St Eloi. 2 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. March 1915.
The battalion spent most of February and the early part of March 1915 on 2-3 days tours in the trenches around St Eloi, in the southern sector of the Ypres Salient, followed by 2-3 days in billets at Dickebusch. Over the first 10 days of March there was a steady attrition of men, casualties were officers 3 KIA & 3 wounded and ORs 20 KIA & 52 wounded – many of the casualties were due to a heavy mortar the enemy had brought up and which did much damage to the trenches. On the 7 March the battalion was relieved by 4 Rifle Brigade and was to move back to their billets at Dickebusch. During the relief, as the battalion was making its way back through the communication and support trenches the first Oswestry Officer fell – Lieutenant Gilbert Rowland Venables. he had stopped and was talking with Private Sidney Maurice Rheide from Chirk, when he was hit and killed.
References and Sources WAR DIARY 2 Bn KSLI. History KSLI.
B&O 1915 Ypres. St Eloi. 2 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. March 1915.
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