RABONE, Joseph

Joseph Rabone was born in 1898, the son of George and Lucy Rabone of 23 Duncombe Street, Wollaston. He attended Wollaston C of E School and enlisted in the Worcesters, probably in 1917. He joined the 10th Battalion which fought at Third Ypres and, notably, at Passchendaele. In 1918 the battalion moved to Artois and was in the front line near Cambrai for the first great German Spring offensive. The attack started on the 21st March and drove the whole British line into retreat. The Worcesters conducted a fighting withdrawal for five days and were forced back across the old Somme battlefield. Then they were taken out of the line and moved to Flanders for reinforcement. Here they had to face the second German attack which started on the 9th April on the Lys. The Worcesters were driven back from the Messines Ridge and in the retreat heavy losses were sustained. Private Joseph Rabone was among those killed in action on the 10th April. He was 19 years of age and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot, Stourbridge and Wollaston church Memorials.