Current Information:

Age-38

5, Jasper Road, Upper Norwood

With an end to the fighting on the Eastern Front after the Russian Revolution, Germany was able to bring its troops from there to France and launch a series of offensives in the Spring of 1918, designed to bring the war to a swift conclusion. Four times between March and July they attacked in strength and on each occasion they broke through the British and French lines and made spectacular gains but in each case they over extended themselves and without adequate supplies keeping up with their rapid advances, they could go no further.

The first of these attacks, Operation Michael, was made on 21st March by 63 specially trained divisions, attacking along a 60 mile front held by 26 British divisions, many of them in a weakened state At 4.40am the German artillery opened up with the most ferocious and concentrated bombardment of the war, the likes of which the British had never experienced before. The Forward Zone, consisting mainly of individual posts was blown away. Very few of the men there made it back. Many were killed and many more were taken prisoner. The Battle Zone was also battered as were the British guns, firing from positions just to the rear. Brigade and Divisional HQs were targeted as well and then, from out of the thick mist came the German storm troopers. Moving fast, they skirted round the few remaining strongholds and penetrated deep into the British lines, including those of the Battle Zone, causing the utmost confusion. There were many cases of heroic stands being made but the relentless pressure forced the British back everywhere and there then began a general retreat that went on for two weeks and which ceded to the Germans a huge amount of territory, including all of that that had been won at such great cost during the Battle of the Somme in 1916.

On 21st March, 59th Division, just to the south of Arras facing Queant and Riencourt, had the shortest line to hold but received the heaviest attacks. They had four battalions in the Forward Zone, 7th Sherwood Foresters and 2/6th Sherwood Foresters of 178 Brigade and 2/6th South Staffordshire and 5th North Staffordshire of 176 Brigade. On the right flank 7th Sherwood Foresters were overwhelmed and the enemy were able to get in behind 2/6th Sherwood Foresters who then withdrew to the reserve line of the Forward Zone where they put up a strong resistance before being overpowered shortly after midday. 2/6th South Staffordshire on the right of 176 Brigade had its front line obliterated then its support line turned by 10.30am and just before noon and despite the assistance of two companies of 2/6th North Staffordshire, they too were overwhelmed. On the left of 176 Brigade, 5th North Staffordshire was covering Bullecourt and despite resisting the first attack by the afternoon they had been pushed back behind the village. 59th Division had now lost the Forward Zone and the four battalions that had been holding the front line had practically ceased to exist. That left only the 2/6th North Staffordshire battalion from 176 Brigade and 2/5th Sherwood Foresters from 178 Brigade facing the unstoppable enemy advance. Half of 2/6th North Staffordshire had already come to grief during the fighting in the morning but the rest of the battalion remained in action around Longatte and Ecoust until 2pm when both of these villages had fallen after which the survivors were driven into the valley to the north-west of Ecoust where at 4.30pm thirteen survivors surrendered. 2/5th Sherwood Foresters were covering Noreuil in the Battle Zone but by 3pm they had been cut off and were out of the battle. By the evening the few survivors who had not been killed, wounded or captured had fallen back with the rest of the division to the rear of the Battle Zone. One of those who did not survive the day was Lionel Witton of 2/6th North Staffordshire.