WITHERS George Edward

Both George Withers and John Houghton volunteered as soon as war broke out.  They joined the 2nd battalion Worcestershire Regiment that became part of 5th Brigade, 2nd Division.  By 1915, the western front had settled down to a long unbroken line of trenches stretching from the Channel to Switzerland and by the summer the first of the volunteers that had flocked to the colours with the outbreak of war had begun arriving in appreciable numbers.  In what was the first large scale battle of the war (in terms of British forces) it was decided to try to break through the German lines at Loos near Lille.  The battle began on 21st September 1915 with an artillery bombardment lasting four days.  The first assault troops left their trenches at 0630hrs on 25th September 1915 with the 5th brigade attacking north of a canal towards La Bassee. The attack was a failure and by 0945hrs, the men were back in their original trench consolidating their positions, though with the battle continuing to their immediate south, their lives were far from comfortable. Reconnaissance patrols had to be undertaken and it is possible that it was on one of these that George Withers disappeared.  It was reported in the Evesham Standard of 30th October 1915 that he had been missing since 26th September 1915 and was later assumed to have been killed on that date.  His name is recorded on Loos memorial to the missing at Loos-en-Gohelle near the town of Lens.  He was 21.  His parents Frederick and Margaret Whithers lived in Village Street.

The British Expeditionary Force sustained over 61,000 casualties with nearly 8000 dead in the Battle of Loos, which effectively ended on 13th October 1915 having failed to break the German line.

A photograph of Private G. Withers of Harvington can be found in Berrow’s Worcester Journal Supplement, Saturday 7th October 1916, available at Worcestershire Archives.

George Withers has no known grave, the photograph available shows his name on Loos Memorial.