Four men on the Ibstock war memorial served in the Staffordshire territorials: Arthur Allen as private 202032, 1st/6th Staffordshire Bn.; George Cooper as private 202036, 1st/5th Staffordshire Bn.; Walter Fowkes as as private 241855, 1st/6th Staffordshire Bn. and Bertram Redshaw as private 202030, 1st/5th Staffordshire Bn.

There are no service papers for these men, but they were in the army long enough to be renumbered in early 1917, and as their medal index cards are without dates or the award of a “pip” it makes them probable 1916 entrants to the war. Arthur Allen's army number belongs to the 1st/5th North Staffs, it's not known when he was transferred, but it most likey to have been in early 1918, when 1st/5th was disbanded.

The service papers of other men in the same battalions with numbers close to the Ibstock four are equally elusive. Only a handful can be found, but sufficient to say it's likely that Allen, Cooper and Redshaw all joined at the same time at Leicester's main recruitment office, possibly on 7th March 1916. They would have joined the 3rd/5th North Staffs which had become the training home of new recruits. It was nicknamed “Blizzard's Battalion” in the local press after it's commanding officer Lt.Col. A. E. Blizzard who had imposed his personality on the battalion's recruiting campaign from the outset in March 1915.

Walter Fowkes may also have accompanied Arthur Allen and the others to Leicester, as private 241846 Hickson is known to have joined the 3rd/6th on the 7th March 1916. There might not have been other Ibstock men joining the same battalion with Walter, but in the queue were: Edwin Miles, private 214848, from Leicester; Ernest Gee, private 241850, from Coalville; John Marsh, private 241852, from Coalville; Walter Mear, private 241857, from Atherstone and James Staniforth, private 241858, from Sileby. Along with Walter, all these men would start in the 3rd/6th North Staffords.

There is no information to tell us precisely when this Ibstock four were sent to France or joined their respective battalions at the front, but others provide a guide. Private 202040 Flavell of the 1st/5th North Staffs was sent on 12/7/1916 and private 202066 Pegg on the 15/7/1916. Private 241841 Bartram of the 1st/6th North Staffs embarks Southampton bound for Rouen on 16.6.1916 and joins his unit on 29.6.1916. Private 241846 Hickson embarks 25.6.1916 and joins the 1st/6th on 5/7/1916.

We can't know if Allen, Cooper and Redshaw stayed together as a group once at the front, or whether they caught even a glimpse of one another from that point. Similarly did Walter Fowkes remain in the company of the men he had rubbed shoulders with back in March, or was that the last he saw of them?

You wonder what news and rumours of the “big push” reached the ears of the Ibstock four as they made their way to the front, success or disaster? For the likes of Allen, Cooper and Redshaw who joined their units in the second or third week of July the evidence of the “butcher's bill” must have been obvious, the stench of death would have filled the air. The 1st/5th North Staffordshire had not suffered as greatly as others at Gommecourt on the 1st of July, but Allen, Cooper and Redshaw would have joined a battalion in sombre mood. Their job was to fit in as quickly as possible, it was sink or swim, live or die.

For Walter Fowkes the story could have been even worse, if Pte. 241841 Bartram joins the1st/6th on the very eve of 1st July at Gommecourt, why not Walter too? The stark fact is raw recruits from this draft must have been thrown into the 1st/6th North Staffordshire's attack. Why else was private 241848 (5134) Edwin Miles posting missing on 1st July 1916?

Both North Staffordshire TF battalions were at Gommecourt until December 1916. A period characterized by rotation between front line trench duty, relief, being in reserve and at rest. While the further south the battle of the Somme ground on, the North Staffs were involved in no more large scale actions. Patrols continued and before the weather deteriorated a number of trench raids were made.

I am not so sure the other ranks would see nocturnal “raiding” as a way to “improve the offensive spirit”. If any of the Ibstock four found themselves on a raid, it was a duty that needed claim nerves, quick wits and aggression. If you made it across no man's land and into the enemy trenches to kill, wreck and take prisoners without being snuffed out by the enemy, it always carried the risk of becoming isolated and disoriented in the moonscape of shell holes, or even being shot by your own side in the night confusion as you made your way back. This, and sparodic shelling, accounted for a steady flow of casualties in both North Staffs battalions as the winter of 1916-1917 approached, it proved to be one of the coldest in recent memory.

