Current Information:

Age-38

4, Roupell Street, Blackfriars

Aubigny Communal Cemetery, France

Arras-28th March, 1918

On 28th March, 1918, a week after the Germans had begun their devastating Spring offensive on the Somme where the British were still in full retreat, they attacked again. Operation Mars was launched astride the River Scarpe at Arras by their Seventeenth Army with the full weight of the powerful German artillery behind it. The tactics were basically the same as on 21st March; an overwhelming artillery barrage followed by infantry attacks by storm troopers penetrating as far as possible the British defences causing maximum confusion. But this time things were different. There was no early morning fog to hide the German advance and the British, having learnt from the events of a week earlier and knowing that the attack was coming, concentrated their troops in the Battle Zone rather than the Forward Zone where the copious use of barbed wire and stubborn resistance prevented the enemy from penetrating further. Despite all this there were many casualties among the defenders faced with such a powerful assault, but the Germans also lost heavily and Operation Mars was soon called off.

The 56th (London) Division, in the line around Gavrelle just to the north of Arras, were one of the divisions that met the full force of the German attack. Along with 4th Division on their right they were confronted by seven enemy divisions some of whom were able to penetrate the shallow valley that lay between the two British divisions. 168 Brigade were on the left of the front held by 56th Division with the 4th London battalion on the right and the 13th London battalion on the left. 14th London were in reserve. The German attack which began at 3am with an artillery barrage followed at 7.30am with an infantry attack overwhelmed 4th London in the Forward Zone but 13th London maintained their position and were only forced to move back when the enemy began infiltrating the junction between the two brigades at which stage they too moved back to the Battle Zone. Here, with the help of 14th London, the line was stabilised with the enemy unable to advance any further despite their repeated attacks during the afternoon. On the following day, 29th March,  56th Division was relieved by Canadian troops but not before there had been more casualties, one of whom was Francis Coward who died of wounds.