Private Herbert Murgatroyd aged 25

Herbert Murgatroyd was a Private in the West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales’s Own). He has no known grave but is commemorated on the Arras Memorial in France. Before he enlisted in Halifax, Herbert lived with his parents (his father Eli being a Worsted Overlooker) and two sisters, Edith and Liza, at 3 Bethel Terrace and he worked as a clerk at Brookes of Lightcliffe, Stone Merchants. He had attended Luddenden Wesleyan Church and Sunday School and is commemorated on the Ebenezer Chapel Roll of Honour, on Halifax Lane. Herbert was killed at the First Battle of Bullecourt, where his regiment was supporting an Australian attack on the German trenches of the Hindenberg Line. This was one of the first attacks with tanks rather than artillery bombardment, but was not successful, and in the one day, over 1,000 Australians were captured by the Germans, the largest number in one skirmish during the whole war.

He is commemorated on the Arras memorial.