Name
Charles Thomas Spicer
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
31/07/1917
22
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
266937
Hertfordshire Regiment
No. 4 Coy. 1st Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
TYNE COT CEMETERY
X. G. 4.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
4 Co' Hertfordshire Reg' Territorials’ Memorial, Hitchin, Walkern War Memorial, Hertfordshire Regimental Memorial, All Saints Church, Hertford
Pre War
Charles was the son of Samuel & Louisa Spicer of 2 Beecroft Cottages, Walkern, Hertfordshire.
He resided in Walkern, but enlisted in Hertford and was mobilised by August 1914.
Wartime Service
He was to lose his life on the first day of a major British offensive, The Third Ypres, or Battle of Passchendaele.
The Battalion were in support of an attack on the Langemarck Line and at 03.45am the planned assault began. It had three objectives to achieve known as Blue, Black & Green and units of the 116th Brigade easily captured the first two objectives, preparing the way for the forward companies of the Hertfordshire battalion, to take the third objective.
At 05.00am they left their assembly positions to attack their objective, which lay over the crest of a ridge. As they made their way forward they came under heavy fire from both German machine guns and snipers but after eliminating a German strongpoint moved up towards St. Julian, which was only lightly held.
The battalion crossed the Steenbeek with some difficulty and two of its supporting Tanks became bogged down in the mud. Things then went from bad to worse. A pre-arranged artillery barrage never materialised due to the guns being unable to move forward over the muddy terrain and the German barbed wire defences, which were fifteen feet deep in some places, were found to still be intact. It was soon realised that ground could only be won by section "rushes" supported by the unit’s own fire.
The Cheshire Regiment were on the right of the battalion but the Black Watch, who were due to cover the left flank, had been seriously delayed. This left the Hertfordshire's seriously exposed and the Germans exploited this by bringing a hurricane of fire down upon the stricken troops.
This was followed by a German counter-attack and by 10.30 am it was clear that the objective could not be achieved. Casualties were very heavy with 459 men being killed or wounded. Charles body was not recovered until February 1918 and is buried in the Tyne Cot Cemetery, Zonnebeke, Belgium.
Additional Information
www.stevenageatwar.com
Acknowledgments
Paul Johnson, Jonty Wild
