Christopher Frank Phillips

A Private with the 2nd Battalion, Christopher died on 24th of April 1918 at the age of 22. 

Christopher was born at Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1896, a son of Richard Samuel and Margaret Hannah Coker Phillips. In 1901 his family lived at 87 Vine Street, Wallsend. In 1902 Richard’s father died and subsequently his mother married Robert Taylor. In 1911 the family lived at 17 Ontario Road, Lowestoft, and Christopher was an oilman’s assistant. Later his family lived at 11 Norfolk Street.

Christopher was working as a hawker when he attested for the Army at Lowestoft on 2 March 1916. He was called up on 30 October 1916. He joined the Suffolk Regiment, service number 19883. On 17 November 1916 he joined the 24th Provisional Battalion. He was transferred to the Yorkshire Regiment on 24 May 1917. On 8 August 1917 he was posted to the 1/4th Battalion, service number 266038, and arrived in France on 9 August 1917, joining 37th Infantry Base Depot. He was then posted to the 10th Battalion and joined the battalion on 26 August 1917. On 10 February 1918 the 10th Battalion was disbanded and on 20 February 1918 Christopher was posted to the 20th Entrenching Battalion. On 6 April 1918 Christopher was transferred to the West Yorkshire Regiment, service number 72465, and joined the 2nd Battalion. 

On 23 April 1918 the 2nd Battalion took over positions just south of Villers-Bretonneux. At 3.30 a.m. on the 24th a heavy bombardment started, including a large number of gas shells. The bombardment slackened and parties of Germans were see taking up assembly positions and these were immediately fired on by the battalion. Low visibility caused by morning mist was compounded by smoke and about 7 a.m. three German tanks appeared and approached the battalion’s lines, accompanied by small parties of infantry. The rifle fire of the battalion had no effect on the tanks which closed on the battalion’s lines and the German infantry were able to occupy the position. D Company held the line until the right flank was turned, when the fell back to the battalion headquarters position. By this time the Germans had forced a gap between the battalion and the 2/4th London Regiment. 

By 8.40 p.m. about 80 men were holding the headquarters position and they were reinforced by another 60 men. A German tank and enemy snipers were able to bring enfilade fire on the right and further withdrawal was necessary. From 9.15 the remnant of the battalion began working westward and gained touch with the 2nd East Lancashire Regiment and formed a defensive flank, but heavy machine-gun fire caused many casualties, and the line was forced back. The remaining men were running out of ammunition and were ordered back to the reserve line. About 1 a.m. on the 25th the battalion was reorganised, numbering about 80 men and three officers. 

The battalion’s casualties were:

Officers: two killed, three wounded, eleven missing.
Other ranks: 18 killed, 3 died of wounds, 180 wounded, 203 missing.  

Christopher was reported missing on 24 April. Later it was concluded that he had been killed in action on, or since, that date. 

Christopher’s brother Richard served with the Royal Sussex Regiment and died in 1916.