BORN HULL 1897. SON OF ALBERT CARTLICH (1869-1934) & LUCY ELLEN BEAN (1870-1929), OF THIS ADDRESS AND 35 ARTHUR STREET, HULL. SON OF A HOTEL WAITER. ONE OF NINE CHILDREN. HE ENLISTED IN HULL. SERVED AS PRIVATE, 38262, 15TH WEST YORKSHIRE REGIMENT. (WYR). KILLED IN ACTION, NEAR ARRAS, ON 03/05/1917, AGED 19. HIS ARMY EFFECTS WERE LEFT TO HIS FATHER, ALBERT.
HIS DEATH WAS REPORTED IN THE HULL DAILY MAIL, ON 27/02/1918. HE IS COMMEMORATED ON THE ARRAS MEMORIAL TO THE MISSING.
HIS BROTHER CLAUD ALBERT CARTLICK, ALSO SERVED WITH THE WYR, LIVED AT 354 ST GEORGES ROAD, HULL.
HIS NAME IS SPELT CARTLICH IN CENSUS RECORDS, BUT CARTLICK IN CWGC RECORDS.
During this action at Gavrelle on 3rd May 1917, the Battalion war diary recorded: ‘At 3.45 a.m. our barrage commenced and the Battalion went forward to the attack, and from information received afterwards, reached the first objective without serious losses. Heavy Artillery and Machine Guns on both sides remained very active, and at 5.30 a.m. no definite information had been received. About this time wounded men were beginning to dribble in, and from their accounts it was obvious that our attack had failed in reaching its second objective, and also in holding the first.’ Things were getting desperate and Battalion Headquarters admin staff were sent forward. The war diary continued:
‘All stragglers were collected and organized, and about 7.30 a.m. 80 men were available in the front line [out of the original attacking strength of 547 all ranks]. There was no touch with Battalions on either left or right, so trenches were blocked, and bombing parties stationed on each flank.’
The attack was stopped by an enemy counter attack and reinforcements were sent forward. However, by the end of the day only three officers returned, all three were wounded. The losses were 4 officers killed and 8 missing; other rank numbers were 15 killed, 122 wounded and 26 missing.
