Pte
Harold Birch
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 26/09/1896 |
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Place of birth: Salford, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: Salford, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
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Profession: Driller |
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Religion: Church of England |
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: 203826 |
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Enlistment place: Salford, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Lancashire Fusiliers, 1st/5th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 06/09/1917 |
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Place of death: Frezenberg, Zonnebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 20 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: X Row: F Grave: 18 |
Points of interest 5
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) | ||
| #5 | Sterfteplaats |
My story
Harold Birch, a former driller, was born on the 26th of September 1896 in Salford, Lancashire in England, The United Kingdom. He was the son of Henry and Margaret Birch.
Harold enlisted in his home area of Salford, Lancashire. He would later serve as a private in the 1/5th battalion Lancashire Fusiliers, Part of the 125th Brigade, of the 42nd (East Lancashire) division, in France and Belgium.
In early September 1917, the 1st/5th Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers, part of the 125th Brigade in the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division, operated in the Ypres sector. On the 1st, the battalion held the outpost line stretching from the Ypres–Roulers railway to a key crossroads, with B Company on the right and C Company on the left, supported by A Company at Bill Cottage. That night, they were relieved and moved into reserve positions near Cambridge Road. During this period, artillery fire was intense. On the morning of the 2nd, Captain A.P. Hudson and Second Lieutenant Mashiter were killed by shellfire, and further bombardments continued throughout the following days. C and D Companies later rejoined the battalion as preparations for a planned attack intensified.
The main action came on 6 September. At 7:30 AM, the 125th Brigade launched a coordinated attack on German defensive positions, with the 1/5th Lancashire Fusiliers advancing on Borry Farm. Supported by a creeping barrage, C and D Companies led the assault, while neighboring units attacked Iberian and Beck House. The battalion encountered fierce resistance, including sustained machine-gun fire from enemy positions around Vampir and the southern slopes of Hill 35. Initial gains were made, but the attack was halted approximately 150 yards forward of the starting line.
Throughout the day, German counter-attacks—particularly one at 10:45 AM—forced a partial withdrawal. Beck House, briefly taken by the 1/6th Lancashire Fusiliers, was retaken by German forces. By evening, another counter-attack at 7:30 PM forced the left flank of the 1/5th back to its original line, though the right held its ground and consolidated the position overnight under heavy fire.
The battalion was relieved on the night of the 7th and moved into rest at St. Lawrence Camp near Brandhoek.
Private Birch, aged 21, was killed in action on the 6th of September 1917. He was initially buried near Frezenberg, Zonnebeke at 28.D.25.d.50.80. His remains were later exhumed and interred at The Tyne Cot Cemetery, Plot X, Row F, Grave 18.
Harold enlisted in his home area of Salford, Lancashire. He would later serve as a private in the 1/5th battalion Lancashire Fusiliers, Part of the 125th Brigade, of the 42nd (East Lancashire) division, in France and Belgium.
In early September 1917, the 1st/5th Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers, part of the 125th Brigade in the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division, operated in the Ypres sector. On the 1st, the battalion held the outpost line stretching from the Ypres–Roulers railway to a key crossroads, with B Company on the right and C Company on the left, supported by A Company at Bill Cottage. That night, they were relieved and moved into reserve positions near Cambridge Road. During this period, artillery fire was intense. On the morning of the 2nd, Captain A.P. Hudson and Second Lieutenant Mashiter were killed by shellfire, and further bombardments continued throughout the following days. C and D Companies later rejoined the battalion as preparations for a planned attack intensified.
The main action came on 6 September. At 7:30 AM, the 125th Brigade launched a coordinated attack on German defensive positions, with the 1/5th Lancashire Fusiliers advancing on Borry Farm. Supported by a creeping barrage, C and D Companies led the assault, while neighboring units attacked Iberian and Beck House. The battalion encountered fierce resistance, including sustained machine-gun fire from enemy positions around Vampir and the southern slopes of Hill 35. Initial gains were made, but the attack was halted approximately 150 yards forward of the starting line.
Throughout the day, German counter-attacks—particularly one at 10:45 AM—forced a partial withdrawal. Beck House, briefly taken by the 1/6th Lancashire Fusiliers, was retaken by German forces. By evening, another counter-attack at 7:30 PM forced the left flank of the 1/5th back to its original line, though the right held its ground and consolidated the position overnight under heavy fire.
The battalion was relieved on the night of the 7th and moved into rest at St. Lawrence Camp near Brandhoek.
Private Birch, aged 21, was killed in action on the 6th of September 1917. He was initially buried near Frezenberg, Zonnebeke at 28.D.25.d.50.80. His remains were later exhumed and interred at The Tyne Cot Cemetery, Plot X, Row F, Grave 18.
Sources 11
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1/5th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers war dairy (The National Archives, WO 95 95/2654/2). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Ancestry.com. 1901 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7814/records/23468930 Sources used |
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Ancestry.com. Manchester, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2960/records/2061822 Sources used |
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Commonwealth war graves commission : Private H BIRCH (Service Number: 203826). https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/461949/h-birch/ Sources used |
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Lives of the First World War : We remember Harold Birch (347835) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/347835 Sources used |
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McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: The Day by Day Account (Londen: Arms & Armour Press, 1995), p.72-73. Sources used |
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Military-Genealogy.com, comp. UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1543/records/85614 Sources used |
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National Army Museum; Chelsea, London, England; Soldiers' Effects Records, 1901-60; NAM Accession Number: 1991-02-333; Record Number Ranges: 572501-574000; Reference: 333 https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60506/records/374812 Sources used |
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The Long, Long Trail : Lancashire Fusiliers https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/lancashire-fusiliers/ Sources used |
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The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911 https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2352/records/22794262 Sources used |
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Western Front Association; London, England; WWI Pension Record Cards and Ledgers; Reference: 675/03d. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61588/records/123766?tid=&pid=&queryId=2f291360-aba0-4967-b79b-ae12aeb358f3&_phsrc=gTE26&_phstart=successSource Sources used |