Current Information:

Born-Chatham

Enlisted-Whitehall

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.

The 9th Royal Fusilier battalion of 36 Brigade, 12th Division had been involved in the early stage of the Battle of Arras but were relieved on 12th April and did not return to the front until the last day of the month when they moved into the Lancer Lane trenches near Fampoux, in support. The Battalion Diary for 1st May, 1917, simply records ‘Fairly quiet day’ and makes no mention of the nine men from the battalion who lost their lives on that day, one of whom was Herbert Fielding. It is likely that they were killed by shell fire which intensified prior to a major attack, The Battle of the Scarpe, two days later.