909 that could have been my grandad's brother or other relative.
If anyone could share information to help me that would be great. I live in Australia but am visiting friends at the moment. My family all lived in Hebburn before going to London before the 2nd World War. My gran was Annie and she had 10 children two of which died young they were Tommy and Alice.
Pte. William Simpson 12th Btn. Durham Light Infantry
William joined up in Sept 1914 and left for France on 25th August 1915. He was accidently shot in the leg by a colleague on 24th March 1916 and returned home to recover. He returned to France in May 1917 but was shot in the shoulder (presumably this time by the enemy!) and returned to England in June 1917, being discharged as unfit for service in Dec 1919. He suffered from being gassed and his war wounds and died in Dec 1920 aged 36 years. I have been told he was buried with a military headstone in St George's South Moor.
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BENEATH HILL 60 tells the extraordinary true story of Oliver Woodward, the legendary Australian metal scientist. In 1916, Woodward faced the most difficult decision, ultimately having to separate from his new young love for the deadly carnage of the Western Front. On treacherous territory, behind the German enemy lines, Woodward and his secret platoon of Australian tunnelers face a suicidal battle to defend a leaking, tunnel system. A tunnel packed with enough high explosives to change the course of the War.More information on:
Beneath Hill 60 [DVD]
Nigel Cave
The shell-ravaged landscape of Hill 60, some three miles south east of Ypres, conceals a labyrinth of tu nnels and underground workings. This book offers a guide to the memorials, cemeteries and museums at the site 'More information on:
Hill 60: Ypres (Battleground Europe)
Will Davies
'Ten seconds, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one - fire! Down goes the firing switch. At first, nothing. Then from deep down there comes a low rumble, and it as if the world is spliting apart...' On 7th June 1917, nineteen massive mines exploded beneath Messines Ridge near Ypres. The largest man-made explosion in history up until that point shattered the landscape and smashed open the German lines. Ten thousand German soldiers died. Two of the mines - at Hill 60 and the Caterpillar - were fired by men of the 1st Australian Tunnelling Company, comprising miners and engineers rather than parade-ground soldiers. Drawing on the diaries of one of the key combatants, "Benealth Hill 60" tells the little-known, devastatingly brutal true story of this subterranean war waged beneath the Western Front - a stygian battle-ground where men drowned in viscous chalk, suffocated in the blue gray clay, choked on poisonous air or died in the darkness, caught up up in vicious hand-to-hanMore information on:
Beneath Hill 60 [Paperback]
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