Current Information:

Age-32

Born-Cheltenham

Enlisted-Barnet

Served as GARNESS

Perreuse Chateau Franco British National Cemetery

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 13^th 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 14th September, 1914, the 20th Hussars of the 5th Cavalry Brigade reached the Aisne at the pontoon bridge at Vailly. The Brigade used this to cross the river but when it came time for 20th Hussars, the rearguard, to cross, the early morning mist had lifted and the enemy guns opened fire. Nor was there any respite once they reached the north bank of the Aisne, where they found the enemy strongly entrenched and little room for manoeuvre they were ordered to return back across the bridge, again under fire. Once on the south side of the Aisne they took up positions between Vailly and Chassemy and then moving into billets.. There was little for the cavalry to do north of the river where trench warfare was developing, so they remained south of it for the next week, waiting on orders, being employed to guard the river crossings and often coming under shell fire. Walter Pilley was killed on 18th September.