Current Information:

Enlisted-St Pancras

The Battle of Arras was a series of offensives by the British Army between 9th April 1917 and 16th May 1917. It had been planned in conjunction with the French who would attack in Artois and between them the Allies would force the Germans out of the large salient they had held since the line of trenches was first established. But the Germans had spoiled this plan by falling back to the new and very strong Hindenburg Line in January 1917 and the salient no longer existed.  For the want of an alternative plan the attack went ahead anyway. It all started well for the British who made substantial gains on the first two days but then the offensive ground to a halt and by the end their losses amounted to over 150,000.

The Second Battle of the Scarpe (23-24 April, 1917)

The British offensive at Arras was resumed on 23rd April, 1917, when they attacked eastwards along an nine mile front from Croisilles to Gavrelle on both sides of the  River Scarpe in what some came to consider was the hardest fighting of the war so far. At the same time and just to the north of this line, 5th Division attacked towards Avion on the southern edge of Lens. 15 Brigade attacked on the right with 1st Bedfordshire and 1st Norfolk while 1st Devonshire and 1st Cornwall Light Infantry of 95 Brigade moved forward on the left. Zero was at 4.45am and as all four battalions advanced they were hit by fire from machine-gun nests in the buildings behind the German lines, strong points that had not been destroyed by the British artillery. The situation was made worse by the paucity of gaps in the enemy wire which was a double belt, the first one being fifteen yards thick. This meant that the men bunched together to get through the few gaps there were and thereby became easy targets for the machine-guns. Only a few parties made it through and in some places the Germans rose to surrender only to start fighting again when they saw the British checked by the wire. They were gradually all forced back except for some of 1st Cornwall Light Infantry who continued to hold the railway loop south of Souchez. There were many casualties for 5th Division in this unsuccessful operation and included among them was Jack Couzina of 1st Norfolk.