Cpl
Michael Archbold
Information about birth
|
Year of birth: 1894 |
|
Place of birth: Blackrock, Dublin, Ireland, United Kingdom |
Army information
|
Country: England, United Kingdom |
|
Force: British Expeditionary Force |
|
Rank: Corporal |
|
Service number: 27247 |
|
Enlistment place: Dublin, Ireland, United Kingdom |
|
Units: — Royal Dublin Fusiliers, 9th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
|
Date of death: 16/08/1917 |
|
Place of death: Vampir, Zonnebeke, Belgium |
|
Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
|
Age: 23 |
Memorial
|
Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 144 |
Distinctions and medals 4
|
1914-15 Star Medal |
|
British War Medal Medal |
|
Military Medal Medal |
|
Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Corporal Michael Archbold (9th Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers, 48th Brigade, 16th Division), was killed in action on the 16th of August 1917.
From the 16th to the 18th of August, the Battle of Langemarck, a stage in the Third Battle of Ypres, raged. On the 15th of August 1917, a day before the advance, the 9th Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers left the Vlamertinghe area and marched to the assembly positions on the Frezenberg. The Battalion was in position by 11.30 p.m.
During the night of the 15th/16th of August 1917 there was intermittent German shelling on the assembly positions. The shelling continued all through the morning of the 16th of August, which made it very difficult for the battalion to get in position.
The 16th (Irish) Division attacked at 4.45 a.m. with the 9th Royal Dublin Fusiliers on the right of the Divisional front. The Battalion advanced along the Ypres-Roulers railroad. The Battalion attacked and the German strongpoints at Vampir Farm and Potsdam and dug in just in front of these positions. The Germans still held Vampir farm. The 9th Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers was eventually pinned down east of Vampir Farm. During the afternoon the Germans launched a counter-attack and with both flanks in the air the men of the 16th (Irish) Division were forced to withdraw to the Frezenberg.
On the 17th and 18 of August 1917, the 9th Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers were relieved and returned to Vlamertinghe area.
Corporal Michael Archbold fell during the attack on Vampir Farm. His remains were never recovered or never identified. Michael Archbold possibly kept lying in no man’s land after his Battalion withdrew to the Frezenberg. He is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
From the 16th to the 18th of August, the Battle of Langemarck, a stage in the Third Battle of Ypres, raged. On the 15th of August 1917, a day before the advance, the 9th Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers left the Vlamertinghe area and marched to the assembly positions on the Frezenberg. The Battalion was in position by 11.30 p.m.
During the night of the 15th/16th of August 1917 there was intermittent German shelling on the assembly positions. The shelling continued all through the morning of the 16th of August, which made it very difficult for the battalion to get in position.
The 16th (Irish) Division attacked at 4.45 a.m. with the 9th Royal Dublin Fusiliers on the right of the Divisional front. The Battalion advanced along the Ypres-Roulers railroad. The Battalion attacked and the German strongpoints at Vampir Farm and Potsdam and dug in just in front of these positions. The Germans still held Vampir farm. The 9th Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers was eventually pinned down east of Vampir Farm. During the afternoon the Germans launched a counter-attack and with both flanks in the air the men of the 16th (Irish) Division were forced to withdraw to the Frezenberg.
On the 17th and 18 of August 1917, the 9th Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers were relieved and returned to Vlamertinghe area.
Corporal Michael Archbold fell during the attack on Vampir Farm. His remains were never recovered or never identified. Michael Archbold possibly kept lying in no man’s land after his Battalion withdrew to the Frezenberg. He is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
Sources 2
|
9 Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers , (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/1974/4 ). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14303 Sources used |
|
McCarthy, C., The Third Ypres. Passchendaele. The Day-By-Day Account, (London, Arms and Armour Press, 1995), p. 49. Sources used |
More information 4
|
Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/846241 |
|
Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=8201922b-8aed-46b0-8516-139639991852 |
|
Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/652303 |
|
Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/5000648 |