WW1 BRITISH ARMY WAR MEDAL PTE NORTH 19333 WIA 1917 5TH BATTALION OXFORDSHIRE & BUCKINGHAMSHIRE LIGHT INFANTRY

Private Thomas Frederick North 19333, 5^TH Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. Wounded in action 26/7/1919 gunshot wounds right shoulder and arm.

Offered is a WW1 British War Medal impressed named 19333PTE. F.T.NORTH. OXF. & BUCKS.L.I. The medal is unmounted with original ribbon. Comes with copies service records, medal roll, medal index card, Battalion War Diary 1/5/1917 – 19/5/1917 and research.

Thomas Frederick North was born 1894 or 5 and died 1949 High Wycombe. Farm Labourer. Enlisted 26/7/1915. 20 years and 3 months old. Regimental number 19333.

23/2/1916 Posted 5th (Service) Battalion. Formed at Oxford in August 1914 as part of K1 and placed under orders of 42nd Brigade in 14th (Light) Division.

Home 26/7/15 - 22/2/1916. 7/8/15 3^rd Battalion (Depot training unit).  23/2/1916 5^th Battalion.

France 23/2/16 – 28/5/17. Gunshot wound 6/5/1917. Home 29/5/17 – 14/11/17 & Medical discharge.

Service records record: GSW (Gunshot Wound) Right shoulder and arm. 6/5/1917.The battalion took part in the attack on the Scarpe 3^rd May 1917. It took over 50% Casualty’s including 112 missing. The battalion was withdrawn on the 4^th. As Frederick is recorded as being wounded on the 6^th it is probable that he was only recovered from the battlefield on that day or was wounded attempting to regain the British lines.

After securing the area around Arleux at the end of April, the British determined to launch another attack east from Monchy to try to break through the Boiry Riegel and reach the Wotanstellung, a major German defensive fortification. This was scheduled to coincide with the Australian attack at Bullecourt in order to present the Germans with a two–pronged assault. British commanders hoped that success in this venture would force the Germans to retreat further to the east. With this objective in mind, the British launched another attack near the Scarpe on 3 May. However, neither prong was able to make any significant advances and the attack was called off the following day after incurring heavy casualties.

The attack plan was A & C Coy in the first wave, Battalion Bombers in the second wave, B & D Coys in the 3^rd wave. At 0 hour the enemy opened up a heavy rifle and machine gun fire on the troops from St Rohart Factory, Hillside Work and an undiscovered trench. This trench was found to be wired and held in strength and held up the Battalion temporarily. B & D Coys reinforced the leading waves and the Battalion managed to force its way into the trench. Here owing to very heavy casualty’s it was obliged to remain. At 11am, the Germans launched a heavy counter attack on our front driving back the Division on our right eventually driving the Brigade back to our front line. At 8am the remnants of the Battalion were back in Nger trench.

Strength of the Battalion before the attack 550 all ranks. Casualty’s : Killed 2 Officers and 17 Ors. Missing: 3 Officers and 112 Ors. Wounded: 3 Officers and 150 Ors. Total 8 Officers 279 Ors.

9^th Battalion Rifle Brigades attack.

Having suffered such comparatively small losses on 9 April the 9th Rifle Brigade was to take a leading part in the coming battle, attacking on the left of the Brigade next to the 5th Ox & Bucks Light Infantry. The 5th King’s Shropshire Light Infantry and 9th King’s Royal Rifle Corps were in Brigade Reserve.

The decision to launch the attack at 3.45am in darkness was contentious. Many commanders protested to no avail. A further complication for the 9th Rifle Brigade was their position nearer to the enemy than neighbouring units. As such, they were not to advance from their jumping off line until eighteen minutes after Zero Hour. The Battalions had two objectives; firstly to capture the Blue Line running in front of Triangle Wood and through Hill Side Work and then to push on to the Red Line, completing the capture of both positions.  Advancing from a line 150-200 yards east of the front line marked by white tape fixed to the ground, the Battalions were to advance behind a ‘creeping barrage’ of artillery shells exploding in a slowly moving curtain across the battlefield.

Ten minutes before Zero Hour the first wave left the assembly trenches to line up on the tape. At 4.03pm they advanced, followed by the second wave that left the assembly trenches at Zero +42 minutes. In common with many units who attacked that dreadful day, no further report was ever received from the companies in the first wave. German artillery fire was extraordinarily heavy (lasting for over fifteen hours) with eight company runners either killed or wounded.  Post -action reports noted the first wave veered to the right in the darkness, striking a new German trench wired and held by the enemy. Despite this, it was captured by Zero + 40 minutes and advance progressed. However, enfilade machine gun fire caused heavy casualties and ‘few, if any ever reached the rear of Hill Side Work’.  All eight officers of the first wave became casualties very early in the day, some being wounded several times. Only seven NCOs of the first wave ever returned. The second wave fared no better. As their advance was in daylight they were subjected to machine gun fire sooner than the first wave and also came up against machine gun positions which had been established after or missed in the dark by the first wave, in addition to enfilade fire from across the Cojeul valley near St Rohart’s Factory.

The second wave was finally held up just in front of Spotted Dog Trench which was held by the enemy; they dug in along  a line of shell holes about 600 to 700 yards in front of their original front line at Ape Trench. A German counter-attack against the 18th Division who had captured Chérisy forced their line back to its starting position; this action rippled northward with orders sent out to recall the Battalion. Such was the dominance of German artillery and machine gun fire (firing continuously from both flanks and from across the river valley) that these orders could only be communicated to two platoons; it being impossible to contact the remnants of the battalion occupying shell holes close to Spotted Dog Trench. On the evening of the 3rd two patrols were sent to recall one company holding a line of shell holes and strong point close to the German trench. Over the next couple of nights survivors of the 9th Rifle Brigade’s attack returned to the original British line. The Battalion’s casualties during the day’s operations were 12 officers and 257 Other Ranks. The 9th Rifle Brigade was relieved on 4 May before heading back to The Harp.

This disastrous day marked the beginning of the end of the Battle of Arras. Desperate fighting continued for possession of Roeux, its infamous Chemical Works and Greenland Hill plus around Fresnoy which was recaptured on 8 May. However, by then British attentions were turning northwards to Flanders.