On the 4th November 1918 the 6th Dorsetshire Regiment fought their last battle of WW1 in the Mormal Forest. 13 soldiers died that day and my Grandfather, Herman Alfred Pike, was wounded. The story of that day's fight can be found in my book Mud, Blood and Bayonet.
A group of 56 Brits travelled to Locquignol to take part in the memorial service on the 4th November 2018. The Somme Battlefield Pipe Band marched in front of the procession and played in the church.

'Mud, Blood & Bayonet - The Story of the 6th Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment, 1918 Day by Day' is about the Battalion my Grandfather fought with, in 1918.
For those who had ancestors in the 6th Battalion they will be able to follow where they were, what trenches they were in and the bloody action they experienced, day by day, 100 years on.
The book will be available shortly in soft and hard cover through Amazon.

The proof copy of Mud, Blood & Bayonet, The Story of the 6th Dorsetshire Battalion in 1918, day by day, has been approved and is now at the printers. I am hoping that  it will be available on Amazon in early - mid December. It will be in hardback and softback format.  Watch this space!

Whilst recently researching the WW1 diary of the 6th Dorsetshire Regiment I was amazed to find a document mentioning my Grandfather, 20652 Private Herman Alfred Pike. He had been responsible for delivering two prisoners to the Brigade Prisoners Cage as the attached Prisoner Receipt shows. His Battalion captured the stronghold of Quentin Redoubt near Gouzeaucourt, taking many prisoners. This the only document pertaining to my Grandfather's war that I've found. Sergeant J.G. Andrews who signed for them was part of the Mounted Military Police, responsible for prisoner interrogation.

My Grandfather fought with 'A' Company of the 6th Dorsetshire Regiment from April to November 1918. I have been researching the battles his Regiment, and consequently he, were involved in and there are several bloody encounters. Imagine a hot summer night on the Somme in 1918. You put on your primitive and restrictive gas mask, and wade across a river, sweating and unable to see clearly, whilst being shelled by high explosives and poisonous gas and targeted by machine guns from the hill above. Sounds like a movie score doesn't it?  But this actually occurred on the night of 21/22 August 1918, crossing the River Ancre and attacking the German strong hold of Thiepval Ridge. And my Grandfather, aged 18 was in the lead Platoon when they crossed. This is but one of several such bloody battles.

​The picture shows British Troops along the devastated River Ancre.

If you have read a copy of my WW2 spy thriller, Break in Communication, thank you, I hope you enjoyed it. Please do add a review on Amazon if you'd like to. Just click on ​http://amzn.to/2hECA58

​Happy new year to you all.
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If you'd like a great autumn / winter night read, you could try WW2 spy thriller Break in Communication. If you're not sure, please click on   http://amzn.to/2g6luYT   to  'Look inside' on Amazon Kindle.

The Bottom Line: A globetrotting World War II historical thriller that will have you up way past your bedtime.
Jon Gliddon’s A Break in Communication takes us back to December 1941, focusing on a two-week period leading up to the Nazi attempt to destroy a crucial communication center at Porthcurno Telegraph Station in Cornwall.
Simultaneously, the Allied forces have a naval threat to worry about. Tirpitz is the new Nazi Battleship, sister ship to the Bismarck. Will President Roosevelt lend them the support that they need to destroy the Tirpitz before it controls the seas?
Gliddon masterfully recreates the era of World War II-era intelligence and counter-espionage. He leverages decoding and misinformation tactics to great effect, bringing alive the very real stakes for the outcome of the war. Colonel Julian Bonham-Johns from the Special Operations Executive is a focal point among a huge cast of characters located throughout Europe. Gliddon’s characters are well-drawn overall, and he juggles them with a deft hand, ranging from the cold and calculating Stranger to the multi-generational Chenoweth family. Camaraderie amongst the Allied community feels believable and genuine, as does the sense of genuine terror.
Overall, Gliddon’s use of real-life characters and historical events deliver the goods, providing a fascinating and captivating backdrop to unfolding developments. The result is a satisfying and enjoyable read for any thriller fan, and one that fans of Word War II-era fiction will particularly love.