Current Information:

Age-28

8, Sanford Lane, Stoke Newington

Vendresse British Cemetery, France

The Battle of the Aisne 13th September -28 September

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 13th 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.

The 2nd Welsh battalion of 3 Brigade, 1st Division crossed the River Aisne on the morning of 14th September, and established themselves on the slopes of the Beaulne spur by 1pm and dug in. They remained in these forward positions, often under shell fire until relieved on 21st September. George Parish was killed on 17th September.