John BLADES

'Burnley Express' (24 July 1915)

(Kindly supplied by the website: Burnley in the Great War)

NELSON SOLDIERS "BELIEVED KILLED"

NO WORD SINCE MAY 9th

In the official casualty list published on Monday, two Nelson soldiers, who had been previously reported missing, appeared in the list of "Believed killed." We refer to Pte. John Blades, of 5, Parrock-street, Nelson, and Pte W. Smith, of 41, Gordon-road, Nelson, both of the 2nd East Lancashire Regiment.

Pte Blades was a single young man, who before the outbreak of the war resided with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Blades. He was well-known in the town, and his father is a highly esteemed tradesman, carrying on business as a furniture dealer. Pte. Blades, who was 25 years of age, joined the Army in 1908, and was on reserve at the beginning of the war. He was called up, and straight away proceeded to the front. Owing to suffering from bad feet he was invalided home about Christmas, but shortly afterwards was back in the firing line, and continued in the trenches up to the 9th of May, when he was reported as missing. Since then nothing has been heard of him. Before August he had been employed as a weaver at Netherfield Shed.

HISTORY OF THE EAST LANCASHIRE REGIMENT IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918 (Littlebury Bros. Ltd. 1936)

BATTLE OF AUBERS, 9TH MAY 1915

2nd Bn. East Lancashire Regiment

At 5.00 a.m. all guns commenced a heavy bombardment of the enemy trenches. This bombardment, though actually ineffective, appeared otherwise, and so impressed Captain Hill's men that he shouted, "It's a walk-over, a ------- walk-over." He soon found out that it was not.

The infantry attack was timed to begin at 5.40 a.m.; accordingly at 5.20 a.m., the rear platoons of 'C' and 'B' Companies moved up to their advanced platoons, followed at intervals by 'D' Company in support of 'B' Company, and 'A' Company in Battalion reserve. The success of this movement over absolutely open ground depended entirely on the ability of the artillery to subdue rifle and machine-gun fire from the enemy trenches. Unfortunately, in the words of an officer present, "the artillery entirely failed to shake the enemy, who maintained heavy rifle and machine-gun fire throughout the bombardment."

The natural result was that directly the companies left the cover of the breastwork they were swept by a hail of bullets; 'B', 'C' and 'D' Companies all suffered severely before reaching the advanced trench . . . 'A' Company also suffered severely while passing through the breastwork.

Further advance was obviously impossible without some re-organisation, and renewed bombardment of the enemy trenches. The latter was asked for, but the former was almost impossible, for the only cover forward of the breastwork was the advanced trench, which was enfiladed from end to end.

At 1.00 p.m. the bombardment recommenced and orders were received for the Battalion to resume the attack on the cessation of the bombardment; but, before it ceased, the Battalion no longer existed as a fighting force.

It was...long after midnight before the remnants of the battalion, including all the wounded who could be found, were assembled and withdrawn from the line. Thus ended the most disastrous day, with one possible exception, that the Battalion experienced during the war. The casualties amounted to 10 officers killed, 9 wounded;

63 other ranks killed, 325 wounded and 42 missing.

[John Blades was killed in action on the 9th May.]