Current Information:

Age-19

5, Spencer Cottages, Christchurch Road, East Sheen

Born-Mortlake

October 1918 was a month which saw the Allies pushing the Germans back all along the Western Front and liberating towns, villages and whole areas, which had been under German occupation for four long years.  At 5.10am on 8 October, 1918, the British launched an offensive on a 20 mile front between St Quentin and Cambrai when three British Armies, backed by 82 tanks, advanced 3 miles and captured 10,000 prisoners and 150 guns. After 24 hours of fighting the Hindenburg Line was overrun in its entirety and the enemy were in full retreat.

38th Division with the 11th Tank Battalion attached, attacked on the right of the Third Army front pushing eastwards towards the villages of Villers Outreaux and Malincourt. In order to facilitate the main attack on 8th October, by capturing the last part of the Beaurevoir Line they began at 1am when the 10th South Wales Borderers and 17th Royal Welsh Fusiliers battalions of 115 Brigade attempted to pass either side of Villers Outreaux. However, due to strong wire entanglements covered by machine-guns they were unable to break into the Beaurevoir Line and when the 2nd Royal Welsh Fusiliers battalion, also of 115 Brigade arrived upon the scene at 5am in order to ‘mop up’ the village, they too were met by fierce machine-gun fire. The problem was solved when two tanks arrived and broke down the defences which allowed 2nd Royal Welsh Fusiliers to enter Villers Outreaux and 10th South Wales Borderers and 17th Royal Welsh Fusiliers to continue their forward movement either side of it. The fighting had been heavy at times and there were casualties for all three battalions. One of these was Basil Hitchcock of 17th Royal Welsh Fusiliers.