Current Information:

Age-20

71, Eltham Road, Lee

Y Farm Military Cemetery, Bois-Grenier, France

Battle of Aubers Ridge- 9th May, 1915

On 9 May 1915 the British attacked north at Arras as part of the British contribution to the Second Battle of Artois, a Franco-British offensive. Their objective was the capture of Aubers Ridge but it turned into an unmitigated disaster. The German defences had been much improved since the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in March and the British artillery, which was in a parlous condition, failed to destroy the German defences during the short and insufficient 40 minute bombardment that preceded the attack. Extra artillery had been requested but further to the north, the Second Battle of Ypres was being fought on a ferocious scale and none was forthcoming. The few initial gains could not be held and by the evening of 9 May, all the British forces were back where they started, except of course the dead who littered the battlefield. There were 11,000 casualties for the British Army.

1st Division attacked in front of Richbourg-l’Avoué with the 1st Northamptonshire and 2nd Royal Sussex battalions leading the attack on 2 Brigade’s front. Both battalions were hit by heavy fire from twenty two enemy machine guns and only a handful of them reached the German front line where they took what cover they could until some were able to make it back to their own lines in the evening. The casualties for 2nd Sussex amounted to over 350 and included Albert Gilbey who was killed.