Current Information:

Age-22

6, Andover Street, Holloway

On 6th January, 1918, 8th East Surrey of 55 Brigade, 18th Division moved into the front line near Abri Wood in the northern part of the Ypres salient. At 4.40am on 8th January a party from the battalion raided the German positions at Turenne Crossing where they met considerable resistance as well as uncut wire. A pillbox was rushed but heavy machine-gun fire as well as this uncut wire prevented it from being captured and eventually the party returned to their own lines with two of their number having been killed. At 7am it began snowing heavily and that afternoon, at 4.45pm, the Germans, dressed in white for camouflage purposes, launched their own raid. Two hundred of the enemy advanced against the forward posts on the left of the battalion front, The artillery and machine-guns sprang into action and the Germans were unable to gain a lodgement in any of the battalions posts but they did manage to temporarily occupy two posts of the battalion to the left. James Stonebridge was killed on this day but it is not known if he lost his life during the early morning raid or whether he was one of the sixteen casualties suffered by 8th East Surrey when the Germans raided their lines.