Current Information:

Age-20

7, Oakley Buildings, Oakley Street, Lambeth

Trefcon British Cemetery, Caulaincourt, France

By mid-September, 1918, the Allied offensive that had begun a month earlier, had pushed the enemy back almost to the Hindenburg Line. The task now was to break through this formidable defensive system and in order to gain possession of its outlying defences and obtain good observation over it before launching a general attack, a series of operations, some large scale and others more modest in nature were launched by the British Third and Fourth Armies.

On 11th September 6th Division moved into the front line near Monchy-Lagache, a few miles to the west of St Quentin and at 5.30am on 17th September, the 1st West Yorkshire and 11th Essex battalions of 18 Brigade, in co-operation with the French 34th Division, attempted to occupy the eastern half of Holnon Wood. The troops were in position on time despite a fierce thunder storm and heavy rain which began just after midnight and to add to their woes, 11th Essex were hit by an enemy artillery barrage as they lined up just before zero. There was no preliminary bombardment but the advance was made behind a creeping barrage. Both battalion reached their objectives but somewhere wires got crossed and the French 34th battalion failed to make any attempt to advance and Round Hill, which overlooked Holnon remained in German hands making it impossible for 1st West Yorks to consolidate their position there. However, and In spite of heavy losses, they did manage to establish a line to the west of the village. 11th Essex established outposts in front of Badger Copse, Otter Copse and Front Copse, all to the north-east of St Quentin Wood but they too suffered from heavy machine-gun fire. George Middlebrook of 11th Essex lost his life on this day.