2/18th London Regiment (London Irish Rifles) first casualty

On 23 June, the 2/18th London Regiment (London Irish Rifles) entrained at Warminster and embarked at Southampton on the SS St Tudno and the SS Australind and sailed to le Havre where the Battalion disembarked on 24 June with a strength of 34 officers and 938 ORs.

The following day the Battalion entrained at 0745 and moved via Rouen, Amiens and Abbeville before detraining 5 miles south of St Pol at le Petit Hoovin where it marched to billets at Averdoing. The London Irish then marched on 27 June to billets in Acq and Mont-St Eloi where it was placed under command of 152 Brigade for instruction and training.

On 1 July, when A and B Coys and elements of Battalion Headquarters were marching from Acq for training in trenches forward of la Targette-Neuville St Vaast, a German bombardment resulted in the Battalion’s first casualties - one killed and 20 wounded. The London Irish then moved into those trenches for training and attachment to the 6th battalion The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Following this training and instruction, The London Irish relieved 6 Gordons in Divisional Reserve at Mont-St Eloi on 12 July 1916.

The first fatal casualty, 2890 Rifleman George Cecil Lochner, was buried at the military cemetery in Ecoivres Military Cemetery, Mont-St Eloi.