Current Information:

Strand

Enlisted-London

At the beginning of 1915, 3rd Division were holding a section of the line south of Ypres and on 16th January, 1915,  the  4th Royal Fusiliers battalion of 9 Brigade, moved into the front line where they remained until relieved on 20th January. The battalion diary records this period as being “quiet” but with the trenches in a very bad condition after much heavy rain and on 20th January, the day on which Henry Branch was killed, the battalion diary recorded their relief by a South Lancashire battalion and the fact that during this four day tour in the front line the battalion’s ‘great many’ casualties had been caused by snipers.