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Pte. Duncan Balfour Coward
British Army 7th Btn. York & Lancaster Regiment
from:Rotherham
(d.7th Sep 1915)
Born 3rd September 1897 Duncan Coward must have joined up while he was 16. He landed with his battalion in France on 14th July 1915 and marched to Reninghelst Camp by 25th July. On the 27th they started work on the trenches between the Brasserie at Elsenwalle and the rear of Vierstraat. Private Searstone 13392 was the first fatality for the regiment on this first day working near the front. Three others were wounded.
They continued working on the trenches up to August 14th, when three platoons went up to the trenches for instruction with the 19th Lancashire Fusiliers and 12th Manchesters. Private Wheeler 11960 was killed that day. This was repeated on the 15th, 16th and 17th, Private Perry 16469 being killed on the 17th.
From the 19th August to the 31st, the battalion continued to work on trenches around Vierstraat with A and C Company taking over sections of trenches for 24 and 48 hours. 2nd Lieutenant TGB Dibbs, Captain FEC Palmer and Corporal JR Day were killed in this period.
1st September D Coy took over "Q3" trench and on the 3rd A, B and C Coys took over a section of "P" trenches in front of Wiltshire Farm BHQ. The Battalion War Diary for the 3rd records "Very heavy rain during relief and all remainder of night". This was Duncan's 18th birthday. The 4th was a "quiet day, rain, trenches flooded by rain and parapet dangerously damaged by wet." Private Bamforth 12947 was killed.
On the 5th "Many dugouts caved in owing to rain and more portions of parapet fell in" and on the 6th, at last "Rain stopped. Every available man was turned on to drainage and repairs to trenches". Work to repair the trenches continued on the 7th and Duncan was killed, aged 18 and 3 days, the 8th man of the battalion to die. He is buried in Ridge Wood Cemetery, alongside Private Searstone.
