Current Information:

Born-Bethnal Green

The Battle of Neuve Chapelle

Between 10th and 13th March, 1915, the Indian Army Corps and IV Corps attacked the village of Neuve Chapelle in the Artois region of France. During the winter of 1914-1915, reinforcements had arrived from Britain and this was seen as an opportunity to use them to break through the German lines.

It started well. At 7.30am on 10th March, a 30 minute hurricane bombardment destroyed the German wire and front line trenches and at 8.05am the infantry went in. Neuve Chapelle was captured and over a mile of the German line taken. But that was the end of the success.  The British chain of command was weak and their communications poor, which was hardly surprising given that many of the troops had no previous experience of battle. The Germans re-organised and reinforced during the night and no further gains were made. British casualties mounted to 12,000 by the time the offensive petered out on 13th March.

The 1st Manchester battalion of the Jullunder Brigade, Lahore Division were not directly involved in the fighting on the first day of the battle but on 11th  March  they moved forward from their billets in ruined houses hear the junction of the Rue des Berceaux and La Bassée roads and advanced on the left of the second line of the attack. As they moved forward they suffered a number of casualties from shell fire and when they took shelter behind some houses more casualties ensued as the enemy guns then targeted these houses. Eventually the attack was cancelled and 1st Manchester returned to their billets. Early the following morning, 12th March, they were in the vanguard of the advance by the Jullunder Brigade but were held up by intense shell fire as well as machine-gun and rifle fire from the Layes Bridge redoubt and got no further than a position astride the Brewery road on the edge of Neuve Chapelle. A further attempt to advance was made late in the afternoon but the only thing it achieved was yet more names on the casualty list. That night 1st Manchester were withdrawn. One of the many casualties suffered by the battalion during the battle was Nathaniel Wood  on 12th March.