Biography

Family background

Reginald Wooley Sanderson was born on the 5th January 1897 in Garforth, Yorkshire but by the census date in 1911 he was living at 11 Grange Avenue, Chapeltown Road, Leeds. At some time his parents, Henry and Edith moved to Fairlea, Collingham.

Reginald served in the First World war but survived, albeit injured and being invalided out of the army. However Reginald's name is on the village war memorials, on the Second World War village memorial in St. Oswald's Church, having been killed in 1940.

Reginald was educated at Leeds Grammar School and Christ Church, Oxford.

Service record

He first attested in WW1 as a private in the 28th London Regiment (Artists Rifles) on the 6th December 1915. His regimental number was initially 6522, but later changed to 761380. On the 10th January 1916 Reginald transferred, at his own request, to the 2nd Battalion London Regiment. His record suggests that he first went to France on the 3rd March 1916, embarking in Southampton and disembarking on the 5th at Rouen, and a day later was transferred to the 1st Battalion. His record shows he joined the battalion in St.Omer on the 24th March 1916. He served in France for about 17 months. On the 17th July 1917, Reginald applied for a commission which was granted on the 2nd August 1917 and Reginald was commissioned and posted as a 2nd Lieutenant to the 7th Battalion East Surrey Regiment. It seems that Reginald was granted some leave in the UK starting on the 22nd August 1917, but his record does not say how many days leave he had.

From the 2nd to the 6th August, the 7th East Surrey Regiment were manning the trenches in defence of Monchy, just south east of Arras. If Reginald joined them in those days he would have had a few days in the front line before they moved (on the 6th) into reserve, although they did take part in some raids on enemy trenches. These were designed to harass the enemy and keep them on their toes, while also capturing a few prisoners to gain intelligence from them. The battalion also formed working parties during those days, before a bigger withdrawal for a couple of days rest nearer to Arras (at Tilloy) on the 11th and 12th August.

On the 12th, the battalion returned to the Brown Line, but these were quiet days for the battalion, working at night to maintain and reinforce defences. For the next few days the battalion spent some days in reserve and some in the front line. On the 26th, the battalion moved to Arras for 8 days training and rest. The men had a chance to bathe, and kit inspections were carried out, along with drill and company training and practice for the Lewis guns on the range.

On the 2nd September the battalion left Arras as 8pm by train and relieved the 5th Royal West Kent Battalion in support trenches (Spade Trench, Strongpoints and Les Posse Cave), the relief being complete by 10.30pm. We guess that Reginald Sanderson would have rejoined the battalion by this time, but the war diary does not mention when he joined. From the 3rd Sept the battalion was in a quiet section. They formed working and ration parties at night, but there was little to report in the war diary during the week, until they were relieved on the 10th and moved back to the Brown Line. These spells in the Brown Line were still busy days for the battalion and every night the men formed working parties. On the 19th, they returned to the front line - this was a busier time. The War Diary explains:

Later on the 23rd the battalion moved back to support, and it was not until 2 days later that the expected enemy raid took place, but it did not pierce the British front line. The month ended with the Battalion withdrawing again to Arras for rest. These days allowed for training for the men, for example in raiding techniques, as well as providing much needed opportunities to get away from the horrors of the front line. The war diary records that on the afternoon of the 2nd October an East Surrey Officers team played the Royal Berkshire Officers at cricket, with the Royal Berks winning by 9 runs "after a good game", and that a concert was arranged for the battalion on the 4th October.

The battalion returned to the lines again in October and followed the same pattern of days in the front line, raids, and time in support repairing trenches. On the 24th October the battalion marched back to Tilloy and then travelled in lorries to Beaudricourt for rest and recuperation. After a few days the battalion moved to more serious training with time on the ranges and then practice attacks supported by tanks, although the diary noted that the tanks were replaced in these mock attacks by flag men. On the 7th November the battalion carried out further practice attacks with tanks on the Eclimeux training ground, before returning to Bonnieres where they undertook further practice raids. This was clearly the prelude to an attack and the preliminary, but very detailed, orders for this were issued on the 14th November. This attack is now known as The Battle of Cambrai (1917) (See Map 1). The objective of the attack involving the 7th East Surrey Battalion was to break the enemy's line by a coup de main between the CANAL DE L'ESCAUT at BANTEUX and the CANAL DU NORD near HAVRINCOURT, and to pass the Cavalry Corps through the gap on the first day.

Map 1: The area covered by the Battle of the Cambrai (click for full size). The approximate area of fighting of the 7th East Surrey Regiment on the 20th November 1917 is shown in the dashed box. This corresponds to the sketch map from the war diary shown in Map 2.

Map 2: The approximate area of fighting of the 7th East Surrey Regiment on the 20th November 1917 shown in a sketch map from the war diary. Green lines show the artillery barrage lines and the times at which these were to be attacked. Purple lines mark the positions of trenches. Enemy wire is shown by red dotted lines. Grey shaded areas near the top and at the right indicate areas which were to be targeted by smoke.

The story of 7th Battalion East Surrey Regiment in this battle is best told by its War Diary:

Reginald Sanderson was wounded in these attacks, but before we turn to his fate, we will return to the War Diary to see how the day ended for the East Surreys.

