ACTING SERGEANT H. WARD, 3RD BATTALION WORCESTERSHIRE REGIMENT. Acting Sergeant Ward was killed in action on 12th March 1915, Spanbroek Mill

ACTING SERGEANT H. WARD, 3RD BATTALION WORCESTERSHIRE REGIMENT. Three: 1914 Star and bar (13185 Lance Corporal, 3rd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment) British War and Victory Medals (13185 Acting Sergeant, Worcestershire Regiment). Copy bar on 1914 Star, this polished, Good Very Fine, pair Extremely Fine.

Group accompanied by Commonwealth War Graves and Medal Index Card details. Sergeant Ward, born and enlisted Birmingham, saw service with the 3rd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment during the First World War, landing in France on 10th November 1914. By the time he had landed his battalion had been in France since 16th August 1914. By 10th November 1914 the 3rd Worcestershires were in reserve near a position known as Butler’s House. On 13th November the battalion relieved the 1st Battalion Somerset Light Infantry in trenches north west of St Yves. They in turn were themselves relieved during the night of 16th – 17th November, withdrawing to Petit Pont. Thereafter they transferred to Neuve Eglise on the 17th, La Clytte on the 19th and into billets north of Kemel on the 20th and Dranoutre on the 24th. The battalion took over the front line trenches near Spanbroek Mill on 26th November, but was subsequently relieved, and withdrew to Westoutre on 29th November and Locre on 30th November.

Acting Sergeant Ward was killed in action on 12th March 1915. On that day the 3rd Worcestershires, who formed part of 7th Brigade, 3rd Division, took part in an attack on Spanbroek Mill. The regimental history records that the leading companies of the battalion went forward into a hail of bullets and over ground knee deep in mud, and that “officers and men went down at every step”. Small parties of the battalion managed to enter the enemy’s front line and held the captured positions until forced to retire at dusk. The battalion lost 169 officers and men killed, wounded or missing, including 9 officers killed in action or mortally wounded. Acting Sergeant Harry Ward has no know grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, panel 34 (photograph of the section of the panel with his name on it also accompanies group).