Current Information:

Age-27

56, Harleyford Road, Vauxhall

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 13th 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 13th September, 1914 on the extreme right of the British line, two patrols of cavalry were sent forward to the bridges at Villers and Bourg.  The bridges had been destroyed but the one over the Aisne canal, running south of the river, was intact.  A branch canal ran from the Aisne canal north-west to the River Oise, crossing the Aisne by an aqueduct, which was only slightly damaged.  The cavalry came under fire from Germans sheltered in houses along this branch canal whilst 2nd Cavalry Brigade and some artillery moved up to attack this aqueduct. But they needed assistance from 1st Division so, 2 Brigade, which included the 1st Loyal North Lancashire battalion, moved up behind the cavalry and the crossing was made.  The infantry also crossed and took up a covering position on the north bank. During this operation Edmund Bowes was killed.