Pte
William Artingstall
Information about birth
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Place of birth: Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: Blackpool, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
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: 351467 |
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Enlistment place: Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Manchester Regiment, 2nd/9th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 09/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Waterfields, Passchendaele, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: XXIV Row: B Grave: 21 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
William Artingstall was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, England, where he later enlisted for his army service in the British Expeditionary Force. Together with his wife Gertrude Annie Artingstall, however, he lived in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, before the war. During the war, William served in the 2/9th Battalion Manchester Regiment (198th Brigade, 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division).
On Tuesday 9 October 1917, the Battle of Poelcappelle, a battle that formed part of the Battle of Passchendaele, took place. This battle marked the end of the series of successful British attacks in late September - early October, partly as a result of the bad weather in early October that turned the ground into a mud puddle. The bad weather and muddy ground soon left many exhausted and made it impossible to bring in sufficient artillery ammunition to support the British advance.
The day before, on 8 October 1917, the march to the attack's starting positions began. Due to heavy rain, poor conditions for marching and extreme difficulties for the troops to carry all combat equipment because of the mud, they reached the assembly point later than expected. The head of the column reached the position around 2 am on 9 October 1917, but information was not received until 4.45 am that the formation was complete.
The 66th Division attacked with the 197th Brigade and the 198th Brigade. This brigade attacked with the 2/9th Battalion Manchester Regiment and the 2/4th Battalion East Lancashire Regiment; the 2/5th Battalion East Lancashire Regiment served in support and the 2/10th Battalion Manchester Regiment served in reserve. At 5.20 am the British barrage opened and 4 minutes later the 2/9th Battalion advanced behind the barrage towards the first objective, from Heine House and Augustus Wood to Waterfields. But being hampered by mud and some abandoned trenches on the lower slopes above the Ravebeek, the attacking troops came under machine-gun fire from Bellevue across the valley. At 5.30 pm, the Germans dropped several barrage shells and counterattacked the British line, but not with great force. Therefore, this counterattack was repulsed by the 2/5th Battalion East Lancashire Regiment with artillery support and small arms fire. The far right part of the 2/9th Battalion's line advanced towards Heine Houses in an attempt to keep in touch with the 197th Brigade, which had fallen back to the Augustus Wood line. The battalion headquarters was set up to the left of the British line. They managed to resist the German counterattack without giving up any ground. The battalion maintained the front line until they were relieved. The Division was also in contact with the 2nd Australian Division and the 49th Division on the flanks.
On this day, William Artingstall died at the Battle of Poelkappelle. He died near Waterfields. William is buried in Tyne Cot Cemetery (Plot XXIV, Row B, Grave 21). In addition, he was posthumously awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
On Tuesday 9 October 1917, the Battle of Poelcappelle, a battle that formed part of the Battle of Passchendaele, took place. This battle marked the end of the series of successful British attacks in late September - early October, partly as a result of the bad weather in early October that turned the ground into a mud puddle. The bad weather and muddy ground soon left many exhausted and made it impossible to bring in sufficient artillery ammunition to support the British advance.
The day before, on 8 October 1917, the march to the attack's starting positions began. Due to heavy rain, poor conditions for marching and extreme difficulties for the troops to carry all combat equipment because of the mud, they reached the assembly point later than expected. The head of the column reached the position around 2 am on 9 October 1917, but information was not received until 4.45 am that the formation was complete.
The 66th Division attacked with the 197th Brigade and the 198th Brigade. This brigade attacked with the 2/9th Battalion Manchester Regiment and the 2/4th Battalion East Lancashire Regiment; the 2/5th Battalion East Lancashire Regiment served in support and the 2/10th Battalion Manchester Regiment served in reserve. At 5.20 am the British barrage opened and 4 minutes later the 2/9th Battalion advanced behind the barrage towards the first objective, from Heine House and Augustus Wood to Waterfields. But being hampered by mud and some abandoned trenches on the lower slopes above the Ravebeek, the attacking troops came under machine-gun fire from Bellevue across the valley. At 5.30 pm, the Germans dropped several barrage shells and counterattacked the British line, but not with great force. Therefore, this counterattack was repulsed by the 2/5th Battalion East Lancashire Regiment with artillery support and small arms fire. The far right part of the 2/9th Battalion's line advanced towards Heine Houses in an attempt to keep in touch with the 197th Brigade, which had fallen back to the Augustus Wood line. The battalion headquarters was set up to the left of the British line. They managed to resist the German counterattack without giving up any ground. The battalion maintained the front line until they were relieved. The Division was also in contact with the 2nd Australian Division and the 49th Division on the flanks.
On this day, William Artingstall died at the Battle of Poelkappelle. He died near Waterfields. William is buried in Tyne Cot Cemetery (Plot XXIV, Row B, Grave 21). In addition, he was posthumously awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Sources 5
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2/9 Battalion Manchester Regiment war diary (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/3141/7). http://nationalarchives.gov.uk Sources used |
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British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO372). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: The Day by Day Account (Londen: Arms & Armour Press, 1995), p. 122. 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 |
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War Office and Air Ministry: Service Medal and Award Rolls, First World War (the National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 329). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.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/461765 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/73650 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=b0b11adb-07f4-46b4-9e4d-d4c9d45c91ce |