Current Information:

Enlisted-London

The Battle of the Aisne  13-28 September, 1914

After the Germans were defeated on the Marne they fell back to the River Aisne, closely pursued by both the British and the French. The new German line was a very formidable defensive position. To attack it meant having to cross the Aisne and then climb up a 500 foot high ridge on top of which was the Chemin des Dames, a road that gave the Germans an easy way to move troops along the top of the hills. On 13^th September the Aisne was crossed by both British and French troops but after that progress became slower, until there was no progress at all. Both sides dug in and the fighting settled down into trench warfare. The fighting on the Aisne continued for two weeks at the end of which both sides realised that frontal attacks on entrenched positions were both costly and non-productive, not that this deterred them from continuing with this tactic throughout the war.

On the evening of 29th September, 1914, the 2nd Royal Sussex battalion of 2 Brigade, 1st Division, moved into the front line at Troyon from where they were relieved on 5th October when they moved back to support positions. But even here they subjected to enemy artillery fire, especially large howitzers. They returned to the front line on 10th October and remained there until relieved by French troops on 15th October. Henry Howard was killed by enemy shell fire on 13th October.