Current Information:

Age-23

Poperinghe Old Military Cemetery, Belgium

Battle of St Julien, 24 April – 4 May 1915

Spurred on by the success of their gas attack on 22nd April, the Germans struck again two days later on the northern sector of the Ypres salient at St. Julien.  Once more chlorine gas was used and despite a resolute defence the British and Canadians were pushed back and St Julien was lost. For nearly two weeks the fighting continued on this front. The Germans persisted with their attacks, the British fought desperate rear guard actions and launched many counter attacks but gradually they were pushed further and further back. Eventually, during the night of 3rd & 4th May the British forces were withdrawn from their forward positions and took up a new defensive line closer to Ypres.

4th Division had spent the winter holding the line at Ploegsteert, but on 24th April 1915, they were rushed north to Ypres at short notice, to reinforce the hard pressed defenders facing the German gas attacks there. Thrust straight into the action at dawn on 25th  April,  10 Brigade passed through the wire in the GHQ line and formed into a line facing Kitchener’s Wood and St Julien with the aim of advancing and recovering the positions lost on the previous day.  10 Brigade was well rested and up to war strength but they faced an almost impossible task.  The Germans had well placed machine guns, good cover in houses and a wood and splendid artillery observation from higher ground behind.  What’s more, because of the failure of messages to reach batteries the artillery support for 10 Brigade was much restricted.  The four regular battalions, 1st Royal Irish Fusiliers, 2nd Royal Dublin Fusiliers, 2nd Seaforth Highlanders and 1st Royal Warwickshire were placed in the front line with 7th Argylle & Sutherland Highlanders in support. Unable to make contact with neighbouring units, these five battalions attacked alone. Straight away they came under rifle and machine gun fire.  There were many German snipers out in front in the cover of the crops and it soon became obvious that the enemy were in possession of some of the farms between Wieltje and St. Julien.  As a result, 10 Brigade extended into fighting formation earlier than intended and made a brave advance against the machine guns in St Julien whilst taking crossfire from Kitchener’s Wood on their left. The leading lines advanced ¼ mile in rushes to within 100 yards of the edge of St. Julien.  At this stage 7th Argylle & Sutherland Highlanders were thrown in on the left but the advancing lines faltered and paused and were then deluged with machine gun fire for 20 minutes.  Most of those in the front were killed and those following, pinned to the ground before crawling back to the cover of the folds of the land. This action cost 10 Brigade over 2400 casualties including James Glass of 2nd Seaforth Highlanders, who died from wounds on 26th April.