Current Information:

Age-25

Born-Willesden

Ploegsteert Wood Military Cemetery

On the 19^th December 1914 a French attack at Arras was planned and in order to prevent German troops from being moved south to counter this, 11 Brigade, 4^th Division were ordered to make an attack on the German line east of Ploegsteert Wood between Le Gheer and St. Yves. This attack was carefully planned and went ahead despite the fact that the French offensive at Arras was cancelled. Such are the vagaries of war. The action began at 2.30pm and  was carried out by 1^st Rifle Brigade on the right and 1^st Somerset Light Infantry on the left with the objective being a number of strongholds, the “German Houses”, the capture of which would remove an obvious threat and straighten the line. But luck was not on the side of the attackers . This was a time of acute shell shortages and the preliminary bombardment was weak and ineffective.

The attack went in at 2.30pm and as the men rushed across no-man’s land they were hit not only by German fire but also their own artillery falling short. Nevertheless some made it to the objective whilst others established themselves in a line half way across no-man’s land. The weather and conditions were terrible and with no further progress the men withdrew to their trenches in Ploegsteert Wood. The only tactical result of this attack was that the Germans had been driven out of the Wood along the eastern edge of which the sappers constructed a line of breastworks which a company of 1^st Somerset then manned. However, the cost had been high with nearly 100 casualties for the battalion, many of whom were killed or missing.