Johnson, Thomas Arthur

Pte, Thomas Arthur Johnson, 11th EYR

Hull Pals Memorial Post. PRIVATE THOMAS ARTHUR JOHNSON 32852. Born in 1897, Thomas was the eldest of two children and only son of Thomas and Alice Johnson of 45 Canning Street, Hull. Before the war he was employed by Messrs, Sanderson and Company, Paint Manufacturers, English Street, Hull. He was seriously injured during the attack on Oppy Wood and evacuated to the casualty clearing station at Aubigny where he died of wounds on 4th May 1917. He was buried at Aubigny Communal Cemetery Extension, a boy of 19 years. His army effects went to his mother at 4 Constable Buildings, English Street, Hull (War Pension address). His death was reported in the Hull Daily Mail, on 10/05/1917. Private Surfleet describes the scene:
“The bombardment lasted about half an hour and was immediately followed by a gas shell bombardment on our light artillery just in our rear. The ‘whirring’ of these shells passing over head and the dull ‘plonk’ of their landing was very weird and our guns stopped firing, we got a particularly isolated feeling, as if we were left on our own in those strange and insecure surroundings. The wind was blowing from the rear, so we soon got the gas coming over our bits of trench. The signal went round in a flash, and we pulled on our box-respirators as quickly as possible. Some of us were not at all sure of the necessity and took them off to see how things were going on: we did not take much convincing then! Shortly after this show commenced, a number of chaps staggered across the top coughing and spluttering: ‘I’m gassed! I’m gassed!’ and even in such trying circumstances I was amused at the muttered and muffled advice from the helmet next to mine: ‘Well put your bloody helmet on you fool!’

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 3rd 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:
THOMAS ARTHUR
Military Number:
32852
Rank:
Private
Date Died
04/05/1917
Place died:
Aubigny Communal Cemetery Extension, Pas de Calais, France
Age:
19
4 CONSTABLE BUILDINGS, ENGLISH STREET, HULL, EAST YORKSHIRE, UK