Current Information:

Age-20

40, Hawthorn Grove, Penge

Ribecourt Road Cemetery, Trescault, France

By mid-September, 1918, the Allied offensive that had begun a month earlier, had pushed the enemy back almost to the Hindenburg Line. In order to gain possession of its outlying defences and obtain good observation over it before launching a general attack, a series of operations, some large scale and others more modest in nature were launched by the British Third and Fourth Armies.

One of these was the Battle of Havrincourt which began on 12th September and resulted in the capture of Havrincourt Wood, some 8 miles to the east of Bapaume. 111 Brigade of 37th Division played an leading part in this operation when at 5.25am on 12th September the 13th Rifle Brigade and 13th King’s Royal Rifle Corps battalions attacked and gained their objective within four hours. On the night of 13th September 10th Royal Fusiliers, also of 111 Brigade, relieved 13th King’s Royal Rifle Corps in these new positions astride the Trescault-Ribecourt road. The following day, 14th September, was a day of heavy fighting for the battalion when at 5.20am they attacked a German trench system called Chapel Wood Switch. At first things went well and the two attacking companies soon occupied their objective after it had been battered for twenty minutes by the artillery, Prisoners were taken and machine-guns captured but patrols which were sent out could make no contact with units of 62nd Division which had attacked on their left. This meant that 10th Royal Fusiliers were in a dangerous salient on a forward slope. German machine-guns soon opened up on them from in front and the sides causing a large number of casualties and at midday the enemy brought up fresh troops and launched a counter attack. As a result of the fierce hand to hand fighting that then ensued, the enemy gained a footing in Chapel Wood Switch and some of the trenches connected to it. Heavy fire prevented ammunition from being brought up and in the early afternoon the left hand company, or what was left of it, withdrew back to their starting positions. This left the company on the right, on the other side of the Trescault-Ribecourt road, isolated and they withdrew slightly to form a defensive flank. Throughout the rest of the day the struggle continued. 10th Royal Fusiliers counter attacked, the Germans responded in kind and the battle line swung to and fro.

Early the following morning, 15th September a further attack was made on the German positions in order to regain lost ground and while this started successfully, they were then bombed and machine-gunned a low flying enemy plane which caused death and confusion and brought the attack to a standstill. 10th Royal Fusiliers now went to ground and consolidated what positions they could and remained there until relieved the following day. Among the many casualties suffered by the battalion in this operation was George Bright who was killed on 14th September.