Current Information:

Age-18

26, Mayville Road, Ilford

Enlisted-Blackheath

The Battle of Festubert (15–25 May 1915)

This followed quickly on the heels of the Battle of Aubers Ridge and was an offensive operation by the British Army in the Artois region of France in conjunction with a French attack further south. Initial success soon ground to a halt and although there had been an advance of three kilometres in some places the end result was not the hoped for breakout but merely more muddy trenches which became the front line. British casualties over the ten days amounted to nearly 17,000, three times as many as inflicted on the Germans.

The final action of this battle took place during 25th and 26th May, 1915 and involved 47th Division and the 1st Canadian Division in an attack against Chapelle St Roche and Rue d’Ouvert in the Givenchy sector of the front. 47th Division was an all London division which had begun life as the 2nd London Division and had arrived in France in March 1915. This was to be their first taste of an offensive action and was going to be a very costly one.  The main attack went in at 6.30pm on 25th May when 142 Brigade attacked with its right on the Chapelle St Roch – Givenchy road.  They advanced 400 yards on a 1000 yard frontage, through hostile machine gun fire, and captured German front and support trenches. At 10pm that night, two companies of the 20th London battalion of 141 Brigade were sent up to Windy Corner to reinforce the reserve battalion of 142 Brigade while the majority of the other two companies were used to carry ammunition and other supplies to the front where heavy fighting was in progress. Two platoons were sent forward to lend support to 24th London and arrived just in time to prevent the ground they had captured from being retaken by the enemy. 142 Brigade, who had suffered severely were relieved and over the next four days 20th London remained in these forward positions fighting hard to retain them as the enemy launched a number of counter attacks as well as shelling their trenches almost continuously. The battalion sustained many casualties during this battle including John Kent who was killed.