Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Frederick William Benn an Agricultural Labourer, born 1862 in Sutton Cheney, Leics., and his wife Emma, born 1863 in Dadlington, Leics., Joseph Miller was born in 1889 in Sharnford, Leics., his siblings were Thomas H., born 1884 in Sutton Cheney, Leics., Emma E., born 1885 in Cross in Hand, Leics., and George Amos, born 1891 in Sharnford, Leics., in April 1891 the family home was at Bosworth Road, Sutton Cheney, Leics. In March 1901 Joseph was residing in the family home at Plestock Grange, Ibstock, Leics., in the Ecclesiastical Parish of St. Denys, together with his parents and siblings, George and Violet Elizabeth, born 1899 in Upton, Leics. In April 1911 Joseph was employed as a Coal Miner (Hewer) and was residing in the family home at The Grange Cottages, Ibstock, Leics., together with his parents and siblings, George, Violet, Frederick William, born 1902 and Stanley, born 1907, the latter two siblings were both born in Ibstock, Leics. The War Diary for today records. POLYGON WOOD. Relief. Last night the Battalion under command of Major HOWITT with a strength of 19 officers and 400 other ranks marched from SCOTTISH WOOD via BEDFORD HOUSE, ZILLEBEKE, SANCTUARY WOOD and CLAPHAM JUNCTION to relieve the support positions originally held by the 31st Battalion of the 8th AUSTRALIAN INFANTRY Brigade. A long halt was taken immediately north of BEDFORD HOUSE for tea, and issue of special fighting stores. Relief was completed by 11.30pm. Dispositions. The 9th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT. were holding the right front, the 8th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT. the left front of the Brigade front. The 7th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT. in support and the 6th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT. in reserve. The 7th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT. was disposed as follows:- Right front Company J.9.d.2.1. “C” Company under Captain H. H. HENDHILL. Left front Company J.9.d.2.7. “D” Company under Captain A. A. CLARKE M.C. Support Company J.9.c.9.1. “B” Company under Captain W. A. EVANS. Reserve Company J.9.c.1.1. under Lt. H. R. HORNE. Plus 3 reserve Lewis gun teams. Battalion HQ. J.14.b.7.8. Partly dug positions were available for “C” and “B” Companies, other Companies had to dig in, in their own area’s. The whole of the relief was completed, and digging in well started without a single casualty. The night was exceptionally quiet. Hostile attack. About 4.45am. the enemy put down a heavy barrage and at 5.20am delivered heavy counter attack, the main weight of this appearing to come from CAMERON COVERT. Under this heavy pressure the left Battalion of the Brigade on our right appeared to be suffering heavy casualties and getting pushed back. A platoon of “B” Company under Lt. V. C. HALES was right formed and moved up to get in touch with the rear line of the 9th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT. to form a right defensive flank. This platoon got in position but Lt. HALES was wounded. The enemy barrage line was due north – south through J.9. central. Our left front Company were suffering heavy casualties so they moved further east to clear the barrage. Captain A. A. CLARKE M.C. was killed and 2nd Lt P. E. AGAR and 2nd Lt. C. G. SCARFE wounded. The hostile barrage and counter attack still continued, and the right front Company supported by 2 platoons of support Company, left front Company supported by 1 platoon of support Company were pushed forward through the barrage in section snakes, to again attack the enemy in any of our positions. These supports lost very heavily going through the barrage (approximately 50%). The left front Battalion were still holding to their original positions, and our supports acted as reinforcements. The right front Battalion had made three counter attacks and recovered all with the exception of 2 or 3 small shell hole posts. 2nd Lt. R. W. T. MILES who had gone forward to reconnoitre assisted by 1 platoon of “D” Company joined in the counter attack and was killed, and then Sgt. MOSS who was wounded in the leg still led the platoon forward until practically all became casualties under hostile machine gun fire and Sgt. MOSS was again wounded in the face. There was a gap of 250 yards to the east of CAMERON HOUSE and from our Brigade boundary due south, our right front Battalion had pushed out 3 small posts in this area. With this big extension and owing to the very heavy casualties of the right front Battalion the necessity of forming a deep defensive flank it was considered unsafe to push forward any further counter attack for the 2 or 3 shell hole posts. The remainder of our support were therefore pushed from the shell hole line along the eastern end of POLYGON WOOD J.10.c and the eastern front of CAMERON HOUSE J.11.a. Consolidation. When the hostile barrage had died down the reserve Company came forward and formed a support switch north east – south west about 200 yards long and 150 yards north west of the south east corner of POLYGON WOOD J.10.c. Lt. Col. BENT 9th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT was killed in the counter attack which regained our positions. Major T. C. HOWITT took command of 9th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT. in addition to 7th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT. about noon. From the reports of 4 different prisoners captured on the right Brigade front, the enemy was expected to attack again at dusk. There had been considerable movement of troops in CAMERON COVERT all the afternoon. A slow barrage was kept up during the afternoon to strengthen our line and at dusk when the hostile barrage came down our guns replied magnificently. Any hostile counter attack was at once smashed by these, and only one prisoner leaked through. Reserve Battalion. 2 reserve Companies of the 6th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT. moved from the south east of GLENGORSE WOOD and arrived at front line HQ. about 9.00pm. One Company was put in support just east of CAMERON HOUSE and the other formed into a switch north east – south west line behind the south east angle of POLYGON WOOD. These Companies consolidated very quickly, and for the first time since 5.30am. the line was tactically sound. At midnight Lt. Col STEWART and one Company of 6th LEICESTERSHIRE REGT. moved to the front line. This Company was formed as support to left front Battalion. During the night advanced posts were pushed out along the front helping our front line slightly forward.

Source: Leicestershire War Memorials Project.
Coalville Times article - Friday November 23rd, 1917.

LOCAL CASUALTIES

Private J. M Benn (Ibstock) of the Leicestershire Regiment, is reported killed in action.

Research undertaken and submitted by Andy Murby, 29/12/2017.