Great War Portraits

Captain Leslie D. Head, 'A' Coy. 9th Bn King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI). 21st Division, 64th Brigade. Killed in Action 1st July 1916. The Battalion's objective on the day was Shelter Wood. In the last five minutes of the bombardment the Battalion crawled into no man’s, where they met with heavy machine-gun fire from Fricourt and were enfiladed by fire from south of La Boisselle. They reached the Sunken Road in front of Shelter Wood at 8am, some reached Crucifix Trench. A final attack on Shelter Wood failed and the order was given to consolidate.
 
The War Diary of the 9th Bn KOYLI lists 13 officers killed, 9 wounded, all the officers who attacked on that day. 475 other ranks became casualties. Capt Head fell during the day as did the Battalion commander Lt-Col C.W.D. Lynch DSO.
 
A young officer who did survive was the military historian Basil Liddell Hart. He was listed to remain in reserve on the initial attack. What he witnessed later, on his way to the captured trenches left a lasting impression on him.
 
Captain Head was 28 years old and is listed on the Lloyd's War Memorial.