Current Information:

Enlisted-Woolwich

5th Division, which included the 1st Royal West Kent battalion of 13 Brigade, had been heavily involved in the Battle of La Bassée for most of October, 1914, but on the 1st November, when they were hoping for some well earned rest, they were instead sent north to the Messines Ridge, to the south of Ypres in Belgium, where I Corps of the British Army was being hard pressed by relentless enemy attacks and desperately in need of assistance. They spent most of the first two weeks of November here and then, on 13th November, after the line had stabilised, they were sent further north to Ypres itself where the German pressure continued.

They moved into trenches in the woods to the north-east of Klein Zillebeke and came under the orders of 7th Brigade. It was a grim setting, awash with mud and only thirty yards from the enemy lines which at least curtailed the shell fire, both sides being cautious of hitting their own trenches. Instead artillery fire concentrated on the support lines and communication trenches. The tangle of fallen trees and broken branches took away the fear of the enemy rushing their positions but they provided great cover for snipers. A final attempt to break the British line was made here by the enemy on 17th November but it was repelled by all units, including 1st Royal West Kent. On 19th November the battalion was withdrawn and moved back to Dranoutre, having suffered over fifty casualties during this, their first spell in the Ypres salient. One of these casualties was Arthur Ives who was killed on 19th November.