9th May 1915

The one-day Battle of Aubers Ridge was part of the more extensive Second Battle of Artois (9th May – 18th June 1915). It gained no ground and resulted in large numbers of British casualties.

It also triggered the Shell Crisis, a major political debate in the UK about insufficient supply of appropriate munitions. This contributed to the formation of a coalition government in May 1915, with David Lloyd George being transferred from being Chancellor of the Exchequer to the new cabinet role of Minister of Munitions, an indication of the importance of the latter. He became prime minister the following year.

The map below shows Aubers, less than a mile from the Allied front (thick black line), after the minor gain in the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in March 1915 (shaded area).

British bombardment of the German line took place at 5 am on 9th May 1915, followed by an assault which was repelled by machine guns. A second bombardment went ahead at 7.45 am, but a second assault was delayed due to the number of wounded and dead. Eventually, after further bombardment, it went ahead at 4 pm, also repelled by machine guns.

As at Neuve Chapelle, 2nd Battalion Black Watch was part of the Bereilly Brigade. The battalion participated in the afternoon attack, but few soldiers made it further than 20 metres. Its war diary records 72 deaths, 161 wounded and 36 missing.

Died

Date	Surname	Forenames	Event	Unit	Rank/No.	Age	Address	Memorial
9th May	Bell	David	Killed in action	2nd Black Watch	Private 3/3393	39	6 Kirk Wynd	Le Touret, France

David Bell, a woollen mill worker, spent much of last winter in the trenches and was wounded but returned to his regiment after recovery. He named Sara Latimer, his landlady and the sister of ironmonger Giles Latimer in the High Street, as one of his next-of-kin. The other was his brother William, who is with the Highland Light Infantry.

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