ATTWELL, Ernest

Thomas and Hanna Attwell of 17 Victoria Terrace, Dudley and attended the Claughton school, Dudley. By the time of the Great War he was married to Mary of 83 High Street, Dudley. He volunteered for the Worcester Territorials and joined the 1/7th Battalion. They went to the Western Front in May 1915 and took part in the long struggle on the Somme in 1916. At some point he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Worcesters and then fought during 1917 in the Third Battle of Ypres. Somewhat unexpectedly in November 1917 they were sent to Italy where the Austrian and German forces had broken through the Italian defences near Venice. They went to the Alpine foot-hills and occupied a mountain front line at Asiago. There was little action but a serious Austrian attack was launched on the 15th June on the Asiago plateau. The Allied defence held and the counter attack was soon victorious. Two officers and 38 men from the Worcesters were killed, including Lieutenant Samuel Attwell. He was 27 years of age and is buried in Magnaboschi British Cemetery (III G 6) and commemorated on the Dudley and Claughton school Memorials.