Stanley Gibbs

A Sergeant with the 11th Battalion, Stanley died on 28th of April 1917 at the age of 22.

Stanley was born at Great Yarmouth in 1894, a son of Frederick and Kate Gibbs. In 1901 his family lived at 65 Winifred Road, Great Yarmouth. In 1911 his family lived at 31 Tennyson Road, Lowestoft, and Stanley worked as a draper’s porter. Later his parents lived at 29 Alexandra Road.

Stanley enlisted in the Army at Lowestoft in October 1914. He joined the Suffolk Regiment, service number 1464, a was posted to the 6th (Cyclist) Battalion. He did not serve overseas before 1916. Stanley was posted to the 11th Battalion in France, and renumbered 43381. He served with C Company. 

On 26 April 1917 the 11th Battalion were at the railway cutting south-west of Fampoux. On 27 April they received orders to prepare for an attack on Rouex the next morning. By 3 a.m. on the 28th they were in position and at 4.25 a.m. a barrage commenced with the battalion beginning the attack at 4.27 a.m. By 5 a.m. the attack was both held up and driven back by heavy machine-gun fire from a trench that had been missed by the preliminary barrage. About half of the battalion had returned to the front line trench and at 9.45 a.m. the Germans made a counter-attack from the direction of Rouex and were able to capture Mount Pleasant Wood and a communication trench called Ceylon Trench. The battalion held the front line and by 10 a.m. had recaptured Ceylon Trench and Mount Pleasant Wood. Next the battalion were moved into support line trenches while the British heavy artillery laid down a bombardment on the Chemical Works at Rouex. Late in the day the battalion returned to the front line trenches.  

Stanley was killed in action on 28 April.