Current Information:

Born-Custom House

Bethune Town Cemetery, France

20th Middlesex arrived in France in May, 1916 as part of 121 Brigade, 40th Division. On 25th June, 1916, The battalion moved into the front line trenches for the first time at Loos, to the right of the Double Crassier. For their first taste of trench warfare, the enemy targeted their new positions with large trench mortars or minenwerfers, which the British soldier referred to as “minnies”. Just before 1am on 27th June, the enemy exploded a mine on the Double Crassier, a slag heap for the nearby coal mines, and an artillery duel followed. At 8am a minenwerfer landed on positions held by “A” Company burying a number of men. Others rushed to dig them out but another minenwerfer landing close by caused further casualties. 20th Middlesex had to contend with further bombardments of their positions in the afternoon and evening and by the end of the day the battalion had sustained over twenty casualties including Frederick Wallis who died from his wounds.