Current Information:

Age-36

Monchy British Cemetery, Monchy-le-Preux, France

On 1st August, 1917 the 9th Essex battalion of 35 Brigade, 12th Division moved into the front line near Arras. On the following day they came under a heavy artillery bombardment and then, that night, the enemy launched an attack which forced an entry in their lines between Pick and Vine Avenues. However their success was short lived as they were driven back by the battalion’s bombers who restored the original positions. During the shelling and the subsequent infantry attack 9th Essex suffered a number of casualties, one of whom was Joseph French.