Military History

William is listed as being killed in action on 9th April 1917. The 4th Battalion war diary entries for the period 8th to 10th April are transcribed below.

Arras – 8.4.1917: Battalion moved, part of the way by sewer and tunnel into assembly trenches. Head of Battalion entered sewer at 10:50 p.m. and whole Battalion was in position in assembly trenches before 1:50 a.m on 9th.

Arras – 9.4.1917: At zero hour, 5:30am the 76th Infantry Brigade advanced and captured the first objective. At this time a light rain was falling.

At 7am the Battalion left its assembly trenches for the attack on the following formation:
W Coy on the right commanded by Capt R.J. Harries (wounded)
V Coy on the left commanded by Capt K.J. Barrett
X Coy supporting W Coy commanded by Capt C.W.G Gibson
Z Coy supporting Z Coy commanded by Capt C.E. Millson (died of wounds)

While in the assembly trenches there were only two or three casualties from stray shots. The Battalion advanced on a two-Coy front in four waves in columns of sections in single file. This formation was maintained until the leading line had just crossed the last trench of the old German front line system recently captured by us, when the leading sections extended.

The Battalion came under heavy shellfire (H.E. and shrapnel) on reaching line 3 of the British front line system. This fire increased considerably as they went down the slope and the right Coy was apparently caught by our own barrage about M.0.b central. The battalion advanced to within about 75 yds of our barrage, where they remained extended for about 8 minutes before the creeping barrage advanced.

The waves following the barrage and captured Nomeny Trench at 7.46am, the wire having been very well by the artillery. The right Coy had to swing its right forward to conform with the barrage during which operation it was caught by M.G. and rifle fire from the direction of Nomeny Trench and suffered considerably.

After capturing Nomeny Trench the leading lines having suffered considerably were practically exhausted and the succeeding lines reinforced them and crossed Linx Trench and the String Trench. The advance of the creeping barrage had been lost owing to the depletion of the leading lines.

The 2nd Suffolk Regiment in support reinforced on the String Trench but many men of the 4th Royal Fusiliers carried on with them and the 9th Rifle Brigade to Neuilly Trench. The String Tr. was captured about 8:10 a.m. and the Blue Line (2nd objective) about 8:40am.  All these trenches were consolidated.

The battalion advanced across the open for about 1700 yds under heavy shell and M.G. fire. The discipline was excellent, the men keeping their ranks and formations in spite of the casualties.

Casualties:
2 Officers died of wounds; 7 Officers wounded.
37 Other Ranks killed; 126 wounded and 30 missing
Materials and Prisoners Captured:
Prisoners: 5 officers and around 70 Other Ranks. These numbers are the minimum.
Guns etc: 3 MG’s; 2 minewerfers; 4 Granatenwerfers

Tanks: One tank [British] came up and sat on Nomeny Trench after the Battalion had passed through but except for the moral support tanks were of no assistance owing to the state of the ground.

Arras – 10.4.1917: The Battalion remained in Nomeny and The String trenches consolidated until about noon when consolidating was ordered to cease, the Brown line having been captured by the 8^th Infantry Brigade.