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Pte. George J. Medlicott
British Army 9th Btn. Cheshire Regiment
from:Birkenhead
(d.6th June 1918)
George Medlicott was born in 1895 in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England and was the brother of Edward and Thomas Medlicott. He joined the 9th Cheshire Regiment and was killed in action on 6th of June 1918. He was memorialised in the Soissons Memorial in France. The Soissons Memorial is a World War I memorial located in the town of Soissons, France. The memorial lists 3,887 names of British soldiers with no known grave, which were killed in the area between May and August 1918.
Based upon reliable sources, it would appear that George was killed in an Allied counter offensive following the Third Battle of the the Aisne. This was a massive surprise attack, which lasted from May 27th to June 6th, 1918 and was the first full-size German offensive following the Lys Offensive in Flanders in April of that year. The battle began with a massive bombardment followed by a poison gas drop. With the defences spread thin, the British army was unable to stop the attack and the Germans advanced 40 km through a gap in the front line between Reims and Soissons. However, following many successful counter-attacks the German advance was halted on June 6th, 1918 and much of the previous lost territory being restored. One of the regiments involved in the counter-offensive was the Cheshire Regiment including the 9th and 4th Battalions. The War diaries or intelligence summary of the 9th Cheshire regiment provide graphic detail surrounding this area of France and the presumed date of death of George Medlicott.
The hand-written war diary of the regiment recites the following:
Although it cannot be established definitively that George Medlicott died during the course of this engagement, given the reported date of his death, the location of the battle, the regiment information and the memorial location in Soissons, France, it is very likely or probable that this was, indeed, the case.- 3rd of June 1918. Montagne de Bligny. …Intelligence reports indicate possible attack on the morning of June 5th….
- 5th of June 1918 …Patrols sent out and the patrol detailed to investigate the suspected enemy post in the small wood (discovered last night) and came into contact with about 10 of the enemy; shots were exchanged and two Germans killed. This was about midnight….
- 6th of June 1918 …At 3:00 am, the enemy put down a heavy barrage on the positions occupied by the French on the immediate right of the brigade. This gradually spread to the left and by 3:30 the battalion area was being subjected to the barrage fire (artillery). The enemy was observed afterwards to be advancing to the attack in a south-westerly direction with covering fire also being given by his machine guns from both flanks. Many casualties were inflicted on him by rifle, Lewis gun and machine gun fire. He succeeded, however, in driving the French from the village of Bligny and into Bois de Reims. This left our Brigade right flank completely exposed. The 8/N Staffs therefore formed a defensive flank by withdrawing to the road (about the letter E of Chambrecy)- reference map Soissons 1/100,000. By attacking in large numbers, the enemy contrived to eject the front line troops and gain possession of their trenches. The commanding officer issued orders for a counter-attack..…this attack was held up by heavy machine gun fire before reaching their objective and did not succeed in turning out the enemy and the parties were compelled to withdraw and take up a defensive position on the road south of Montagne de Bligny. The enemy had by now (10am)a strong force in our late front line and attempted to advance. All his efforts were frustrated by fire from the line in the road. About 10:30 orders were received that the hill must be held at all costs and the commanding officer commenced re-organizing for another counter-attack. The counter attack was duly launched around 1:00 pm…. The Cheshire party pushed forward and on reaching the crest of the hill, they came under heavy fire from the enemy, established in our old frontline, charged and recaptured our position at the point of bayonet….
- 7th of June 1918 The casualties sustained by the battalion on the 6th were found to be 2 officers Lieutenant Berry missing, C.H. Jones wounded and 91 other ranks killed by enemy fire…..
