Current Information:

Age-28

65, St Ann's Road, Barking

Born-Tottenham

The Battle of Gravenstafel Ridge (22–23 April 1915)

In the late afternoon of 22nd April an unfamiliar green cloud was seen to rise from the German trenches on the northern part of the Ypres salient, held by two French divisions. The Germans had used poison gas on the Western Front for the first time. It was chlorine gas and this destroys moist tissues such as lungs and eyes. The French troops in the path of the gas cloud suffered 6,000 casualties, many of whom died within ten minutes. Many others were blinded. Not surprisingly the French line broke leaving a four mile gap into which the German soldiers advanced. Desperate defending by Canadian troops prevented a complete German breakthrough but nevertheless a lot of ground was lost including Langemarck and Pilckem and the Ypres salient became even smaller. Two British divisions, the 27th and the 28th  were holding the line nearby and they sent their reserves to try to stem the German tide. Although this action was given the name of the Battle of Gravenstafel Ridge, it was actually fought further to the west in the region of Koorslaere and to the west of St Julien.

On 22nd April, as soon as they learned about the use of gas by the Germans and the large gap that this caused in the British lines, the reserves of 27th & 28th Divisions moved towards the threatened flank. The 3rd Middlesex battalion of 85 Brigade, 28th Division, took up a position astride the cross roads at St Jean with 5th Royal Lancaster, shelled out of their billets in Ypres, in reserve. Patrols were sent out.  Half of 3rd Middlesex advanced along both banks of the canal, to secure the Brielen bridge where it relieved the 2nd Canadian Field Company. Early in the morning the next day, 23rd April, “A” and “C” Companies advanced some 1000 yards north and there they came across other Canadians who had been heroically holding the line since the previous day. At 6.20am and despite heavy German fire, two companies of 3rd Middlesex and the Canadians advanced  a further 600-800 yards and entrenched. Here they suffered a day of hell being both heavily shelled and gassed . In the afternoon reinforcements arrived on their left and another advance took place across flat land towards the German trenches.  “C” Company led in rushes and had terrible losses as at least eight German machine guns opened up.  By dusk, ‘A’ and ‘C’ Companies had practically ceased to exist.  There were less than fifty men remaining to dig in with the Canadians. Among the many casualties suffered by 3rd Middlesex was George Currell who was killed on 22nd April.