Jack Sheldon - The Germans at Beaumont Hamel

A number of people have helped in various ways during the production of this book. I am grateful to Lieutenant Colonel Phillip Robinson RE and Norbert Krger for assistance with documentary material, Alex Fasse for details about Musketen and Andy Robertshaw for information concerning the Heidenkopf archaeological project. Chris Berrell helped by permitting me to use his photographs of the funeral of the Kings Own soldier discovered during the Heidenkopf dig, as did Alistair Fraser ,who originally published the photograph associated with Jakob Hnes on his website. Stewart Mc Dermott kindly obtained the photograph of the Musket team and my editor Nigel Cave kept the project on the straight and narrow. I should like to express my thanks to the Wilkinsons, father Roni and son Jon, at Pen & Sword books for their layout and artwork respectively and my wife Laurie, who helped with the preparation of the maps. At Beaumont Hamel Arlene King was kindness itself; being most hospitable and allowing me once more to delve into the material archived there and Avril Williams made sure that there was a bacon sandwich waiting every time I needed one. Laurie, Arlene and Nigel shared the walks and the drive with me, making painstaking checking of detail a pleasure, whatever the weather.

1.Area covered by Germans at Beaumont Hamel , showing the sector boundaries for 1 July 1916

Leutnant Kurt Seidel RIR 121, Beaumont Hamel 1 July 1916. Block (B)1 Grave (G)54. Seidel had been an officer with the regiment since August 1914.

Kriegsfreiwilliger Heinrich Alb , 11th Coy RIR 119 Beaumont Hamel 1 July 1916. B1 G152. Alb was a salesman, who was born in Stuttgart 28 January 1896.

Landsturmmann Ludwig Laiflle , 10th Coy RIR 121 Beaumont Hamel 18 September 1916. Laiflle was a vegetable gardener, who was born in Stuttgart-Heslach 28 October 1888. B1 G203

Wehrmann Hermann Kleinfelder , 10th Coy RIR 119 Beaumont Hamel 26 September 1916. Kleinfelder was a baker, born in Dagersheim, Bblingen 19 February 1881. B1 G223

Unteroffizier Georg Engerer , 11th Coy RIR 119, Beaumont Hamel 1 July 1916. Engerer was a tram driver, who was born in Ansbach 18 October 1889. B1 G1155

Landsturmmann Paul Strobel , 8th Coy RIR 119 Beaumont Hamel 19/20 August 1916. Strobel was a cobbler, who was born in Aalen 8 October 1879. B1 G1239

Kriegsfreiwilliger Heinrich Reinwald , 7th Coy RIR 119 Beaumont Hamel 11 June 1916. Reinwald was a mechanic, who was born near Neckarsulm 3 July 1897. B2 G58

Gefreiter Gustav Gtsch , 4thCoy RIR 119 Beaumont Hamel 26 June 1916. Gtsch was a building technician, who was born in Stuttgart 26 November 31 January 1891. B2 G163

Kriegsfreiwilliger Karl Gerni , 4th Coy IR 180, Serre 18 December 1915. Gerni was in domestic service before the war. He was born in Stuttgart 10 June 1896. B2 G215

Vizefeldwebel Otto Maier , 5th Coy RIR 119 Beaumont Hamel 30 April 1916. Maier was a bank official, who was born in Stuttgart 14 December 1895. B2 G287.

Gefreiter Friedrich Weinmann , 9th Coy RIR 119, Beaumont Hamel 3 October 1915. Weimann was a postal clerk, who was born near Mergentheim on 24 October 1881. B2 G292

Landsturmmann Ferdinand Ehscheid , 11th Coy IR 180 Serre 14 May 1916. Ehscheid was a gilder who was born in Munich 7 February 1879. B2 G332

Kriegsfreiwilliger Rudolf Egner , 11th Coy RIR 119. Beaumont Hamel 1 July 1916. Egner was a tailors cutter, who was born in Stuttgart-Gaisburg 8 December 1895. B2 G1156

Unteroffizier Emil Brose , 10th Coy RIR 119 Beaumont Hamel 1 July 1916. Brose was a sculptor of wood, who was born in Stuttgart-Botnang 23 June 1881. B2 G1173.

Kriegsfreiwilliger Wilhelm Burrer , Beaumont Hamel 3 September 1916. Burrer was a salesman in civilian life. B2 G1239

Unteroffizier (Offizier Aspirant) Wilhelm Volz, 12th Coy RIR 119 Beaumont Hamel 8 July 1916. Volz was a teacher, who was born in Stuttgart 16 October 1893. B2 G1241

Oberleutnant Anton Mhlbayer , company commander, 9th Coy RIR 119 Hawthorn Ridge Beaumont Hamel 1 July 1916. Mhlbayer had been employed by the Post Office before the war. He was born in Hall 6 November 1881. B3 G306

Gefreiter Johannes Plitz , 2nd Coy GrenR 123 Guillemont 21 August 1916. Plitz was a mechanic who was born near Dresden 11 May 1892. B3 G736

Unteroffizier Richard Anstett , 9th Coy RIR 119, Beaumont Hamel 3 September 1916. Anstett was a cashier in a bank. He was born in Stuttgart 12 August 1890. B3 G1155

Leutnant Erich Rapp , 4th Coy RIR 121 Redan Ridge, north of Beaumont Hamel 1 July 1916. Rapp was a student of mechanical engineering, who was born in Ulm 9 October 1894. B4 G101

Gefreiter Christian Mrkle , 2nd Coy Pi Bn 13 Mametz/Fricourt 20 June 1915. Mrkle was a builder, who was born in Tbingen 5 September 1889. B4 G133

Gefreiter Hugo Lang , 3rd MG Coy RIR 119, Beaumont Hamel 3 September 1916. Lang, a wartime volunteer, was a mechanic, who was born in Horb 5 February 1898. B4 G185

Pionier Gustav Henninger , 1 Res Pi Coy, Pi Bn 13, SE of Mametz 19 December 1914. Henninger was a gardener, who was born in Oberschaffhauen near Freiburg, Baden 26 May 1890. B4 G367

Kanonier Max Vollmar , 4th Bty 26 Res Fd Arty Regt Courcelette 1 July 1916. Vollmar was a salesman, who was born in Stuttgart 9 December 1887. B4 G396

Grenadier Alois May , 1st Coy Gren Regt 119 19 August 1916. (Probably Delville Wood.) May was a tram driver, who was born in Neunheim 24 January 1887. B4 G731