Current Information:

Born-Marylebone

On 8th  December, 1914, the 2nd Royal West Surrey (Queens) battalion of 22 Brigade, 7th Division, marched to trenches at La Bouteillerie, near Fleurbaix, where they stayed until relieved on 15th December. The communication trenches leading to the front line here were in a very bad state with mud up to one’s knees in places. So bad were these trenches that men preferred to make their way forward above ground and risk being shot rather than get stuck in the mud in these ditches. There was also plenty of sniper activity and on 9th December, one man, John Holloran, was killed by a sniper while cutting branches off a tree.