Current Information:

Age-20

59, Dawlish Street, South Lambeth

Ferme Buterne Military Cemetery, Houplines, France

During the evening of 12th March, 1915, A Company of the 2nd London battalion, then part of 17 Brigade, 6th Division, moved up to the front line at Chapelle d’Armentières to support the 1st North Staffordshire battalion that had lost heavily during the action of L’Epinette. This had been launched to divert enemy troops away from Neuve Chapelle, a few miles to the south, where the British and Indians were attacking. After regular company by company reliefs, 2nd London were still in these trenches at the end of the month and through into April. William Sudwell was killed on 4th April but the battalion diary orovides no information concerning his death. The attrition rate among British soldiers on the Western Front was on average 300 each day and 60% of these were as a result of shellfire. When not involved in an actual battle it was either shell fire or a sniper’s bullet that caused most deaths and injuries.