Battle of Courtrai (1918)

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Battle of Courtrai (1918)

Postby Andy G » Fri Feb 28, 2014 1:24 am

Last year I discovered by wife's great uncle William Barton died 14/10/1918 on the 1st day of the Battle of Courtrai, serving for the Worcestershire Regiment 4th Battalion. He is buried at the DADIZEELE NEW BRITISH CEMETERY.

www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/162664/BARTON,%20W

I have been fortunate and honoured to share his sacrifice with 3 generations of family descendants. I shared his story last week with an 80 year old 1st cousin of his Doreen, whose mother used to talk to her about William and for her I decided to see if I could find out any more detail about his service and last day.

On the 14/10/1918: 323 soldier's were killed in action and at the end of this battle (14-19th) 488 soldiers were killed in action and buried at the Dadizeelle New British Cemetery. This figure does not cover the Germany casualties! 15 other soldiers of the Worcestershire Regiment 4th battalion are buried here of which 11 died on the 14/10/1918. I hope this battle, summary extracted from Wikipedia below, with my detail and those 15 at the cemetery could be considered to be added/highlighted on the Worcestershire Regiment web site?

I am searching for any other detail and the holy grail of finding a photograph of William Barton in the Worcestershire Regiment 4th Battalion. There are a couple of photographs of this 4th Battalion on the internet April 1918 & Dec 1918. I have only found his medal record, but wonder if the regiment would have any other records beyond those stored on Ancestry?

The offensive began at 5:35 a.m. on 14 October, with an attack by the GAF from the Lys river at Comines northwards to Dixmude. The British creeping barrage advanced at a rate of 100 yards (91 m) per minute, much faster and much further than the practice in 1917, in expectation that there would be little resistance from German infantry. By the evening the British forces had reached high ground which dominated Werviq, Menin and Wevelghem in the south; further north the British captured Morslede and closed up to Gulleghem and Steenbeek. Belgian troops on the left reached Iseghem, French troops surrounded Roulers and more Belgian troops captured Cortemarck. Roulers fell the next day and by 16 October the British held the north bank of the Lys up to Harlebeke and had crossed the river at several points. By 17 October Thourout, Ostend, Lille and Douai had been recaptured; Bruges and Zeebrugge fell by 19 October and the Dutch border was reached the following day. The crossing of the Lys and the capture of Courtrai by the British Second Army on 19 October, led to a German retreat on the front of the Fifth Army further south, which encircled Lille on 18 October. Next day the British were in Roubaix and Tourcoing

Remembering their Sacrifice

Andy G
Andy G
 
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