Current Information:

Born-New Cross

On 20th January, 1916, 21st London of 142 Brigade, 47th Division, moved into the front line trenches at Loos in northern France, where they remained for 4 days. In the early hours of the morning of 23rd January, the men in the front trench withdrew to the support line whilst the engineers blew a mine which left a crater some 60 feet in diameter. Immediately the men then rushed forward and occupied the front edge of this crater which they then spent the rest of the night until dawn  consolidating. The enemy did not take this lying down and plastered the area with machine gun fire and heavy trench mortars, resulting in the deaths of at least 5 men from 21st London, including George Ward. For some reason as yet unknown, he is commemorated on the Arras Memorial to the missing rather than the nearby Loos Memorial.