Current Information:

Age-23

34, Mayfield Avenue, Southgate

Fifteen Ravine British Cemetery, Villers-Plouich, France

The Battle of Cambrai

This was a major British offensive on the Western Front that was launched on 20th November, 1917 and lasted through to the beginning of December. As the name suggests it was an attack towards the city of Cambrai and the important German railhead there, which it was hoped would be captured. The battle was notable for two things: the massed use of tanks for the first time and the success of the first day’s fighting when the formidable Hindenburg Line was breached and gains of five miles were made in places. In celebration the church bells throughout Britain were rung. However this success was short lived. The tanks were not reliable and the German defence stiffened as the fighting progressed and when they counter attacked in force on 30th November, the British came under so much pressure that they were forced to withdraw from many of the positions they had captured earlier on. Both sides suffered around 45,000 casualties during the course of the fighting.

When Cambrai began on 20th November, 1917, the 5th London battalion of 169 Brigade, 56th Division were in reserve trenches at Louverval, to the west of the battlefield and were not directly involved in the fighting. However, Alfred Holliday was killed on this day probably from shell fire, but the battalion diary provides no information about his death.