Current Information:

Age-29

Mortimer Crescent, Maida Vale

Chocques Military Cemetery, France

The Battle of Loos

This battle, fought by the British Army from 25th September, 1915 through to 13th October, was conducted along a six-and-a-half-mile front running north from the mining village of Loos on the outskirts of Lens in Northern France. It was the largest offensive carried out by the British so far. The opening day involved an attack by six divisions, with others entering the fray as it progressed and it was part of a much wider offensive with the French launching their own attacks in Champagne and at Vimy. It was the first time that the British used gas during the war, despite their condemnation of the Germans for doing the same in April 1915. There were some encouraging results on the first day but no major breakthrough was achieved and in the successive days of the battle it became bogged down in brutal trench warfare. By mid-October the battle had petered out with the British having suffered over 60,000 casualties during its course.

On 25th  September 1915, 7th Division attacked along a 1400 yard front between the Vermelles-Hulluch road and the Hohenzollern Redoubt  . Along this stretch of the line the German defences were strong and had not been damaged much by the bombardment.  There were a number of strongpoints notably the Popes Nose Redoubt and The Quarries from which enfilade fire could be directed on the attackers. The villages just behind the German line, Hulluch, Cité St. Elie, Haisnes and La Bassée, were all strongly defended. At 6.30am 20 Brigade on the right attacked Breslau Trench and after some hard fighting reached the Lens-Hulluch road, where, unable to proceed any further, they consolidated their position. 2nd Border then moved up from 20 Brigade support, took up positions in Gun Trench and Stone Alley and awaited the arrival of 22 Brigade in the shape of 2nd Bedfordshire and 2nd Wiltshire. They too reached Gun Trench but the wire in front of Hulluch stopped further progress. 

During the night of 25th-26th September the enemy kept up a heavy fire particularly against the Quarries and Fosse 8. At 1am on 26th September there was a skilful German counter attack made against 7th Division and 9th Division from the Vermelles-Hulluch road up to and including Fosse 8. The Germans were well screened and quiet and got within bombing distance before being noticed. A number of the enemy got into Gun Trench but were seen off in hand to hand fighting with 2nd Bedfordshire and 2nd Border. Second Lieutenant Woolf died of wounds on 26th September, 1915, and he may have been wounded in an earlier action.