Current Information:

Age-25

20, Chester Street, Belgravia

First Battle of Ypres

Between 21st October and 22nd November, 1914 a desperate fight took place around the Belgium city of Ypres, the first of three major battles that were to be fought there during the course of the war. British troops entered Ypres in October. The 1st and 2nd Divisions plus the 3rd Cavalry Division had made their way up from the Aisne as part of the “Race to the Sea”, whilst the 7th Division came west to Ypres after Antwerp had fallen. The Germans knew that Ypres was the gateway to the Channel ports and that these were vital to Britain’s war effort so they poured reinforcements into the area. The fighting fell into three distinct battles; the Battle of Langemarck, 21-24 October, the Battle of Gheluvelt, 29-31 October and the Battle of Nonne Bosschen, 11 November. Ypres did not fall to the Germans but its defence during these two months resulted in the destruction of much of the old regular British Army.

The 1st Cheshire battalion of 15 Brigade, 5th Division, arrived at Ypres on 6th November having moved north from the fighting in the La Bassée area, and went straight into trenches just south of the 6km marker on the Menin Road. On the following day, 7th September, they came under very heavy artillery fire in the morning and then had to withstand an infantry attack at 2.30pm while at the same time sending a company to reinforce the battalion on their left. Although the death of Gerald Anderson was registered as being on 9th November, the battalion diary recorded that he was one 36 casualties suffered by 1st Cheshire on this day.