William Tiggerdine in WW1
Towards the end of WW1, older and older men were conscripted and William was called up, and began training, in June 1916 when he was 40. He was in D Company, 1st Battalion, Norfolk Regiment. He wrote home regularly and Sarah kept many of his letters. It's possible she kept all of them, however, I only have letters from the beginning and end of his time in the army.
Letters from William (PDFs varying from 1 to 3 MB):
1 July 1916; 7 July 1916; 15 July 1916; 28 July 1916;
9 March 1917; 16 March 1917; 28 March 1917;
8 April 1917; 11 April 1917; 21 April 1917.
William was killed in action in the Arras offensive, at La Coulotte, Avion, south of Lens, between 6 and 7 am on the morning of 23 April 1917. An extract from Haig's report on the offensive is below.
A Sergeant Gilding wrote to Sarah in April 1917 with some information about William's death and a Corporal Wall wrote later with more details. Corporal Wall, who seems to have been a friend of William's, was with him when he was killed and was himself injured and hospitalised. Sarah enquired of the War Office about where William was buried and received a reply giving the place he was killed as above but stating that his burial place was unknown.
There are also a couple of letters that Sarah sent to William (21 April 1917; 26 April 1917) that arrived after he was killed and which were returned to her.
From Haig's despatches
(see www.firstworldwar.com)
The Attack Resumed
Guemappe and Gavrelle
21. On the 16th April our Allies launched their main offensive on the Aisne, and shortly after that date the weather on the Arras front began to improve. Our preparations made more rapid progress, and plans were made to deliver our next attack on the 21st April.
High winds and indifferent visibility persisted, however, and so interfered with the work of our artillery and aeroplanes that it was found necessary to postpone operations for a further two days. Meanwhile local fighting took place frequently, and our line was improved slightly at a number of points.
At 4.45 a.m. on the 23rd April British troops attacked on a front of about nine miles from Croisilles to Gavrelle. At the same hour a minor operation was undertaken by us south-west of Lens.
On the main front of attack good progress was made at first at almost all points. By 10.0 a.m. the remainder of the high ground west of Cherisy had been captured by the attacking English brigades (30th and 50th Divisions), and Scottish troops (15th Division) had pushed through Guemappe.
East of Monchy-le-Preux British battalions (29th Division) gained the western slopes of the rising ground known as Infantry Hill. North of the Scarpe Highland Territorials (51st Division) were engaged in heavy fighting on the western outskirts of Roeux Wood and the chemical works.
On their left English county troops (37th Division) had reached the buildings west of Roeux Station and gained the line of their objectives on the western slopes of Greenland Hill, north of the railway.
On the left of our main attack the Royal Naval Division (63rd Division, Major-General C. E. Laurie) had made rapid progress against Gavrelle, and the whole of the village was already in their hands.
At midday and during the afternoon counter-attacks in great force developed all along the line, and were repeated by the enemy with the utmost determination, regardless of the heavy losses inflicted by our fire. Many of these counter-attacks were repulsed after severe fighting, but on our right our troops were ultimately compelled by weight of numbers to withdraw from the ridge west of Cherisy and from Guemappe.
North of the Scarpe fierce fighting continued for the possession of Roeux, the chemical works and the station to the north, but without producing any lasting change in the situation.