Spring, George Lewis

Lance Corporal, George Lewis Spring, 10th EYR, killed at Oppy Wood, 03/05/1917, aged 22. His father was Chairman, of Hull City FC, and lived at 401 Anlaby Road, Hull.

BORN HULL 1895. SON OF JAMES & KATE SPRING. EDUCATED AT HYMERS COLLEGE MEMORIAL.HE WORKED FOR HIS FATHER, MESSRS A. SPRING & CO. LTD, AT HULL FISH DOCK. HE WAS A FOOTBALLER. AND HIS FATHER WAS CHAIRMAN OF HULL CITY AFC. HE ENLISTED IN THE HULL PALS. SERVED IN EGYPT AND FRANCE. HE HAD BEEN RECOMMENDED FOR A COMMISSION, BUT PREFERRED TO REMAIN THE RANKS. SHOT THROUGH HEAD BY SNIPER LOOKING OVER PARAPET AT 3.45AM. HIS NAME IS LISTED ON HULL HYMERS MEMORIAL AND THE ARRAS MEMORIAL, FRANCE. HIS DEATH WAS REPORTED IN THE HULL DAILY MAIL, ON 11/05/1917, WITH HIS PHOTOGRAPH. *
Hull Pals Memorial Post. L/CPL GEORGE LEWIS SPRING 10/836. Born 1895, the eldest son of James and Kate Ellen Lewis of 401 Anlaby Road, Hull. George was one of the original Pals, enlisting in September 1914 and serving in Egypt and on the Somme as part of C Company. He was killed in action on May 3rd 1917 during the fighting for Oppy Wood. His body was never recovered and his name is commemorated on the Arras Memorial. He was 22 years old. Company Sergeant Major Crabtree was wounded in the attack and his recollection of that day are interesting in that they give some indication of the mood of the men toward the Brass as well as demonstrating exactly WHY so many of their bodies were never recovered: “Men began to fall. How can you explain what happens at such a time? We were nearing our objective, and I was alongside that lying devil (his Company Commander) when a shell dropped right amongst us. Something heavy hit my foot and down I went. What happened to him I don’t know, but he was never heard of again. Missing believed killed. Jerry had at least done one good deed.”
*****UPDATE***** READING FURTHER I HAVE DISCOVERED GEORGE WAS A VICTIM OF AN ENTIRELY RANDOM BURST OF MACHINE GUN FIRE FROM THE OPPOSITE TRENCHES. AS HE LOOKED OUT INTO THE DARKNESS OF NO-MAN’S LAND BEFORE THE BATTLE COMMENCED, HE WAS SHOT THROUGH THE HEAD AND KILLED INSTANTLY. I CAN ONLY ASSUME HIS BODY WAS LEFT FOR BURIAL AND THEN DESTROYED BY SHELLING.

The attack on Oppy Wood, part of the Battle of Arras, was a significant battle for the East Yorkshire Regiment and particularly for the city of Hull.  All four Hull Pals battalions were involved on 3 May and all suffered heavy casualties, with 40% of those present killed or injured. 2nd Lieutenant Jack Harrison, a local teacher and rugby player with Hull FC, won a posthumous Victoria Cross for his bravery in rushing a machine gun position to protect his platoon. His body was never found.
The village of Oppy in France had been in German hands since October 1914 and was part of a formidable defensive system including trenches, dug-outs and thick barbed wire defences. During the Battle of Arras, which began in April 1917, the British tried to take Oppy. The first attack was a failure. A second attack was partially successful. The third attack on 3 May, known officially as the Third Battle of the Scarpe, was again unsuccessful with significant loss of life. The troops were ordered to attack at 3.45am, rather than at dawn, and the defending Germans could easily see the line of British soldiers clearly lit by the full moon. The British continued to attack Oppy and were finally successful the following year. The City of Hull Memorial at Oppy was unveiled in 1927 and commemorates the men of the Hull Pals who were killed on 3 and 4 May 1917.

 

First name:
GEORGE LEWIS
Regiment:
10th East Yorkshire Regiment C Company
Military Number:
10836
Rank:
Lance Corporal
Date Died
03/05/1917
Place died:
Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France
Age:
22
401 , ANLABY ROAD, HULL, EAST YORKSHIRE, UK
Place Buried
62000 Arras, France