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Pte.William Henry Hodges (10857) 1st Battalion. South Wales Borderers.


hal90000

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William Henry Hodges was born on 10 Aug 1892 at No7, Cardigan Terrace, Nantymoel, Llandyfodwg, South Wales.

On 6th November 1917 Passchendaele was captured but the battle for the high ground to the north of passchendaele was still raging. The Allied forces including: The 1st South Wales Borderers & The Canadian 8th Army had established a defensive line on the ‘Goudberg Spur’. This spur was situated near ‘Goudberg Copse’ and was populated with small farm houses & buildings that were occupied by the German forces. A British attack was planned for the 10th November 1917. This was to be the last offensive of the Ypres/Passchendaele battles and William Henry Hodges & the 1st Battalion of the South Wales Borderers where to play a pivotal role in the attack.

At 5.00am his company would head north from Valour Farm after the British ‘Rolling’ Barrage had pummelled the German positions. The trenches were partially flooded and surrounded by shell craters. The wooden ‘duck boards’, on which the soldiers walked, were submerged. The mud was like glue and should a man slip off the ‘duck boards’, while carrying his full pack which included 3 days rations, rifle & steel helmet, extra ammunition & 2 bombs per man he would almost certainly slide into one of the many deep shell holes with no chance of rescue or escape.

When the barrage started the terrain was so unrecognisable that it became difficult for the artillery to locate the German positions. To make matters worse, as ‘A Company’ went over the top they ran into their own barrage causing several casualties and resulted in the battalion edging off to the right. The soldiers had trouble locating its objectives and gradually as German counter attacks became stronger the offensive stalled.

During this offensive and somewhere, in the vicinity of Goudberg on the 10th November 1917, William Henry Hodges was killed in action. The exact location is not known and his body was never found.

Remembered always.

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Thanks for posting this with the relevant background to the action in which he died.

Remembered with honour.

Clive

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