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SKELTON - IN - CLEVELAND
IN HISTORY
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"WE WILL REMEMBER THEM"
34775 Corporal BERNARD SAMUEL SCUFFHAM.
10th Battalion., King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.
Formerly, 5311 Yorkshire Regiment.
who died, aged 20, on the 8th of June 1917.
Son of Samuel and Eliza Scuffham of 49 Harker St, Skelton-in-Cleveland, N Yorks.
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Henin Communal Cemetery Extension, 8k South of Arras.
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FAMILY:-
1901. Bernard, aged 4, was living at 49 Harker St, Skelton Green and had been born in Skelton,
His father, Samuel, aged 49, worked as an Ironstone miner below ground. He had been born in Lincolnshire.
His mother, Eliza, aged 44, was born in Stanghow, N Yorks. By 1911 she has had 8 children and only 5 are still living.
He had an older brother, Robert, aged 17, who worked as a labourer in the Ironstone mine and he had been born in Marske N Yorks.
His two sisters were Hilda age 15 and Edith age 9, born in Skelton.
Robert Scuffham also lost his life in the First War serving in the Merchant Navy. His ship hit a German Mine while carrying stores from Aberdeen to Scapa Flow. See separate entry.
1911. The family are still living at 49 Harker St and Bernard, now 14, is already working below ground in the Ironstone Mines as a "datal worker". He is the only one still living at home with his parents.
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WAR SITUATION:-
The 10th (Service) Battalion KOYLI, were formed at Pontefract in September 1914.
They were attached to 64th Brigade, 21st Division.
Bernard's Medal Card shows that he was previously in the Yorkshire Regiment as 5311. Reason for transfer is not known, but this was often on re-posting after a period out wounded. He was not awarded the 1914/15 Star and must have first gone out to France in 1916 or later.
At the time of his death the 21st Division fought in the British Arras offensive.
The British launched a large scale attack at Arras in support of a larger plan by the French.
It was against the formidable Hindenberg line to which the Germans had made a strategic withdrawal.
The struggle continued on until May in several phases, opening with the Battle of Vimy and then the three Battles of the Scarpe (a river in that region). which was launched by General Douglas Haig to divert the Germans while the French General Neville attacked further South on the River Aisne.
The final Battle of Bullecourt brought this "push" to an end and like all the others, it started well only to become bogged down in a stalemate with terrible loss of life. On average more men were killed per day than on the Somme in 1916.
General Douglas Haig, later wrote that the offensive at Arras was to divert the Germans, while the French attacked further South on the Chemin des Dames. His main objective was to advance at Ypres in the offensive that he would launch in July.
At the time Bernard was killed they were defending the Trenches that had been captured in this offensive.
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MEMORIAL
Henin sur Cojeul lies 8 kilometres South East of Arras and the Communal Cemetery Extension contains 193 burials.
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