Current Information:

Age-21

78, Templar Road, Homerton

Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, France

On 7th November, 1914, after their involvement in the The Battle of Armentières, the 2nd Argylle & Sutherland Highlanders battalion of 19 Brigade, moved from Pont de Nieppe to bivouacs at Ploegsteert, north of Armentières and just over the Belgian border. The next day they took over some of the front line in Ploegsteert Wood and prepared for an attack. This took place during the night of 9th/10th November when at 11.30pm, after a half hour artillery bombardment, half of ‘B’ Company advanced to the edge of the wood while at the same time ‘A’ and ‘D’ Companies moved forward from their position near the St Yves-Le Gheer road. At 11.45pm ‘D’ Company charged but lost direction and were hit by enfilade machine-gun fire. ‘B’ Company tried again but the enemy had brought up reinforcements and heavy machine-gun fire forced them back to their own trenches. By 4.30am the attack was called off. On 13th November 2nd Argylle & Sutherland Highlanders moved back from Ploegsteert Wood and into billets. Henry Griffin died from wounds on 22nd November after having been taken back to a base hospital on the coast but it is not when he was wounded.