Current Information:

Age-20

The Empress Club, Dover Street, Piccadilly

Tilloy British Cemetery, Tilloy-les-Mofflaines, 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 9th April 3rd Division attacked at Tilloy-les-Mofflaines, just to the south of the Cambrai road. At 5.30am 76 Brigade advanced and captured their objective after which 9 Brigade began their advance. At 10.30am, 8 Brigade began their move forward led by the 2nd Royal Scots and 7th Shropshire Light Infantry battalions, followed by 8th East Yorkshire. Passing through 9 Brigade they captured Tilloy but were then held up when 600 yards from the Wancourt-Feuchy line by enfilade machine-gun fire, mainly from Feuchy Chapel, and went to ground. James Sutherland of 2nd Royal Scots was killed during this operation.