Current Information:

Age-32

Whitton Park, Hounslow

33, Catherine Street, Westminster

Lillers 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.

At 8.05am on 10th March, the Garwhal Brigade led the attack by the Meerut Division of the Indian Corps and reached a line running along the Layes Brook. However there remained a 200 yard gap between the 2nd Leicestershire and the 39th Garhwal Rifles battalions which the enemy tried to exploit. By 10am the supporting battalions including the 1st Seaforth Highlanders of the Dehra Dun Brigade, had moved up to the original British front line and at 11.45am 1st Seaforth Highlanders arrived at the front breastworks on the La Bassee-Estaires road where they got their orders to take the uncaptured part of the trench between 2nd Leicestershire and the 39th Garhwal Rifles. At 1pm the two leading companies of 1st Seaforth moved across no-man’s-land behind 2nd Leicester with orders to attack down the enemy line in conjunction with a frontal attack by two companies of 3rd London and the rest of 39th Garhwal Rifles. They came under heavy fire so progress was difficult for 1st Seaforth but by 2.15pm they were in position to advance but. Their attack had to wait for a further bombardment of the enemy positions and was finally launched at 5pm. As the Dehra Dun Brigade advanced the position of the Germans holding out at Port Arthur became desperate.  1st Seaforth moved south in open order whilst at the same time the two companies of 3rd London and the remainder of 39th Garhwal Rifles attacked frontally. The enemy trench was taken, reversed and consolidated but at a cost of 1000 casualties among the Meerut Division, including Rupert Murray of 1st Seaforth, died from wounds on the following day.