Current Information:

Hadley Hurst, Hadley Common, Barnet

Point-du-Jour Military Cemetery, Athies, France

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.

On 5th April, 1917, the 2nd Dragoon Guards of 1st Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division left their winter billets near Montreuil and began their journey eastwards to Arras arriving at Agnières on 8th April. On 10th April they moved forward to support positions near Fampoux and on the following day supported an attack by 4th Division on Greenland Hill. The infantry attack was not successful and the accompanying cavalry, moving along the Athies-Fampoux road, came under heavy machine-gun and artillery fire. During a snow storm a six man patrol from 2nd Dragoon Guards, led by Second Lieutenant Quested, galloped through Fampoux but were all hit by enemy shellfire. All their horses were killed and the men had to make their way back on foot in a snow storm. With no chance of success and having sustained over 20 casualties, including William Cracknell, 2nd Dragoon Guards moved back to bivouacs at Athies.