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Waterloo Road

Born-Marylebone

Battle of Aubers Ridge- 9th May, 1915

On 9 May 1915 the British attacked north at Arras as part of the British contribution to the Second Battle of Artois, a Franco-British offensive. Their objective was the capture of Aubers Ridge but it turned into an unmitigated disaster. The German defences had been much improved since the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in March and the British artillery, which was in a parlous condition, failed to destroy the German defences during the short and insufficient 40 minute bombardment that preceded the attack. Extra artillery had been requested but further to the north, the Second Battle of Ypres was being fought on a ferocious scale and none was forthcoming. The few initial gains could not be held and by the evening of 9 May, all the British forces were back where they started, except of course the dead who littered the battlefield. There were 11,000 casualties for the British Army.

2 Brigade of 1st Division attacked in front of Richbourg-l’Avoué with the 1st Northamptonshire and 2nd Sussex battalions leading the way but in the face of devastating machine-gun, rifle and artillery fire only a handful of them reached the German front line. At 5.25am the 2nd King’s Royal Rifle Corps battalion advanced in support of 1st Northamptonshire but it was the same story all over again and they got no nearer than 30 yards to the German line. At 7.30 am they were ordered to withdraw to their original positions. Their casualties amounted to over 250 and included Edward Holland who was killed.