Current Information:

Age-21

6, Rufford Street, King's Cross

First Battle of Ypres

Between 21st October and 22nd November, 1914 a desperate fight took place around the Belgium city of Ypres, the first of three major battles that were to be fought there during the course of the war. British troops entered Ypres in October. The 1st and 2nd Divisions plus the 3rd Cavalry Division had made their way up from the Aisne as part of the “Race to the Sea”, whilst the 7th Division came west to Ypres after Antwerp had fallen. The Germans knew that Ypres was the gateway to the Channel ports and that these were vital to Britain’s war effort so they poured reinforcements into the area. The fighting fell into three distinct battles; the Battle of Langemarck, 21-24 October, the Battle of Gheluvelt, 29-31 October and the Battle of Nonne Bosschen, 11 November. Ypres did not fall to the Germans but its defence during these two months resulted in the destruction of much of the old regular British Army.

Between 29th and 31st October a massive concentration of German troops tried to break the British line around Gheluvelt at the eastern apex of the Ypres salient but between them, 1st Division and 7th Divisions maintained a defensive line, even if it was pushed back to a reduced semi circle around Ypres. 2nd November was another day of heavy fighting during which the 1st Black Watch battalion of 1 Brigade, 1st Division launched a successful counter attack by one hundred and twenty men after the Germans had captured a barricade on the Menin Road. They successfully stopped the enemy advance despite being enfiladed by two machine-guns. On 3rd November the Battalion HQ moved further back and was then shelled. 1st Black Watch suffered many casualties during this period of fighting, one of whom was William Larkins who died from wounds on 3rd November.