Current Information:

Born-Marylebone

Agny Military Cemetery, France

16th London (Westminster Rifles) of 169 Brigade, 56^th Division were relieved from the front line near Arras on 1st April, 1917 and moved back to Monchiet, south-west of Achicourt, to train for the forthcoming Battle of Arras. After a week here they moved, on 7th April, to billets in Achicourt, where disaster struck.

The next day, 8th April, 1917 was Easter Sunday but that did not mean that the German artillery was quiet. At midday they began an hour long artillery barrage of the village during which the HQ of B Company received a direct hit causing many casualties among the platoon who were in the building at the time. At 2pm the barrage began again just when there was a convoy of lorries, carrying ammunition forward, in the main street of Achicourt. One lorry was hit and immediately burst into flames and this fire soon spread among the rest of the convoy until there were 20 of them ablaze. Inevitably the ammunition aboard started to explode, setting fire to the houses in the square. It was a scene of utter carnage and destruction and when the fires were finally brought under control, 16th London had suffered 50 casualties, 16 of whom had been killed. Among the dead was Charles Townley.