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56833 18th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers
Cyril Grimwood was born in 1899 in West Ham, East London. By 1911 he was living in Sudbury with his father’s sister and husband; Henry and Harriet Jarmin (née Grimwood) and their son William in Upper East Street.
Cyril enlisted and served with the 18th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers which formed part of 104th Brigade, 35th Division. In March 1918 the Germans launched the Spring Offensive (Operation Michael) when they made a deep advance into Allied held territory along a 43 mile wide front on the ‘Somme’ sector. The battalion saw action at the First Battle of Bapaume (24 – 25 March) when after endless shelling the British evacuated Bapaume. The Germans advanced and entered Aveluy Wood in the following days.
On 29 May 1918 the battalion had moved into reserve positions north of Bouzincourt and at 3.25am attacked Aveluy Wood. The western edge of the wood was taken fairly quickly and by 5am the battalion had taken its final objective. High ground to the south of the wood had not been taken though and the Germans using machine guns made communication between the forward troops and headquarters almost impossible. The Regimental History states ‘Attempts to carry on visual signalling failed as practically all the signallers in the front line had been hit’.
At noon the Germans counter attacked the woods with the battalion suffering casualties of: 2 officers and 18 other ranks killed, 7 officers and 144 other ranks wounded and 1 officer and 48 other ranks missing. The Battalion War Diary records: ‘1 June 1918 - Battalion takes part in an attack on Aveluy Wood. Objectives reached but unable to be held’.
Cyril died aged 19 on 1June 1918 and lies buried in Martinsart British Cemetery, Somme, France. He was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
A Cross of Remembrance was laid by his grave in March 2014. He is also remembered on Baptist Church Memorial in Church Street.
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