Current Information:

Age-27

Born-Shoreditch

Brown's Road Military Cemetery, Festubert, France

The 6th London battalion arrived in France in March 1915 as part of 4 Brigade, 2nd London Division, soon to be renamed 140 Brigade, 47th Division. On 19th April they went into the trenches for the first time at Givenchy and on 4th May they took over the line facing Festubert. The start of the Battle of Festubert was a week away and the artillery programme was starting. This of course resulted in German retaliation and it is likely that most of the casualties 6th London suffered during this period in the front line, including Arthur Bland who was killed on 8th May, were as a result of artillery fire.