Current Information:

Age-21

15, Rotherwood Road, Putney

Born-Pimlico

Estaires Communal Cemetery, France

The Battle of Neuve Chapelle

Between 10th and 13th March, 1915, the Indian Army Corps and IV Corps attacked the village of Neuve Chapelle in the Artois region of France. During the winter of 1914-1915, reinforcements had arrived from Britain and this was seen as an opportunity to use them to break through the German lines.

It started well. At 7.30am on 10th March, a 30 minute hurricane bombardment destroyed the German wire and front line trenches and at 8.05am the infantry went in. Neuve Chapelle was captured and over a mile of the German line taken. But that was the end of the success.  The British chain of command was weak and their communications poor, which was hardly surprising given that many of the troops had no previous experience of battle. The Germans re-organised and reinforced during the night and no further gains were made. British casualties mounted to 12,000 by the time the offensive petered out on 13th March.

On 10th March at Neuve Chapelle 7th Division attacked with 21 Brigade. They assembled between the Orchard and the Moated Grange and at 2pm, the two leading battalions, the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers and 2nd Yorkshire moved forward to their positions.  Meeting no opposition they moved further forward some 200 yards beyond the Armentières road where they waited, under artillery and machine-gun fire, for the general advance which finally began at 5.30pm.  By now the enemy were prepared and 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers  were soon halted by frontal and flank fire and went to ground where they remained overnight as the fire continued.

Attempts to continue the advance were made throughout the following day but with the enemy well entrenched they met with little success and then on 12th March the enemy counter-attacked. For the next two days there was some heavy fighting as attack followed counter attack until the fighting died down on 13th March. On the next day the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers were relieved after having sustained nearly 250 killed or wounded as well as 33 hospitalised with frostbite. One of those who did not survive the battle was Harry Laing who died from wounds on 13th March.