Current Information:

Age-19

84, Woodhouse Road, Finchley

Talana Farm Cemetery, Ypres

In June 1915, 11 Brigade, 4th Division relieved French troops in the trenches around Boesinghe where they crossed the Yser canal in the northern part of the Ypres salient and what was then, the extreme left of the British line. In order to improve the position here the French had made plans for an attack on a German strongpoint, Fortin 17, the western outpost of which was the International Trench. The British adopted these plans for the same reason and also to act as a diversion for an attack against Hooge. The 1st Rifle Brigade battalion were chosen for the operation and given the task of capturing the International Trench. The commander of 4th Division, Major General Wilson, was uneasy about the attack because he feared, quite rightly, that although they could capture the trench it would incur very heavy casualties. He preferred to gain the ground by sapping and mining but orders were orders and the attack went ahead.

The action took place at 6am on 6th July 1915. The distance to be traversed was only 50 yards but within five minutes all but one of the officers and many of the men from the two attacking companies had become casualties, most of them falling to machine gun fire. To add to their woes one of their own 9 inch howitzer shells  landed and exploded on the British parapet causing indescribable confusion. Nevertheless, the attack was pressed home, the objective was gained and consolidation began with the bombers now taking over the fighting. A  German counter attack at 7.30am was broken up by the British artillery but the whole area was overlooked by other German strongpoints on the higher ground and casualties began to mount up. At 1pm the Germans began heavy shelling and increased their bombing attacks on both flanks and at 3pm there was another counter attack. Despite all this 1st Rifle Brigade hung on to their gains. Shortly after 5pm the firing died down, and during the night of 6th/7th July, they were relieved. Their casualties for the day amounted to nearly 250, many of whom had been killed. One of these was John Day. who, according to De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour, was killed along with six other men, when a large German shell fell among them.