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Born-Lincolnshire

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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.

The Royal Army Service Corps worked at every level during the First World War and by the end of the conflict it was responsible for keeping an army of over 4 million men supplied with all their needs. It was a colossal task and the RASC expanded its own ranks rapidly in order to fulfil this demand.By the end of the war their numbers had expanded to over 300,000. RASC personnel were to be found from the front line to the Channel ports and many of those in forward positions, delivering supplies of all kinds to the trenches, were liable to become casualties themselves. The tracks along which they had to travel to reach the front line were known to the German gunners and targeted accordingly, as were their depots.

7th Division were fully invoved in the fighting associated with Third Ypres but the circumstances of the death of John Wattam on 5th November, 1914 are not known.