[HerefordBull]

Thanks for the great info on Town players at the Battle of the Somme.

The 1st Battalion Middlesex did not take part in the first offensive but did move up 10+ days later for the second phase and you mentioned Delville Wood which was a terrible place to be because of the salient formed which, meant that fire from the Germans came in from 3 directions / sides.

McCraes battalion , 16th Royal Scots , which was the Scottish equivalent, did not fair so well as they were "over the top" on this day 1916. The battalion contained many sportsmen from all disciplines but is most famous for the bravery and sacrifice from the players of Heart of Midlothian where 16 of their top players had signed up. There was also a good contingent of players from Dunfermline and Raith Rovers.

I'm still looking for your John Wood and suspect he may have transferred to a different regiment prior to the battle. I have found a number of players who originally signed up for McCraes but then transferred prior to the Somme. A common destination seems to be the Machine Gun Corps.