Current Information:

Age-26

9, Ingledew Road, Plumstead

When the German Spring offensive began on 21st March, 1918, 4th Division were holding the line just to the north of Arras, a sector that was close to the battle front but not actually attacked. This situation changed on 28th March when the enemy launched a hastily prepared attack (Operation Mars) against the left wing of the British Third Army, to try to widen the breach in the Allied lines, but unlike their efforts further south where the whole of the British Fifth Army and the right of the Third Army were in full retreat, this attack was a failure. There were many reasons for this but chief among them was that there was no early morning mist this time to assist the attack and the defences here were stronger and much better prepared.

At 3am on 28th March the German artillery opened up in full fury on the British positions north of the River Scarpe and at some time after 5am their infantry attacked.  Very few of the men left holding the Forward Zone survived this onslaught but, knowing that the attack was imminent most of the defenders had been pulled back to the Battle Zone where a more meaningful defence could be carried out. Only in a few cases did the enemy penetrate this but not to any great extent and at a fearful cost in casualties among their ranks.

On the front held by 4th Division, 1st Rifle Brigade of 11 Brigade were in the thick of the fighting.  One company was sent to assist 1st Hampshire on the left of the brigade front. Here they came under extreme pressure and were pushed back to the reserve line where they held on magnificently for the rest of the day despite being under heavy shell fire and losing fifty men. Others were sent to form a defensive flank along the railway on the right of B Company and in the afternoon, I Company filled gap between 1st Hampshire and 2nd Lancashire Fusiliers which had been occupied by the enemy. The two battalions bombed along it from either side whilst two platoons of I Company counter attacked over the top and evicted them. A strategic withdrawal that night resulted in 1st Rifle Brigade holding a two thousand yard front extending north of and through the village of Fampoux and then westwards along the Scarpe. At 6am on 29th March, Good Friday, a party of the enemy penetrated their lines between A and B Companies and began bombing along the trench. Many of those in the most forward positions were either killed or wounded but a determined counter attack drove the Germans out. This signalled the end of the enemy offensive north of the Scarpe, an operation that had been both costly and unsuccessful. 1st Rifle Brigade, along with all the other units involved in this defence, suffered many casualties as well, one of whom was John Arkell who was killed on 29th March.