No.23841, Private, Richard MINNS
Aged 21
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Born in 1895 (1st qtr Bury St.Edmunds 4a:823) son of Charles H and Jane Maria MINNS(née WEEDEN)
1901 census...Aged 6, he was at 12 Cemetery Row, Cemetery Road, Bury St.Edmunds with his father Charles H MINNS [45] labourer born Norwich; his mother Jane M [40] born London; sister Emily [12] and brothers Herbert C [14] (wood chopper) and William W [9]. The children all born in Bury St.Edmunds. 1911 census...Aged 16, he was at 36 Chalk Lane, Bury St.Edmunds with his parents; brothers William, Arthur [9] and nephew Freddy [8] (parentage unknown) His brother William died in France in 1918 see here |
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He enlisted in Bury St.Edmunds.
The 7th Suffolks missed the slaughter of the 1st day of the Somme, 1st July, being in Reserve and later moving up to the support trenches. Arriving in the support trenches at 38.30 am am they spent the day there and prepared to attack Ovillers at 3:15am on 3rd. The War Diary :- At 3:15 am the Battalion made a frontal attack on Ovillers on a frontage of 200 yards; the disposition of the Battalion was as follows:-"D" Coy on the right, "C" Coy on left, supported by "B" Coy on the right, "A" Coy on the left. On the right of the Battalion was the 5th Royal Berks and on the left the 37th Brigade, the 36th Brigade being in reserve. Two companies of the Essex Reg were in support to each Battalion, the Norfolks being in reserve. Zero was at 3:15 am, ten minutes before zero the leading waves advanced under cover of the bombardment and at the hour of zero the Battalion assaulted in eight successive wave. The first 4 waves (D & C Coys) penetrated the the enemy's third line and portions of them into the village itself, but owing to the darkness touch was lost with succeeding waves and with the 5th Royal Berks on the right, so that the leading waves were not supported closely enough, thus allowing the Germans to get in between the waves and cut off the leading ones at the 3rd line of resistance, it was at the 3rd German line that the chief casualties occurred and the assault was brought to a standstill. The two companies of the Essex Regt moving up in support were too far behind and were practically annihilated by machine gun fire during their advance across the open. The casualties in the Battalion were 21 officers and 458 O.R. killed, wounded and missing, though some of these missing eventually regained the Battalion during the following night. CWGC records show 155 of the Battalion killed, of which 110 have no known grave.
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