The war memorial of 200733 Lance Corporal William Thomas Brew, 1st/4th Battalion King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) who died on 1 December 1917, is located on the Cambrai Memorial, Louverval, Somme, France (Panel 3).
The Cambrai Memorial commemorates more than 7,000 servicemen of the United Kingdom and South Africa who died in the Battle of Cambrai in November and December 1917 and whose graves are not known. The attack began early in the morning of 20 November 1917 and initial advances were remarkable. However, by 22 November, a halt was called for rest and reorganisation, allowing the Germans to reinforce. From 23 to 28 November, the fighting was concentrated almost entirely around Bourlon Wood and by 29 November, it was clear that the Germans were ready for a major counter attack. During the fierce fighting of the next five days, much of the ground gained in the initial days of the attack was lost. For the Allies, the results of the battle were ultimately disappointing but valuable lessons were learnt about new strategies and tactical approaches to fighting. The Germans had also discovered that their fixed lines of defence, no matter how well prepared, were vulnerable. The memorial stands on a terrace at one end of Louverval Military Cemetery, which stayed in Allied hands until the 51st (Highland) Division was driven from it on 21 March 1918 during the German Spring Offensice. It was not retaken until the following September. Parts of Rows B and C of the cemetery were made between April and December 1917 and, in 1927, graves were brought in from Louverval Chateau Cemetery, which had been begun by German troops in March 1918 and used by Commonwealth forces in September and October 1918. The cemetery now contains 124 World War I burials.
Louverval is situated on the northern side of Bapaume-Cambrai Road, ca. 10km north-east of Bapaume.
Click on an image to see an enlarged version. It is possible to see on the larger picture that the surface is flaking, and part of the name above William's has already fallen off the wall. This may therefore be one of the last photos of his complete name.
© Photos taken by Steve Brew on 27 August 1999