Tower and Town, November 2025 (view the full edition)Sergeant 'Bertie' Witts
Sergeant (Sgt) Witts served in the 1st Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry (SLI) which was part of the 11th Brigade, 4th Division during World War I. The battalion was heavily engaged in the Battle of the Somme, particularly during the Battle of Albert in July 1916, where it suffered significant casualties. In 1914 and early 1915 the details of soldiers, with their embarkations, were kept in penny 'School Copy Books'. Army Books were subsequently used. The original muster roll is a complete transcript of the original volume, which lists all the men (Officers and other ranks) who served with the 1st Battalion throughout the First World War. It provides personal details such as name, regimental number and rank, particulars of casualties and date and reason for leaving the Battalion. Witts' entry brings home the cruel reality of the war. Witts embarked on the 21st August 1914 . He was admitted to 10 Field Ambulance Hospital on the 25th October with a 'gunshot wound to the right arm'. Appointed Lance Corporal in May 1915 he was promoted to machine gun (MG) Sgt in December 1915 then despatched to 3 Army School for further training. He rejoined the Battalion on 30th April 1916. July 1st saw a major battle commencing with the detonation of a mine at the Hawthorn Redoubt. The casualty list (in just a single day) was a staggering 468 men. In the battalion's war diary, officer casualties were named individually, but soldiers simply as 'Other Ranks - 438.' Bertie was evacuated to 12 Field Ambulance on 1 July 1916 - marked in the school copy book as gunshot wound (GSW) to the head. His entry then reports a move to 1 General Hospital with 'GSW to the head' and marked as 'non-effective' as of that date. He was then transported back to England. He died of his wounds on 21 January 1917.
Extracts from 1st Battalion War Diary 1 July 1916 "Z day. Fine and warm. After a very intense bombardment a mine was exploded under the Hawthorn Redoubt [a German fortification]. Practically no casualties were suffered while in the assembly trenches...At 0730 the attack was launched. Battalions advanced on a front of one Company...The Battalion lost very heavily. No officers with the exception of Captain ACKLAND, R.A.M.C., who formed up in the assembly trenches escaped unscathed at the end of the day." |
Bertie Witts is buried in a Commonwealth War Grave at Mildenhall and is commemorated in St John the Baptist Church.