BIRCH, James Jeffs

James Birch was the son of Samuel and Charlotte Birch and married to Mary Birch of 204 Prospect Row, Dudley. He volunteered for the Worcesters and joined the 2nd Battalion on the Western Front. He had probably fought through the struggle for the Somme in 1916 and the long contest during the Third Battle of the Somme for However, the British army had to face the even stronger challenges of the German Spring offensives in 1918. The second of these attacks started on the Lys on the 9th April and the Worcesters were engaged in the steadfast defence of Neuve Eglise. They were driven back a great distance and many were overtaken by the German advance. Private James Birch was killed in action on the 17th April. He was 37 years of age and is commemorated on the Ploegsteert and Dudley Memorials.