Query from a Nephew - Exmouth Museum and Heritage Centre registered charity 291311

By: Alan Arthur
Added: 08 June 2016

We recently had a visitor from Exeter who told us that his Uncle had been killed in WWI but he did not know any details.  We offered to do some research and then wrote to him as follows - ï»¿ï»¿



The action in which your uncle was killed was known as Third Ypres. The action was very costly for the 2nd Devons who lost some 75 killed on the 2 days of 31st July and 1st August 1917, mainly through shellfire. 

The Battalion was then withdrawn from the front line for re-organisation and re-training.

The British had spent most of July in “softening-up” the German positions with artillery and Zero Day for the attack  was to be on 31st July. 

The 2nd Battalion went over at 3:50 am and at first made excellent progress. Their CO, Col Sunderland, established his headquarters and collected his men to make a further attack but at 10:50 am just when they were preparing to move Brigade issued orders to stop the advance due to heavy German machine gun fire along the proposed line of advance. The message never got through to the Devons and they suffered considerable losses including Col Sunderland who was killed at the head of his men.

The night was uncomfortable for the Devons due to continued shelling throughout the 1st August and ended in a German counter-attack about 3 pm. The weather was atrocious and movement was hampered by thick mud.

The Devons were eventually relieved and taken out of the line on the night of 1st/2nd August.