Current Information:

Age-35

241, Golders Green Road

The Battle of Arras was a series of offensives by the British Army between 9th April 1917 and 16th May 1917. It had been planned in conjunction with the French who would attack in Artois and between them the Allies would force the Germans out of the large salient they had held since the line of trenches was first established. But the Germans had spoiled this plan by falling back to the new and very strong Hindenburg Line in January 1917 and the salient no longer existed.  For the want of an alternative plan the attack went ahead anyway. It all started well for the British who made substantial gains on the first two days but then the offensive ground to a halt and by the end their losses amounted to over 150,000.

The Second Battle of the Scarpe (23-24 April, 1917)

The British offensive at Arras was resumed on 23rd April, 1917, when they attacked eastwards along an nine mile front from Croisilles to Gavrelle on both sides of the  River Scarpe in what some came to consider was the hardest fighting of the war so far. 20th Royal Fusiliers of 19 Brigade, 33rd Division, were in reserve at Boyelles on the opening day of the battle and on 24th April moved up to the new front line in front of Fontaine-les-Croisilles, on the right of the British line. The enemy had only just been forced back from here and the front was a series of ten outposts rather than a continuous trench. Over the next two days 20th Royal Fusiliers sent out a number of patrols as far as the River Sensée. Relieved during the night of 25th April they moved back to bivouacs at Boiry-Becquerelle. Joseph Banks was killed on 25th April but the Battalion Diary gives no information on casualties. He could have been killed by shellfire or a sniper’s bullet or when on one of the patrols that were sent out.