Current Information:

Age-26

102, Priory Road, Hornsey

The Battle of the Aisne  (13th September - 28 September), 1914

After the Germans were defeated on the Marne they fell back to the River Aisne, closely pursued by both the British and the French. The new German line was a very formidable defensive position. To attack it  meant  having to cross the Aisne and then climb up a 500 foot high ridge on top of which was the Chemin des Dames, a road that gave the Germans an easy way to move troops along the top of the hills. On 13th September the Aisne was crossed by both British and French troops but after that progress became slower, until there was no progress at all. Both sides dug in and the fighting settled down into trench warfare. The fighting on the Aisne continued for two weeks at the end of which both sides realised that frontal attacks on entrenched positions were both costly and non-productive, not that this deterred them from continuing with this tactic throughout the war.

On 13th September, 1914,  9th Brigade, 3rd Division crossed the River Aisne and took up positions just beyond Vailly. At dawn on the following morning  the 14th September, 1st Lincolnshire and 4th Royal Fusiliers led the advance on the German positions. The fighting became confused with attack and counter attack . Pushing forward again, 9 Brigade emerged from some woods, met heavy fire and tried to entrench. 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers were thrown into the fight, half on the right and half on the left.  Those on the right were enfiladed by machine guns whilst plodding through muddy beetroot fields and were driven back with heavy losses. The situation was critical for most of the day and eventually 9 Brigade withdrew back to Vailly. Although the records show Herbert Simpson died on 15th September, it is much more likely that the actual date of his death was 14th September.