France — World War I — Exploring Arras, France

Walking in the footsteps of my great uncle — the Battle of Arras — part 1 of 5

August 2017

My great uncle was killed during the First World War near the town of Arras. His body was never found, and his name is on the wall of The Arras Memorial.

In this post and the next four, I explore where he spent his last days, find the field where he most probably died, and visit the memorial that bears his name.

My great-uncle was a private in the 2nd Battalion of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (Ox and Bucks Light Infantry; OBLI), part of the 5th Brigade. He died at the age of 23 on 28th April 1917, during the Battle of Arleux, which was part of the Battle of Arras. Arleux is located north-east of Arras.

My great-uncle enlisted on the 7th of September 1914, aged 20, just 40 days after the outbreak of war. By trade, he was a Shepard.

On his enlistment papers, he was described as: “Height: 5 ft 7 in; Complexion: Fresh; Eyes: Blue; Hair: Brown; Chest: 33.5–35.5 inches; Vision: Normal; Distinguishing marks: 3 vaccination marks on left arm” What strikes me is that he was a tiny young man. He was discharged on the 14th of October 1914 as “Unlikely to become an efficient soldier”. However, he was serving with the OBLI in 1916, as I found a copy of a will he made in April of that year, leaving everything to his wife, Lily, whom he had married a few…