Current Information:

Age-31

46 Valnay Street, Tooting

12th Rifle Brigade arrived in France in July, 1915, as part of 60 Brigade, 20th Division. Towards the end of January, 1916, 20th Division moved to the Ypres salient where the action was continuous and fierce throughout the war. As they made their way towards the front line on the evening of the 11th February, 1916, the men of 12th Rifle Brigade must have been wondering what was in store for them. Would this be a quiet tour during which the front line troops, both British and German, would be more concerned with keeping warm than fighting or would it all erupt into terrible violence?  Their destination was a position near the International Trench south-east of Boesinghe, on the extreme left of the British line. Here they found that the battalion they were relieving, the 9th King’s Royal Rifle Corps, were coming under a heavy and sustained German attack. Despite this the relief went ahead during which a tremendous barrage fell on the British positions followed by an infantry attack. The left of the line held fast but further to the right at Lancashire Farm crossroads the Germans got into the front line. 12th Rifle Brigade immediately counter attacked and a bombing party fought their way along the traverses and corners and retook this section of trench. However on the right of the battalion line at Fortin 17 was a party of 1 officer and 30 men, most of whom were raw recruits who had just joined the battalion. They had been placed here because it had been considered to be a quiet part of the line but it was this sector in particular that came under a further intense bombardment during the course of 12th February. Isolated, pounded by trench mortars and desperately fighting off infantry attacks this group of men held out for 4 days until the survivors were finally relieved. At the end of this violent episode the trenches were unrecognisable and 12th Rifle Brigade had suffered over 150 casualties.