The 2nd/8th Battalion, London Regiment (Post Office Rifles), was heavily engaged on October 30, 1917, during the Second Battle of Passchendaele, part of the larger Third Battle of Ypres in World War I. This Territorial Force battalion, formed in September 1914 and composed largely of former postal workers, had landed in France in 1917 as part of the 58th (2/1st London) Division, specifically within the 174th Brigade.

On that date, the 2nd/8th Battalion participated in an attack near Poelcappelle in the Ypres Salient, a notoriously muddy and heavily contested area. The Second Battle of Passchendaele aimed to capture the Passchendaele Ridge, but the conditions were atrocious—torrential rain had turned the battlefield into a quagmire, making movement and communication extremely difficult. The battalion’s objective was to advance through this terrain under intense German artillery and machine-gun fire.

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The attack on October 30 was part of a broader offensive by the 58th Division. The 2nd/8th Battalion suffered catastrophic losses: over 200 men were killed or died of wounds shortly afterward, with many more wounded or missing. Historical accounts note that 101 of these soldiers are commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, indicating they have no known grave—a testament to the chaos and destruction of the battle. The battalion’s war diary and survivor accounts describe the assault as a desperate struggle, with men bogged down in mud, unable to advance effectively, and exposed to relentless enemy fire. Many resorted to crawling on all fours but quickly became exhausted. Few men got close to the targets and the battalion suffered 248 casualties before retiring to the starting points. This engagement was one of the battalion’s most devastating moments.

By early 1918, due to such heavy casualties and manpower shortages, the 2nd/8th Battalion was absorbed into the 1/8th Battalion, effectively ending its independent existence. The losses on October 30, 1917, reflect the brutal reality of the Passchendaele campaign, where gains were minimal and the human cost was staggering.