Pte
Benjamin Akroyd
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1896 |
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Place of birth: Todmorden, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: Todmorden, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom |
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Profession: Doffer |
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Religion: Baptist |
Army information
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Country: Verenigd Koninkrijk |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 240477 |
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Enlistment place: Rochdale, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Lancashire Fusiliers, 1st/6th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 06/09/1917 |
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Place of death: Pommern Castle & Redoubt, Zonnebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 21 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: VIII Row: A Grave: 17 |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Benjamin Akroyd was the son of Thomas and Annie Akroyd. He was born about 1896 in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom. He worked as a bob miner. He continued to live there until he enlisted in the British Army in Rochdale, Great Manchester, England, United Kingdom. He had four sisters: Florence Akroyd (born about 1898), Jessie Akroyd (born about 1899 and died in 1914), Annie Eliza Akroyd (born about 1901) and Clara Akroyd (born about 1903) He worked as a ‘doffer’. During the war, Benjamin fought in 1/6th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers Regiment (125th Brigade, 42nd (East Lancashire) Division).
Benjamin was already wounded a first time on 8 May 1915 in a battle with the Dardanelles at Gallipolli. However, his fatal fate occurred on 6 September 1917. On that day, the 125th Brigade attacked German positions with the 1/7th and 1/8th in support at 7.30 am. The Brigade set off towards the positions known as Iberian Farm, Beck House and Borry Farms. One company of the 1/6th Battalion managed to take Beck House, but two other companies of the same battalion came under machine-gun fire from the southern slopes of Hill 35 during the attack on Iberian Farm. By 10.45 am, the Germans had launched a bombing raid that recaptured Beck House, with most of the battalion dying or being captured. This exposed the other companies of the 1/6th Battalion to fire from Hill 35 and forced them to withdraw to their original positions. Therefore, the 1/5th Battalion had their flank exposed and a German counterattack at 7.30pm forced them to retreat. The right flank held out 137 metres in front of their original position and consolidated.
During this attack, 21-year-old Benjamin Akroyd died, among many other casualties. His body was found near Pommern Castle & Redoubt, in Zonnebeke. This was not far from Iberian Farm. He was reburied in Tyne Cot Cemetery (Plot VIII, Row A, Grave 17).
Benjamin was already wounded a first time on 8 May 1915 in a battle with the Dardanelles at Gallipolli. However, his fatal fate occurred on 6 September 1917. On that day, the 125th Brigade attacked German positions with the 1/7th and 1/8th in support at 7.30 am. The Brigade set off towards the positions known as Iberian Farm, Beck House and Borry Farms. One company of the 1/6th Battalion managed to take Beck House, but two other companies of the same battalion came under machine-gun fire from the southern slopes of Hill 35 during the attack on Iberian Farm. By 10.45 am, the Germans had launched a bombing raid that recaptured Beck House, with most of the battalion dying or being captured. This exposed the other companies of the 1/6th Battalion to fire from Hill 35 and forced them to withdraw to their original positions. Therefore, the 1/5th Battalion had their flank exposed and a German counterattack at 7.30pm forced them to retreat. The right flank held out 137 metres in front of their original position and consolidated.
During this attack, 21-year-old Benjamin Akroyd died, among many other casualties. His body was found near Pommern Castle & Redoubt, in Zonnebeke. This was not far from Iberian Farm. He was reburied in Tyne Cot Cemetery (Plot VIII, Row A, Grave 17).
Sources 4
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1/6 Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/2654/3). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG13). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: The Day by Day Account (Londen: Arms & Armour Press, 1995), 72-73. Sources used |
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Soldier's Effects records (National Army Museum, Chelsea (NAM) 1901-60; NAM Accesion Number: 1991-02-333). https://www.nam.ac.uk/ Sources used |
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/461716 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=60dc6ce7-9d62-4bb5-be70-492cbab4176e |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/629662 |