As Christmas 1916 passed the winter inactivity was soon replaced by action. By late February 1917 the retirement of the Germans to a new defensive line became common knowledge. It was the 1/4th Leicesters who were first to occupy Gommecourt, while other units consolidated the position in the first few days of March. On March 7th the 137th Brigade had tens days rest, a decision had been made to mount an attack on the trenches at Bucquoy, a few miles east of Gommecourt. Orders were received on the 10th March that the attack was to take place on the night of 13th/14th March, both North Staffordshire TF battalions would be used in the assault on Bucquoy Graben. Like everyone else, the four Ibstock men had just three days to prepare.

Leaving their assembly point at 6pm the battalions slogged 5 miles in pouring rain, through a congested Fonquenvillers that was being shelled, reaching Rossignol wood by nearly 10pm. There was a short halt, when some tea had been carried from stuck cookers to the troops, but without rum. Biez wood was not reached until 12 midnight. The taped jumping off point was about 500 yards from the enemy.

The history of the 5th North Staffs contains a detailed and vivid account of the attack. It seems a familiar story of a rigid artillery timetable, shells falling short, a delay in zero hour, uncut wire and an enemy ready and waiting. Those few who managed to gain a foothold in the enemy trenches were bombed out or overwhelmed. Many failed to get through the third belt of wire and this ill-conceived attack failed at a very high cost to North and South Staffs and to the 91st Infantry Brigade,7 Division. The combined losses of the two North Staffs battalions were 21 officers and 300 other Ranks, with many more wounded. Out of Allen, Cooper, Fowkes and Redshaw, it was Redshaw who was killed that night. The history of the 1st/5th Staffs account ends by saying:

Private 202030 Bertram Redshaw is buried at A. 19. Rossignol Wood cemetery, Hebuterne and Captain Wilton MC a few paces away at A.4.

By 1st May 1917 the 137th Brigade was in trenches opposite Lens, and had moved to Lievin. Lens was a mining town surrounded by coal-pits, with villages with rows of miners' cottages, known as " Cites." A familiar scene to those from Ibstock, but the dumps and villages here made the fighting difficult. From 24th May to June was a period of constant attacks, counter-attacks and raids. Thinking to take advantage of a weakened enemy a three brigade attack was to launched on 1st July 1917, a disastrous anniversary for the 46th Division. The 137th Brigade was to attack “Cite du Moulin” originally a western suburb of Lens. The 5th North Staffs lead the attack, and the 6th South Staffs, were to follow up with the 6th North Staffs, and 5th South Staffs in reserve. All battalions were below strength because of the constant fighting. Zero hours was 2.47 am, as the attack progressed, both “C” and “D” companies of the 5th became cut off. The history concludes:

The 46th Division paid a heavy price for High Command's gamble. Among the many dead was Ibstock's George Cooper, and with no known grave, private 202036 G.Cooper is just one of the many thousands of names on the Arras memorial.

The 1st/5th North Staffs, left Lens on July 2nd, 1917, and the 46th Division was removed to rest and recuperate for three weeks. At the beginning of August the Division was moved up to the Line to trenches opposite Hulloch. There may have been no major engagements, but the attrition of trench warfare continued to take its toll. Private 241855 Walter Fowkes is killed in action on 30/9/1917 in what appears to be an isolated incident. He is buried at the large Philosophe British Cemetery, Mazingarbe headstone I.V.43.

Both the 1/5th and 1/6th North Staffs continued with patrols and raids throughout October, November and even December. After attending Church parade, the 1/5th celebrated Christmas 1917 with a football match, a Christmas dinner and a evening concert. Men would have had a chance to catch up with mail and parcels. Arthur Allen may have reflected on being the only survivor out of the Ibstock four and thought about the many friends who perished that year.

As part of the general reduction in Brigade strength from four to three battalions, the 1/5th North Staffs received news on January 29th, 1918 that they were to disbanded. This was a great shock for a battalion that had served in France for the best part of four years and had been in some of the worst fighting. Private 202032 Arthur Allen was amongst the five officers and 184 men sent to the 1st/6th North Staffs. On March 10th the Stafford Brigade was relieved by the Sherwood Brigade, and went into reserve at Mory for eight days. Sometime during this relief Arthur Allen is killed, he is buried at N. 8. Cambrin Military Cemetery.

None of the Ibstock four had lived to savour victory and be part of that iconic photograph taken at Riqueval Bridge after the St.Quentin canal was crossed on 29th September 1918. Nor did any of those men who had joined with Walter Fowkes at Leicetser back in March 1916.

Private 241850 Ernest Gee from Coalville was KIA on 14.6.1916 at Gommecourt, probably within days of joining his unit at the front.

Privates 241852 John Marsh from Coalville, 241857 Walter Mear from Atherstone and 241858 James Staniforth from Sileby were all killed in a single day on 24.5.1917 in an attack on Nash Trench at Lens.