Current Information:

Age-20

21, Thornhill Crescent, Barnsbury

The 4th London battalion landed in France at the beginning of January 1915 and in February joined the Ferozepore Brigade of the Lahore Division of the Indian Army which itself had recently arrived in France and were soon to be involved in the Battle of Neuve-Chapelle. However 4th London were not directly involved and it was not until the middle of March, 1915 that they had their first experience of the trenches.

On 31st March, 1915, 4th London marched to Croix Barbée where one company went into the trenches while the other three went into billets. They remained here, with companies alternating between the front line and the reserve billets until the battalion was relieved on 10th April. Francis Black was killed on 6th April but the battalion diary provides no further information concerning his death. The attrition rate among British soldiers on the Western Front was on average 300 each day and 60% of these were as a result of shellfire. When not involved in an actual battle it was either shell fire or a sniper’s bullet that caused most deaths and injuries.