20th August 1916 On this day: Battery Activity   236th London Brigade Royal Field Artillery report From 1200 batteries fired on Martinpuich and surroundings. At 2200 and at intervals during the night Batteries switched back from Martinpuich to a line 400 yards over Switch Line and West of Tramway. War Diaries HMS Falmouth    HMS Falmouth Name HMS Falmouth, Type Light cruiser, Country British. GRT 5,250 tons, Built 1910, Builder W. Beardmore & Co., Ltd., Glasgow. Operator Royal Navy History U-boat attacks on Light cruiser Falmouth 19th August 1916, damaged when torpedoed in the North Sea by U-66 (Thorwald von Bothmer). 20 Aug 1916 U 63 (Otto Schultze) Sunk when torpedoed whilst under tow off Flamborough Head. 11 casualties. John Doran  Water Pumped  Church Parade    LE TOURET Considerable enemy artillery activity gradually increasing throughout the day and not reduced by our artillery fire. B Co. in O.B.L reported extensive damage done by enemy fire to Islands 1, 9, 13, 14, also to BARNTON trench. B Co. sent up 2 platoons reinforcements. No casualties. Under Brigade instructions 18 DLI stood to 8.0pm, 11.30pm, when ordered to stand down. 18 WEST YORKS in village line also stood to and sent up 100 reinforcements to O.B.L 18th DLI war diary WO95/2361/1 Stand To   18th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry report from Le Touret "Considerable enemy artillery activity gradually increasing throughout the day and not reduced by our artillery fire. B Co. 18th DLI in O.B.L reported extensive damage done by enemy fire to Islands 1 to 9, 13 to 14, also to Barnton trench. B Co. sent up 2 platoons reinforcements. No casualties. Under Brigade instructions 18th DLI stood to 8.0pm to 11.30pm, when ordered to stand down. 18th West Yorks in village line also stood to and sent up 100 reinforcements to O.B.L. Artillery fire slackened about 8.0pm and all was quiet at 11.30pm & throughout the night 20th/21st of August 1916. 15th West Yorks drove out a raiding party with heavy losses, which attempted about 8.40pm to raid between No 12 Island and No 9 to No 10. Considerable damage was done to No 12 & 11 Islands." 18th DLI war diary WO95/2361/1  Training Continues  Wounded Arrive  Trench Work  Reliefs  At Rest  Bombardment  On the Move  In Billets    On the March  Artillery Active    Quiet  A New German Grenade  Working Parties  Outposts  Church Parade  Instruction  Arrival  Orders to Move  Reliefs  Orders received that the Battalion will move to Meaulte the following morning.  Aircraft Lost  Aircraft damaged  Aircraft damaged  Aircraft Lost  Aircraft Lost Shelling   8am About 20 light trench mortar bombs and about six heavy bombs fell along 7th Buffs right Companys front, one of the latter fell on the cook-house, no material damage done. 1 pm Enemy started shelling with 10.5 cm and 15 cm all round White City and Battalion H.Q., one 15cm. landing right in the trench wounding five men. At about 2 p.m. they shortened on to right Coy’s sector being fairly intense from 2.25 p.m. to 3 p.m. Our artillery replied at 3.10 p.m. A good deal of damage around Queer St and Support line 48 and 49 and salient. Shelling stopped about 4 p.m. At 4 p.m. Battalion H.Q. shifted from the White City to Moat Farm. After 4 p.m. quiet for the rest of the day and night. Wind West. 7th Buffs war diary WO95/2049  Draft of 100 arrived.  On the Move  Move  Operational Order No.101  A Relief  Training, Leave and Wound.  Hostile Aircraft were active  Reliefs  Under fire  Shelling Can you add to this factual information? Do you know the whereabouts of a unit on a particular day? Do you have a copy of an official war diary entry? Details of an an incident? The loss of a ship? A letter, postcard, photo or any other interesting snipts? If your information relates only to an individual, eg. enlistment, award of a medal or death, please use this form: Add a story.

Killed, Wounded, Missing, Prisoner and Patient Reports published this day. This section is under construction.

Want to know more about 20th of August 1916? There are:43 items tagged 20th of August 1916 available in our Library   These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.

Remembering those who died this day, 20th of August 1916. Pte. James Bennett. 2nd Btn. Royal Sussex Regiment Read their Story. Pte. Job Booth. 9th Btn. East Lancashire Regiment Read their Story. Pte. Alexander Ogston Ferguson. 1st Field Ambulance Royal Army Medical Corps Read their Story. L/Sgt. William. Fishlock. 5th Battalion Wiltshire Regiment Read their Story. Pte Reginald Stephen Giles. 1st Btn. Gloucestershire Regiment Read their Story. Pte. Peter Gabriel Heath. 1st Btn. Northamptonshire Regiment Read their Story. Pte. Henry William Holland. 8th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment Read their Story. Pte. Claud Jackson. 1st Btn. Northamptonshire Regiment Pte. Walter James. 5th Battalion Oxfordshire and Bucks Light Infantry Read their Story. Pte. Samuel Ignatius Lyon. 10th (Scottish) Btn. King's Liverpool Regiment Read their Story. Cpl. Daniel McLeod. 18th Btn. Middlesex Rgt. Pte. William James Millar. 15th Btn. Cheshire Regiment Pte. John Naylor. 7th Btn. South Lancashire Regiment Read their Story. Cpl. Peter Pollock. 13th Btn. Royal Scots Pte. Samuel Z. Thomas. 2nd Btn. Royal Welch Fusiliers Rflmn. Richard William Warr. 7th Battalion Rifle Brigade Add a name to this list.

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