GEORGE ALBERT TIMSON 1887 to 1917

The Red Lion public house was almost the last house on leaving Leverstock Green on the road to St Albans. The licensee was George Timson and this was home for him and his wife Elizabeth, along with the growing family, Thomas, Ethel, George, Mabel and Frank who died aged 6 months on 5^th September 1895.

All the children were born in Leverstock green. George from Park Street worked as a shepherd before his marriage to Elizabeth Stratton in the spring of 1874. When George died on 11^th March 1908 aged 62, Elizabeth with help from the children took over the running of the pub until her own death in October 1916, when her son Thomas was granted the licensee.

Son George was baptised in the village church on 28^th August 1887. He attended the village school and upon leaving became an agricultural labourer; by 1914 George was employed at the John Dickinson paper mill at Nash Mills.

The date of Georges enlistment is unknown as his service records were destroyed during the blitz in 1940. The Gazette newspaper has him in the army by March 1916 and the Bedfordshire Regiment renumbered its soldiers during 1916, making a date of enlistment difficult.

As private 32171, the Bedfordshire regiment, George is posted to the 6th battalion towards the end of 1916, the battalion’s war diary records a number of drafts arriving at the end of 1916 early 1917.

During the bitterly cold winter of 1916-17 the battalion took its turn serving at the front line. On the 2nd of March the Beds leave the front and move into billets at the training camp, Etree - Wamin. Time here was spent getting fit with route marches and other military activities. The Beds also won the Brigade efficiency competition.

5th April and a return to the front begins, arriving on the 9th in the new support lines east of the town of Arras, here digging in with casualties of two killed.

The 6^th Bedfordshire battalion, 112^th Brigade, 37^th Division 17th Corp

THE FIRST BATTLE of the SCARPE 9th to 12th April

Easter Monday the 9th was a day of sleet and snow, with such atrocious weather every soldier was chilled to the bone. The 37th Division were supporting a new attack that pushed forward three and a half miles during the day. The following day after a night spent out in freezing conditions in the open, the lead division captured its third objective. Now 37th Division took over as the leading division, passing through the attacking troops to occupy the ground on the west of the fortified village of Monchy le Preux, The Germans reorganising their positions to meet this offensive had reinforced the village with the 3rd Bavarian division.

On the morning of the 11th, April, after a second night spent in the open the London battalions of 111th Brigade made an attack to capture this village. In a driving snowstorm with considerable German resistance the village was captured by 111th Brigade added by six tanks, troops from 15th Division and cavalry support.

Monchy le Preux was one of the keys to the northern end of the Hindenburg line, situated on high ground it gave the Germans artillery ideal observation over any advance from the direction of Arras, five miles away. This important position had to be taken as who ever held the village high ground controlled the battlefield.

112th Brigades part in the capture of Monchy le Preux, was to secure the ground to the south of the village, this was achieved with the 6th Beds and 8th East Lancashire battalions leading the brigade, meeting considerable German resistance along with uncut wire, before digging in between La Bergere cross roads and the village of Guemappe.

The night and following day was spent on improving their positions in the freezing weather, waiting until the village had been taken. Throughout this time enduring heavy artillery fire and occasionally strafed by low flying aircraft.

37th Division were relived during the night. 112th brigade had heavy losses with the 6th Beds taking 56 dead.

The weather conditions being so bad, several men were hospitalised suffered from exposure after being relived from the front.

THE SECOND BATTLE of the SCARPE

23rd-24th April 1917

The results of the First Battle of the Scarpe had been to push the British line 4 miles further east: wide stenches of territory as well as all the dominating features forming the immediate object of the attack had been gained, together with thousands of prisoners and guns, and a large number of German divisions had been drawn to the battle area which otherwise would have been diverted further south against the French on the Aisne. The French offensive, originally planned to follow the British offensive within two or three days, had to be postponed owing to weather conditions. It was, however, due to take place on 16th April. In order to assist our Allies the British pressure had to be maintained, and accordingly the First Battle of the Scarpe had scarcely ended when preparations were made for the next operations. But bad weather, the strength already developed by the enemy, and the time necessary to complete artillery dispositions, interfered with an immediate resumption of the offensive, and it was 23rd April before the next great attack (originally planned for 21st, but postponed) took place. At 4.45 a.m., on a front of about 9 miles from Croisilles to Gavrelle, the German trenches were again stormed after they had been subjected to a perfect tornado of shell fire.

The battalion assembled south of point Du Jour in Effie trench in preparation for an attack on Greenland Hill at 4.25 a.m. At 4.45 a.m. the whole battalion moved forward in support of 63rd Brigade. At 6.25. a.m. the Beds along with the Warwickshire battalion received orders to move forward to the newly captured German front line trenches of Halycon, Hurrum and Hussar, By the days end the Beds had moved forward to its final objective of the day and had dug in by the road that ran between the two villages of Roeux and Gavrelle.

Along with George 30 other soldiers had been killed and many more wounded.

37th Division had pushed forward to its final objectives successfully capturing some 2 miles of German defences after an advance of 2000 yards.

37th Division Memorial, Monchy-le-Preux