THE Battle of Passchendaele 100 years ago loomed large in the fate of many Redditch soldiers.
Also known as the Third Battle of Ypres, the opening phase of the conflict – the Battle of Pilkem – from July 31 to August 4, 1917, accounted for the lives of no less than seven local men.
It was conceived as a plan to drive the enemy back and target the U-Boat bases on the Belgian coast which, despite huge gallantry on both sides, foundered in mud, misery and death.
The weather of course played its part too. The ground was already boggy, but 21mm of rain fell on August 1 and nearly 10mm two days later. For all of August 127mm of rain fell, 57mm more than average.
Frank Hill, a Private with the 1st Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment, was killed on the opening day of the assault.
He was born in 1888, the eldest son of William and Emily Hill.
The family lived at 5 Izods Yard, which has now gone, before moving to South Street in Smallwood.
Frank worked as a self-employed porter like his father before being called up.
The 1st Worcs were part of the initial assault and the regimental diary graphically describes their progress over ‘a wilderness of shell holes’ as they advanced towards Westhoek.
German tactics were to only thinly man their frontline, where the bulk of the shells fell, then counterattack the exhausted advancing British troops.
Pte Hill’s unit made good initial progress but by midday the tide was beginning to turn against the British assault.
By the end of the day the 1st had lost more than 200 men of whom 26 were killed, including Pte Hill.
His name is remembered on the Menin Gate memorial in Ypres.
Other casualties included: James Clifford Lee and Arthur Jobson who died the following day, August 1.
2nd Lieutenant Lee was the eldest of three children born to Howard Westerman Lee and Maud Lee in 1898.
Howard ran a needle and fish hook business and the family lived at Spring Vale, Foxlydiate.
James was privately educated and entered Sandhurst military academy in August 1915, received his commission the following year and joined the 2nd Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment.
According to a history of the unit, it was ‘virtually wiped out’ in an assault around Westhoek. Lt Clifford suffered ‘shell wounds to the head, leg and abdomen’ on July 31 and died the following day.
He He was buried at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Poperinge, Belgium and is remembered on the St Philip’s war memorial.
Arthur Jobson was born in Studley in 1892, one of the seven children of Charles Edwin Jobson and Georgina Katherine Richards.
The family lived at 744 Littlewood Green but by the 1911 census they were in Feckenham Road, Astwood Bank.
Arthur worked as a cycle turner for the Birmingham Small Arms Company in Lodge Road and on enlisting, was sent to the 16th Battalion the Welsh Regiment.
He went out to France in June and he too was killed in the assault on Pilkem Ridge. He is buried in White House Cemetery in Belgium and is remembered today on Astwood Bank war memorial.
Howard George Portman served in the same unit as Arthur Jobson, but lived 24 hours longer, dying on August 2.
He was born in 1896 in Crabbs Cross, the second son of William Michael and Harriet Portman.
The family were living on Evesham Road by 1901 and then in 1903, aged 30, Howard’s father died.
By the 1911 census the family were living at 55 Archer Road, his mum working as a cardboard box maker in the needle industries and Howard as a shop assistant in a greengrocers.
He died of his wounds, aged 21, and is remembered today on the St Stephen’s war memorial in the town centre.
Edwin Victor Humphries and Arthur Hill both died of their wounds on August 3.
Edwin served with the 5th Battalion Royal Lancaster Regiment.
Born at Ipsley in 1897, he was one of the 11 children of Edward George Humphries and Kate Trueman.
Edward ran a butchers shop at 137 Evesham Street and the family lived above the business.
However by the time he was 16 both his parents had died.
His unit was part of the 55th Division at the heart of the British assault and quickly discovered their artillery had failed to deal effectively with the German pillboxes.
He is remembered today on the St Stephen’s war memorial.
Arthur Hill was born in Feckenham, and the family lived in Townsend Buildings, Evesham Road in Crabbs Cross.
Although little is known about his early life, but he worked as a cycle wheel maker and joined the 19th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers.
He rose to the rank of corporal and died of his wounds on August 3. His platoon commander, writing to his father said: “He was a magnificent fellow and one in whom I had implicit faith and trust.”
He was buried in Coxyde Military Cemetery, Belgium and is remembered on the St Luke’s war memorial.
We close with 2nd Lieutenant Ernest Denny, a war poet who, although born in West Wisling, Yorkshire, lived much of his short life in Redditch.
He was one of three children born in 1889 to Robert William and Ellen Hannah Denny.
By 1901 the family had moved to Redditch where he father has become headmaster of a Wesleyan School.
The family lived at 196 Mount Pleasant, Ernest going to King Edwards School in Birmingham before attending Reading University.
On graduating he taught in Suffolk before joining the 15th Battalion, the London Regiment.
2nd Lt Denny died of his wounds on August 4 and was buried at Buried in Dozinghem Military Cemetery, Belgiumand is remembered today on the St Stephen’s war memorial.
A book of his writing and poems, was published more than 60 years after his death in 1978.
Called Triumphant Laughter: Poems 1914-17 it includes ‘Lest I No More Come Back’ and ‘The Last Adventure’.
With thanks to: Remembering Redditch’s Fallen Heroes; Remembering Battle of Passchendaele by Jill Coombes; The Regimental Diaries of the Worcestershire Regiment; The 2nd Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment in World War One, (Tempus Publishing Ltd); Passchendaele: A new history by Nick Lloyd, http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/
