10374. Lance Corporal Wilson Holdroyd

1st. Battalion, (King's Own) Yorkshire Light Infantry. Born 1897 in Huddersfield. Enlisted in Dewsbury. Killed in Action on Saturday 8th. May 1915, aged 18, in fierce fighting on the first day of The Battle of Friezenberg Ridge, which was an engagement during The Second Battle of Ypres. (Reported dead 8/5/15) on or since 8.5.15 death presumed. Lost Without Trace. No Known Grave. Known unto God. Commemorated on Panel 47 of The Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial to The Missing, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Son of Levi and Jane E. Holdroyd of 64, Longwood Road, Huddersfield. A staggering total of 155 of Wilson’s Comrades from the Battalion also Fell on this day, together with the following 3 Officers, all of whom were Killed in Action:

Captain Henry Kent Hughes

Captain Kenneth Lambert

Lieutenant Guy Nicholas Palmes

Wilson was entitled to The 1914 -15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. THEATRE OF WAR. (1) FRANCE. QUALIFYING DATE 5.1.15. A War Gratuity of £5 was paid to his father, Mr. Levi Holdroyd.

War Diary extract:

1ST BATTALION, THE KING’S OWN YORKSHIRE LIGHT INFANTRY. 1915.  May.

1st   Battalion in trenches. A.Coy. Digging on FRIEZENBERG LINE.

2nd   Battalion in trenches. Orders received that trenches in ZONNEKE line would probably be evacuated, and all trench Stores, Ammunition etc. would be sent back to FRIEZENBERG line.

11 p.m. Order re retirement cancelled.

3rd   Battalion in trenches.

4 p.m. Orders received to retire to new position. New line occupied, 1st K.O.Y.L.I. returned to Huts W. of YPRES.

4th   Battalion in Huts.

5th  7.30 p.m. Battalion moved into dug outs behind the line of trenches at FRIEZENBERG.

6th   Battalion in dug outs.

7th   Battalion in dug outs.

11 p. m. Moved into fire trenches.

8th  Trenches heavily shelled with high explosives; this was followed by a German attack. C. & D. Companies were shelled out of their trenches. A. & B. drove off three German attacks, and withdrew from trenches at night, and went to 80th Brigade. Casualties. Killed Captain H.K. Hughes, Capt. K. Lambert, Lieut. T. Palmer 1st K.O.Y.L.I. and 2/Lt. J.A.R. Fergusson, Royal Sussex Regt. Died of wounds Lieut. C.F. Wharton, D.L.I. Wounded. Major C.R. Ingham Brooke, 2/Lt. Hutchison 1st K.O.Y.l.I. and 2 Lt. W.W. Owbridge, E. Yorks. Missing. 2/Lt. W. Bateman, 1st K.O.Y.L.I. and Capt. P.G.M. Elvery R.A.M.C. Regimental Sergeant Major Lewis was also killed. Casualties in other ranks, from 19.4.15. To 7.5.15. Killed 34, Died of wounds 3. Wounded 112.

May.  8th

Contd: Casualties on 8th. Killed 53. Wounded 92. Missing 272. The four machine guns were either destroyed by shell fire or buried.

German Reserve Regiment No. 242 of the 53rd Reserve Division which attacked near Friezenberg states on page 23 of its History: 

“The effect of the heavy artillery was devastating, one shell crater ran into another . . . only a few desperate survivors defended themselves obstinately.” 

According to Doncaster Museum, which holds all of The Great War records for the KOYLI’S, all of the casualties who fell on this day who are commemorated on The Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, were buried in a mass grave by the Germans at Verlovenhoek after the Battle. They are in the process of trying to discover the exact whereabouts of the site from a Red Cross letter written at the time. They also say, for unknown reasons, the 3 Officers who fell, were incorrectly listed as being Killed in Action on 9 February 1915, one day after they actually fell.

The Battle of Frezenberg (8th. - 13th. May 1915)

The Germans had moved their artillery forward and put three Army corps opposite the 27th and 28th divisions on the Frezenberg Ridge. The battle began on 8 May with a bombardment that disrupted the 83rd Brigade holding trenches on the forward side of the ridge but the first and second assaults by German infantry were repelled by the survivors. The third German assault of the morning pushed the defenders back. While the neighbouring 80th Brigade stopped the advance, the 84th Brigade was broken giving a two mile gap in the line. Further advance was stopped through counterattacks and a night move by the 10th Brigade.

Barry Jenkins