A Coy. 1st Bt. 1st LondonRegt, Royal Fusiliers.

[lengooby]

I am looking for information pertaining to my Gt Uncle Cpl 2219 Harry George Bushell of the 1st London Regt, Royal Fusiliers, he died on 16th August 1917. this might have been at the Battle of Langemarck or less likely at Passchendaele.

Many thanks

Lenny

[Steven Broomfield]

Hi Lenny, assuming your Gt Uncle was in the 1st Londons and not the 1st Royal Fusiliers (1 London was a territorial outfit), then he was probably involved in Langemark. The Bn was in the attack on Glencorse Wood/Nonne Boschen on the Gheluvelt Plateau.

It was a total and complete shambles - poorly organised, unrealistic objectives, open flanks and appalling conditions. 1st Londons were on the left of the divisional attack, and the divisional history says: "...on the left, the 1st London, who had been heavily shelled before the start, so that when they did advance the rear waves pressed on the leading wave until all became mixed, and no-one carried out the special task of clearing the ground as it had been won"

The 8th division on the left never really got away, so the flank was in the air, and the 169th brigade on the right was driven wide by the impassable nature of the ground. The attack started at 4.45 a.m., and by 7.00 a.m., pretty well everything had broken down.

Enemy who had been passed over the the assaulting waves appeared, and snipers infiltrated from the left flank (where the 8th Divn had been held up). An advance of about 400 yards was made on the 167th Bde front.

In total, the division lost 20 officers and 250 men killed, 62 and 1,153 wounded, and 13 and 677 missing - total 2,175 all ranks.

Probably the worst day's work the 56th Division ever did, including the attack at Gommecourt.

[bmac]

There is no battalion history of the 1/1st Londons but the 56th Division's history has them as one of the two lead battalions for the 167th Brigade as they opened the attack at the Battle of Langemarck on the left of a three brigade front. The attack went in towards Polygon Wood and was a result of chaotic organisation at all levels.

The attack went in at 4.45am on the 16th and the right brigade, 53 Brigade, 18th Division with the 1/4th Londons attached, came under heavy MG fire from a pillbox and were stopped. The centre brigade 169th, made good initial progress but encountered a marsh and moved away to their right. The two battalions of the 167th Bde, the 1/8 Middlesex and 1/1st Londons also met the marsh and moved away to their left thus creating a hole in the centre of the attack. Progress was made by the 169th who reached the edge of Polygon Wood but then heavy fire and counter-attacks drove them back until reinforced by the 1/9th Londons (Queen Victoria's Rifles). Another counter-attack later in the day drove them back to the start line.

The 167th made better progress though the 1/1st had been heavily shelled in their assembly trenches. More thick mud pushed them further left and the 1/8th Middlesex's wing was exposed. The 1/1st Londons got mixed up and they were the targets of snipers from flanks and rear as a result of a failure to clear enemy positions adequately. One company of the 1/8th Middlesex pushed onto a position north of Polygon Wood but were never heard of again. The 167th Bde was then held up as the 169th withdrew. Artillery prevented heavy counter-attacks but eventually the 167th Bde withdrew to a position 400 yards in advance of the start line and the attacking battalions were relieved that night and the division the following night.

The 56th Division lost 111 officers and 2794 men between the 13th and 17th August in actions that were poorly organised and planned by the staff of 5th Army and II Corps.