PRIVATE 12877 THOMAS HINES ALLERTON, 9th BATTALION DUKE OF WELLINGTON'S (WEST RIDING) REGIMENT (ILKLEY PALS COMPANY).


PRIVATE 12877 THOMAS HINES ALLERTON, 9th BATTALION DUKE OF WELLINGTON'S (WEST RIDING) REGIMENT (ILKLEY PALS COMPANY). KILLED IN ACTION 25th APRIL 1917.


The British offensive in front of the French city of Arras continued throughout the spring of 1917. Just like on the Somme the previous year the objective was to penetrate the enemy defences and break-out into the open country behind the German lines. British tactics had improved considerably since the disasters of July 1916 and infantry could now advance across no man's land behind the protective curtain of artillery fire. However, the tactic required considerable coordination between infantry and artillery and poor planning could wreck any chance of a successful advance.


On the 25th April 1917 the 9th Duke of Wellington's Regiment were in the British front line near to the village of Monchy, north of Arras, preparing for an attack against German positions known as Rifle and Bayonet Trenches. The attack was timetabled to commence at 3.20 am when the battalion would strike out towards towards the German trenches as artillery fire protected them from the gaze of the enemy. At the allotted time 'The Dukes' rose from the safety of their dugouts and moved into no-mans land but the artillery fire failed to materialise. Alerted, the Germans began to fire flares which illuminated the battlefield and clearly highlighted the advancing British. Pouring rifle and machine gun fire into the cruelly exposed battalion, the attack began to falter. To make matters worse the British barrage began which merely served to create further chaos and confusion amongst 'The Dukes'. Officers strove to reorganise the surviving men and gallantly they moved forward again towards the enemy barbed wire. A few 'Dukes' made it to the German lines but they were never seen again whilst for the rest of the battalion retired back to the British front line. By 4.25am the attack was called off having failed to achieve its objective and cost the battalion 220 casualties.26 year old Private Thomas Allerton was amongst those killed in the attack along with 81 of his comrades. 

Tom Allerton had been born in Ilkley and lived with his parents at 8 St Johns Road, Ben Rhydding. A labourer before the war he was amongst the first men in the town to enlist when he joined the Ilkley Pals Company in September 1914. Tom and his battalion arrived in France in mid 1915 and he would have been involved in much fighting on the Western Front during which he was twice wounded.
 
The body of Private Thomas Allerton was never identified and he has no known grave, today he is commemorated on the memorial to the missing at Arras and is remembered on our war memorial in Ilkley. 




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