Current Information:

Born-Deptford

The 1st Royal West Kent battalion of 13 Brigade, 5th Division had been through the wringer during April, 1915. In the middle of the month they had been in the thick of the action at Hill 60, just to the south of Ypres and they had then been sent to the northern part of the Ypres salient when the enemy nearly broke through the British lines after using gas for the first time during the Battle of Gravenstafel Ridge. Here they suffered over one hundred casualties during the fighting on 23rd April. That night they were moved back about two miles but in the early afternoon of 24th April they were ordered to move back to the canal bank where the Canadians were being hard pressed. They remained here, under shell fire, throughout 25th April as French troops attacked. That evening a new draft of nearly 400 arrived but as they approached the canal bank a shell landed among the leading company causing several casualties. At 2am on 26th April 1st Royal West Kent moved forward to shallow trenches to relieve other battalions and stayed in these new positions until relieved on 30th April when they moved back to Vlamertinghe. The battalion sustained a number of casualties, mostly from shell fire, during this time spent in these forward positions including Percy Lewis who was killed on 27th April.