Horace James Tait (1884 - 1916)

Born 1884 in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Annie Eliza (Salt) Burton — married 13 Jun 1907 in Register Office, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England

Descendants

Died 1 Jul 1916 at about age 32 in Battle of the Somme, Picardy, France

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Biography

Horace was born in 1884 in Burton Upon Trent, Staffordshire and was christened there on 22 September 1886, the son of Adam Tait and Sarah Baker^[1][2]. He passed away in 1916. ^[3]

Horace died in the Battle of the Somme on 1st July 1916, in Picardie, France. He belonged to the North Staffordshire Regiment. Cemetery notes and/or description: On 1 July 1916, supported by a French attack to the south, thirteen divisions of Commonwealth forces launched an offensive on a line from north of Gommecourt to Maricourt. Despite a preliminary bombardment lasting seven days, the German defences were barely touched and the attack met unexpectedly fierce resistance. Losses were catastrophic and with only minimal advances on the southern flank, the initial attack was a failure. In the following weeks, huge resources of manpower and equipment were deployed in an attempt to exploit the modest successes of the first day. However, the German Army resisted tenaciously and repeated attacks and counter attacks meant a major battle for every village, copse and farmhouse gained. At the end of September, Thiepval was finally captured. The village had been an original objective of 1 July. Attacks north and east continued throughout October and into November in increasingly difficult weather conditions. The Battle of the Somme finally ended on 18 November with the onset of winter. In the spring of 1917, the German forces fell back to their newly prepared defences, the Hindenburg Line, and there were no further significant engagements in the Somme sector until the Germans mounted their major offensive in March 1918.

Sources

1. ↑ GRO (Birth) Reference: 1884, D Quarter, Burton Upon Trent, 6B/429; Mother's Maiden Name: BAKER
2. ↑ England, Staffordshire, Church Records, 1538-1944," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL3V-7CJ3 : 8 July 2020), Horace James Tait, 22 Sep 1886; citing Baptism, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom, Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent Archive Service, Stafford; FHL microfilm 7,605,032
3. ↑ Entered by Steve Gilfoyle, Apr 27, 2012

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission PRIVATE HORACE JAMES TAIT Service Number: 240590

• Steve Gilfoyle, firsthand knowledge. Click the Changes tab for the details of edits by Steve and others.

• Steve Tait, firsthand knowledge. Click the Changes tab for the details of edits by Steve and others.