WESTON, Samuel

Samuel Weston was born at Cradley and came to live in Stourbridge. He volunteered soon after the outbreak of war and joined the Worcesters. He was sent to the 2nd Battalion which had already been active in the fighting since the Battle of Mons and had lost heavily in First Ypres. Early in 1915 it was at Festubert on the Western Front between Bethune and Armentičres. The terrain was one of small villages, low-lying fields and mud-filled dykes. It was recognised that the German trenches were strong, and the High Command decided to gain surprise by a night attack, preceded by a brief, but vigorous, artillery bombardment to destroy the enemy trenches. The Worcesters were in the assault position for the attack of the 16th May but few in the battalion had experience of night attacks. The distance to the German trenches was some 300 yards, but companies were unable to keep good order in the confusion. Some men fell under the furious fire, but most reached the German lines, only to find that most of the wire was left uncut by the artillery bombardment. Under the light of flares, enemy machine guns opened up on no-man's land, while artillery targeted the British trenches. Some survivors stayed in no-man's land until dawn, often looking for the wounded. Next morning it was apparent that the battalion had suffered seriously in the Battle of Festubert with over 150 men killed. Among these was Private Samuel Weston who is commemorated on the Le Touret and Stourbridge Memorials.