Current Information:

Age-25

101, Tappesfield Road, Nunhead

Villers-Faucon Communal Cemetery, France

On 9th April, 1917, the opening day of the Battle of Arras, 40th Division were a few miles south of that battlefield, in the area recently vacated by the enemy when they had withdrawn to the Hindenburg Line. On 6th April, 121 Brigade had taken over the front line between Gouzeaucourt and the south-east corner of Havrincourt Wood with the Battalion HQ in Dessart Wood and three days later the 21st Middlesex battalion carried out a small operation which advanced the line 1000 yards. Two platoons attacked at 3pm behind an artillery barrage and reached their first objective, a cross roads, meeting only slight opposition. After this things became more difficult. In the face of heavy machine-gun fire, the second objective, more cross roads,  was not reached. The direct approach had not worked so they tried an out-flanking manoeuvre and although one party reached it they were soon wiped out. At 4.30pm German shelling increased considerably causing many casualties and an hour later the new positions attacked on both flanks. At this point another platoon was sent up and this caused caused the enemy to retire. 21st Middlesex had succeeded in pushing forward the line but at the cost of over sixty casualties. The next day was a quiet one during which the battalion was relieved and moved back to reorganise. Many of the deaths from the action on 9th April, including that of Sidney Robinson, were now officially recorded, hence the discrepancy.