Geburtsdatum: 17/06/1893

Geburtsort: Accrington, Lancashire, England, Vereinigtes Königreich

Beruf: Calico Drucker

Land: England, Vereinigtes Königreich

Truppe: British Expeditionary Force

Rang: Lance Corporal

Dienstnummer: 203202

Einberufung ort: Accrington, Lancashire, England, Vereinigtes Königreich

Einheiten:  —  East Lancashire Regiment, 2/4th Bn.  (Letzte bekannte Einheit)

Sterbedatum: 10/10/1917

Sterbeort: Augustus Wood, Passchendaele, Belgien

Todesursache: Im Kampf gefallen

Alter: 24

British War Medal Medaille — 08/04/1921

Victory Medal Medaille — 08/04/1921

Lance Corporal Arthur Swindlehurst Wade served in the 2/4th Battalion East Lancashire Regiment, part of the 198th Brigade, of the 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division. On 9 October 1917 the Division took part in the Battle of Poelcappelle, a stage in the Third Battle of Ypres. It advanced with two Brigades. The 198th Brigade was on the left and the 197th Brigade on the right of the divisional front. Both Brigades had taken up positions just West of Augustus Wood and Tyne Cottage in wake of the attack. They were to advance towards the town of Passchendaele. Conditions were very poor owing to large water filled shell holes and the constant shell fire.

The 198th Brigade attacked with the 2/9th Manchesters and the 2/4th East Lancs; the 2/5th East Lancs were in support and the 2/10th Manchesters in reserve. The 2/9th Manchesters was to take the first objective of the Brigade. After the first objective had been secured, the 2/4th and 2/5th Easr Lancs were to take the second objective. At 5.20 a.m. the barrage opened and the Battalion went forward behind the 2/9th Manchesters. The Manchesters consolidated a line in Augustus Wood, near the first objective. The 2/4th East Lancs now resumed the attack. However it was found impossible to continue the advance to the 2nd objective. The 2/5th East Lancs had been slowed down by the derelict terrain and had not attacked on time. The terrain near Augustus Wood made any rapid advance impossible and while the men were struggling through the remnants of the wood they came under machinegun fire from pill-boxes at Bellevue, forcing them to take cover. The attack came to a halt.

At dusk a German counterattack pushed the line slightly back, but was eventually repulsed with help from the 2/5th East Lancs. The 2/4th East Lancs and the 2/5th East Lancs, of the 198th Brigade, held the line in Augustus Wood until the night of 10/11th October 1917 when they were relieved by the 11th Australian Brigade. The attack had been an utter failure. The shell logged and marshy terrain, poor artillery support and determined German resistance had caused the advance to die down before it could develop. Casualties were extremely high totalling 316 men wounded, missing or killed.

Lance Corporal Arthur Swindlehurst Wade was killed in action on the 10th of October 1917. He possibly fell while being relieved from or holding the line in Augustus Wood. He has no known grave and is remembered at the Tyne Cot Memorial.

2/4 Battalion East Lancashire Regiment, (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/3141/3). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14303 Weitere Quellen

McCarthy C., Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Uniform, 2018), pg. 120-122. Verwendete Quellen

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/825507

Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=7598d6e0-5cae-4805-9d05-c800a4b9a751

Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/4566150