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On 30 November 1917 the Germans launched a major counter-attack against the British around Cambrai. Within minutes the 1/5 South Lancashire Regiment, deployed in front of the village of Villers-Guislain, were surrounded and over 400 men were captured and 70 killed.
This article will examine the circumstances surrounding the battle, using both British and German sources. Those British soldiers will be identified and some of their stories will be told. Historical GIS software will be used to identify where they were recruited and how these communities were impacted by their capture. The article will also explore how the news trickled back to England and how it was received.
Below you will find a specially created Google map and database allowing you to explore the details of those men captured who had lived in the Lancashire town of St.Helens before enlisting.
1/5 South Lancashire Regiment, 1918. Source: IWM collection
The battlefield at Villers Guislain. 1/5 South Lancashire were deployed along the front-line from High Street to Turner Crater on 30 November 1917.
Source: IWM collection
Aerial view of the battlefield, September 1917. Source: IWM collection
Interactive map plotting the residences of the men from St.Helens captured on 30 November 1917. Zoom in on the blue icon to access…..