Current Information:

Born-Willesden

Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, France

The Battle of Armentières  12th October-2nd November 1914

The official History pinpoints the battle of Armentières to a series of battles that took place between the river Douve and a line between Estaires and Foumers. It was part of the Race to the Sea and it determined the line of the Western Front in that sector. It was fought by III Corps which was made up by 4th and 6th Divisions plus 19 Brigade.

On 20th October, 1914, the 2nd York & Lancaster battalion of 16 Brigade, 6th Division moved to Radinghem, just to the south of Armentières, to take over part of the line held by the 1st East Kent ( Buffs). Their stay here was short because an enemy breakthrough resulted in a withdrawal back to Le Touquet where they spent the next two days improving the trenches in the face of some sniping and shell fire.

At 6am  on 23rd October the Germans penetrated between two platoons of A Company forcing a withdrawal. This tactic was employed at other points of the line held by 2nd York & Lancaster and despite the assistance of a platoon from 1st East Kent (Buffs), there was a general retirement to the Bridoux road. This is according to the Battalion Diary however the Official History of the War ‘Military Operations has a somewhat different version in which an attack against 6th Division on 23rd October hit hardest in the right centre of their line where 16 Brigade, facing almost south, held the right face of a salient the apex of which was at Le Quesne.  At dawn the enemy attacked the trenches of 1st Buffs and 1st Leicestershire and when beaten off they then reached the parapet of 1st Shropshire and 2nd York & Lancaster  where some German soldiers made it into the trenches before being killed.

For the next two and a half weeks they remained in these Le Touquet trenches having to contend with shelling and sniping. Herbert Fry died from wounds on 5th November, 1914, after having been sent to a base hospital on the coast, but as yet there is no information as to when and where he was wounded.