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| Battle of the Scarpe. Working party of British troops going up to the forward area along the Arras-Cambrai road, April 1917. German wicker shell cases in foreground. © IWM (Q 2030) IWM Non-Commerical Licence |
This spring sees the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Arras, which took place 9 April to 16 May 1917. The British led the offensive on German defences, this time on a much narrower front than the Somme the previous year. There was large support from Canadian troops.
It was a significant battle for the Durham Light Infantry with seven battalions taking part in the action:
5th, 6th, 8th, and 9th Battalions as part of the 50th (Northumbrian) Division
10th Battalion as part of the 14th (Light) Division
15th Battalion as part of the 21st Division
18th Battalion as part of the 31st Division
All but 18th Battalion took part in the First Battle of the Scarpe (9-14 April), to the south of the line, whilst Canadian troops attacked at Vimy Ridge. All the battalions were involved in the Third Battle of the Scarpe on 3-4 May.
7th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry, a pioneer battalion, were also in the Arras area for some of the battle, working on the Tilloy-Wancourt Road, east of Arras.
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| British troops fixing scaling ladders in a trench on the day previous to the opening of the Arras Offensive. Near Arras, 8 April 1917. © IWM (Q 6204) IWM Non-Commerical Licence |
To mark this upcoming anniversary, Jo recently put a call out to our volunteers for people to research the DLI men on the Arras Memorial, and had a great response. There are already several stories live on the Durham at War website, and here are links to a few of them:
William Bonner
Norman Fawcett
John Charles Gainsborough
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