Current Information:

Born-Cricklewood

Monchy British Cemetery, Monchy-le-Preux, France

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.

On 9th April, 29th Division were in reserve to the west of Arras and on 12th April moved forward to Monchy le Preux which had been captured in the opening stages of the battle. The village stood on the eastern end of a spur projecting into the plain of Douai, a fine observational position but a salient inviting attack. The 2nd Hampshire battalion of 88 Brigade reached Orange Hill, one mile west of Monchy, where they went into brigade reserve. On the following day 2nd Hampshire went up after dark to dig an assembly trench east of Monchy from which an attack on Infantry Hill would be launched on the following day. While engaged in this work they were heavily shelled and incurred 20 casualties. They returned to Orange Hill before dawn, leaving three platoons in Monchy to support the attack made by the Newfoundland and 1st Essex battalions. This was initially successful but then the two battalions were overwhelmed by a counter attack from a fresh Bavarian Division who seemed to have Monchy at their mercy, the only troops there being the HQs of the two attacking battalions plus the three Hampshire platoons. The rest of 2nd Hampshire moved up through two parallel lines of a heavy barrage and took up positions to the east and north of Monchy from where they helped to repel the German attacks and where touch was gained with flanking troops after which the enemy abandoned their attempts to take Monchy. One of 2nd Hampshire’s casualties was William Taylor.