Current Information:

Age-21

Born-Barnsbury

Rue-Petillon Military Cemetery, Fleurbaix, France

Battle of Aubers Ridge

On 9th  May 1915 the British attacked north at Arras as part of the British contribution to the Second Battle of Artois, a Franco-British offensive. Their objective was the capture of Aubers Ridge but it turned into an unmitigated disaster. The German defences had been much improved since the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in March and the British  artillery was in a parlous condition and failed to destroy the German defences during the short and insufficient 40 minute bombardment that preceded the attack. Extra artillery had been requested but further to the north, the Second Battle of Ypres was being fought on a ferocious scale and none was forthcoming. The few initial gains could not be held and by the evening of 9 May, all the British forces were back where they started, except of course the dead who littered the battlefield. There were 11,000 casualties for the British Army.

8th Division attacked towards Fromelles, 6000 yards to the north of Aubers Ridge. Their attack went in astride the Fromelles road with 24 Brigade to the south of it and 25 Brigade to the north. 7th Middlesex, 23 Brigade were in reserve trenches with two companies and the machine gun section providing covering fire for the attacking battalions. In the evening they took over some of the front line and covered the withdrawal after the attack had failed. 7th Middlesex were relieved from the front line on 11th May with casualties of 15 killed and 37 wounded. These were very low casualty figures compared with other battalions and earned them the sobriquet ‘Lucky Seventh’, at least until the Somme.