Castle Bromwich soldier among the first Solihull men to die in the Great War

A SOLIHULL project is appealing for details about the Castle Bromwich man who was among the first men locally to be killed in the First World War.

Eric Birch was just 24-years-old when he died at the First Battle of Aisne on September 14, 1914.

Only a month earlier he had arrived in France as part of the 100,000-strong British Expeditionary Force, the fighting men who were tasked with attempting to stop the German advance.

Rifleman Birch, of the 2^nd Battalion, King’s Royal Rifle Corps, had already survived skirmishes at Mons and the Marne in the weeks prior to the Battle of Aisne.

When dawn broke on September 14, his battalion was ordered to march through a thick fog. Tragedy struck when the troops stumbled into an advance party of German soldiers.

As the mist lifted, the British were exposed to artillery fire and suffered heavy losses. Fighting continues until after dark and the beleaguered battalion was not relieved until 9pm that evening.

By this time, 321 soldiers had been killed, wounded or reported missing, including Rifleman Birch. His name is among the fallen inscribed on the Le Ferte-sous-Jouarre Memorial to the Missing, some 60 miles outside Paris.

The battle on the banks of the Aisne marked the end of mobile warfare; after more than a month of fighting, it was clear that neither side could gain a swift advantage. A day later, soldiers began to dig shallow pits in the soil. This signalled the start of trench warfare and the bloody stalemate which would last for the next four years.

The battle is significant for Solihull as it’s believed to be the first time that local people lost their lives in the conflict.

Solihull Heritage and Local Studies Service has identified four men who died that day and another three who were killed later the same month.

Among them is Private Albert Newell, of the West Yorkshire Regiment, who is commemorated at the war memorial in Marston Green. He was killed on September 20.

If you know more about the lives of these young men or other early casualties from the local area, then contact Tracey Williams, heritage and local studies librarian, on 0121 704 6934 or email heritage@solihull.gov.uk