In November 1916 Generals Joffre and Haig had agreed that there would be an offensive in the Spring of 1917, with the British attacking in the area between Arras and Bapaume. The battle was launched largely for political reasons, as a major diversion on the eve of the intended French offensive under General Nivelle.

10th Battalion losses Grimsby Chums James Hudson

In the event the French offensive collapsed, causing enormous morale issues and mutinies in the French army. The British 15 mile front at Arras had general Sir Henry Horne’s 1st Army in the North, General Sir Edmund Allenby’s 3rd Army (with the 10th York & Lancs) in the centre and General Sir Hubert Gough’s 5th Army in the South. The British advance was to get off to a good start, a three-and-a-half mile advance as well as the Canadian capture of Vimy Ridge.

Neillands gives a good overview of the aims of the attack by Allenby (Great War Generals);

“Allenby’s three attacking corps - VI, VII and XVII Corps - were each to work to a precise time-scale.  The initial objective, the German first line, was to be taken in thirty-six minutes by the VI and XVII Corps and the assault troops would stay there until Zero plus two hours while the guns were brought up.  Then all three corps were to advance on the enemy’s second line, which was to reached in about 2 hours 45 minutes.  They would stay there, consolidating, until Zero plus 6 hours 40 minutes, and then advance to the Feuchy strongpoint which was to be reached by Zero plus 8 hours.  Reaching this objective represented an advance of around four and a half miles; once there, all being well, the Cavalry Corps would be brought up to exploit success, two of its divisions being attached to Third Army and one to Gough’s Fifth Army for this purpose. ....... The infantry advance would be supported by a creeping barrage lifting at the rate of 100 yards every 4 minutes........”

Henry Williamson wrote, in ‘Love and the Loveless’;

“For birds, the spring meant love - for men, the spring offensive, and the kiss of bullets.”

Men leaving the trenches to go “over the top” at Arras.

Losses were very heavy in these two battles of the Scarpe. The Battalion lost 6 officers, including the C.O. Lieut.-Colonel J.H. Ridgway (killed on the 23rd) as well as 37 non-commissioned officers and men killed or died of wounds (including Private Dillon killed on the 21st); 16 officers were wounded together with 391 other ranks; 119 men were missing. This gave a total casualty list for these few days of 569, and explains why on the 27th above, the Battalion was under the command in battle of a Lieutenant.

Siegfried Sassoon’s poem, “The General.”   “Good-morning; good-morning!” the General said When we met him last week on our way to the line. Now the soldiers he smiled at are most of ‘em dead. And we’re cursing his staff for incompetent swine. “He’s a cheery old card.” grunted Harry to Jack As they slogged up to Arras with rifle and pack. But he did for them both by his plan of attack.

The following is the detail of the battalion strength, taken from the battalion War Diary

Month of April.        Strength changes

March 31 fighting strength Officers 36     O.R. 920       April 30   Officers 19     O.R. 584

During the month, while these losses were mounting, there were constant drafts of new men from 34 I.B.D (Infantry Base Depot), to replenish the losses.  Because of the replenishments the losses were worse than the numbers above indicate.  Below is the detail of the losses, again from the battalion War Diary

Officers 5 K.I.A. (killed in action)   17 Wounded   1 to UK sick       O.R. (other ranks) 72 Sick wastage   1 to R.F.C.   1 to Commission   37 K.I.A.   391 Wounded in Action   119 Missing in Action

The Great Dead   Some lie in graves beside the crowded dead In village churchyards; others shell holes keep, Their bodies gaping, all their splendour sped. Peace, O my soul... A Mother’s part to weep.   Say: do they watch with keen all-seeing eyes My own endeavours in the whirling hell? Ah, God! how great, how grand the sacrifice. Ah, God! the manhood of yon men who fell!   And this is war... Blood and a woman’s tears, Brave memories adown the quaking years.   2nd Lieutenant “Hamish” Mann, The Black Watch He wrote this three days before he died on 10th April, 1917, from wounds received the previous day at the Battle of Arras.

One of the units that took part in the Battle of Arras was the 10th Battalion the Lincolnshire Regiment, “The Grimsby Chums.”  The battalion fought on the Somme in July 1916, losing 15 officers and 487 men killed, there were some 600 “Chums” who did not return from the war. In June 2001 a grave was unearthed in northern France while working on the construction of a BMW plant.  There were 20 “Chums” buried with linked arms, they fell in the offensive at Arras in April 1917. Their identity disks had rotted away, but their unit was identified from their cap badges. In the photo below, they still have their boots on.

Since the article, investigation has failed to prove that they were in fact all from the 10th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment. See below.

Photo was in the Daily Telegraph, June 20, 2001.

The Grimsby Chums on a training march, 1914.

The Daily Telegraph, June 21, 2001.

UPDATE:

Since writing the paragraph above, about the discovery of the grave and the assumption that these were 20 ‘Chums’, there has been some investigative work by the War Graves Commission.  In January 2002 there was a program on BBC1 which covered this topic. Professor Margaret Cox, a forensic archaeologist and anthropologist did some work under contract to the MOD to see if these were in fact men of the 10th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment (The Grimsby Chums).  As shown in the photograph, there were 20 skeletons, they had their boots on, there was a steel helmet and a few gas masks, but there were only 3 regimental badges.  These badges were from the 10th Battalion.  Another grave was found only a few metres away, and here there were three bodies from the Royal Scots, with some ID tags.

On the 9th April, 1917 when the men are believed to have fallen the 10th Battalion and the Royal Scots were attacking together, 10th on the left of the Royal Scots, towards Gavrelle.  The official history says that the units became ‘hopelessly mixed up’, and the grave with the 20 bodies was in fact found to the right of the dividing line between the 10th and the Royal Scots.  The history says that 21 Lincolnshires and 6 Royal Scots were not accounted for after the action. Because of the location of the grave in the Royal Scots area, the proximity of another grave with 3 Royal Scots, and the fact that there were only 3 regimental badges found for the 20 bodies, with no other identifying articles, it was felt unsafe to declare them men of the 10th Battalion.  As a result, each body was buried again with it’s own white headstone, but no name or regiment, like some many other tens of thousands they were designated as “Known unto God”

James Hudson

Although he was not in the York and Lancs, I have added a photo of James Hudson, who died in 2001 at the age of 103.  He fought at Mons, Arras and Ypres with the 8th Battalion the Royal West Kents.  His photo was in the obituary column of the Telegraph or the Times, and I felt that having gone through all that and lived so long he should have a space in a page related to Arras.

James Hudson with a portrait of himself as a young man.

(From Times or Telegraph)