Pte
Joseph Ashcroft
Information about birth
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Place of birth: Northwich, Cheshire, 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: 268040 |
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Enlistment place: Frodsham, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Cheshire Regiment, 1st/6th Bn (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 31/07/1917 |
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Place of death: Hindu Cottage, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: VI Row: E Grave: 11 |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Joseph Ashcroft was born in Northwich, Cheshire. He was the son of James Ashcroft and had a brother, James Ashcroft. Joseph enlisted in the British Expeditionary Force in Frodsham, Cheshire and served in the 1/6th Battalion Cheshire Regiment (118th Brigade, 39th Division) during the war.
Tuesday 31 July 1917 marked the start of the Battle of Pilckem Ridge. This battle was the opening attack of the Third Battle of Ypres, also known as the Battle of Passchendaele. The battle began at 3.50 am when Allied guns opened fire on German lines and British and French divisions attacked the Germans. The Battle was named after where the most significant success was achieved, namely over Pilkcem Ridge. In the afternoon, however, rain began to fall on the battlefield, turning the shell-damaged ground into a swamp over the next few days. This hampered the advancing troops so that after 3 days, the Allied advance was only half of what had been planned. Therefore, the Battle also lasted only until 2 August 1917.
On this day, the 39th Division attacked with the 116th and 117th Brigades; the 118th Brigade served in support. Using eight tanks, the division captured Blue Line, from Hinderburg Farm to near Cheddar Villa, with little difficulty. The 118th Brigade attacked with the 1/6th Battalion Cheshire Regiment, the 1/1st Battalion Hertfordshire Regiment and the 4/5th Black Watch Regiment; the 1/1st Cambridgeshire Regiment served in support. As early as 30 July, the 1/6th Battalion moved at 8.35pm to take up their positions in the ‘X’ lines, La Brique, prior to the attack on 31 July. The battalion's muster was completed by 1.30 am that day. Between 5.30 am and 8 am, the battalion advanced to attack on the right. The battalion reached their objective at 11.15 am and passed St Julien. The 4/5th Battalion on the left advanced through Kitchener's Wood and across the Steenbeek with little difficulty. The 1/1st Hertfordshire was cut down by machine-gun fire. The 118th Brigade, however, advanced on the right towards Von Tirpitz Farm.
At 12.15 pm, the 1/6th Battalion was forced to retreat from St Julien to the east bank of Steenbeek with the consolidating units, due to flank units on the right not being able to reach their objective, exposure to fire and heavy counter-attacks by the Germans. This caused several casualties among the other units of the battalion. They consolidated and were able to hold the new line, from St Julien to Culvert, despite several German shelling. There, the Division was attached to the 51st Division.
31 July 1917 brought about 516 casualties in the 1/6th Battalion Cheshire Regiment, including Joseph Ashcroft. He died near Hindu Cottage. Joseph is buried in Tyne Cot Cemetery (Plot VI, Row E, Grave 11).
Tuesday 31 July 1917 marked the start of the Battle of Pilckem Ridge. This battle was the opening attack of the Third Battle of Ypres, also known as the Battle of Passchendaele. The battle began at 3.50 am when Allied guns opened fire on German lines and British and French divisions attacked the Germans. The Battle was named after where the most significant success was achieved, namely over Pilkcem Ridge. In the afternoon, however, rain began to fall on the battlefield, turning the shell-damaged ground into a swamp over the next few days. This hampered the advancing troops so that after 3 days, the Allied advance was only half of what had been planned. Therefore, the Battle also lasted only until 2 August 1917.
On this day, the 39th Division attacked with the 116th and 117th Brigades; the 118th Brigade served in support. Using eight tanks, the division captured Blue Line, from Hinderburg Farm to near Cheddar Villa, with little difficulty. The 118th Brigade attacked with the 1/6th Battalion Cheshire Regiment, the 1/1st Battalion Hertfordshire Regiment and the 4/5th Black Watch Regiment; the 1/1st Cambridgeshire Regiment served in support. As early as 30 July, the 1/6th Battalion moved at 8.35pm to take up their positions in the ‘X’ lines, La Brique, prior to the attack on 31 July. The battalion's muster was completed by 1.30 am that day. Between 5.30 am and 8 am, the battalion advanced to attack on the right. The battalion reached their objective at 11.15 am and passed St Julien. The 4/5th Battalion on the left advanced through Kitchener's Wood and across the Steenbeek with little difficulty. The 1/1st Hertfordshire was cut down by machine-gun fire. The 118th Brigade, however, advanced on the right towards Von Tirpitz Farm.
At 12.15 pm, the 1/6th Battalion was forced to retreat from St Julien to the east bank of Steenbeek with the consolidating units, due to flank units on the right not being able to reach their objective, exposure to fire and heavy counter-attacks by the Germans. This caused several casualties among the other units of the battalion. They consolidated and were able to hold the new line, from St Julien to Culvert, despite several German shelling. There, the Division was attached to the 51st Division.
31 July 1917 brought about 516 casualties in the 1/6th Battalion Cheshire Regiment, including Joseph Ashcroft. He died near Hindu Cottage. Joseph is buried in Tyne Cot Cemetery (Plot VI, Row E, Grave 11).
Sources 3
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6 Battalion Cheshire Regiment war diary (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/2590/3). http://nationalarchives.gov.uk Sources used |
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McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: The Day by Day Account (Londen: Arms & Armour Press, 1995), p. 29-30. 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/461767 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=76a888b7-48e9-498d-814e-f945fde4f246 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/77185 |