Date of birth: 04/06/1887

Place of birth: Otley, West Yorkshire, Belgium

Last known residence: Otley, West Yorkshire, Belgium

Religion: Church of England

Country: England, United Kingdom

Force: British Expeditionary Force

Rank: Private

Service number: 22746

Enlistment place: Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom

Units:  —  Lancashire Fusiliers, 2/5th Bn.  (Last known unit)

Date of death: 20/09/1917

Place of death: Hindu Cottage, Saint-Julien, Belgium

Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.)

Age: 30

British War Medal Medal

Victory Medal Medal

Slater Waite was born on 4 June 1887 in Otley, Yorkshire. He was the son of John and Martha Ann Waite. Before the war he lived in Otley, Yorkshire. He enlisted in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, and was assigned to the 2nd/5th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers (164th Brigade, 55th (West Lancashire) Division).

Slater was killed on 20 September 1917 during the Battle of the Menin Road, part of the Battle of Passchendaele. On the evening of 14 September 1917, the 2nd/5th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers arrived in the vicinity of Ypres. Until 17 September, the battalion remained there in the rear area before departing in the evening towards the front line south of St Julien. On 19 September, the assaulting companies were moved to their start positions northwest of Hindu Cottage. The attack on 20 September was to be carried out in four waves. The first two waves each consisted of two platoons from “C” and “D” Company. Their objective was the capture of Schüler Galleries and Cross Cottages. The third and fourth waves each consisted of two platoons from “A” and “B” Company, with the objective of Green House, Road House, and several dug-outs along the present-day Zonnebekestraat.

At 5:40 a.m. the attack began. The German troops at Schüler Galleries immediately opened machine-gun fire. The enemy fire was so intense that before Schüler Galleries were reached, 50% of the battalion became casualties. Eventually, Schüler Galleries were captured together with the 1/8th (Irish) Battalion, King's (Liverpool) Regiment. This battalion also came under heavy fire during their attack, and only after fierce fighting did both battalions succeed in capturing Schüler Galleries. After the capture of Schüler, elements of the 2nd/5th Battalion managed to take the remaining objectives, but were unable to hold them. At various moments between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., German counterattacks were launched, but these were repelled by artillery fire and machine-gun fire from Schüler Galleries. Around 5:00 p.m., the men of the 2nd/5th Battalion attempted to launch another attack from Schüler Galleries, but this was beaten back by enemy artillery fire. After this, the battalion undertook no further actions that day. The 2nd/5th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers suffered 347 casualties that day: 40 killed, 226 wounded, and 81 missing.

Slater died at the age of 31. After the war, his body was recovered near Hindu Cottages. His remains were reinterred at Tyne Cot Cemetery.

164 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/2921/1). http://nationalarchives.gov.uk Sources used

1901 England Census (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG13). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used

2/5 Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers Regiment (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO/95/2923/2/02). http://nationalarchives.gov.uk Sources used

West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1910 (BDP7/1/2/10). http://parishregister.co.uk Sources used

Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/4573520

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/465007

Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=fc0d2ec2-a020-4046-97dc-c876875944e7

A Street Near You https://astreetnearyou.org/person/465007/