RE: The Great war by Piero - AAR -
Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 3:18 pm
Hey, guys. I'm new to the forum, and I can put a personal twist onto this scenario. My great-grandfather (from Scotland, as is my mom) served in Northumberland County, England with the Northern Cyclist Battalion until July 1916.
After the horrible allied attack on 1 July 1916, when some British units were down 60% casualties, my grat-grandfather was sent to France as a replacement, and he was assigned to the 21st Northumberland Fusiliers (2nd Tyneside Scottish Battalion), 102nd Brigdade, 34th Division. His first assignment was to the lines in Armentieres (just northwest of Lille), and then his unit went to Arras in February 1917. He stayed there (vigorously defending the city) until September 1917, when he was sent south to the Villeret Trenches, north of St Quentin, for a major attack. He was severely wounded in this operation, and he was sent back to England for medical care on 17 September 1917. He lost an eye, and was partially blinded in the other, after taking shrapnel to the head.
In March of 1918, when the Germans were attacking en force from the Hindenberg Line, he was reactivated (they needed men then) and sent back to France. Since the Tyneside Scottish were mostly cadre training American troops, he was assigned to the 16th (County of London) Battalion (Queen's Westminster Rifles), The London Regiment, of the 56th Division. He went into the lines on 28 March and sent to Arras (which he knew quite well), which is when the Germans attacked the British lines with 5 divisions (4 were wiped out). The lines wavered, but didn't break. [:)]
He was slightly wounded in the back on a raid in the Tilloy Trenches in July 1918, and then he was gravely wounded on 4/5 November 1918 in the Sebourg/Angreau campaign (just southeast of Vallenciennes). He was sent back to the 1st Casualty Clearing Station in Cambrai, and this is where he died on 6 November 1918. (He had also just returned from England after some leave when he was killed.)
If you're interested, his name is the the British Commonwealth War Graves Commission. I've placed the link for the CWGC and his memorial page, FYI. [:)]
CWGC: http://www.cwgc.org/
Memorial Page: http://www.cwgc.org/search/certificate. ... 51121 (His grave is actually on the right, in the gravestones looking at you, and just barely in the page.)
After the horrible allied attack on 1 July 1916, when some British units were down 60% casualties, my grat-grandfather was sent to France as a replacement, and he was assigned to the 21st Northumberland Fusiliers (2nd Tyneside Scottish Battalion), 102nd Brigdade, 34th Division. His first assignment was to the lines in Armentieres (just northwest of Lille), and then his unit went to Arras in February 1917. He stayed there (vigorously defending the city) until September 1917, when he was sent south to the Villeret Trenches, north of St Quentin, for a major attack. He was severely wounded in this operation, and he was sent back to England for medical care on 17 September 1917. He lost an eye, and was partially blinded in the other, after taking shrapnel to the head.
In March of 1918, when the Germans were attacking en force from the Hindenberg Line, he was reactivated (they needed men then) and sent back to France. Since the Tyneside Scottish were mostly cadre training American troops, he was assigned to the 16th (County of London) Battalion (Queen's Westminster Rifles), The London Regiment, of the 56th Division. He went into the lines on 28 March and sent to Arras (which he knew quite well), which is when the Germans attacked the British lines with 5 divisions (4 were wiped out). The lines wavered, but didn't break. [:)]
He was slightly wounded in the back on a raid in the Tilloy Trenches in July 1918, and then he was gravely wounded on 4/5 November 1918 in the Sebourg/Angreau campaign (just southeast of Vallenciennes). He was sent back to the 1st Casualty Clearing Station in Cambrai, and this is where he died on 6 November 1918. (He had also just returned from England after some leave when he was killed.)
If you're interested, his name is the the British Commonwealth War Graves Commission. I've placed the link for the CWGC and his memorial page, FYI. [:)]
CWGC: http://www.cwgc.org/
Memorial Page: http://www.cwgc.org/search/certificate. ... 51121 (His grave is actually on the right, in the gravestones looking at you, and just barely in the page.)