Map 3: The German counter-attacks in the Battle of the Cambrai (click for full size). The fact that the land over which the 7th East Surreys fought was so quickly re-taken by the Germans in further battles might explain why the bodies of those who died were never found after the war.

Reginald Sanderson was wounded on the 20th November 1917, with a severe gun shot wound to the hand and chest. Reginald's service record details that his chest injury was superficial but his hand was severely injured. The bullet entered his wrist on the ulnar (little finger) side and made its exit on the radial (thumb) side. It fractured a number of bones in his wrist. Reginald was evacuated from the battlefield but the records of his trip back to the UK have not directly survived, so we can only reconstruct what is likely to have happened to him, from records of the Assistant Director of Medical Services of the 12th Division. After injury Reginald would either have made his way to the Battalion Aid Post (if he could walk) or would have been picked up by his men, or stretcher bearers, and taken to the aid post. From there he would have been assessed and past back to the Advanced Dressing Station (ADS) at Viller Guislain, which was part of 36 or 37 Field Ambulance (a unit not an vehicle). Part of this journey may have been made by wheeled stretcher. From the ADS Reginald would have been transferred to the Casualty Clearing Station (CCS) by the Decauville Railroad or by motor ambulance. The CCS involved was either 2CCS or 5CCS and was at Tincourt. From the CCS Reginald was transferred to a General or Stationary Base Hospital, in his case at Le Havre, his journey probably being via Ambulance Train. Eventually, on the 26th November, 6 days after his injury, Reginald was embarked on a ship in Le Havre and travelled to Southampton where he disembarked on the 27th. Reginald attended several Medical Boards at the 3rd Southern General Hospital in Oxford to determine his treatment. His wrist injury was severe and on the 6th December the board heard that his hand wound had also become septic. This required his wound to be surgically reopened on two occasions to allow it to drain, but eventually infection was controlled and his wounds healed. However the bones in Reginald's wrist became fused together resulting in a permanent disability in his wrist, and he was eventually invalided out of the Army being awarded a Silver War Badge on the 10th April 1918.

After the war

After the First World War, Reginald went to Christ Church College, Oxford as a Kitchener Scholar. At Christ Church he played in the rugby XV, the Nondescripts and the Warrigals (cricket) and was a member of both the Cardinal and Mermaid Clubs. After Oxford, he joined the Civil Service and became the Deputy Chief Inspector of Labour for Gold Coast (now Ghana). Between 1921 and 1940, Reginald made numerous trips back and forth to Gold Coast, nearly always sailing from Liverpool to the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi, in Gold Coast.

In 1925, the Gold Coast Review published an article by him "The History of Nzima up to 1874."

Between 1923 and the Second World War Reginald made nine trips back to the UK, usually staying for between 14 and 24 weeks and on each occasion Reginald gave his address in the UK as Fairlea, Collingham - his parents' address.

Reginald returned again from Takoradi to Liverpool on the 18th May 1940 on the Abosso. After his leave, he again boarded the passenger liner Accra, on the 23rd July 1940, at Liverpool. The war was now on and Reginald would have known of the dangers of U-boats and that this would be no ordinary voyage. Accra joined convoy OB-188 of 37 ships carrying passengers and general cargoes for Freetown and other West African ports. Accra herself, owned by the Elder Dempster Line was carrying over 300 passengers and general cargo.

The Accra (courtesy of the Allen Collection).

On July 26th, the day before the Convoy was to disperse, the Accra was torpedoed by U-34 under the command of Korvettenkapitan Wilhelm Rollman in the Atlantic, about 300 miles west of Ireland, 320 miles West of Bloody Foreland. Accra was hit by one of three torpedoes fired by the U-boat and sank within ½ and 1½ hour in position 55' 40N 16' 28W. The Accra's Captain,(Master John Joseph Smith), 153 crew and 311 passengers were rescued by various ships - Hollinside (215 survivors) (British), the Loke (126 survivors)(Norwegian), 27 crew members and 52 passengers by the sloop HMS Enchantress (L 56) (Cdr A.K. Scott-Moncrieff, RN) and 45 survivors by the corvette HMS Clarkia (K 88) (LtCdr F.J.G. Jones, RNR). All the lifeboats had been successfully launched but eleven passengers and eight crew were lost when one lifeboat capsized in rough seas. Reginald Sanderson was one of those who lost their lives.

The sinking of the Accra was widely reported:

U-34 also sank the Vinemmor, another of the ships of Convoy OB-188 on the same day, and Sambre and Thiara south west of Rockall, the following day after they had dispersed from the same convoy, OB-188.

Reginald Woolley Sanderson lost his life at sea, however an inscription on his parents' grave in Collingham churchyard states:
"Also REGINALD WOOLLEY SANDERSON beloved son of Henry and Edith Sanderson lost at sea July 1940 due to enemy action, found later and laid to rest at Dungloe Eire".

Obviously Reginald's body was found later and was buried at Dungloe which is in Donegal on the west coast of Ireland.

Biography last updated 25 March 2022 15:44:09.