Current Information:

Age-39

34, St. John's Road, Wembley

Mont Huon Military Cemetery, Le Treport, France

The Battle of Arras was a series of offensives by the British Army between 9th April 1917 and 16th May 1917. It had been planned in conjunction with the French who would attack in Artois and between them the Allies would force the Germans out of the large salient they had held since the line of trenches was first established. But the Germans had spoiled this plan by falling back to the new and very strong Hindenburg Line in January 1917 and the salient no longer existed.  For the want of an alternative plan the attack went ahead anyway. It all started well for the British who made substantial gains on the first two days but then the offensive ground to a halt and by the end their losses amounted to over 150,000.

On 9th April, 1917, 34th Division attacked with all three brigades in line their objective being the Point du Jour line and then a Green Line some 300 yards beyond it. 101 Brigade attacked with the 16th Royal Scots battalion on the right and 11th Suffolk on the left with their final objective being the Arras-Lille railway, mostly a cutting here. The Black Line was easily taken after which the 10th Lincolnshire battalion moved up from reserve to capture the final objective. They had great difficulty with a ten foot thick band of wire which they had to cut through by hand but they got past this and were able to advance to the track leading north-wesr from the Point du Jour. They remained in this forward position until relieved on the night of 13/14th April having suffered 150 casualties. Joseph Starbuck died from wounds on 14th April, after having been sent to a base hospital on the coast, and it is likely that he was wounded during this operation.