Current Information:

Born-Westminster

The Battle of Arras was a series of offensives by the British Army between 9th April 1917 and 16th May 1917. It had been planned in conjunction with the French who would attack in Artois and between them the Allies would force the Germans out of the large salient they had held since the line of trenches was first established. But the Germans had spoiled this plan by falling back to the new and very strong Hindenburg Line in January 1917 and the salient no longer existed.  For the want of an alternative plan the attack went ahead anyway. It all started well for the British who made substantial gains on the first two days but then the offensive ground to a halt and by the end their losses amounted to over 150,000.

The Battles of Bullecourt, a village a few miles south-east of Arras, were a flanking attack designed to assist the main thrust at Arras and to capture parts of the Hindenburg Line. It was largely an Australian show, but British divisions were involved as well, including 58th Division, made up of second line London territorial units, that had arrived in France in February 1917. On 12th May, 1917, 2/1st London of 173 Brigade left Achiet-le-Grand and moved to take up reserve lines near Noreuil, just to the south of Bullecourt. On 14th May, a carrying party from the battalion took water up to the support positions under heavy artillery fire and for the whole day all the battalion was subjected to intermittent shell fire. 2/1st London suffered 39 casualties during the course of the day, one of whom was Herbert Brads.