Current Information:

Age-42

25, Chester Terrace, Eaton Square, Belgravia

Bethune Town Cemetery, France

Battle of Aubers Ridge

On 9th  May 1915 the British attacked north at Arras as part of the British contribution to the Second Battle of Artois, a Franco-British offensive. Their objective was the capture of Aubers Ridge but it turned into an unmitigated disaster. The German defences had been much improved since the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in March and the British  artillery was in a parlous condition and failed to destroy the German defences during the short and insufficient 40 minute bombardment that preceded the attack. Extra artillery had been requested but further to the north, the Second Battle of Ypres was being fought on a ferocious scale and none was forthcoming. The few initial gains could not be held and by the evening of 9 May, all the British forces were back where they started, except of course the dead who littered the battlefield. There were 11,000 casualties for the British Army.

1st Division attacked in front of Richbourg-l’Avoué. 1 Brigade, including 14th London (London Scottish), was in reserve when 2 and 3 Brigades attacked at dawn and came to grief in no-man’s land, on the German wire and parts of the enemy front line. A fresh attack was ordered for the afternoon and 1st Black Watch were sent in and suffered the same fate. It was the turn of 14th London next and one platoon, around 50 men, set off but then orders arrived aborting the attack and the rest of the battalion was not thrown into the fray.